Microdispensing device and automatic microdispensing process

A device for the optical control of liquid drops or spurts intermittently dispensed from a microdispensing device having a plurality of dosing channels, the device comprising:

• a plurality of light barrier units arranged in at least one row on a carrier, each light barrier unit comprising:
• a light source configured to emit a light beam having an inhomogeneous beam profile, and
• a light sensor having a sensor surface onto which the light beam projects,
• wherein the device is positioned relative to the microdispensing device so that each light barrier unit is associated with only a single dosing channel of the plurality of dosing channels and when a liquid drop or spurt is dispensed from each single dosing channel, the liquid drop or spurt passes between the light source and the light sensor of the light barrier unit associated with the single dosing channel and through the light beam emitted by the light source,
• wherein each dosing channel is a dosing needle or a dosing nozzle, and
• wherein the device includes a first number of light barrier units that matches a second number of dosing channels and each light barrier unit only measures droplets from the single dosing channel.

A microdispensing device comprising:

• a plurality of dosing channels;
• and
• a plurality of light barrier units arranged in at least one row on a carrier, each light barrier unit comprising:
• a light source configured to emit a light beam having an inhomogeneous beam profile;
• and
• a light sensor having a sensor surface onto which the light beam projects,
• wherein the plurality of light barrier units are positioned relative to the plurality of dosing channels so that each light barrier unit is associated with only a single dosing channel of the plurality of dosing channels and when a liquid drop or spurt is dispensed from each single dosing channel, the liquid drop or spurt passes between the light source and the light sensor of each light barrier unit and through the light beam emitted by the light source,
• wherein the dosing channel is a dosing needle or a dosing nozzle, and
• wherein the device includes a first number of light barrier units that matches a second number of dosing channels and each light barrier unit only measures droplets from the single dosing channel.

A device for the optical control of liquid drops or spurts which are intermittently dispensed from a microdispensing device, the device comprising:

• at least one light barrier unit assigned to only a single associated dosing channel of the microdispensing device, each light barrier unit arranged directly with the single associated dosing channel on a common carrier, each light barrier unit including:
• a light source having an inhomogeneous beam profile;
• and
• a light sensor having a sensor surface onto which the profiled light beam of the light source projects,
• wherein a profiled light beam for each light barrier unit runs transversely with respect to a propagation direction of dispensed liquid drops or spurts and is wider than the liquid drops or spurts to be controlled,
• wherein each profiled light beam is a light cone having a highest intensity in an optical axis, in a center of the light bundle, which intensity drops in each case towards an edge of the light bundle,
• wherein the light sensor detects an entire beam profile of an incident light beam and integrates an intensity of the incident light beam over an extent of the incident light beam in a projection surface, a sensor current of the incident light beam corresponding to an integrated intensity such that a maximum shading of the light beam and a maximum reduction in sensor current occurs when the incident light beam is interrupted straight in an optical axis center of the incident light beam.