Fluid device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12392751-B2
Application number	US-202117388585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2021
Priority date	Jul 30, 2020
Publication date	Aug 19, 2025
Grant date	Aug 19, 2025

Abstract

A fluid device includes a flow path through which a fluid flows, and an ultrasonic element that transmits an ultrasonic wave to the fluid to generate a standing wave in the fluid in the flow path along a first direction orthogonal to a flowing direction of the fluid. The ultrasonic element includes a vibrator having a fluid contact surface that comes into contact with the fluid, and a piezoelectric element that is provided at the vibrator and that flexurally vibrates the vibrator in a normal direction of the fluid contact surface. When a thickness of the vibrator in the normal direction is t, a sound velocity of a medium of the fluid is C, an average sound velocity of a longitudinal wave transmitted in the vibrator is C′, a dimension of the flow path in the first direction is L, and a mode order of the standing wave is n, the following expression is satisfied.

t
<

C
′

C

×

L

2
⁢
n

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid device, comprising:
a flow path substrate with a flow path through which a fluid flows; and
a plurality of ultrasonic elements having a first ultrasonic element and a second ultrasonic element, and the plurality of ultrasonic elements are configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave of a plurality of ultrasonic waves, and to generate a standing wave in the fluid in the flow path along a first direction orthogonal to a flowing direction of the fluid, wherein each of the plurality of ultrasonic elements includes:
an element substrate with a plurality of first opening portions, wherein
the plurality of first opening portions are formed in an array for the element substrate,
the plurality of first opening portions penetrate the element substrate along a thickness direction of the element substrate, and

an outer peripheral surface of the element substrate is in contact with an inner peripheral surface of a second opening portion of the flow path substrate;
a vibrator supported by the element substrate and overlapping each of the plurality of the first opening portions, wherein
the first ultrasonic element is disposed on an opening portion of the plurality of first opening portions for a first antinode region corresponding to a first antinode of the standing wave,
the second ultrasonic element is disposed on another opening portion of the plurality of first opening portions for a second antinode region corresponding to a second antinode of the standing wave,
the opening portion of the plurality of first opening portions and the other opening portion of the plurality of first opening portions are different,
a phase of a driving frequency of a second ultrasonic wave of the second ultrasonic element is opposite to a phase of a driving frequency of a first ultrasonic wave of the first ultrasonic element,
the vibrator has a fluid contact surface that is in contact with the fluid, and
the vibrator closes each of the plurality of the first opening portions of the element substrate; and

a piezoelectric element that is provided at the vibrator and that is configured to generate flexural vibration to the vibrator in a normal direction of the fluid contact surface, wherein

t
<

C
′

C

×

L

2
⁢
n

wherein a thickness of the vibrator in the normal direction is t, a sound velocity of the fluid is C, an average sound velocity of a longitudinal wave transmitted in the vibrator is C′, a dimension of the flow path in the first direction is L, and a mode order of the standing wave is n.

2. The fluid device according to claim 1 , wherein

8
.
0

⁢
3
×
1
⁢

0

-
3

×
W
×

E
′

-

1
3

×

(

n
2

×

C
L

)

≦
t

wherein a dimension of the vibrator in a direction orthogonal to the normal direction is W, an average Young's modulus of the vibrator when a Poisson's ratio is 0.3 is E′, and the sound velocity of the fluid is C.

3. The fluid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the vibrator is disposed on regions corresponding to the first antinode and the second antinode of the standing wave.

4. The fluid device according to claim 1 , wherein
the vibrator is disposed such that the normal direction of the fluid contact surface is along the first direction.

5. The fluid device according to claim 1 , wherein
a dimension of the flow path in a second direction orthogonal to the flowing direction and the first direction is smaller than the dimension of the flow path in the first direction.

6. The fluid device according to claim 2 , wherein
a dimension of the flow path in a second direction orthogonal to the flowing direction and the first direction is smaller than the dimension of the flow path in the first direction.

7. The fluid device according to claim 3 , wherein
a dimension of the flow path in a second direction orthogonal to the flowing direction and the first direction is smaller than the dimension of the flow path in the first direction.

8. The fluid device according to claim 4 , wherein
a dimension of the flow path in a second direction orthogonal to the flowing direction and the first direction is smaller than the dimension of the flow path in the first direction.

9. The fluid device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pressure chamber configured to store the fluid; and
a communication path that is formed along the first direction and that communicates the flow path with the pressure chamber, wherein
the plurality of ultrasonic elements are disposed such that the fluid contact surface is in contact with the fluid in the pressure chamber.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kojima Chikara
• Onogi Tomohide
• Kiyose Kanechika
• Miyasaka Mitsuru
• Sasaki Mio

Classifications

• B01L3/502761 Primary

  specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules · CPC title

• B01L2400/0439

  ultrasonic vibrations, vibrating piezo elements · CPC title

• G01N29/222

  Constructional or flow details for analysing fluids (optoacoustic fluid cells G01N29/2425) · CPC title

• G01P5/241

  by using reflection of acoustical waves, i.e. Doppler-effect · CPC title

• G01N2291/011

  Velocity or travel time · CPC title