Micro paddle wheel pump for precise pumping, mixing, dispensing, and valving of blood and reagents
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorPaul Lum
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for making a microscopic paddle wheel coupled inductively by an external electromagnet and used for valving and active pumping so that the actual pumping mechanism is completely isolated from the electromagnetic driver. The paddle wheel is inexpensive to manufacture and disposable. A cartridge having a network of conduits and reservoirs contains several of such paddle wheels to transport blood and reagents. A point-of-care device houses the electromagnetic driving mechanism and is reused with successive cartridges since the paddle wheels are contained by the cartridge and do not contaminate the driving mechanism.
Claims19
A micro pumping device for transporting small volumes of biological fluid comprising:
- a paddle wheel, said paddle wheel comprising a magnetic core and a hydrophobic surface, said magnetic core being rotatable by alternating inductive magnetic fields;
- and
- a conduit, said conduit comprising a hydrophilic interior surface and a paddle wheel chamber having similar dimensions to said paddle wheel, said chamber housing said paddle wheel and allowing said paddle wheel to rotate freely.
A micro pumping device for transporting small volumes of biological fluid comprising:
- a conduit, said conduit having a width W;
- a paddle wheel, said paddle wheel having a diameter D, such that D>W, and positioned in said conduit such that a portion of the paddle wheel is positioned in a paddle wheel chamber recessed in said conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.