Portable flow meter for low volume applications

• US 9,717,455 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Manion, Michael, Peppou, George Charles, Millar, Benjamin William
• Primary Examiner(s): JELLETT, MATTHEW WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US14/675,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20160287164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 1374875, 600307, 600346, 600362
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4266 sweat secretion
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 2099/0094 Micropumps
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0644 One-way valve
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/005 for measuring fluid parameters F16K37/0033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 99/0048 using piezoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/005 Valves valves in general F16K
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/10 of flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/13 using a reference counter
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/14 using a weighing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 3/02 with measuring chambers which expand or contract during measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0635 by action on throttling means G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7761 Electrically actuated valve

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed that may include a substrate that may have a surface, a channel of a volume that may be defined, at least in part, by the substrate, wherein the channel may have a first end and a second end, a valve may be coupled to the channel at the first end, wherein the valve may be configured to allow a fluid to pass into the channel when the valve is open, and a continuity detector, which may be coupled to the channel at the second end, wherein the continuity detector may be activated when the fluid contacts the continuity detector, wherein the continuity detector may further be configured to provide a signal to close the valve and remove the fluid from the channel. A method for calculating a rate of flow of a fluid collected from a bodily surface into a body-worn device is disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a substrate having a surface and a channel, wherein the channel includes a first end, a second end, and a body with a volume;

a valve coupled to the channel at the first end, wherein the valve is configured to allow a fluid to pass into the channel when the valve is open; and

a continuity detector electrically coupled to the valve and to the channel at the second end, wherein the continuity detector is configured to be activated when the fluid in the channel fills the volume and contacts the continuity detector, and wherein the continuity detector is further configured to transmit a signal to cause the valve to close and to cause the body of the channel to contract and eject the fluid through the second end of the channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a piezoelectric material.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric material is configured to be activated by the signal transmitted by the continuity detector, and wherein activation of the piezoelectric material causes the valve to close and causes the body of the channel to contract and eject the fluid through the second end of the channel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a seal coupled to a perimeter of the surface of the substrate, wherein the seal is impermeable to fluids.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the seal comprises an adhesive material configured to adhere the substrate to another surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an absorbent material coupled to the surface of the substrate, wherein the absorbent material includes a portion proximate to the first end of the channel.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the absorbent material is saturated with a priming fluid.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the surface includes a first surface, and wherein the absorbent material includes a branched conduit system configured to draw fluid from a second surface in contact with the absorbent material to the valve.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a clock coupled to the continuity detector, wherein the clock is configured to measure a time period so as to provide a time period measurement and configured to reset when the continuity detector is activated; and

a processor coupled to the clock, wherein the processor is configured to receive the time period measurement from the clock and calculate a rate of flow of the fluid through the channel, based at least in part on the time period measurement from the clock and the volume of the body of the channel.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the rate of flow of the fluid through the channel is calculated based at least in part on a number of activations of the continuity detector.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the rate of flow of the fluid through the channel is calculated based at least in part on a number of times that the fluid is removed from the channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises an electromagnetic actuator.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the volume is between 100 nanoliters and 10 microliters.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electrochemical sensor coupled to the channel at the second end, wherein the electrochemical sensor is configured to sense a chemical in the fluid.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the continuity detector is further configured to transmit a signal to cause the first end of the channel to close.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the continuity detector is further configured to determine at least one of:

analytes in the fluid, a temperature of the fluid, and a pH level of the fluid.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a substrate having a surface and a channel, wherein the channel includes a first end, a second end, and a body with a volume, and wherein the first end of the channel is configured to allow a fluid to pass into the channel;

a valve coupled to the channel at the second end, wherein the valve is configured to control passage of the fluid through the channel; and

a continuity detector electrically coupled to the valve and to the channel at the second end, wherein the continuity detector is configured to be activated when the fluid in the channel fills the volume and contacts the continuity detector, and wherein the continuity detector is further configured to cause the body of the channel to contract and eject the fluid through the valve of the channel.