Microfluidic System Air Injection Path Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current micro-fluidic systems face challenges in accurately controlling the movement of fluids within their chambers, particularly when handling volatile or hazardous materials, due to limitations in fluid transfer and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A micro-fluidic system design featuring a lower and upper substrate configuration with an air injection path, fastening means, and an elastic member, which includes a clamp, groove, guide posts, ball bearings, and an O-ring assembly to ensure precise control of fluid movement using an external air pump, enhancing safety and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fluid transfer methods are used in micro-fluidic systems, then fluid movement can be achieved, but accurate control of fluid movement is difficult and safety concerns arise when handling volatile or hazardous materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pneumatic principles by introducing an air injection path that connects the fluid chamber to an external air pump. This allows precise control of fluid movement through pressure differential created by air injection, enabling accurate and safe handling of volatile or hazardous materials without direct mechanical contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses air as an intermediary substance to control fluid movement. Instead of direct mechanical manipulation of the fluid, compressed air is injected through the air injection path to move the fluid, providing indirect and safer control especially for hazardous materials.
2Reliability
If air injection path is integrated with upper substrate and micro-fluidic device, then accurate fluid control is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the air injection path directly into the upper substrate structure, integrating the pneumatic control system with the fluidic chamber. This integration reduces the need for separate external components and simplifies the overall device architecture while maintaining accurate fluid control.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper substrate serves multiple functions: it forms the structural boundary of the fluid chamber, contains the air injection path for fluid control, and provides mounting surfaces for fastening means. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed.
3Stability of the object's composition
If fastening means with clamp and groove are used to secure substrates, then structural stability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is segmented into discrete components: clamps mounted on the upper substrate, grooves formed on the lower substrate, and guide posts with bushings. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and assembled independently, reducing the cumulative precision requirements compared to a monolithic fastening structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide posts and bushings serve as intermediary elements between the clamp-groove fastening system. The guide posts insert into the bushings to provide alignment and reduce friction, mediating the connection between upper and lower substrates and reducing the direct precision requirements between clamp and groove surfaces.
4Reliability
If O-ring is used to block air injection path, then sealing performance is improved, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The O-ring sealing system is designed to be dynamic rather than static. The O-ring can be depressed into the air injection path groove to block it, and raised to allow fluid movement. This dynamic positioning capability provides both reliable sealing when blocked and ease of operation when unblocked, allowing flexible control of the fluid chamber.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves accurate and safe control of fluid movement within the micro-fluidic device, reducing reagent consumption and disposal quantities while enabling efficient biochemical reactions, particularly with biological materials like blood, urine, and saliva, through air-tight sealing and electrochemical measurement capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
the air injection path connected to the air pump performs pressing and vacuuming operations to move the fluid inside the fluid chamber of the micro-fluidic device
Implementation Method 2
The O-ring is discretely positioned from the groove of the micro-fluidic device, and blocks the groove if depressed to the groove of the micro-fluidic device
Implementation Method 3
a periphery of an air injection pipe region is mounted with a stopper for restricting elasticity of the coil spring
Implementation Method 4
a ball bearing is interposed between the bush and the guide post for reducing friction
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a micro-fluidic system including a lower substrate, an upper substrate formed opposite to the lower substrate and formed with an air injection path, and a micro-fluidic device interposed between the upper and lower substrates, wherein the micro-fluidic chamber includes a fluid chamber filled with a fluid and the fluidic chamber is physically connected to the air injection path.