Control circuit for a micro electro mechanical fluidic device

Abstract

A control circuit of a micro electro fluidic device includes a driving electrode and a plurality of driving units. Each driving unit includes a micro electro fluidic device, a first transistor and a control unit. The micro electro fluidic device is electrically connected to the driving electrode. The first transistor is electrically connected to the micro electro fluidic device. The control unit is electrically connected to the first transistor. The control unit inputs a control signal to the first transistor, so that the corresponding driving unit is electrically conducted to drive the micro electro fluidic device, thereby accomplishing the fluid transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This case relates to a control circuit, particularly a control circuit for a microprocessor-based fluid device. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of technology, traditional fluid transport devices are moving towards miniaturization and maximizing flow rates. Their applications are also becoming increasingly diversified, ranging from industrial applications, biomedical applications, healthcare, electronic heat dissipation to the recently popular wearable devices.

[0003] However, in recent years, MEMS-related processes have achieved miniaturization of fluid transport devices through integral molding. The miniaturized fluid transport device requires a control element to select the MEMS fluid device to be actuated.

[0004] Please see Figure 1A as well as Figure 1B A conventional microelectromechanical device chip 9 has a chip body 9a, multiple microelectromechanical devices 9b, and multiple control electrodes 9c. The microelectromechanical devices 9b and control electrodes 9c are disposed on the chip body 9a. Each microelectromechanical device 9b is connected to two control electrodes 9c, therefore the number of control electrodes 9c on the microelectromechanical device chip 9 is difficult to reduce, thus increasing production costs. Furthermore, in the control circuit 90 of a conventional microelectromechanical device, each microelectromechanical device 90b requires at least one control electrode 90a and one transistor 90c to drive the operation of the microelectromechanical device 90b. Therefore, the control circuit 90 also requires a certain number of control electrodes 90a and transistors 90c, further hindering cost reduction. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a control circuit for a microelectromechanical device (MEMS), which combines semiconductor components with the MEMS device, enabling the control of the MEMS device to be integrated onto a single chip. This will allow for miniaturization of the control circuit, a reduction in the total number of electrodes, simplification of external control of the MEMS device, and a reduction in production costs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, a broader embodiment of this invention provides a control circuit for a microelectromechanical fluid device, comprising a driving electrode and multiple driving units. Each driving unit includes a microelectromechanical fluid device, a first transistor, and a control unit. The microelectromechanical fluid device is electrically connected to the driving electrode. The first transistor is electrically connected to the microelectromechanical fluid device. The control unit is electrically connected to the first transistor. The control unit inputs a control signal to the first transistor, causing the corresponding driving unit to be electrically turned on, thereby driving the microelectromechanical fluid device to complete the fluid transfer. Attached Figure Description

[0007] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0008] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of a traditional microprocessor-based fluid device chip.

[0009] Figure 1B This is a schematic diagram of the control circuit of a traditional microcomputer-controlled electro-hydraulic device.

[0010] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the control circuit of the microcomputer-controlled electro-hydraulic device in this case.

[0011] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the control unit of the control circuit in this case.

[0012] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of the driving configuration of the microprocessor current device chip in this case.

[0013] Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of the control signal configuration for the first embodiment of the control unit in this case.

[0014] Figure 3C This is a schematic diagram of another driving configuration for the microprocessor current device chip in this case.

[0015] Figure 3D This is a schematic diagram of another control signal configuration for the first embodiment of the control unit in this case.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the control unit of the control circuit in this case.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the control unit of the control circuit in this case.

[0018] Explanation of component labels in the diagram:

[0019] 9a: Chip body

[0020] 90: Control circuit

[0021] 90a, 9c: Control electrodes

[0022] 90c: Transistor

[0023] 9, 10I, 10II: Microprocessor-based current-mode device chips

[0024] Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Zn: Actuation zones

[0025] PD1: Driving electrode

[0026] PD2: Ground electrode

[0027] PD3, PD5: Gate electrode

[0028] PD4, PD6: Drain electrode

[0029] 9b, 90b, 10b: Microcomputer-controlled electro-hydraulic device

[0030] 10c, 10c', 10c”: Control unit

[0031] M1: First transistor

[0032] M2: Second transistor

[0033] M3: Third transistor

[0034] G: Gate

[0035] D: Drain electrode

[0036] S: Source

[0037] R: Logic element

[0038] S1~S14, Sn: Control signals

[0039] G1~G10, Gn: Driving units Detailed Implementation

[0040] The embodiments that embody the features and advantages of this invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that this invention can have various variations in different forms, all of which do not depart from the scope of this invention, and the descriptions and drawings herein are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit this invention.

