Systems, methods, and products for graphically illustrating and controlling a droplet actuator
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- (a) a controller;
(b) an electrowetting droplet microactuator electronically coupled to the controller and comprising electrodes arranged in droplet transport paths for conducting droplet operations including droplet transport, droplet dispensing, and droplet splitting, the electrodes comprising a subset of electrodes characterized in that all electrodes in the subset are coupled to a common electrical output; and
(c) a display device displaying a user interface electronically coupled to the controller, the user interface producing a virtual representation of the electrowetting droplet microactuator that graphically illustrates virtual electrodes arranged in virtual droplet transport paths corresponding to the droplet transport paths in the electrowetting droplet microactuator;
wherein;
(i) the system is programmed and configured to permit a user to effect the droplet operations mediated by electrodes of the droplet transport paths by mousing over and/or selecting the virtual electrodes of the user interface;
(ii) mousing over a virtual electrode corresponding to an electrode from the subset results in highlighting of all virtual electrodes corresponding to electrodes in the subset; and
(iii) selecting a virtual electrode corresponding to an electrode from the subset results in activation of all electrodes in the subset.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems for controlling a droplet microactuator are provided. According to one embodiment, a system is provided and includes a controller, a droplet microactuator electronically coupled to the controller, and a display device displaying a user interface electronically coupled to the controller, wherein the system is programmed and configured to permit a user to effect a droplet manipulation by interacting with the user interface. According to another embodiment, a system is provided and includes a processor, a display device electronically coupled to the processor, and software loaded and/or stored in a storage device electronically coupled to the controller, a memory device electronically coupled to the controller, and/or the controller and programmed to display an interactive map of a droplet microactuator. According to yet another embodiment, a system is provided and includes a controller, a droplet microactuator electronically coupled to the controller, a display device displaying a user interface electronically coupled to the controller, and software for executing a protocol loaded and/or stored in a storage device electronically coupled to the controller, a memory device electronically coupled to the controller, and/or the controller.
204 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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(a) a controller; (b) an electrowetting droplet microactuator electronically coupled to the controller and comprising electrodes arranged in droplet transport paths for conducting droplet operations including droplet transport, droplet dispensing, and droplet splitting, the electrodes comprising a subset of electrodes characterized in that all electrodes in the subset are coupled to a common electrical output; and (c) a display device displaying a user interface electronically coupled to the controller, the user interface producing a virtual representation of the electrowetting droplet microactuator that graphically illustrates virtual electrodes arranged in virtual droplet transport paths corresponding to the droplet transport paths in the electrowetting droplet microactuator;
wherein;(i) the system is programmed and configured to permit a user to effect the droplet operations mediated by electrodes of the droplet transport paths by mousing over and/or selecting the virtual electrodes of the user interface; (ii) mousing over a virtual electrode corresponding to an electrode from the subset results in highlighting of all virtual electrodes corresponding to electrodes in the subset; and (iii) selecting a virtual electrode corresponding to an electrode from the subset results in activation of all electrodes in the subset. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system comprising:
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(a) a processor; (b) a display device electronically coupled to the processor; and (c) software stored in memory that causes the processor to display a virtual representation of an electrowetting droplet microactuator that manipulates discrete droplets by electrodes, the virtual representation graphically illustrating droplet operations electrodes and droplet transport paths in the electrowetting droplet microactuator as an array of virtual electrodes, mousing over a virtual electrode corresponding to an electrode from a subset of virtual electrodes representing electrodes that are coupled to a common electrical output results in highlighting of all virtual electrodes corresponding to electrodes in the subset, and selecting a virtual electrode corresponding to an electrode from the subset results in activation of all electrodes in the subset. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system comprising:
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(a) a controller communicating with memory; (b) an electrowetting droplet microactuator electronically coupled to the controller, the electrowetting droplet microactuator manipulating discrete droplets by successive activation of electrodes; (c) a display device displaying a user interface electronically coupled to the controller; and (d) software stored in the memory that causes the user interface to display a virtual representation of droplet operations electrodes arranged in droplet transport paths, the user interface indicating a set of virtual electrodes that correspond to electrodes in the electrowetting droplet microactuator having a common electrical connection to a control line, wherein mousing over a virtual electrode in the set results in highlighting of all virtual electrodes in the set, and selecting a virtual electrode in the set results in activation of all electrodes corresponding to virtual electrodes in the set. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A system comprising:
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a processor executing code stored in memory that causes the processor to; display a virtual representation of an electrowetting droplet microactuator that illustrates an array of virtual electrodes, wherein the virtual electrodes include a subset of the virtual electrodes corresponding to a subset of electrodes on the electrowetting droplet microactuator which are coupled to a common electrical output, wherein mousing over a virtual electrode in the subset of virtual electrodes results in highlighting of all virtual electrodes in the subset of virtual electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification