Patents by Inventor Reto Ettinger

Reto Ettinger has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11911757
    Abstract: A pipetting device includes a pipetting channel at least partially filled with working gas, a pipetting tip accessible through a pipetting opening such that the volume of dosing liquid drawn into the receiving chamber can be varied by changing the pressure of the working gas in the receiving chamber, a pipetting piston for changing the pressure of the working gas and accommodated in the pipetting channel to be movable along the pipetting channel, a drive driving the pipetting piston to perform a movement along the pipetting channel, a control device controlling the drive, and a pressure sensor sensing the pressure of the working gas. The control device controls the drive to generate a pressure pulse in the pipetting channel based on the pressure signal output by the pressure sensor whereby the pressure of the working gas during the pulse follows a predefined working gas target pressure pulse curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: HAMILTON BONADUZ AG
    Inventors: Hanspeter Romer, Reto Ettinger, Fridolin Gysel, Jürg Rast, Jonas Hilti
  • Publication number: 20230168267
    Abstract: A pipetting unit (2) with capacitive liquid detection comprises: a pressure tube (10); a shield (12) disposed around the pressure tube (10); a coupling (14) for temporarily attaching a pipetting tip (4) to the pipetting unit (2), wherein when the pipetting tip (4) is connected, an electrical connection is established between the pressure tube (10) and the pipetting tip (4); and an electric circuit (20) coupled to the pressure tube (10) and the shield (12), wherein the electric circuit (20) is configured to apply a time-variable electrical signal to the pressure tube (10), said time-variable electrical signal permitting a capacitive detection of a contact between the pipetting tip (4) and a pipetting liquid (112) when the pipetting tip (4) is connected, and wherein the electric circuit (20) is configured to connect the shield (12) to ground.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Inventors: Fridolin GYSEL, Reto ETTINGER, Silvio WALPEN
  • Patent number: 11539271
    Abstract: There is provided a method for contactless determination of the position of a driven moving portion (4) of an electric motor (2) by means of a plurality of magnetic field sensors (8), wherein the moving portion is movably arranged with respect to a stator (6) and has a plurality of permanent magnets (40) which generate a moving-portion magnetic field having a plurality of periodically spaced apart maxima, and wherein the plurality of magnetic field sensors are arranged along a movement path (43) of the moving portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: HAMILTON BONADUZ AG
    Inventors: Reto Ettinger, Jürg Rast, Fridolin Gysel
  • Patent number: 11504708
    Abstract: A pipetting apparatus and method for pulsed dispensing of small metered-liquid doses of no more than 1 ?l. The apparatus includes a pipetting conduit at least partly filled with working gas, a pressure-modifying apparatus for modifying the pressure of the working gas, and a control apparatus for applying control to the pressure-modifying apparatus. The control apparatus can control the pressure-modifying apparatus so as to generate in the pipetting conduit, with respect to a reference holding pressure in the pipetting conduit which is necessary for immovable holding of the metered-liquid quantity, an overpressure pulse having a pulse duration of no more than 40 ms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: HAMILTON BONADUZ AG
    Inventors: Hanspeter Romer, Reto Ettinger, Fridolin Gysel, Jürg Rast, Jonas Hilti
  • Publication number: 20210154659
    Abstract: A pipetting device includes a pipetting channel at least partially filled with working gas, a pipetting tip which is accessible through a pipetting opening such that the volume of dosing liquid drawn into the receiving chamber through the pipetting opening can be varied by changing the pressure of the working gas in the receiving chamber, a pipetting piston for changing the pressure of the working gas and accommodated in the pipetting channel so as to be movable along the pipetting channel, a drive for driving the pipetting piston to perform a movement along the pipetting channel, a control device for controlling the drive, and a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure of the working gas. The control device controls the drive to generate a pressure pulse in the pipetting channel based on the pressure signal output by the pressure sensor such that the pressure of the working gas during the pulse follows a predefined working gas target pressure pulse curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Inventors: Hanspeter Romer, Reto Ettinger, Fridolin Gysel, Jürg Rast, Jonas Hilti
