Object focusing
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsViktor Shkolnikov, Alexander N. Govyadinov, Pavel Kornilovich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An object focuser may include a substrate, a sample fluid passage supported by the substrate, a first inertial pump supported by the substrate to pump a sample fluid entraining an object through the sample fluid passage, a first sheath fluid passage, a second inertial pump supported by the substrate to pump a first sheath fluid through the first sheath fluid passage, a second sheath fluid passage and a second inertial pump supported by the substrate to pump a second sheath fluid through the second sheath fluid passage. The first sheath fluid passage and the second sheath fluid passage are connected to the sample fluid passage at a convergence on opposite sides of the sample fluid passage.
Claims13
An object focuser comprising:
- a substrate;
- a sample fluid passage supported by the substrate;
- a first inertial pump supported by the substrate to pump a sample fluid entraining an object through the sample fluid passage;
- a first sheath fluid passage;
- a second inertial pump supported by the substrate to pump a first sheath fluid through the first sheath fluid passage;
- and
- a second sheath fluid passage;
- a first pulsation dampening chamber along the sample fluid passage between the first inertial pump and the convergence;
- a second pulsation dampening chamber along the first sheath passage between the second inertial pump and the convergence;
- a third pulsation dampening chamber along the second sheath passage between the third inertial pump and the convergence;
- a third inertial pump supported by the substrate to pump a second sheath fluid through the second sheath fluid passage, wherein the first sheath fluid passage and the second sheath fluid passage are connected to the sample fluid passage at a convergence on opposite sides of the sample fluid passage.
An object focusing method comprising:
- pumping a sample fluid entraining an object through a sample passage on a substrate with a first inertial pump on the substrate;
- pumping a first sheath fluid through a first sheath fluid passage on the substrate with a second inertial pump on the substrate, the second sheath fluid passage being connected to the sample passage on a first side of the sample passage at a convergence;
- and
- pumping a second sheath fluid through a second sheath fluid passage on the substrate with a third inertial pump on the substrate, the second sheath fluid passage being connected to the sample passage on a second side of the sample passage at the convergence and
- wherein an impact of pulsations or waves is reduced through a first pulsation dampening chamber along the sample passage between the first inertial pump and the convergence, a second pulsation dampening chamber along the first sheath passage between the second inertial pump and the convergence, and a third pulsation dampening chamber along the second sheath passage between the third inertial pump and the convergence.
A method comprising:
- pumping pulses of a sample fluid entraining an object through a sample fluid passage;
- pumping pulses of a first sheath fluid through a first sheath fluid passage connected to the sample fluid passage at a convergence;
- pumping pulses of a second sheath fluid through a second sheath fluid passage connected to the sample fluid passage at the convergence;
- and
- controlling the pumping of the sample fluid, the pumping of the first sheath fluid and the pumping of the second sheath fluid such that wave fronts of the respective pulses are synchronized at the convergence
- wherein an impact of pulsations or waves is reduced through a first pulsation dampening chamber along the sample passage between the first inertial pump and the convergence, a second pulsation dampening chamber along the first sheath passage between the second inertial pump and the convergence, and a third pulsation dampening chamber along the second sheath passage between the third inertial pump and the convergence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.