Fluid testing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016334351-A1
Application number	US-201515112743-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 30, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fluid testing system comprises controlling hardware that serves to control an electric sensor on a fluid testing cassette. In one implementation, the controlling hardware is part of a cassette interface. In another implementation, the controlling hardware is part of the portable electronic device. In one implementation, the fluid testing system applies two different frequencies of alternating current are applied to two different electric sensors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fluid testing system comprising:
at least one microfluidic channel; a first electric sensor within a microfluidic channel to form a first electrical field within the microfluidic channel and to output a first base signal indicating an impedance of the first electrical field; and a second electric sensor within the microfluidic channel to form a second electrical field within the microfluidic channel and to output a second base signal indicating an impedance of the second electrical field; a frequency source; and a controller to output control signals controlling the frequency source to selectively apply a first nonzero frequency of alternating current to the first electric sensor and a second, different nonzero frequency of alternating current to the second electric sensor.

2 . The fluid testing system of claim 1 comprising:
a cassette comprising the at least one microfluidic channel, the first electric sensor and the second electric sensor; and
a cassette interface comprising controlling hardware serving as part of the controller to control the first electric sensor and the second electric sensor, the cassette interface being releasably connected to the cassette and to be releasably connected to a portable electronic device.

3 . The fluid testing system of claim 2 further comprising the portable electronic device, and an application programming interface to be stored on the portable electronic device and serving as part of the controller, wherein the application programming interface is to interface between instructions on the portable electronic device and the controlling hardware on the cassette interface.

4 . The fluid testing system of claim 2 , wherein the controlling hardware comprises:
a printed circuit board comprising:
the frequency source to apply the first nonzero frequency of alternating current to the first electric sensor and to apply the second nonzero frequency of alternating current to the second electric sensor;
the controller to control the at least one frequency source;
a first impedance extractor to receive first composite signals from the first electric sensor and to extract first impedance signals from the composite signals;
a second impedance extractor to receive second composite signals from the second electric sensor and to extract second impedance signals from the second composite signals; and
a buffer to store the first and second impedance signals as the first and second impedance signals are being transmitted to an application programming interface.

5 . The fluid testing system of claim 4 , wherein the frequency source is selected from a group of frequency sources consisting of a direct digital synthesizer and a crystal.

6 . The fluid testing system of claim 4 comprising a field programmable gate array serving as the controller and the buffer.

7 . The fluid testing system of claim 4 comprising an application-specific integrated circuit serving as the controller, the first impedance extractor, the second impedance extractor and the buffer.

8 . The fluid testing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cassette comprising the at least one microfluidic channel, the first electric sensor and the second electric sensor; and a portable electronic device to be releasably connected directly to the cassette, the portable electronic device comprising the controller.

9 . The fluid testing system of claim 8 , wherein the controller comprises:
instructions to communicate with the user; an application programming interface to interface between the instructions and a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board comprising: the frequency source to apply the first nonzero frequency of alternating current to the first electric sensor and to apply the second non-zero frequency of alternating current to the second electric sensor; the controller to control the at least one frequency source; a first impedance extractor to receive first base signals from the first electric sensor and to extract first impedance signals from the first base signals; a second impedance extractor to receive second base signals from the second electric sensor and to extract second impedance signals from the second base signals; and a buffer to store the first and second impedance signals as the first and second impedance signals are being transmitted to the application programming interface.

10 . The fluid testing system of claim 9 , wherein the frequency source is selected from a group of frequency sources consisting of a direct digital synthesizer and a crystal.

11 . The fluid testing system of claim 9 comprising a field programmable gate array serving as the controller and the buffer.

12 . The fluid testing system of claim 9 comprising an application-specific integrated circuit serving as the controller, the first impedance extractor, the second impedance extractor and the buffer.

13 . A fluid testing system comprising:
controlling hardware to communicate between an application programming interface on a portable electronic device and at least one electric sensor on a fluid testing cassette, the controlling hardware comprising a printed circuit board comprising: at least one frequency source to apply a nonzero frequency of alternating current to the first electric sensor; a frequency source controller to control the at least one frequency source; a first impedance extractor to receive base signals from the at least one electric sensor and to extract impedance signals from the base signals; and a buffer to store the impedance signals as impedance signals are being transmitted to the application programming interface.

14 . The fluid testing system of claim 13 comprising a cassette interface to releasably connect to the fluid testing cassette and to releasably connect to a portable electronic device, the cassette interface comprising the printed circuit board.

15 . A portable electronic device for fluid testing comprising:
a connector interface to releasably connect to a fluid testing cassette having a microfluidic channel and at least one electric sensor within the microfluidic channel; a display; an input; a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing:
a user interface module to control the input and the display;
an application programming interface module to interface between the user interface module and controlling hardware on the portable electronic device, the controlling hardware to communicate with the at least one electric sensor of the fluid testing cassette across the connector interface, the controlling hardware comprising:
at least one frequency source to apply the first nonzero frequency of alternating current to the at least one electric sensor; a frequency source controller to control the at least one frequency source; an impedance extractor to receive base signals from the at least one electric sensor and to extract impedance signals from the base signals; and a buffer to store the impedance signals as the impedance signals are being transmitted to the application programming interface.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp

Inventors

• Lu Sirena C
• Valencia Melinda M
• Sells Jeremy
• Giri Manish

Classifications

• B01L2200/147

  Employing temperature sensors · CPC title

• G01N15/0266

  with electrical classification · CPC title

• G01N27/06 Primary

  of a liquid (involving electrolysis G01N27/26) · CPC title

• B01L2300/0645

  Electrodes · CPC title

• G01N2015/1493

  Particle size · CPC title