[0041] Please see Figure 2A In this embodiment, the control circuit of the microelectromechanical fluid device includes multiple actuation regions Zn, each actuation region Zn including multiple drive units G1, G2...Gn, a drive electrode PD1, and a ground electrode PD2. Each drive unit G1, G2...Gn includes a microelectromechanical fluid device 10b, a first transistor M1, and a control unit 10c. The microelectromechanical fluid device 10b is electrically connected to the drive electrode PD1, the first transistor M1 is electrically connected to the microelectromechanical fluid device 10b, and the control unit 10c is electrically connected to the first transistor M1. Thus, the selected control unit 10c inputs a control signal to the first transistor M1, causing the corresponding drive units G1, G2...Gn to be electrically turned on, thereby driving the microelectromechanical fluid device 10b to complete the fluid transfer.

[0042] Please see Figure 2BIn this embodiment, the first embodiment of the control unit 10c includes a second transistor M2. The second transistor M2 has a source S, a drain D, and a gate G. The source S of the second transistor M2 is electrically connected to the gate G of the first transistor M1 of the driving units G1, G2...Gn, and the control signal is input through a gate electrode PD3 and a drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2.

[0043] Please see Figure 2B , Figure 3A as well as Figure 3B A microelectromechanical fluid device chip 10I is divided into multiple actuation regions Z1 and Z2, each of which contains 10 drive units G1 to G10. Therefore, the drive units G1 to G10 in different actuation regions Z1 and Z2 can be actuated by providing control signals S1 to S12. Figure 3B As shown, when control signal S1 is input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2 and control signals S3 to S12 are input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2, the driving units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z1 can be actuated; and when control signal S2 is input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2 and control signals S3 to S12 are input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2, the driving units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z2 can be actuated. It is worth noting that the gate electrode PD3 and drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2 can exchange signals to actuate the drive units G1 to G10. That is, when the control signal S1 is input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2 and the control signals S3 to S12 are input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2, the drive units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z1 can also be actuated; and when the control signal S2 is input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2 and the control signals S3 to S12 are input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2, the drive units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z2 can also be actuated.

[0044] Please see Figure 3C as well as Figure 3D A microelectromechanical fluid device chip 10II is divided into multiple actuation regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4, each of which contains 10 drive units G1 to G10. Therefore, the drive units G1 to G10 in different actuation regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 can be actuated by providing control signals S1 to S14. For example... Figure 3DAs shown, when control signal S1 is input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2 and control signals S5 to S14 are input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2, the driving units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z1 can be actuated; when control signal S2 is input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2 and control signals S5 to S14 are input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2, the driving units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z2 can be actuated; when control signal S3 is input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2 and control signals S5 to S14 are input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2, the driving units G1, G2...G10 in the actuation region Z3 can be actuated; and when control signal S4 is input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2 and control signals S5 to S14 are input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2, the driving units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z4 can be actuated. It is worth noting that, similarly, the gate electrode PD3 and drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2 can exchange signals to actuate the drive units G1 to G10. That is, when the control signal S1 is input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2 and the control signals S5 to S14 are input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2, the drive units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z1 can also be actuated; when the control signal S2 is input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2 and the control signals S5 to S14 are input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2... When input, the driving units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z2 can also be actuated; when the control signal S3 is input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2 and the control signals S5 to S14 are input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2, the driving units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z3 can also be actuated; and when the control signal S4 is input from the drain electrode PD4 of the second transistor M2 and the control signals S5 to S14 are input from the gate electrode PD3 of the second transistor M2, the driving units G1 to G10 in the actuation region Z4 can also be actuated.

[0045] It is worth noting that, in the embodiments of this case, the arrangement of the first embodiment of the control unit 10c allows the 10 drive units G1 to G10 within the same actuation region Zn to require only 13 electrodes. Taking the actuation region Z1 as an example, the actuation region Z1 includes a shared drive electrode PD1, a shared ground electrode PD2, a gate electrode PD3 for inputting control signal S1 (meaning that the 10 drive units G1 to G10 share a single gate electrode PD3), and 10 electrodes for inputting control signals S3 to S12 respectively. Compared to traditional microelectromechanical fluid device chips, where 20 electrodes are required for every 10 microelectromechanical fluid devices, the arrangement of this case significantly reduces the total number of electrodes and lowers production costs. Furthermore, the drain electrodes PD4 used to input the same control signals S3 to S12 in different actuation regions Zn can also share the same electrode. For example, the drain electrode PD4 used to input the control signal S3 in actuation region Z1 can share the same electrode with the drain electrode PD4 used to input the control signal S3 in actuation region Z2, which will further reduce the total number of electrodes in the entire microelectromechanical fluid device chip 10I and 10II.

