CN109578690B - Fluid system - Google Patents

Abstract

An integrated fluid system includes a fluid actuation area, a fluid channel, a confluence chamber and a plurality of valves, wherein the fluid actuation area is composed of at least one flow guide unit which is actuated by control to transmit fluid to be discharged from an outlet hole of the flow guide unit. The fluid channel is communicated with the outlet hole of the flow guide unit of the fluid actuating area and is provided with a plurality of branch channels for dividing the fluid transmitted by the fluid actuating area. The confluence chamber is communicated with the fluid channel. The valves are respectively arranged in the branch channels, and fluid is controlled to be output from the branch channels by controlling the opening and closing states of the valves. Through the arrangement, the fluid output with specific flow, pressure and transmission quantity can be obtained.

Description

Fluid system

[ technical field ] A method for producing a semiconductor device

The present invention relates to a fluid system, and more particularly, to an integrated micro fluid control system.

[ background of the invention ]

At present, in all fields, no matter in medicine, computer technology, printing, energy and other industries, products are developed towards refinement and miniaturization, wherein fluid conveying structures contained in products such as micropumps, sprayers, ink jet heads, industrial printing devices and the like are key technologies thereof, so that how to break through technical bottlenecks thereof by means of innovative structures is an important content of development.

With the increasing development of science and technology, the applications of fluid delivery devices are becoming more diversified, such as industrial applications, biomedical applications, medical care, electronic heat dissipation, etc., and even recently, the trails of wearable devices are seen, and it is seen that the conventional fluid delivery devices have gradually tended to be miniaturized and maximized in flow rate.

However, although the miniaturized fluid delivery device can continuously deliver gas, the design of the miniaturized chamber or channel with limited volume requires to increase the gas delivery amount, which obviously has a certain difficulty, so that the design of the valve can not only control the continuous or interruption of the gas delivery, but also control the unidirectional flow of the gas, and enable the chamber or channel with limited volume to accumulate the gas to increase the output of the gas amount, which is the main subject of the present invention.

[ summary of the invention ]

In order to solve the problem that the prior art can not meet the requirement of the miniaturization of the fluid system, the scheme provides an integrated fluid system, which comprises: a fluid action area composed of at least one flow guide unit which is controlled to actuate the transmission fluid flow and is discharged from at least one outlet hole; a fluid channel, which is communicated with the at least one outlet hole of the fluid actuating area and is provided with a plurality of branch channels, so that the fluid transmitted by the fluid actuating area can be divided to form the required transmission quantity; a confluence chamber communicated with the fluid channel for accumulating fluid in the confluence chamber; a sensing element disposed in the fluid channel for sensing fluid in the fluid channel; and a plurality of valves arranged in the branch channels for controlling the opening and closing state of the valves so as to output the fluid in the branch channels.

In one embodiment, the valves are active valves, and the fluid system further includes a controller electrically connected to the valves to control the open and close states of the valves. The controller and the flow guide units form an integrated structure in a systematic packaging mode. The fluid actuating area comprises a plurality of flow guide units which are arranged in parallel and in series to transmit the flow of the fluid. The lengths and widths of the branched channels are preset according to the specific transmission quantity required, and the branched channels are arranged in series and parallel. Through the arrangement, the fluid system can be used for obtaining the fluid output with specific flow rate, pressure and transmission quantity.

[ description of the drawings ]

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a fluid system according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2A is a schematic structural diagram of a flow guide unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2B to fig. 2D are schematic operation diagrams of the flow guide unit shown in fig. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of a fluid actuating region according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3B is a schematic structural view of the flow guide units of the present disclosure arranged in series.

Fig. 3C is a schematic structural diagram of the flow guide units of the present disclosure arranged in parallel.

Fig. 3D is a schematic structural diagram of the flow guide units of the present disclosure arranged in series-parallel.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a fluid actuating region according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a fluid actuating region according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6A and 6B are operation diagrams of a first embodiment of the valve of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7A and 7B are operation diagrams of a second embodiment of the valve of the present disclosure.

[ detailed description ] embodiments

Exemplary embodiments that embody features and advantages of this disclosure are described in detail below in the detailed description. It will be understood that the present disclosure is capable of various modifications without departing from the scope of the disclosure, and that the description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

Please refer to fig. 1, which is a schematic structural diagram of a fluid control system according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. The fluid system 100 includes a fluid actuation zone 10, a fluid channel 20, a confluence chamber 30, a sensing element 40, a plurality of valves 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d, and a controller 60. In the preferred embodiment, all of the above components are packaged on a substrate 11 to form an integrated micro-structure, i.e., they are fabricated by integration. The fluid actuating region 10 is formed by one or more flow guiding units 10a, the flow guiding units 10a can be arranged in series, parallel or series-parallel arrangement, each flow guiding unit can generate a pressure difference in its own interior after being activated, so as to suck a fluid which can be gas and discharge the fluid through an outlet hole 160 (as shown in fig. 3C) provided therein, thereby achieving the fluid transmission.

