CAPILLARY PUMP UNIT AND FLOW CELL

• US 20100303686A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Haga, Tsuneyuki, Miura, Toru, Hayashi, Tsuyoshi, Horiuchi, Tsutomu, Seyama, Michiko, Takahashi, Jun-ichi, Iwasaki, Yuzuru
• Granted Patent: US 8,398,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/400
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/027 for microfluidic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0887 Laminated structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50273 characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids micropumps F04B19/006, of the membrane type F04B43/043
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502746 characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 19/006 Micropumps F04B43/043 and F04B43/095 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0346 Capillary cells; Microcells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/056 Laminated construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/058 Flat flow cell
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00237 Handling microquantities of analyte, e.g. microvalves, capillary networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1037 Using surface tension, e.g. pins or wires
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/05 Flow-through cuvettes G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/553 and using surface plasmons fluorescence excitation G01N21/648; enhanced Raman G01N21/658
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2224 Structure of body of device

Abstract

In a capillary pump unit, a capillary pump including a plurality of through portions making a first point and a second point of an approximately flat-plate-shaped base communicable with each other are formed in the base, and a sample liquid is transferred from the first point to the second point by capillary force by the through portions.

Claims

1. A capillary pump unit, wherein a capillary pump comprising a plurality of through portions making a first point and a second point of an approximately flat-plate-shaped base communicable with each other are formed in the base, and

a sample liquid is transferred from the first point to the second point by capillary force by the through portions.

2. The capillary pump unit according to claim 1, wherein the base comprises a plurality of stacked sheet-shaped bases, and

a plurality of through portions are formed in the respective sheet-shaped bases so that the through portions are communicable with one another among the sheet-shaped bases.

3. The capillary pump unit according to claim 2, wherein the sheet-shaped base is a seal to which both sides or a single side can be adhered, and

the plurality of the seals are adhered to one another and stacked.

4. The capillary pump unit according to claim 2, wherein the sheet-shaped base is formed of synthetic resin or glass, and

a plurality of synthetic resin or glass are welded to one another and stacked.

5. The capillary pump unit according to claim 2, wherein the through portions are a plurality of through holes formed in the respective sheet-shaped bases, and

the sheet-shaped bases are stacked so that at least some of the through holes of the adjacent ones of the sheet-shaped bases overlap each other.

6. The capillary pump unit according to claim 2, wherein the through portions are a plurality of through grooves provided in parallel with one another in the respective sheet-shaped bases, and

the sheet-shaped bases are stacked so that the through grooves of adjacent ones of the sheet-shaped bases overlap in parallel with one another.

7. The capillary pump unit according to claim 2, wherein the through portions are a plurality of through grooves provided in parallel with one another in the respective sheet-shaped bases, and

the sheet-shaped bases are stacked so that the through grooves of adjacent ones of the sheet-shaped bases intersect and overlap each other.

8. A flow cell comprising:

a substrate; and

a capillary pump unit disposed on an approximately flat-plate-shaped base, the capillary pump unit including a capillary pump formed in the base and transferring a sample liquid from a first point of the base to a second point of the base due to a capillary force by a plurality of through portions, the capillary pump comprising the plurality of through portions making the first point and the second point communicable with each other,

wherein a suction flow path that the plurality of through portions reach is formed between opposing surfaces of the substrate and the capillary pump unit.

9. The flow cell according to claim 8, comprising:

an introduction portion formed in the capillary pump unit, the sample liquid being introduced through the introduction portion;

a measurement flow path which transfers the sample liquid, the measurement flow path being disposed between the opposing surfaces of the substrate and the capillary pump unit and having a first end connected to the introduction portion and a second end connected to the suction flow path; and

a detector provided on the measurement flow path.

10. The flow cell according to claim 9, wherein the suction flow path has a different width from the measurement flow path.

11. The flow cell according to claim 10, wherein the suction flow path at a position apart from the measurement flow path by a first distance has a different width from the suction flow path at a location apart from the measurement flow path by a second distance different from the first distance.

12. The flow cell according to claim 9, wherein the suction flow path has a height varying with a distance from the measurement flow path.

13. The flow cell according to claim 9, wherein the suction flow path is disposed to extend to both sides of the measurement flow path with the detector interposed therebetween.

14. The flow cell according to claim 9, wherein the suction flow path has the same width as the measurement flow path, and

one through portion is formed in a width direction of the suction flow path.

15. The flow cell according to claim 9, wherein a surface active region is provided in a formation region for the suction flow path in an upper surface of the substrate, the surface active region having a different wettability for the sample liquid than other portions.

16. The flow cell according to claim 9, wherein a color change portion, the color of which is changed when brought into contact with the sample liquid, is provided in a formation region for the through portion in an upper surface of the capillary pump unit.

17. The flow cell according to claim 9, wherein the introduction portion comprises a first opening formed in a first side of the capillary pump and a second opening formed in a second side of the capillary pump, and

the first opening has a different area from the second opening, and the introduction portion is formed in a step shape from the second opening to the first opening.