Manipulation of microfluidic droplets
AssigneeRaindance Technologies, Inc.
InventorsBenjamin Miller, Brian Hutchison, Andrew Wilson, Jonathan Larson, Qun Zhong, Yevgeny Yurkovetsky, Darren Link, Mark Weary
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Abstract
The invention provides methods for assessing one or more predetermined characteristics or properties of a microfluidic droplet within a microfluidic channel, and regulating one or more fluid flow rates within that channel to selectively alter the predetermined microdroplet characteristic or property using a feedback control.
Claims22
A system for controlling microfluidic droplet distribution in a microfluidic channel, the system comprising:
- a first stream of droplets flowing in the microfluidic channel at a first frequency;
- a second stream of droplets flowing in the microfluidic channel at a second frequency;
- an image sensor configured to assess the first and second frequencies;
- and
- a feedback controller configured to receive the frequency assessment from the image sensor, and adjust the flow rate of one or more fluids to provide a certain distribution of the first stream and the second stream of droplets based on the frequency assessment, thereby manipulating the distribution of the first and second streams of droplets.
A system for controlling microfluidic droplet distributions in a microfluidic channel, the system comprising
- at least two streams of droplets within the microfluidic channel, each stream comprising a specific frequency of droplets;
- an image sensor configured to assess the frequencies of the at least two streams of droplets;
- and
- a feedback controller in communication with the image sensor, and configured to adjust a flow rate of one or more fluids to provide a certain droplet distribution between the at least two streams of droplets based on the frequency assessment, thereby manipulating the frequency of at least one stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.