In the present embodiment, the fluid actuating region 10 includes four flow guiding units 10a, and the flow guiding units 10a are arranged in parallel and in series. The fluid channel 20 communicates with the outlet holes 160 (as shown in fig. 3C) of all the guide units 10a in the fluid actuating region 10 to receive the transmission fluid discharged from the guide units 10 a. The structure, operation and arrangement of the flow guide unit 10a and the fluid channel 20 will be described in detail later. The fluid channel 20 further has a plurality of branch channels 20a and 20b to branch the transport fluid discharged from the fluid actuating region 10 to form the required transport volume, and in the embodiment, only the branch channels 20a and 20b are used for illustration, which is not limited thereto. The confluence chamber 30 is connected to the fluid channel 20 through the communication branch channels 20a and 20b, so that the transfer fluid can be accumulated in the confluence chamber 30 for storage, and can be supplied to the output of the fluid channel 20 when the fluid system 100 controls the required output, thereby increasing the fluid transfer amount. In addition, the sensing element 40 is disposed in the fluid channel 20 for sensing the fluid in the fluid channel 20.

Although the above-mentioned manner of communicating the branched passages 20a and 20b with the fluid passage 20 is shown by only the branched passages 20a and 20b communicating with the fluid passage 20 arranged in parallel, it is not limited thereto, and a plurality of branched passages 20a and 20b may be further arranged in series, or a plurality of branched passages 20a and 20b may be arranged in series and parallel. The lengths and widths of the branched channels 20a and 20b can be preset according to the required specific delivery amount, that is, the variation of the length and width setting of the branched channels 20a and 20b can affect the flow rate and the size of the delivery amount, i.e., the preset length and width can be calculated according to the required specific delivery amount.

In the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, the divergent channel 20a further includes divergent channels 21a, 22 a; similarly, the branched channel 20b also includes branched channels 21b and 22b, and although only the branched channels 21a and 22a are connected to the branched channels 20a and 20b respectively and arranged in series, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the branched channels 21a and 22a may be arranged in parallel, or the branched channels 21a and 22a may be arranged in series and parallel. The valves 50a, 50c, 50b and 50d may be active valves or passive valves, in this embodiment active valves, and are respectively disposed in the branch passages 21a, 22a, 21b and 22b in sequence. The valves 50a, 50c, 50b, and 50d can control the communication state of the branch passages 21a, 22a, 21b, and 22b provided. For example, when valve 50a is open, branch channel 21a may be opened to output fluid to output area a, when valve 50b is open, branch channel 21b may be opened to output fluid to output area a, when valve 50c is open, branch channel 22a may be opened to output fluid to output area a, and when valve 50d is open, branch channel 22b may be opened to output fluid to output area a. The controller 60 has two electrical connection lines 610, 620, the electrical connection line 610 is electrically connected to the open/close states of the control valves 50a, 50d, and the electrical connection line 620 is electrically connected to the open/close states of the control valves 50b, 50 c. In this way, the valves 50a, 50b, 50c and 50d can be driven by the controller 60 to control a communication state of the corresponding branched channels 21a, 22a, 21b and 22b, and thus control the output of the fluid to an output area a.

Please refer to fig. 2A, which is a schematic structural diagram of a flow guiding unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flow guiding unit 10a may be a piezoelectric pump. As shown, each flow guide unit 10a is formed by sequentially stacking an inlet plate 17, a substrate 11, a resonator plate 13, an actuator plate 14, a piezoelectric element 15, and an outlet plate 16. The inlet plate 17 has at least one inlet hole 170, the resonator plate 13 has a hollow hole 130 and a movable portion 131, the movable portion 131 is a flexible structure formed by a portion of the resonator plate 13 not fixed on the substrate 11, and the hollow hole 130 is opened at a position near a center point of the movable portion 131. The first chamber 12 is formed between the resonator plate 13 and the inlet plate 17. The actuator plate 14 is a hollow floating structure having a floating portion 141, an outer frame portion 142 and a plurality of gaps 143. The floating portion 141 of the actuator plate 14 is connected to the outer frame 142 through a plurality of connecting portions (not shown), such that the floating portion 141 is suspended in the outer frame 142, and a plurality of gaps 143 are defined between the floating portion 141 and the outer frame 142 for the circulation of gas. The arrangement, implementation and number of the suspending portions 141, the outer frame portion 142 and the gaps 143 are not limited thereto, and may be changed according to the actual situation. Preferably, the actuator plate 14 is made of a metal material film or a polysilicon film, but not limited thereto. A gap g0 is provided between the actuator plate 14 and the resonator plate 13 to form a second chamber 18. The outlet aperture 160 is disposed in the outlet plate 16, and the third chamber 19 is formed between the actuation plate 14 and the outlet plate 16.

