Modular Stacked Variable-Compression Micropump and Method of Making Same
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsKhalil NAJAFI, Luis P. BERNAL, Seyed Amin Sandoughsaz ZARDINI, Ali BESHARATIAN
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Abstract
A micropump assembly is comprised of modular stacked pump stages. The modular pump stages are preferably stacked vertically on top of each other. The stacked design allows each pumping chamber to be compressed by two pumping membranes and thereby provide twice the compression as compared to conventional planar pump designs. The stacked design also eliminates the need for bidirectional movement of the pumping membrane. Lastly, the number of stacked pumping stages can be changed post-fabrication to achieve the required pressure for a given application.
Claims20
A micropump assembly, comprising:
- a plurality of pump stages arranged vertically in relation to each other, where each pump stage includes
- a pumping chamber defined by a top wall and one or more side walls;
- a pumping membrane integrated into the top wall of the pumping chamber;
- a microvalve integrated into the top wall of the pumping chamber and adjacent to the pumping membrane;
- and
- an actuator disposed adjacent to the pumping membrane and the microvalve within the pumping chamber and configured to actuate the pumping membrane and microvalve independently from each other;
- wherein the top wall of the pumping chamber in a given pump stage forms the bottom of the pumping chamber in an adjacent pump stage stacked on top of the given pump stage and the microvalve in the given pump stage fluidly couples the pumping chamber of the given pump stage to the pumping chamber of the adjacent pump stage.
A pump stage for a micropump assembly, comprising:
- a pumping chamber defined by at least two opposing walls;
- a first microvalve integrated in one of the two opposing walls;
- a second microvalve integrated into the other of the two opposing walls;
- two pumping membranes integrated into the pump chamber and actuable to change pressure in the pumping chamber;
- and
- one or more actuators in the pumping chamber and configured to actuate the first microvalve and the second microvalve independently from the two pumping membranes.
A micropump assembly, comprising:
- a plurality of pump stages arranged adjacent to each other and separated by a shared wall, where each pump stage includes
- a pumping chamber defined by the shared wall, an opposing wall and one or more side walls;
- a first pumping membrane integrated into the shared wall of the pumping chamber;
- a first microvalve integrated into the shared wall of the pumping chamber and adjacent to the first pumping membrane, where the first microvalve selectively couples the pumping chamber to an adjacent pumping chamber downstream from the pumping chamber;
- a first actuator disposed adjacent to the first pumping membrane and configured to actuate the first pumping membrane;
- a second pumping membrane integrated into the shared wall of the pumping chamber;
- a second microvalve integrated into the shared wall of the pumping chamber and adjacent to the second pumping membrane, where the second microvalve selectively couples the pumping chamber to an adjacent pumping chamber upstream from the pumping chamber;
- and
- a second actuator disposed adjacent to the second pumping membrane and configured to actuate the second pumping membrane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.