  • Publication number: 20200298225
    Abstract: An integrated motor cartridge (2) for connection to and for use in a pipetting system comprises a housing (4); a guide tube (14); a piston (16) provided with a plurality of permanent magnets (18), the piston having a pressure tube facing side and a pressure tube distal side, the piston being arranged in the guide tube and the piston having at least one seal (24) with respect to the guide tube; and a coil assembly (20) by means of which the piston can be moved in the guide tube when power is supplied to the coil assembly; wherein the guide tube, the piston and the coil assembly are arranged in the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Hanspeter ROMER, Fridolin GYSEL, Silvio WALPEN, Reto ETTINGER
  • Publication number: 20200282390
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a pipetting apparatus for aspirating and dispensing metered liquids, encompassing: at least one guidance tube (30) extending along a cylinder axis (Z), the cylinder axis (Z) defining: an axial direction proceeding along its direction of extent; a radial direction proceeding orthogonally thereto; and a circumferential direction extending therearound; a piston (10) received in the guidance tube (30) axially movably relative thereto; a coupling configuration embodied for temporary or permanent coupling of a pipetting tip; and a drive apparatus (32) for driving the piston (10) to move axially relative to the guidance tube (30), the guidance tube (30) comprising a coupling-side longitudinal end (48) that is located closer to the coupling configuration; and comprising a servicing-side longitudinal end (50) that is located oppositely from the coupling-side longitudinal end (48) and is located farther from the coupling configuration; the piston (10) encompassing at least one pe
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2017
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Applicant: Hamilton Bonaduz AG
    Inventors: Hanspeter Romer, Reto Ettinger, Fridolin Gysel, Heidi Cattaneo
  • Publication number: 20200076275
    Abstract: There is provided a method for contactless determination of the position of a driven moving portion (4) of an electric motor (2) by means of a plurality of magnetic field sensors (8), wherein the moving portion is movably arranged with respect to a stator (6) and has a plurality of permanent magnets (40) which generate a moving-portion magnetic field having a plurality of periodically spaced apart maxima, and wherein the plurality of magnetic field sensors are arranged along a movement path (43) of the moving portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Inventors: Reto ETTINGER, Jürg RAST, Fridolin GYSEL
  • Publication number: 20190358626
    Abstract: A pipetting apparatus and method for pulsed dispensing of small metered-liquid doses of no more than 1 ?l. The apparatus includes a pipetting conduit at least partly filled with working gas, a pressure-modifying apparatus for modifying the pressure of the working gas, and a control apparatus for applying control to the pressure-modifying apparatus. The control apparatus can control the pressure-modifying apparatus so as to generate in the pipetting conduit, with respect to a reference holding pressure in the pipetting conduit which is necessary for immovable holding of the metered-liquid quantity, an overpressure pulse having a pulse duration of no more than 40 ms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: Hamilton Bonaduz AG
    Inventors: Hanspeter Romer, Reto Ettinger, Fridolin Gysel, Jürg Rast, Jonas Hilti
  • Publication number: 20190255522
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a pipetting apparatus for aspirating and dispensing metered liquids, encompassing: at least one guidance tube (30) extending along a cylinder axis (Z), the cylinder axis (Z) defining: an axial direction proceeding along its direction of extent; a radial direction proceeding orthogonally thereto; and a circumferential direction extending therearound; a piston (10) received in the guidance tube (30) axially movably relative thereto; a coupling configuration embodied for temporary or permanent coupling of a pipetting tip; and a drive apparatus (32) for driving the piston (10) to move axially relative to the guidance tube (30), the guidance tube (30) comprising a coupling-side longitudinal end (48) that is located closer to the coupling configuration; and comprising a servicing-side longitudinal end (50) that is located oppositely from the coupling-side longitudinal end (48) and is located farther from the coupling configuration; the piston (10) encompassing at least one pe
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2017
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicant: Hamilton Bonaduz AG
    Inventors: Hanspeter Romer, Reto Ettinger, Fridolin Gysel, Heidi Cattaneo