In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the substrate 11 of the current guiding unit 10a further comprises a driving circuit (not shown) for electrically connecting the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the piezoelectric element 15, thereby providing a driving power source for the piezoelectric element 15, but not limited thereto; the driving circuit can be disposed at any position inside the flow guiding unit 10a, and can be changed arbitrarily according to the actual situation.

Referring to fig. 2A to 2C, fig. 2B to 2D are schematic operation diagrams of the diversion unit 10a shown in fig. 2A. The flow guiding unit 10a shown in fig. 2A is in an inactivated state (i.e., an initial state). When the piezoelectric element 15 is subjected to a voltage, i.e., deformed, the actuator plate 14 is driven to perform reciprocating vibration in a vertical direction. As shown in fig. 2B, when the floating portion 141 of the actuator plate 14 vibrates upwards to increase the volume and reduce the pressure of the second chamber 18, the fluid enters from the inlet hole 170 of the inlet plate 17 in compliance with the external pressure, collects at the first chamber 12, and flows upwards into the second chamber 18 through the central hole 130 of the resonator plate 13 corresponding to the first chamber 12.

Then, as shown in fig. 2C, the vibration of the floating portion 141 of the actuator plate 14 drives the resonator plate 13 to resonate, so that the movable portion 131 vibrates upwards, and the floating portion 141 of the actuator plate 14 vibrates downwards at the same time, which causes the movable portion 131 of the resonator plate 13 to stick and abut against the lower portion of the floating portion 141 of the actuator plate 14. At this time, the flow gap between the central hole 130 of the resonator plate 13 and the second chamber 18 is closed, the second chamber 18 is compressed to become smaller in volume and higher in pressure, and the third chamber 19 is increased in volume and lower in pressure, thereby forming a pressure gradient, so that the fluid in the second chamber 18 is pressurized to flow to both sides and flows into the third chamber 19 through the plurality of gaps 140 of the actuating plate 14. As shown in fig. 2D, the floating portion 141 of the actuator plate 14 continues to vibrate downward, and the movable portion 131 of the resonator plate 13 is driven to vibrate downward, so that the second chamber 18 is further compressed, and most of the fluid flows into the third chamber 19 for temporary storage.

Finally, the floating portion 141 of the actuator plate 14 vibrates upward, so that the third chamber 19 is compressed, the volume is reduced, the pressure is increased, and the fluid in the third chamber 19 is guided out from the outlet hole 160 of the outlet plate 16 to the outside of the outlet plate 16, thereby completing the fluid transfer. The above-mentioned operation is to complete a complete vibration operation process when the actuating plate 14 performs reciprocating vibration. When the piezoelectric element 15 is energized, the floating portion 141 of the actuator plate 14 and the movable portion 131 of the resonator plate 13 repeat the above operation, and the fluid is continuously guided from the inlet hole 170 to the outlet hole 160 and pressurized and discharged, thereby realizing the fluid transmission. In some embodiments, the vertical reciprocating vibration frequency of the resonance plate 13 can be the same as the vibration frequency of the actuating plate 14, i.e. both can be upward or downward at the same time, and can be varied according to the practical implementation, and is not limited to the implementation shown in this embodiment.

By generating a pressure gradient in the flow channel design of the flow guiding unit 10a of this embodiment, the fluid flows at a high speed, and is transmitted from the suction end to the discharge end through the impedance difference in the inlet and outlet directions of the flow channel, and the fluid can be continuously pushed out under the pressure at the discharge end, and the silencing effect can be achieved.

Please refer to fig. 3A, which is a schematic structural diagram of a fluid actuating region according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. The fluid actuating region 10 includes a plurality of flow guiding units 10a, and the flow guiding units 10a can adjust the fluid transmission amount outputted by the fluid actuating region 10 according to a specific arrangement manner, in this embodiment, the flow guiding units 10a are arranged on the substrate 11 in a series-parallel manner.