[0046] It is worth noting that the actuation regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 of the microelectromechanical fluid device chip 10I and the microelectromechanical fluid device chip 10II are arranged in an alternating manner, which can control that adjacent actuation regions will not be actuated at the same time, thus avoiding mutual interference of fluid flow.

[0047] It is worth noting that the configuration of the actuation area, the number of drive units, and the connection method of the control signals in the microelectromechanical fluid device chip in this case are not limited to the above and can all be changed according to design requirements.

[0048] Please see Figure 2B as well as Figure 4 In this embodiment, the second embodiment of the control unit 10c' is similar to the first embodiment of the control unit 10c, except that the second embodiment of the control unit 10c' also includes a third transistor M3, which is electrically connected to the second transistor M2. The selected microelectromechanical device 10b is driven by continuously turning on the first transistor M1, the second transistor M2, and the third transistor M3. For example, when both the control signal S1 input from a gate electrode PD5 and the control signal S2 input from a drain electrode PD6 are HIGH, the third transistor M3 will be turned on. When the control signal S3 input from the drain electrode PD4 is also HIGH, the second transistor M2 will also be turned on. Then, when the drive electrode PD1 provides a drive signal, the first transistor M1 will be turned on, thereby actuating the corresponding microelectromechanical device 10b.

[0049] It is worth noting that, in the embodiments of this case, the first transistor M1, the second transistor M2, and the third transistor M3 are at least one of or a combination of an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOS), a P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (CMOS), a diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (DMOS), a laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (LDMOS), and a bipolar transistor (BJT), but are not limited thereto. The types of the first transistor M1, the second transistor M2, and the third transistor M3 may be changed according to design requirements.

[0050] Please see Figure 2B as well as Figure 5 In this embodiment, the third embodiment of the control unit 10c includes a logic element R electrically connected to the first transistor M1 of the drive units G1, G2...Gn. When the logic element R sends a logic signal to one of the first transistors M1 of the drive units G1, G2...Gn to turn it on, if the drive electrode PD1 also provides a drive signal, the corresponding microprocessor-based current device 10b will be actuated.

[0051] It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the logic element R is an AND gate, but this is not a limitation, and the type of the logic element R can be changed according to design requirements.

[0052] In summary, this invention provides a control circuit for a microelectromechanical fluid device, which drives different microelectromechanical fluid devices by changing the structure of the control circuit, thereby miniaturizing the control, reducing the total number of electrodes, simplifying the external control of the microelectromechanical fluid device, and reducing production costs.

[0053] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A control circuit for a microprocessor-based electro-hydraulic device, comprising: Multiple actuation zones, each containing: One driving electrode; One grounding electrode, One gate electrode; A drain electrode; and Multiple drive units, each drive unit comprising: A microcomputer current fluid device is electrically connected to the driving electrode; A first transistor, electrically connected to the microprocessor-based current-mode device; and A control unit includes a second transistor having a source, a drain and a gate, the gate of the second transistor receiving a control signal from the gate electrode, the drain of the second transistor being electrically connected to the drain electrode, and the source of the second transistor being electrically connected to the first transistor. in, The plurality of drive units are electrically connected to share the drive electrode, the plurality of drive units are electrically connected to share the ground electrode, and the plurality of drive units share the gate electrode. The second transistor of the control unit inputs the control signal to the first transistor, so that the corresponding drive unit is electrically turned on to drive the microelectromechanical fluid device, thereby completing the fluid transfer.

2. The control circuit of the microprocessor-based electro-hydraulic device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit also includes a third transistor, which is electrically connected to the corresponding first transistor, and the third transistor is electrically connected to the second transistor.

3. The control circuit of the microprocessor-based electro-hydraulic device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit includes a logic element electrically connected to the corresponding first transistor.

4. The control circuit of the microprocessor-based electro-hydraulic device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first transistor is at least one of or a combination of an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOS), a P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (CMOS), a diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (DMOS), a laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (LDMOS), and a bipolar transistor (BJT).

5. The control circuit of the microprocessor-based electro-hydraulic device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first transistor and the second transistor are at least one of or a combination of an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOS), a P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (CMOS), a diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (DMOS), a laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (LDMOS), and a bipolar transistor (BJT).

6. The control circuit of the microprocessor-based electro-hydraulic device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first transistor, the second transistor, and the third transistor are at least one of or a combination of an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOS), a P-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOS), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (CMOS), a diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (DMOS), a laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (LDMOS), and a bipolar transistor (BJT).

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