| Title: |
Integrated microfludic control employing programmable tactile actuators |
| Document Number: |
20060166357 |
| Publication Date: |
July 27, 2006 |
| Appl. No: |
10/548692 |
| Application Filed: |
March 10, 2004 |
| Abstract: |
Microfluidic devices having active features such as valves, peristaltic pumps, and mixing portions are fabricated to have a thin elastomeric membrane over the active features. The active features are activated by a tactile actuator external to the membrane, for example, a commercial Braille display. The display may be computer controlled, for example by simple text editor software, to activate individual Braille protrusions or a plurality of protrusions to actuate the active portions of the microfluidic device. Integral devices can incorporate the tactile actuators in a single device, but still external to the membrane. |
| Inventors: |
Takayama, Shuichi (Ann Arbor, MI, US); Zhu, Xiaoyue (Ann Arbor, MI, US); Gu, Wei (Ann Arbor, MI, US); Smith, Gary Daniel (Ann Arbor, MI, US); Heo, Yunseok (Ann Arbor, MI, US); Cho, Brenda S. (Ann Arbor, MI, US); Futai, Nobuyuki (Ann Arbor, MI, US) |
| Assignees: |
The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI, US) |
| Claim: |
1. A microfluidics device comprising a substrate having therein at least one empty space whose shape and/or volume is desired to be altered, said empty space defined on one side thereof by a deformable elastomer layer; and an electronically addressable tactile actuator proximate a side of said elastomer layer remote from said empty space, said tactile actuator having a plurality of spaced apart individually addressable extendable protrusions, at least one of which, when actuated, bears upon said deformable elastomer layer, deforming said layer, and altering the shape and/or volume of said empty space. |
| Claim: |
2. The device of claim 1, wherein said empty space comprises a flow channel, a reservoir, or a cell crushing chamber. |
| Claim: |
3. The device of claim 1, wherein said tactile actuator comprises a regular geometric array of extendable protrusions. |
| Claim: |
4. The device of claim 1, wherein said tactile actuator comprises a programmable Braille display. |
| Claim: |
5. The device of claim 1, containing at least one fluid pumping portion, said fluid pumping portion comprising a flow channel and a tactile actuator comprising a plurality of extendable protrusions positioned serially along said flow channel, said tactile actuator programmed to extend and retract said protrusions in a sequence which causes liquid to be pumped through said flow channel. |
| Claim: |
6. The device of claim 1, containing at least one valved flow channel, said valved flow channel being proximate an extendable protrusion of a tactile actuator, said channel having a depth such that full extension of said extendable protrusion deforms said elastomeric layer to the depth of said flow channel, closing the flow channel. |
| Claim: |
7. The device of claim 1 comprising at least one valved microchannel, said microchannel having a depth of from 1 μm to 100 μm, said microchannel defined on one side thereof by an elastomeric layer having a thickness of from 1 μm to 1 mm. |
| Claim: |
8. The device of claim 1, wherein said substrate is an elastomeric material |
| Claim: |
9. The device of claim 1, wherein said substrate and said elastomeric layer both comprise a silicone elastomer. |
| Claim: |
10. A device suitable for the culture of a living organism in a fluid wherein the fluid composition is supplied as a flow of fluid, said device comprising a microfluidics device of claim 1, wherein at least one empty space comprises a growth chamber for said organism, said growth chamber in fluid communication with at least one reservoir, and at least one fluid pumping portion, said fluid pumping portion comprising a flow channel and a tactile actuator comprising a plurality of extendable protrusions positioned serially along said flow channel, said tactile actuator programmed to extend and retract said protrusions in a sequence which causes liquid to be pumped through said flow channel, said flow channel communicating with said reservoir and said growth chamber, such that fluid flows from said reservoir through said growth chamber. |
| Claim: |
11. The device of claim 10, comprising a plurality of reservoirs, each of said reservoirs having associated therewith a valved flow channel in fluid communication with said growth chamber, such that flow of fluid into said growth chamber may be selected from one or a plurality of reservoirs. |
| Claim: |
12. A process for the culture of organisms, comprising introducing said organism or a precursor thereof into an empty space in a device of claim 1, and pumping a growth medium fluid past said organism by means of a microchannel peristaltic pump operated by said tactile actuator. |
| Claim: |
13. The process of claim 12, wherein said device contains a plurality of fluid reservoirs, and a plurality of associated valved microchannels, such that the fluid pumped past the organism can be derived from one or more selected reservoirs by opening and/or closing selected valves by means of said tactile actuator. |
| Claim: |
14. The process of claim 13, wherein each valved microchannel further comprises a peristaltic pump. |
| Claim: |
15. The process of claim 13, where the flow rate of fluid past said organism is varied by means varying the rate of actuation of sequentially positioned extendable protrusions along a microchannel in fluid communication with the empty space containing said organism. |
| Claim: |
16. The process of claim 15, wherein the fluid flowing is altered by closing or opening respective microchannel valves associated with a plurality of fluid supply microchannels. |
| Claim: |
17. A process for implementing fluid control in a microfluidics device, comprising selecting a microfluidics device of claim 1, selecting as said tactile actuator a geometric array of extendable protrusions, and actuating individual extendable protrusions in said geometric array by means of a computer program. |
| Claim: |
18. The process of claim 14, wherein said geometric array is a Braille display, and said individual protrusions are actuated by supplying an ASCII character to said display. |
| Current U.S. Class: |
435289/100 |
| Current International Class: |
12 |
| Accession Number: |
edspap.20060166357 |
| Database: |
USPTO Patent Applications |