Please refer to fig. 3B to fig. 3C. Fig. 3B is a schematic structural view of the flow guide units of the present disclosure arranged in series; fig. 3C is a schematic structural view of the flow guide units of the present disclosure arranged in parallel; fig. 3D is a schematic structural diagram of the flow guide units of the present disclosure arranged in series-parallel. As shown in fig. 3B, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating region 10 are arranged in series, and the fluid pressure value of the outlet hole 160 of the fluid actuating region 10 is increased by connecting the flow guiding units 10a in series; referring to fig. 3C, the diversion units 10a in the fluid actuation area 10 are arranged in parallel, and the diversion units 10a are connected in parallel, so as to further increase the output flow rate of the outlet hole 160 of the fluid actuation area 10; referring to fig. 3D, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating region 10 are arranged in series-parallel connection to synchronously increase the pressure value and output amount of the fluid output from the fluid actuating region 10.

Please refer to fig. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a fluid actuation area according to another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a fluid actuating region according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 4, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating region 10 are arranged in a ring-shaped manner to transmit fluid; referring to fig. 5, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating region 10 are arranged in a honeycomb manner.

In the present embodiment, the flow guiding unit 10a of the fluid system 100 can be connected with the driving circuit, and has a very high flexibility, and can be applied to various electronic components, and can simultaneously enable to transmit gas, so as to meet the requirement of gas transmission with a large flow rate; in addition, the flow guiding unit 10a and the other flow guiding unit 10a can also be controlled to operate or stop independently, for example: the flow guiding units 10a can be activated, the other flow guiding unit 10a can be deactivated, or alternatively operated, but not limited to this, so as to easily achieve the requirement of various gas transmission flow rates and achieve the effect of greatly reducing power consumption.

Please refer to fig. 6A and fig. 6B, which are operation diagrams of a first embodiment of the valve of the present disclosure. The valve 50 includes a channel substrate 51, a piezoelectric actuator 52 and a connecting rod 53, and the valve 50 of the present embodiment is disposed in the branch channel 21a, but the structure and operation of the valve 50 disposed in the other branch channels 22a, 21b and 22b are the same, and will not be described in detail below. The channel substrate 51 has a first through hole 511 and a second through hole 512 respectively communicating with the branched channel 21a, and the channel substrate 51 is disposed to be separated from each other, and a chamber 513 is recessed above the channel substrate 51, the chamber 513 is provided with a first outlet 514 communicating with the first through hole 511 and a second outlet 515 communicating with the second through hole 512. The piezoelectric actuator 52 includes a carrier plate 521 and a piezoelectric ceramic 522, wherein the carrier plate 521 is made of a flexible material, and the piezoelectric ceramic 522 is attached to a surface of the carrier plate 521 and electrically connected to the controller 60. The piezoelectric actuator 52 is disposed on the carrier plate 521 to cover the chamber 513. The connecting rod 53 is connected to the other surface of the carrier plate 521 and extends into the second outlet 515 to freely displace along a vertical direction, and one end of the connecting rod 53 has a blocking portion 531 with a cross-sectional area larger than the aperture of the second outlet 515 to close and limit the communication of the second outlet 515. The blocking portion 531 may be flat or mushroom-shaped.

As shown in FIG. 6A, in the unactuated state of the piezoelectric actuator 52 of the valve 50, the linkage 53 is in a normally open initial position. At this time, a gap is formed between the blocking portion 531 and the second outlet 515, so that the second through hole 512, the chamber 513 and the first through hole 511 are communicated with each other through the gap and communicated with the branch passage 21a, so that the transmission fluid can pass through. On the contrary, as shown in fig. 6B, when the piezoelectric actuator 52 is activated, the piezoelectric ceramic 522 drives the carrier plate 521 to bend and deform upwards, and the link 53 is moved upwards by the linkage of the carrier plate 521, so that the blocking portion 531 blocks the aperture of the second outlet 515. At this time, the blocking portion 531 closes the second outlet 515 so that the transfer fluid cannot pass therethrough. By the above-mentioned actuating manner, the valve 50 can maintain the opening state of the branch passage 21a in the disabled state, and close the branch passage 21a in the enabled state; that is, the valve 50 controls the fluid output from the branch passage 21a by controlling a switching state of the second through hole 512.

Please refer to fig. 7A and 7B, which are operation diagrams of a second embodiment of the valve of the present disclosure. The structure of the valve 50 is the same, and therefore, the detailed description is omitted, and only the operation design of the valve 50 in the disabled state is a normally closed state.

