Microfluidic logic circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797524-B2
Application number	US-201514852286-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2015
Priority date	Sep 12, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

Pneumatic devices for implementing finite state machines are provided. In some implementations, the pneumatic device comprises a state register component configured to hold one of a set of possible states. The pneumatic device also comprises a next-state logic block component configured to determine a next state for the state register component based at least in part on a current state of the state register component. A pneumatic programmable logic array (PLA) implementing a next state logic block of a finite state machine is also provided. The pneumatic PLA comprises an elastomeric membrane containing a pattern of holes and disposed between two channel layers of a pneumatic device. The PLA receives one or more input values representing a current state of a state register and one or more input values representing a user input and calculates one or more output values representing a next state for the state register.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pneumatic device implementing a finite state machine, the pneumatic device comprising:
a state register component configured to hold one of a set of possible states; and
a next-state logic block component configured to determine a next state for the state register component based at least in part on a current state of the state register component.

2. The pneumatic device of claim 1 , wherein the next state for the state register component is based at least in part on a user input.

3. The pneumatic device of claim 2 , the pneumatic device further comprising a pneumatic switch configured to receive the user input.

4. The pneumatic device of claim 1 , the pneumatic device composed of an elastomeric membrane disposed between two channel layers, wherein the next-state logic block component comprises a pneumatic programmable logic array comprising a pattern of holes disposed in the elastomeric membrane of the pneumatic device.

5. The pneumatic device of claim 4 , the pattern of holes implementing a set of Boolean expressions, the set of Boolean expressions determining one or more state transitions of the finite state machine.

6. The pneumatic device of claim 1 , the pneumatic device further comprising a plurality of fluid valves configured to perform fluid handling operations, each fluid handling operation corresponding to a state of the finite state machine.

7. The pneumatic device of claim 6 , the fluid handling operations comprising one or more of metering, mixing, agitating, exchanging, and recirculating fluids on the pneumatic device.

8. The pneumatic device of claim 6 , the finite state machine configured to actuate the plurality of fluid valves configured to perform serial dilution of a liquid.

9. The pneumatic device of claim 1 , the pneumatic device further comprising a visual display comprising a bank of valves configured to open and close to show the current state of the state register component.

10. The pneumatic device of claim 1 , the pneumatic device receiving from a system clock a system clock signal oscillating between binary 1 and 0 at a set frequency, wherein binary 1 is represented by vacuum pressure and binary 0 is represented by atmospheric pressure.

11. The pneumatic device of claim 10 , wherein the system clock is located on the pneumatic device comprising a hardwired circuit of logic gates implementing one or more Boolean expressions.

12. The pneumatic device of claim 1 , wherein the finite state machine is a nonprogrammable finite state machine.

13. The pneumatic device of claim 1 , the state register comprising one or more pneumatic D flip-flop circuits.

14. The pneumatic device of claim 13 , wherein each pneumatic D flip-flop circuit comprises two cascaded D latches gated by a system clock of the pneumatic device.

15. A pneumatic programmable logic array implementing a next state logic block of a finite state machine, the pneumatic programmable logic array comprising:
an elastomeric membrane disposed between two channel layers of a pneumatic device, the elastomeric membrane including a pattern of holes disposed in the elastomeric membrane;
wherein the programmable logic array receives one or more input values representing a current state of a state register and a user input; and
wherein the programmable logic array calculates one or more output values representing a next state for the state register.

16. The pneumatic programmable logic array of claim 15 , wherein the programmable logic array receives one or more input values from one or more sensors.

17. The pneumatic programmable logic array of claim 15 , the pattern of holes implementing a set of Boolean expressions, the set of Boolean expressions determining one or more state transitions for a programmable finite state machine.

18. The pneumatic programmable logic array of claim 15 , wherein each hole disposed in the elastomeric membrane is configured to form a circuit connection between the two channel layers of the pneumatic device.

19. The pneumatic programmable logic array of claim 15 , wherein the current state of the state register corresponds to a first fluid handling operation performed by the pneumatic device, and wherein the next state of the state register corresponds to a second fluid handling operation performed by the pneumatic device.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Hui Elliot En-Yu
• Ahrar Siavash

Classifications

• F16K99/0057

  the fluid being the circulating fluid itself, e.g. check valves · CPC title

• F16K2099/0094

  Micropumps · CPC title

• F16K99/0015 Primary

  Diaphragm or membrane valves · CPC title

• F16K99/0001 Primary

  Microvalves (microdevices B81B1/00; manufacture or treatment of devices or systems in or on a substrate B81C1/00; microfluidic structures B01L3/5027; micropumps F04B19/006) · CPC title