Micro-fluidic device

• US 8,158,082 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InCube Labs LLC. (In-Cube, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InCube Labs LLC. (In-Cube, Inc.)
• Inventors: Imran, Mir
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, In Suk
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pregler, Sharon
• Application Number:
  US12/541,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20100051124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 422/100, 422/101, 422/102, 422/68.1, 422/103, 422/63, 137/565.11, 137/565.01, 137/147, 137/454.4, 137/565.22, 366/167.1, 366/349, 366/182.2, 366/182.4, 366/182.1, 366/182.3, 366/131, 366/136, 417/209
• US Class Current: 422/505
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0093 Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00783 Laminate assemblies, i.e. the reactor comprising a stack of plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00869 Microreactors placed in parallel, on the same or on different supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00873 Heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00891 Feeding or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00961 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00966 pH
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00981 Gas sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00986 Microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0621 Control of the sequence of chambers filled or emptied
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/10 Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/022 Transponder chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/023 Sending and receiving of information, e.g. using bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0627 Sensor or part of a sensor is integrated
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0838 Capillaries
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0867 Multiple inlets and one sample wells, e.g. mixing, dilution
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/087 Multiple sequential chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0877 Flow chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/18 : Means for temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1827 : using resistive heater
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1866 : Microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0442 : thermal energy, e.g. vaporisation, bubble jet
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/049 : vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/06 : Valves, specific forms thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0605 : check valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 : characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• 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 3/502738 : characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 19/006 : Micropumps F04B43/043 and F04B43/095 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2877 : Pump or liquid displacement device for flow passage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7559 : Pump type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85978 : With pump
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85986 : Pumped fluid control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86075 : And jet-aspiration type pump

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide micro-fluidic systems and devices for use in performing various diagnostic and analytical tests. According to one embodiment, the micro-fluidic device includes a sample chamber for receiving a sample, and a reaction chamber for performing a chemical reaction. A bubble jet pump is structured on the device to control delivery of a fluid from the sample chamber to the reaction chamber. The pump is fluidically coupled to one or more chambers of the device using a fluidic channel such as a capillary. A valve may be coupled to one or more chambers to control flow into and out of those chambers. Also, a sensor may be positioned in one or more of the chambers, such as the reactant chamber, for sensing a property of the fluid within the chamber as well as the presence of a chemical within the chamber.

Claims

1. A micro-fluidic device for performing a diagnostic or analytical test, the device comprising:

a sample chamber for receiving a sample;

a reaction chamber for performing a chemical reaction; and

a bubble jet vacuum pump structured to control delivery of a fluid from the sample chamber to the reaction chamber by pulling under vacuum, a selected volume of fluid into the reaction chamber wherein another volume of fluid is ejected from a fluidic circuit including the vacuum pump so as to create the vacuum.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the bubble jet vacuum pump is coupled to at least the reaction chamber by a fluidic channel.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the fluidic channel is a capillary.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one valve fluidically coupled to at least one of the sample chamber, the reaction chamber or the bubble jet vacuum pump.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a reactant chamber for containing a reactant, wherein the reactant chamber is coupled to at least one of the reaction chamber, the sample chamber or the bubble jet vacuum pump to enable the flow of reactants to the reaction chamber, the sample chamber or the bubble jet vacuum pump.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the reactant chamber includes a pre-added reactant.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the reactant is a liquid, a solid or a solid configured to have an extended shelf life.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the micro-fluidic device comprises a micro-fluidic chip, a micro-fluidic cartridge or a micro-fluidic separation device.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the bubble jet vacuum pump includes a heating element.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the heating element is a resistive, acoustic, RF, or optical heating element.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a controller electrically coupled to the bubble jet vacuum pump.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor positioned in one of the reaction chamber, the sample chamber or bubble jet vacuum pump.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the sensor is an optical, thermal, pH or gas sensor.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the sensor is configured to detect an analyte, a metabolic analyte, a heme molecule, hematocrit, iron, a drug, an antibody, a bacteria or a virus.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the sensor is configured to signal an input to a controller.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the sensor signals the input using an RF signal.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising an RF device, or RF ID tag coupled to the device for signaling data to an external receiver or monitoring device.

18. The device of claim 1, further comprising a port fluidically coupled to one of the sample chamber, the pump or the reaction chamber for the flow of fluid on and off the device.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to be coupled to an external controller or monitoring device.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the controller includes an algorithm for controlling an operation of the micro-fluidic device.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the algorithm includes a sequence of valve operations for controlling a sequence of fluid flow between chambers of the device.