Electricity: measuring and testing – Measuring – testing – or sensing electricity – per se – Using radiant energy
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-01
2004-08-10
Le, N. (Department: 2858)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Measuring, testing, or sensing electricity, per se
Using radiant energy
C324S092000, C324S1540PB
Reexamination Certificate
active
06774616
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system for detecting fluids in a microfluidic component.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Microfluidic components in the sense of this application are components having at least one microchannel for storing and/or carrying fluids, i.e. liquids and/or gases. The microchannels can also be referred to as capillary microchannels. In addition, these microfluidic components may have more microstructures such as micropumps, microactors, microsensors, etc. Microfluidic components feature characteristic cross dimensions of the microchannels (e.g. the diameter or hydraulic diameter or the width and height) of about 1,500 &mgr;m as a maximum (preferably about 500 &mgr;m as a maximum) and about 5 &mgr;m as a minimum (preferably about 10 &mgr;m as a minimum). The microchannels may also be called capillary microchannels. The characteristic dimensions of further microstructures may also be found in the aforementioned ranges. In particular, these may be manufactured from semiconductors and/or plastics and/or glass and/or ceramics and/or metals where appropriate manufacturing techniques of the microsystem technology or microstructuring may be employed, e.g. lithography and etching processes (for semiconductors) or LIGA processes (for metals, plastics, and ceramics).
The degrees of filling by a fluid or the degree of emptying cannot be readily checked in microfluidic components, although this would be desirable in many cases. Thus, for instance, it would be helpful to know the degree of filling or that of emptying a microproportioning system in order to avoid faulty proportioning. Shocks acting on a microfluidic component might produce gas bubbles which can lead to malfunctions of the microfluidic component.
WO 99/10099 describes various microproportioning systems which comprise an open-jet proportioner or a micro-diaphragm pump. One of these microproportioning systems has a reservoir, a micro-diaphragm pump the inlet of which is connected to the reservoir, a proportioning aperture connected to the exit of the micro-diaphragm pump, and a proportioning control which is in an operative communication with the micro-diaphragm pump with the micro-diaphragm pump and the reservoir being combined in a microsystem technology or hybrid technology to form a component exchangeably connected to an actuation module. The pro-portioning control controls the volume to be proportioned via the stroke volume of the micro-diaphragm pump. To adjust an initial position for the displacement of the liquid column, the proportioning control is further connected to a sensor for detecting the meniscus of the liquid at the beginning of a displacement length of the liquid. The sensor is associated with a delivery tube for the liquid. In the first proportioning step, the micro-diaphragm pump pumps liquid out of the reservoir until the sensor detects the meniscus and, thus, reaches a defined zero position. After this, the volume to be proportioned is controlled via the known stroke volume of the micro-diaphragm pump. In further proportioning operations, the proportioning control may proceed on the assumption that the liquid column is waiting at the end of the delivery tube. This microproportioning system establishes readiness for pro-portioning only at the beginning of the operation. Since the volume to be pro-portioned is controlled via the known stroke volume faulty proportioning might occur if the micro-diaphragm pump delivers air inclusions or the reservoir is exhausted.
Furthermore, it is problematic to detect the moving interface between liquid and gaseous transparent media by means of the optical sensor. Optical measurement is impaired, in particular, by the scattering and refraction effects and the small signal level swing. Measurement is restricted to detecting the interface and cannot differentiate whether liquid or air is just waiting at the sensor.
Therefore, it is the object of the invention to provide a system for detecting fluids in a microfluidic component which delivers a more favourable measuring signal and allows to differentiate between liquids and gases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This and other object of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieve by providing a system for detecting fluids in a microfluidic component having the following features:
The microfluidic component has at least one microchannel including a limitation wall which has two surfaces which, facing the microchannel in a transparent area, are inclined towards each other at an acute angle,
a photo transmitter and a photo receiver which are disposed outside the component are directed to the inclined surfaces in the transparent area of the limitation wall in such a way that if a gas is waiting in the micro-channel on the two surfaces a light ray emitted by the photo transmitter impinges on the photo receiver following a total reflection on the two surfaces and, if a liquid is waiting in the microchannel, enters the microchannel on at least one of the two surfaces and, as a result, the incidence of light into the photo receiver is reduced or prohibited.
The invention makes use of the fact that a critical angle dependent on the refractive indices of the two media exists at the boundary from an optically denser medium to an optically thinner medium so that a light ray incident in the denser medium onto the boundary with the thinner medium the angle of incidence of which exceeds the critical angle is completely reflected from this boundary (total reflection). It further utilizes the fact that the critical angle while transiting from a transparent solid body (e.g. of a plastic or glass) to air or another gas will be smaller than is the critical angle while transiting to a liquid. Therefore, the photo transmitter and the photo receiver are oriented to the surfaces of the transparent area of the limitation wall which are inclined towards each other at an acute angle, i.e. those of the optically denser area, in such a way that if a gas is waiting on the two surfaces total reflection will occur and the light ray will completely pass into the photo receiver. At this stage, the inclination of the surfaces towards each other ensures that the reflected air ray passes from one surface to the other. If a liquid is waiting on at least one of the surfaces the light ray enters the microchannel so that the photo receiver measures a light signal which is considerably reduced, or measures none at all. As a result, the inventive system can determine whether a gas or a liquid is waiting on the surfaces and, in addition, it can determine whether an interface existing between a gas and a liquid is migrating past the surfaces. The fact that the microchannel or capillary microchannel has very small cross dimensions causes a uniform meniscus to form between the liquid and the gas and neither droplets nor air bubbles that could adulterate the result to develop on the inclined surfaces. The limitation wall can be made of a plastic or glass, specifically in the transparent area in which there are the surfaces inclined towards each other at an acute angle.
Any carry-over of liquid through the photo transmitter and the photo receiver is ruled out because these are separated by the limitation wall from the microchannel. In addition, the design is simple because the photo transmitter and the photo receiver are oriented next to each other from one side to the surfaces inclined towards each other. The system has a distinct signal level swing and is very reliable.
In the area defined by the inclined surfaces, the microchannel may also be designed correspondingly thin as in areas adjoining it so that the fluids are conducted to the measuring range under favourable preconditions. According to an advantageous aspect, it is of a substantially constant cross-section in the area of the inclined surfaces and in areas adjoining them. According to another aspect, this is achieved for the surfaces inclined towards each other by the fact that the limitation wall disposed opposite
Graff Andreas
Huhn Rüdiger
Sander Dietmar
Timmann Lutz
Eppendorf AG
Lair Donald M
Le N.
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
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