Pressure determination for hplc applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016169757-A1
Application number	US-201314907786-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 26, 2013
Priority date	Jul 26, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed is a pressure determining unit configured for determining a pressure of a fluid. The pressure determining unit comprises a body structure and a deformation detector. The body structure has a fluidic path configured for conducting the fluid, wherein the body structure has a first surface in a first dimension and in a second dimension, and a thickness in a third dimension. The deformation detector is configured for responding to an elongation into the second dimension of the first surface of the body structure by generating a signal indicative of a value of the pressure of the fluid in the body structure. The fluidic path of the body structure comprises one or more first channel segments, each first channel segment having a height into the third dimension being at least twice of its width into the second dimension.

First claim

1 . A pressure determining unit configured for determining a pressure of a fluid, the pressure determining unit comprising:
a body structure comprising a fluidic path configured for conducting the fluid, wherein the body structure has a first surface in a first dimension and in a second dimension, and a thickness in a third dimension, and a deformation detector configured for responding to an elongation into the second dimension of the first surface of the body structure by generating a signal indicative of a value of the pressure of the fluid in the body structure, wherein the fluidic path of the body structure comprises one or more first channel segments each first channel segment having a height into the third dimension being at least twice its width into the second dimension.

2 . The pressure determining unit of claim 1 , wherein each first channel segment has a height into the third dimension being at least three times its width into the second dimension.

3 . The pressure determining unit of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:
the plurality of first channel segments are oriented so that a direction of flow is substantially in the first dimension; at least two of the first channel segments are arranged in a respective row along the first dimension and having a respective intermediate area between neighboring channel segments arranged in the respective row, which intermediate area is not part of the fluidic path; the fluidic path comprises a plurality of respective rows along the first dimension, and a plurality of second channel segments each oriented so that a direction of flow is substantially in the second dimension, wherein at least one of the second channel segments is surrounded by at least one intermediate area, wherein preferably each row along the first dimension comprises two channel segments and has a respective intermediate area between two channel segments, each row along the first dimension is coupled by a respective second channel segment, and the last row is further coupled to a respective second channel segment which is respectively surrounded by the respective intermediate areas of the rows.

4 . A pressure determining unit configured for determining a pressure of a fluid, the pressure determining unit comprising:
a body structure comprising a fluidic path configured for conducting the fluid, wherein the body structure has a first surface in a first dimension and in a second dimension, and a thickness in a third dimension, and a deformation detector configured for responding to an elongation into the second dimension of the first surface of the body structure by generating a signal indicative of a value of the pressure of the fluid in the body structure, wherein: the fluidic path of the body structure comprises a plurality of first channel segments oriented so that a direction of flow is substantially in the first dimension, and at least two of the first channel segments are arranged in a respective row along the first dimension and having a respective intermediate area between neighboring channel segments arranged in the respective row, which intermediate area is not part of the fluidic path.

5 . The pressure determining unit of claim 4 , wherein: the fluidic path comprises a plurality of respective rows along the first dimension and a plurality of second channel segments each oriented so that a direction of flow is substantially in the second dimension, wherein at least one of the second channel segments is surrounded by at least one intermediate area.

6 . The pressure determining unit of claim 4 , wherein:
each row along the first dimension comprises two channel segments and has a respective intermediate area between two channel segments, each row along the first dimension is coupled by a respective second channel segment, and the last row is further coupled to a respective second channel segment which is respectively surrounded by the respective intermediate areas of the rows.

7 . The pressure determining unit of claim 4 , wherein each first channel segment has a height into the third dimension being at least twice its width into the second dimension.

8 . A pressure determining unit configured for determining a pressure of a fluid, the pressure determining unit comprising:
a body structure comprising a fluidic path configured for conducting the fluid, wherein the body structure has a first surface in a first dimension and in a second dimension, and a thickness in a third dimension, a deformation detector configured for responding to an elongation into the second dimension of the first surface of the body structure by generating a signal indicative of a value of the pressure of the fluid in the body structure, a reference body structure comprising a reference fluidic path configured for conducting the fluid, wherein the reference body structure has a first surface in a first dimension and in a second dimension, and a thickness in a third dimension, and a reference deformation detector configured for responding to an elongation into the second dimension of the first surface of the reference body structure by generating a reference signal indicative of a value of the pressure of the fluid in the reference body structure, wherein: the fluidic path and the reference fluidic path are fluidically coupled with each other, and the reference body structure is configured to have a pattern of variation in thickness on its first surface under the influence of a variation in pressure in the reference fluid path, which substantially matches to a pattern of variation in thickness of the body structure on its first surface under the influence of a variation in pressure in the fluid path.

9 . The pressure determining unit of claim 8 , comprising at least one of:
a signal processing unit for deriving a value of the pressure of the fluid by jointly analyzing the signal and the reference signal; the fluidic path of the body structure comprises one or more first channel segments, each first channel segment having a width into the second dimension, and the reference fluidic path of the reference body structure comprises one or more first reference channel segments, each first reference channel segment having a width into the second dimension, wherein the width of the first channel segments substantially corresponds to the width of the first reference channel segments; the fluidic path of the body structure comprises one or more first channel segments each first channel segment having a height into the third dimension, and the reference fluidic path of the reference body structure comprises one or more first reference channel segments, each first reference channel segment having a height into the third dimension, wherein the height of the first channel segments is at least twice the height of the first reference channel segments.

10 . The pressure determining unit of claim 8 , comprising at least one of:
each first channel segment has a height into the third dimension being at least twice its width into the second dimension; the plurality of first channel segments are oriented so that a direction of flow is substantially in the first dimension; at least two of the first channel segments are arranged in a respective row along the first dimension and having a respective intermediate area between neighboring channel segments arranged in the respective row, which intermediate area is not part of the fluidic path; the fluidic path comprises a plurality of respective rows along the first dimension, and a plurality of second channel segments each oriented so that a direction of flow is substantially in the second dimension, wherein at least one of the second channel segments is surrounded by at

Assignees

• Agilent Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Steinke Armin
• Ruf Christian Daniel

Classifications

• G01N30/6095

  Micromachined or nanomachined, e.g. micro- or nanosize · CPC title

• G01N30/32

  of pressure or speed (G01N30/36 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01L9/0027 Primary

  using variations in ohmic resistance · CPC title

• B01L2300/0816

  Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions · CPC title

• B01L2300/0627

  Sensor or part of a sensor is integrated · CPC title