Microfluidic valve filler and valve unit including the same
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorsJong-myeon PARK, Beom-seok LEE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided are a valve filler and a valve unit including the valve filler. The valve filler includes: a phase transition material; and a heating fluid comprising a carrier oil and a plurality of micro heating particles suspended in the carrier oil, the heating fluid being mixed with the phase transition material, wherein, when external energy is supplied, the micro heating particles receive the external energy and generate heat to melt the phase transition material into a fluid state, and when no external energy is supplied, the phase transition material hardens into a solid state.
Claims25
A valve filler composition comprising:
- a phase transition material which is in solid phase at a temperature below its melting point and which is in fluidic phase at a temperature of or above its melting point;
- and
- a heating fluid comprising a carrier oil and a plurality of micro heating particles dispersed in the carrier oil,
- wherein the heating fluid is mixed with the phase transition material,
- wherein, the valve filler composition is in solid phase at room temperature, and transforms into the fluidic phase when external energy is supplied to the valve filler.
A valve unit comprising:
- a channel which forms a flow path of a fluid;
- a valve filler which closes a portion of the channel when the flow path of the fluid needs to be blocked;
- and
- an external energy source supplying energy to the valve filler,
- wherein the valve filler comprises:
- a phase transition material which is in solid phase at a temperature below its melting point and which is in fluidic phase at a temperature of or above its melting point;
- and
- a heating fluid comprising a carrier oil and a plurality of micro heating particles dispersed in the carrier oil,
- wherein the heating fluid is mixed with the phase transition material, wherein, the valve filler is in solid phase at room temperature, and transforms into the fluidic phase when external energy is supplied to the valve filler.
A valve filler composition comprising:
- a wax which has a melting point of 50 to 100° C.;
- and
- a heating fluid, which comprises a carrier oil and a plurality of micro heating magnetic particles dispersed in the carrier oil,
- wherein, the heating fluid is mixed with the wax,
- wherein, the valve filler composition is in solid phase at room temperature, and changes into the fluidic phase when external energy is supplied to the valve filler,
- wherein the heating fluid has magnetic flux density of 125 to 250 Gauss, and
- wherein the time for the valve filler composition to change from the solid phase at a temperature 25° C. lower than the melting point of the wax to the fluidic phase is less than three seconds when a laser beam of 1.5 W is applied to the valve filler composition, the volume of the valve composition being not greater than ten microliters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.