RECONFIGURABLE VALVE USING OPTICALLY ACTIVE MATERIAL

• Main Authors: BEATTY, CHRISTOPHER, VAN BROCKLIN, ANDY, HARDING, PHIL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 03.05.2007
• Subjects: ACTUATING-FLOATS; BLASTING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; COCKS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; FLUID-CIRCUIT ELEMENTS PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR COMPUTING ORCONTROL PURPOSES; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; TAPS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; VALVES; WEAPONS

A microfluidic device (10) includes a microfluidic coupon (12) and at least one fluid channel (14) associated with the microfluidic coupon. The fluid channel is configured to control fluid flow from one portion of the coupon to another portion of the coupon. A quantity of reconfigurable valving material (16) is disposed within the fluid channel, the valving material being thermally coupled to an optically activatable material operable to increase a temperature of the valving material when exposed to an optical beam (18) to at least partially soften at least one component of the valving material to allow reconfiguration of the valving material to switch a flow state of the fluid channel. Selon cette invention, un dispositif microfluidique (10) comprend un coupon microfluidique (12) et au moins un canal de fluide (14) associé audit coupon. Le canal de fluide est configuré pour réguler un débit de fluide entre une partie du coupon et une autre partie de celui-ci. Une quantité de matière de vanne reconfigurable (16) est disposée dans le canal de fluide, cette matière étant thermocouplée à une substance à activation optique destinée à élever une température de la matière en cas d'exposition à un faisceau optique (18) pour ramollir au moins partiellement au moins un composant de la matière afin de permettre sa reconfiguration en vue de modifier un état d'écoulement du canal de fluide.