Fluidic device control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10429810-B2
Application number	US-201615175116-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A controller for controlling a microfluidic device. A first computing device receives commands from a user interface in a relatively high level protocol using a standardized command language, converts the commands from the standardized command language into a relatively mid-level protocol, sends the commands in the relatively mid-level protocol, receiving data, converts the data into the standardized command language, and sends the data to the user interface according to the standardized command language. A second computing device receives the commands from the first computing device in the relatively mid-level protocol, converts the commands from the relatively mid-level protocol to at least one relatively lower level protocol that is understood by a microfluidic device that is connected to the controller, receives data from the microfluidic device, and sends the data to the first computing device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a fluidic device, the method comprising the steps of:
with a first hardware computing device,
receiving commands from a user interface in a relatively high level protocol comprising a standardized command language,
converting the commands from the standardized command language into a relatively mid-level protocol,
sending the commands in the relatively mid-level protocol,
receiving data,
converting the data into the standardized command language, and
sending the data to the user interface according to the standardized command language, and
with a second hardware computing device that is independent of and separate from the first hardware computing device,
receiving the commands from the first computing device in the relatively mid-level protocol,
converting the commands from the relatively mid-level protocol to at least one relatively lower level protocol that is understood by a fluidic device that is connected to the controller,
receiving data from the fluidic device, and
sending the data to the first computing device,
wherein a plurality of fluidic devices connect to the second hardware computing device, and the second hardware computing device converts the commands from the relatively mid-level protocol to a selected lower level protocol associated with a selected one of the fluidic devices to which the commands are directed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device comprises an embedded Linux processing unit.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device comprises a system on a chip processing unit.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device comprises a micro processing unit.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second computing device comprises a field programmable gate array.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second computing device comprises an application specific integrated circuit.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device communicates with the user interface via a Bluetooth protocol.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device communicates with the user interface via a Wi-Fi protocol.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device communicates with the user interface via a wired protocol.

10. A method for controlling a microfluidic device, the method comprising the steps of:
with an input-output module, receiving wireless commands from a user interface in a relatively high level protocol comprising a standardized command language, and
sending data to the user interface according to the standardized command language,
with a first hardware computing device,
receiving the commands from the input-output module,
converting the commands from the standardized command language into a relatively mid-level protocol,
sending the commands in the relatively mid-level protocol,
receiving data, and
converting the data into the standardized command language, and
with a second hardware computing device that is independent of and separate from the first hardware computing device,
receiving the commands from the first computing device in the relatively mid-level protocol,
converting the commands from the relatively mid-level protocol to at least one relatively lower level protocol that is understood by a microfluidic device that is connected to the controller,
receiving data from the microfluidic device, and
sending the data to the first computing device,
wherein a plurality of microfluidic devices connect to the second hardware computing device, and the second hardware computing device converts the commands from the relatively mid-level protocol to a selected low-level protocol associated with a selected one of the microfluidic devices to which the commands are directed.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first computing device comprises an embedded Linux processing unit.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first computing device comprises a system on a chip processing unit.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first computing device comprises a micro processing unit.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second computing device comprises a field programmable gate array.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second computing device comprises an application specific integrated circuit.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the input-output module communicates with the user interface via a Bluetooth protocol.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the input-output module communicates with the user interface via a Wi-Fi protocol.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the input-output module communicates with the user interface via a wired protocol.

Assignees

• Funai Electric Co

Inventors

• Edelen J Glenn
• Deboard Bruce A
• Barkley Lucas D

Classifications

• G05B2219/37371

  Flow · CPC title

• G05B19/0426

  Programming the control sequence · CPC title

• H04W4/80 Primary

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• G05B19/042 Primary

  using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) · CPC title