Micropump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9726161-B2
Application number	US-201114110309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2011
Priority date	Apr 6, 2011
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A micropump configured to control flow of an insulation fluid includes: a rectangular channel 370 configured to have a rectangular shape in which a movement passage of the insulation fluid; a planar electrode forming section 310 configured to be formed inside the rectangular channel and have a planar shape for applying an electric field; an inflow section 320 configured such that the insulation fluid flows in; and an outflow section 330 configured such that the insulation fluid flows out. Since an insulation fluid with low conductivity in a range of 10 −10 to 10 −12 S/m is transported with a simple technical structure without using a complicated component, it is possible to obtain the advantage of cost saving and application to various minute dynamics devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A micropump configured to control flow of an insulation fluid, the micro pump comprising:
a rectangular channel ( 250 ) configured to have a rectangular shape in which a movement passage for the insulation fluid is formed;
an electrode forming section ( 210 ) configured to be formed inside the rectangular channel and include a plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electrodes having a cylinder shape for applying an electric field;
an inflow section ( 230 ) configured such that the insulation fluid flows in; and
an outflow section ( 240 ) configured such that the insulation fluid flows out,
wherein the movement passage is formed along a longitudinal direction of rectangular channel ( 250 ) between the inflow section ( 230 ) and the outflow section ( 240 ),
wherein the electrode forming section ( 210 ) includes:
a ground electrode connecting portion ( 211 ) configured for applying a ground voltage (GND);
an external power supply connecting portion ( 212 ) configured for applying a direct-current (DC) or alternating-current (AC) voltage supplied from an external power supply;
a first cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 213 ) extended from the external power supply connecting portion ( 212 ) in the longitudinal direction; and
a second cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 214 ) and a third cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 215 ) extended from the ground electrode connecting portion ( 211 ) in the longitudinal direction,
wherein the plurality of electrodes are extended from the first cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 213 ), the second cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 214 ), and the third cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 215 ) to have the cylinder shape, and
wherein the first cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 213 ) is disposed between the second cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 214 ) and the third cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 215 ).

2. The micropump according to claim 1 , wherein the
first cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 213 ),
the second cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 214 ), and the third cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 215 ) are disposed on a surface of the rectangular channel ( 250 ), and
wherein the plurality of electrodes extend from the first cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 213 ), the second cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 214 ) and the third cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 215 ) in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the rectangular channel ( 250 ) towards an opposing surface of the rectangular channel ( 250 ).

3. The micropump according to claim 2 , wherein the first cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 213 ), the second cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 214 ), and the third cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 215 ) are configured to include at constant intervals a plurality of first cylinder electrodes ( 216 a ) to ( 216 e ) of the plurality of electrodes, a plurality of second cylinder electrodes ( 217 a ) to ( 217 e ) of the plurality of electrodes, and a plurality of third cylinder electrodes ( 218 a ) to ( 218 e ) of the plurality of electrodes, respectively.

4. The micropump according to claim 3 , wherein the first cylinder electrodes ( 216 a ) to ( 216 e ), the second cylinder electrodes ( 217 a ) to ( 217 e ), and the third cylinder electrodes ( 218 a ) to ( 218 e ) are disposed in a non-collinear manner and an Nth (where N is a positive integer) electrode set is formed as a triangle with a vertex at an Nth position of the disposition of the cylinder electrodes.

5. The micropump according to claim 4 , wherein the second cylinder electrodes ( 217 a ) to ( 217 e ), the first cylinder electrodes ( 216 a ) to ( 216 e ), and the third cylinder electrodes ( 218 a ) to ( 218 e ) each have a diameter of 50 μm to 10 mm.

6. The micropump according to claim 1 , wherein the insulation fluid is a fluid in which an additive of 0.001 wt % to 10 wt % is used in an organic or inorganic solution with electric conductivity in a range of 10 −10 to 10 −12 S/m.

7. The micropump according to claim 6 , wherein, as the additive, an ionic or non-ionic surfactant or an alcoholic substance is used.

8. The micropump according to claim 1 , wherein an insulation substance is used as the rectangular channel ( 250 ) and a metal substance is used as the electrode forming section ( 210 ).

9. The micropump according to claim 1 , wherein the second cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 214 ) and the third cylinder electrode upper joining portion ( 215 ) are formed in a “U” shape.

Assignees

• Kim Won Kyoung
• Ryu Jae Chun
• Kang Kwan Hyoung
• Min Kyoung-Ah
• Postech Academy-Industry Found

Inventors

• Kim Won Kyoung
• Ryu Jae Chun
• Kang Kwan Hyoung

Classifications

• F04B19/006 Primary

  Micropumps (F04B43/043 and F04B43/095 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02K44/06

  Induction pumps · CPC title

• F04B43/043

  Micropumps · CPC title

• B81C1/00

  Manufacture or treatment of devices or systems in or on a substrate (B81C3/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B81B7/00 Primary

  Microstructural systems {; Auxiliary parts of microstructural devices or systems} · CPC title