ACOUSTIC PUMPS AND SYSTEMS

• US 20140271249A1
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alcon Research Limited (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Ovchinnikov, Mikhail, Yalamanchili, Satish, Zhou, Jianbo
• Granted Patent: US 9,915,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/53
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 19/006 Micropumps F04B43/043 and F04B43/095 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/043 Micropumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 33/00 Non-positive-displacement pumps with other than pure rotation, e.g. of oscillating type F04D35/00 takes precedence; hand-held fans A45B

Abstract

A microfluidics acoustic pump system includes a flow passage configured to carry a fluid from one location to another, a selectively vibrating flow generator having a sharp edge, and a driving device configured to vibrate one of the flow generator and the flow passage to create a streaming fluid flow in a direction away from the sharp edge through the flow passage.

Claims

1. A microfluidics acoustic pump system, comprising:

a flow passage configured to carry a fluid from one location to another;

a selectively vibrating flow generator having a sharp edge; and

a driving device configured to vibrate one of the flow generator and the flow passage to create a streaming fluid flow in a direction away from the sharp edge through the flow passage.

2. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the flow generator comprises two nonparallel surfaces forming an angle, the nonparallel surfaces being symmetrically disposed about an axis aligned with an axis of the flow path.

3. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 2, wherein the two nonparallel surfaces converge to form the sharp edge.

4. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 2, wherein the sharp edge has an angle of 90 degrees or less.

5. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the driving device is configured to vibrate the flow generator at the resonance frequency of the flow generator.

6. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the driving device is one of piezoelectric stack and a coil.

7. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the flow passage comprises a flow restrictor.

8. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the flow restrictor is disposed directly proximate the sharp edge of the flow generator.

9. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the flow restrictor is a nozzle.

10. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the flow restrictor is a one-way valve.

11. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 10, wherein the one-way valve is a reed valve.

12. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the flow passage comprises a manifold portion dividing the flow portion into a plurality of paths connected in parallel, the flow generator being a first flow generator disposed along a first path of the plurality of paths connected in parallel, the system comprising a second flow generator disposed along a second path of the plurality of paths connected in parallel.

13. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 1, wherein the flow generator is a first flow generator disposed along the fluid path, the system comprising a second flow generator disposed along the fluid path, the first and second flow generators being arranged to cooperate to increase the fluid pressure or to increase the flow velocity of fluid in the flow path.

14. A microfluidics acoustic pump system, comprising:

a flow passage configured to carry a fluid from one location to another;

a first flow generator disposed within the flow passage and comprising a sharp edge;

a second flow generator disposed within the flow passage and comprising a sharp edge; and

a driving device configured to vibrate one of a) the first and second flow generators and b) the flow passage to create a streaming fluid flow in a direction away from the sharp edges of the first and second flow generators through the fluid passage.

15. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 14, wherein the first and second flow generators are arranged in parallel.

16. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 14, wherein the first and second flow generators are arranged in series.

17. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 14, further comprising a flow restrictor in the flow passage.

18. The microfluidics acoustic pump system of claim 14, wherein the flow restrictor comprises one of a reed valve and a nozzle.

19. A method comprising:

providing a flow generator in a flow passage filled with fluid, the flow generator having a sharp edge defined by two nonparallel surfaces forming an angle, the nonparallel surfaces being symmetrically disposed about an axis aligned with an axis of the flow path; and

vibrating the flow generator with a driving device to vibrate the sharp edge of the flow generator to create fluid flow through the flow passage.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein vibrating the flow generator with a driving device comprises vibrating the flow generator with a piezoelectric stack.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising inhibiting fluid backflow with a flow restrictor in the fluid passage.

22. A microfluidics chip, comprising:

a plurality of flow passages configured to carry a fluid from one location to another;

a plurality of selectively vibrating flow generators having a sharp edge, at least one of the plurality of selectively vibrating flow generators being disposed in each of the plurality of flow passages, the plurality of selectively vibrating flow generators having different resonance frequencies; and

a driving device configured to selectively induce vibrations at the different resonance frequencies of the plurality of flow generators in a manner that permits selective activation of each of the plurality of flow generators by controlling resonant alternating current to the driving device.

23. The microfluidics chip of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of flow generators comprises two nonparallel surfaces forming an angle, the nonparallel surfaces being symmetrically disposed about an axis aligned with an axis of the flow path.

24. The microfluidics chip of claim 23, wherein the two nonparallel surfaces converge to form the sharp edge.