Flow control system of a cartridge
First Claim
1. A flow control system comprising:
- a fluidic cartridge having at least one flow channel;
an electrostatically actuated valve situated in at least one flow channel of the cartridge, wherein the electrostatically actuated valve includes a valve cavity with a movable diaphragm within the valve cavity, wherein the movable diaphragm is actuated by an electrostatic force to open the electrostatically actuated valve to allow flow through the at least one flow channel and/or close the electrostatically actuated valve to prevent flow through the at least one flow channel;
a controller connected to the electrostatically actuated valve for controlling the opening and/or closing of the electrostatically actuated valve during operation of the fluidic cartridge; and
a flow sensor in fluid communication with the at least one flow channel, the flow sensor measuring the velocity of fluid flow, and the controller controlling the valve to achieve a desired fluid velocity in the at least one flow channel.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus having a disposable cytometer cartridge containing pumps, pressure chambers, reservoirs, flow sensors, flow channels, and microfluidic circuits with fluid operations on the cartridge. The circuits may include mesopumps and mesovalves embedded in the chip, card or cartridge. The apparatus may have multiple detecting, analyzing and identification capabilities of blood or other fluids of interest. The sample to be tested may be entered in the disposable microfluidic cartridge which in turn is insertable in a hand-holdable or portable cytometer instrument. This apparatus may have significant application in biological warfare agent detection, water analyses, environmental checks, hematology, and other clinical and research fields.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A flow control system comprising:
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a fluidic cartridge having at least one flow channel; an electrostatically actuated valve situated in at least one flow channel of the cartridge, wherein the electrostatically actuated valve includes a valve cavity with a movable diaphragm within the valve cavity, wherein the movable diaphragm is actuated by an electrostatic force to open the electrostatically actuated valve to allow flow through the at least one flow channel and/or close the electrostatically actuated valve to prevent flow through the at least one flow channel; a controller connected to the electrostatically actuated valve for controlling the opening and/or closing of the electrostatically actuated valve during operation of the fluidic cartridge; and a flow sensor in fluid communication with the at least one flow channel, the flow sensor measuring the velocity of fluid flow, and the controller controlling the valve to achieve a desired fluid velocity in the at least one flow channel. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A flow control system comprising:
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a fluidic cartridge having at least one flow channel; a pump situated in the cartridge, the pump in fluid communication with at least one flow channel of the cartridge; a controller connected to the pump; and a flow sensor situated in the cartridge and in fluid communication with the at least one flow channel of the cartridge, the flow sensor providing a flow signal representing the fluid velocity to the controller, and the controller controlling the pump to achieve a desired flow profile in the at least one flow channel of the cartridge. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification