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Control system and method for operating an ultrasonic liquid delivery device

  • US 7,533,830 B1
  • Filed: 12/28/2007
  • Issued: 05/19/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An ultrasonic liquid delivery device comprising:

  • a housing having an internal chamber, at least one inlet in fluid communication with the internal chamber for receiving liquid into the internal chamber and at least one exhaust port in fluid communication with the internal chamber whereby liquid within the chamber exits the housing at said at least one exhaust port;

    an ultrasonic waveguide assembly separate from the housing and disposed at least in part within the internal chamber of the housing to ultrasonically energize liquid within the internal chamber prior to said liquid being exhausted from the housing through the at least one exhaust port; and

    a control system for controlling operation of the liquid delivery device between an excitation mode during which the ultrasonic waveguide assembly is excited to vibrate ultrasonically and an idle mode in which the ultrasonic waveguide assembly is substantially unexcited, the control system being operable to excite the ultrasonic waveguide assembly in the excitation mode of the liquid delivery device for a predefined time including multiple vibration cycles of the waveguide assembly, said control system comprising;

    a drive signal generator operable to generate an electric drive signal having an ultrasonic frequency for delivery to the waveguide assembly to excite the waveguide assembly in the excitation mode of the liquid delivery device;

    a phase detector in communication with the waveguide assembly for detecting phase state data of the waveguide assembly during operation of the waveguide assembly in the excitation mode of the liquid delivery device, and for generating a signal indicative of the phase state data; and

    a controller operable to receive phase state data from the phase detector at multiple instances throughout the duration of the predefined time during which the liquid delivery device operates in its excitation mode, and to generate a drive signal control schedule based at least on said phase state data wherein the drive signal control schedule includes at least a drive signal frequency for each instance throughout the predefined time of the excitation mode, and further to control operation of the drive signal generator to generate a drive signal for subsequent operation of the ultrasonic liquid delivery device in the excitation mode according to the drive signal control schedule.

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