As shown in FIG. 7A, in the unactuated state of the piezoelectric actuator 52 of the valve 50, the linkage 53 is in a normally closed initial position. At this time, the blocking portion 531 closes the aperture of the second outlet 515 so that the transfer fluid cannot pass therethrough. As shown in fig. 7B, when the piezoelectric actuator 52 is activated, the piezoelectric ceramic 522 drives the carrier plate 521 to bend and deform downward, and the link 53 is moved downward by the linkage of the carrier plate 521, a flow space is formed between the blocking portion 531 and the second outlet 515, so that the second through hole 512, the chamber 513 and the first through hole 511 are communicated with each other through the flow space and communicated with the branch channel 21a, so that the transmission fluid can pass through. By the above-mentioned actuating manner, the valve 50 can maintain the closed state of the branched passage 21a in the non-enabled state, and open the branched passage 21a in the enabled state; that is, the valve 50 controls the output of the fluid from the branch passage 21a by controlling a switching state of the second through hole 512.

In summary, the fluid system provided by the present disclosure transmits gas into the collecting chamber through at least one flow guiding unit, and further controls and adjusts the flow rate, flow velocity and pressure of the fluid outputted from the fluid system by using the valve in the branch channel. Moreover, the flow guide unit, the number of the branch channels, the arrangement mode and the driving mode are flexibly changed, so that the device can meet the requirements of various devices and gas transmission flow, and can achieve the effects of high transmission capacity, high efficiency, high flexibility and the like.

Various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[ notation ] to show

100: fluid system

10: fluid action zone

10 a: flow guiding unit

11: base material

12: the first chamber

13: resonance board

130: hollow hole

131: movable part

14: actuating plate

141: suspension part

142: outer frame part

143: voids

15: piezoelectric element

16: outlet plate

160: an outlet orifice

17: entrance plate

170: inlet aperture

18: second chamber

19: third chamber

20: fluid channel

20a, 20b, 21a, 21b, 22a, 22 b: branch channel

30: confluence chamber

40: sensing element

50. 50a, 50b, 50c, 50 d: valve with a valve body

51: channel substrate

511: first through hole

512: first through hole

513: chamber

514: first outlet

515: second outlet

52: piezoelectric actuator

521: support plate

522: piezoelectric ceramics

53: connecting rod

531: blocking part

60: controller

610. 620: electrical connection circuit

g 0: gap

A: output area

Claims (15)

1. An integrated fluidic system, the fluidic system being a microfluidic system comprising:

a fluid action area composed of at least one flow guide unit, wherein the flow guide unit is a piezoelectric pump and generates a pressure difference in the flow guide unit after being controlled and actuated so as to suck the fluid and pressurize the fluid and continuously discharge the fluid from at least one outlet hole;

a fluid channel, which is communicated with the at least one outlet hole of the fluid actuating area and is provided with a plurality of branch channels, so that the fluid transmitted by the fluid actuating area can be divided to form the required transmission quantity;

a confluence chamber communicated with the fluid channel through the plurality of branch channels, and used for accumulating the fluid transmitted by the fluid actuating area in the confluence chamber to increase the transmission amount of the fluid;

a sensing element disposed in the fluid channel for sensing fluid in the fluid channel; and

and the valves are arranged in the branch channels, and are used for controlling the opening and closing states of the valves so as to output the fluid in the branch channels, thereby controlling and adjusting the flow rate, the flow speed and the pressure of the fluid output by the fluid system.

2. The fluid system defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid action zone is defined by a plurality of flow directing elements arranged in a series arrangement to convey fluid flow.

3. The fluid system defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid action zone is provided by a plurality of flow directing units arranged in a parallel arrangement to convey fluid flow.

4. The fluid system defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid action zone is defined by a plurality of flow directing elements arranged in parallel series to convey fluid flow.

5. The fluid system defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid-actuated region is defined by a plurality of flow-directing elements arranged in an annular pattern to convey fluid flow.

6. The fluid system defined in claim 1, wherein the fluid-active region is formed by a plurality of flow cells arranged in a honeycomb pattern to convey fluid flow.

7. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the lengths of the plurality of divergent channels are predetermined according to a desired specific delivery volume.

8. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the widths of the plurality of divergent channels are predetermined according to a desired specific delivery volume.

9. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the valve is an active valve.

10. The fluid system of claim 9, wherein the active valve is controlled to open and close by a controller.

11. The fluid system of claim 10, wherein the controller and the flow directing unit are packaged together in an integrated configuration.

12. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the valve is a passive valve.

13. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of divergent channels are arranged in a series arrangement.

14. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of divergent channels are arranged in a parallel arrangement.

15. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of divergent channels are arranged in a series-parallel arrangement.

Images