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US 10,883,486 B1Granted
Forced surface traveling wave-driven microfluidic pump
OwnerHuilin Zhou, Weixing Luinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a microfluidic pump for generating forced traveling waves that can directly drive liquid. A surface traveling wave-driven microfluidic pump comprises a channel with two opposing channel walls. Two symmetric traveling waves are generated on the surface of two opposite channel walls. The channel contains liquid that becomes trapped inside the cavities and is pumped along the direction of the traveling wave at the same speed as the traveling wave.
Claims16
A microfluidic pump, comprising:
- a top channel wall comprising:
- a top solid wall;
- a top piezoelectric membrane located below the top solid wall and joined to the top solid wall along a longitudinal length of the top piezoelectric membrane;
- a top membrane electrode;
- a plurality of top parallel electrodes;
- a bottom channel wall comprising:
- a bottom solid wall;
- a bottom piezoelectric membrane located above the bottom solid wall and joined to the bottom solid wall along a longitudinal length of the bottom piezoelectric membrane, such that a channel gap is located between the top piezoelectric membrane and the bottom piezoelectric membrane;
- a bottom membrane electrode;
- a plurality of bottom parallel electrodes;
- wherein:
- the bottom piezoelectric membrane has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, one of which faces the bottom solid wall, the first surface of the bottom piezoelectric membrane being coated by the bottom membrane electrode and the second surface of the bottom piezoelectric membrane being coated by the plurality of bottom parallel electrodes;
- the top piezoelectric membrane has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, one of which faces the top solid wall, the first surface of the top piezoelectric membrane being coated by the top membrane electrode and the second surface of the top piezoelectric membrane being coated by the top parallel electrodes;
- the plurality of bottom parallel electrodes are divided into at least one group of n bottom parallel electrodes arranged in sequence from a first bottom parallel electrode to an nth bottom parallel electrode, and each of the bottom parallel electrodes in each group is configured to be connected to a respective bottom lead applying a respective one of n AC voltages, wherein the n AC voltages have the same amplitude and frequency but respective different phases between the n bottom parallel electrodes of each group and the bottom membrane electrode, and the n AC voltages cause respective varying deformations of a thickness of the bottom piezoelectric membrane, such that a first surface traveling wave is generated at the surface of the bottom piezoelectric membrane which faces away from the bottom solid wall;
- the plurality of top parallel electrodes are divided into at least one group of n top parallel electrodes arranged in sequence from a first top parallel electrode to an nth top parallel electrode, and each of the top parallel electrodes in each group is configured to be connected to a respective top lead applying a respective one of n AC voltages, wherein the n AC voltages have the same amplitude and frequency but respective different phases between the n top parallel electrodes of each group and the top membrane electrode, and the n AC voltages cause respective varying deformations of a thickness of the top piezoelectric membrane, such that a second surface traveling wave is generated at the surface of the top piezoelectric membrane which face away from the top solid wall.
12 more elements
A microfluidic pump, comprising:
- a top solid wall and a bottom solid wall having arcuate shapes, such that the top solid wall and the bottom solid wall directly engage with each other on respective lateral sides form a channel gap in the middle;
- a left piezoelectric membrane located on a left lateral side of the channel gap, and joined to the top solid wall and the bottom solid wall;
- a left membrane electrode;
- a plurality of left parallel electrodes;
- a right piezoelectric membrane located on a right lateral side of the channel gap, and joined to the top solid wall and the bottom solid wall;
- a right membrane electrode;
- a plurality of right parallel electrodes;
- wherein:
- the left piezoelectric membrane has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, one of which faces the left lateral sides of the top solid wall and of the bottom solid wall, the first surface of the left piezoelectric membrane being coated by the left membrane electrode and the second surface of the bottom piezoelectric membrane being coated by the plurality of left parallel electrodes;
- the right piezoelectric membrane has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, one of which faces the right lateral sides of the top solid wall and of the bottom solid wall, the first surface of the right piezoelectric membrane being coated by the right membrane electrode and the second surface of the right piezoelectric membrane being coated by the right plurality of parallel electrodes;
- the left plurality of parallel electrodes are divided into at least one group of n left parallel electrodes arranged in sequence from a first left parallel electrode to an nth left parallel electrode, and each of the left parallel electrodes in each group is configured to be connected to a respective left lead applying a respective one of n AC voltages, wherein the n AC voltages have the same amplitude and frequency but respective different phases between the n left parallel electrodes of each group and the left membrane electrode, and the n AC voltages cause respective varying deformations of a thickness the left piezoelectric membrane, such that a first surface traveling wave is generated at one of the surfaces of the left piezoelectric membrane which faces away from the left lateral sides of the top solid wall and the bottom solid wall;
- the right plurality of parallel electrodes are divided into at least one group of n right parallel electrodes arranged in sequence from a first right parallel electrode to an nth right parallel electrode, and each of the right parallel electrodes in each group is configured to be connected to a respective right lead applying a respective one of n AC voltages, wherein the n AC voltages have the same amplitude and frequency but respective different phases between the n right parallel electrodes of each group and the right membrane electrode, and the n AC voltages cause respective varying deformations of a thickness of the right piezoelectric membrane, such that a second surface traveling wave is generated at one of the surfaces of the right piezoelectric membrane which faces away from the right lateral sides of the top solid wall and the bottom solid wall.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.