Liquid-electronic hybrid divider

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9132425-B2
Application number	US-201113639973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2011
Priority date	Apr 9, 2010
Publication date	Sep 15, 2015
Grant date	Sep 15, 2015

Abstract

Electronic-fluidic hybrid form dividers, constructed by a simple planer droplet generation structure, a pair of signal electrodes, and a responsive control valve, which is programmed to respond to only certain signal droplets, by a basic electronic principle: change of voltage share between impedances. Detected fluidic information is addressed in both electronic and fluidic forms, and the fluidic pathway is well-confined in a simple planar structure, although its control valve is in a second layer, thereby minimizing any fluidic disturbance. Various configurations comprise a plurality of identical structures, which can alter their cumulative function by re-assignment of required voltage share. The hybrid divider can be assembled into a fluidic universal logic gate, of a simple two inlet and one outlet signal channels structure, and switch between sixteen functions by re-assigning voltage share.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A droplet detection system comprising:
a plurality of hybrid rheostat/dividers, each hybrid rheostat/divider comprising:
a channel capable of conveying carrier fluid and droplets;
a plurality of voltage adjustable input terminals substitutable by electronic circuit(s);
an electronic component or channel comprising a plurality of electrodes operable with the carrier fluid in the channel, the electronic component or channel comprising an impedance s…

Assignees

• Wen Weijia
• Wang Limu
• Wang Xiang
• Li Shunbo
• Univ Hong Kong Science & Techn

Inventors

• Wen Weijia
• Wang Limu
• Wang Xiang
• Li Shunbo

Classifications

• B01L3/502792 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• Y10T137/206

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F15C1/003

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• B01L2200/143

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01L7/52

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic