Droplet generator
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsErik D. Torniainen, Alexander N. Govyadinov, Pavel Kornilovich, David P. Markel, Richard W. Seaver
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Abstract
An immiscible droplet generation system may include a chip, a microfluidic channel integrated into the chip, an input to the microfluidic channel through which the microfluidic channel is to be filled with a first fluid that is to be moved through the microfluidic channel and a droplet generator. The droplet generator is integrated into the chip to generate a droplet of a second fluid, immiscible within the first fluid, and to inject the droplet into the first fluid in the microfluidic channel.
Claims20
An immiscible droplet generation system comprising:
- a chip;
- a microfluidic channel integrated into the chip;
- an input fluidically coupled to the microfluidic channel to permit filing of a first fluid into the microfluidic channel;
- a droplet generator integrated into the chip and fluidically coupled to the microfluidic channel, the droplet generator configured to:
- generate a droplet of a second fluid, immiscible within the first fluid, and
- inject the droplet of the second fluid into the first fluid when the first fluid is present in the microfluidic channel,
- wherein the droplet of the second fluid is injected into the first fluid without passing through air, and wherein the droplet of the second fluid generated has a size ranging from 1 picoliter to 100 picoliters;
- and
- a sensor integrated into the chip along the microfluidic channel downstream of the droplet generator, the sensor configured to determine a frequency at which droplets generated by the droplet generator pass a predetermined point in the microfluidic channel.
An apparatus comprising:
- a chip;
- a microfluidic channel integrated into the chip;
- a pump integrated into the chip and operable to move a first fluid within and along the microfluidic channel;
- a droplet generator integrated into the chip and fluidically coupled to the microfluidic channel, the droplet generator configured to:
- generate droplets of a second fluid, immiscible within the first fluid, and
- inject the droplets of the second fluid into the first fluid when the first fluid is present in the microfluidic channel wherein the droplet of the second fluid is injected into the first fluid without passing through air;
- a sensor integrated into the chip along the microfluidic channel downstream of the droplet generator;
- and
- a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and configured to:
- determine, based on data from the sensor, a frequency at which droplets generated by the droplet generator pass a predetermined point in the microfluidic channel
- selectively activate the pump and the droplet generator based on the frequency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.