KR102583100B1 - Ultra-small droplet dispenser device using electronic microvalves and droplet dropping method using droplet dispenser device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultra-small liquid droplet dispenser device utilizing an electronic micro-valve that generates ultra-small liquid droplets of the required size and drops them at a target location. A vertical axis disposed, a moving part coupled to the vertical axis and moved in the vertical direction, the end of which protrudes perpendicularly to the vertical axis, a micro syringe coupled to the end of the moving part and filled with a solution, connected to the micro syringe and set A liquid droplet dispenser device including a compressor that supplies pressure, a valve that is coupled to the end of the micro syringe and determines whether to open or close, and a control section that controls the displacement of the moving part and the valve, and a droplet dropping method using the droplet dispenser device. .

Description

Ultra-small droplet dispenser device using electronic microvalves and droplet dropping method using droplet dispenser device}

The present invention relates to a droplet dispenser device, and more specifically, to an ultra-fine droplet dispenser device using an electronic micro-valve that generates ultra-fine liquid droplets of a required size and drops them at a target location, and a droplet dispenser device using the droplet dispenser device. It's about the dropping method.

This is a test and evaluation technique that measures the permeation performance of chemical agents in chemical, biological and radiological protective clothing to liquid and vapor. The test is performed after dropping liquid droplets of the chemical agent in the form of micro-sized droplets using a syringe or pipette on a specimen of the protective clothing. Proceed. The test requires matching a certain amount of droplets or dropping them in an exact location, but most of them are performed manually by the experimenter, making it difficult to achieve accuracy and precision.

According to a survey of prior art, it consists of a dispenser device for common chemicals including water and a complex device, which poses a lot of inconvenience when used for chemical agent testing. In particular, in the case of liquid chemical agents, not only do they have very high viscosity, they are hydrophobic liquids with very low surface tension, and they are highly toxic substances, so all dispensing work must be performed in a chemical fume hood by an experienced experimenter. However, even for experienced experimenters, it is not easy to quantitatively control the amount of chemical agent droplets remaining on the tip of the syringe needle or pipette being used.

Accordingly, we designed an ultra-small liquid droplet dispenser device that can automatically adjust the volume of ultra-small hydrophobic liquid droplets and effectively provide protection against chemical agents by simply adjusting and dropping them at the desired location and amount on various specimens. and production technology are required.

Therefore, the present invention was created to solve the problems of the prior art as described above. The present invention is a technology for dropping a certain amount of a chemical agent in the form of micro-sized droplets, and automatically releases an ultra-small amount of chemical agent liquid. The purpose is to provide technology for designing and manufacturing a device that can drop drops by controlling their volume.

Specifically, the present invention applies an electronic microvalve to design and manufacture a device that can drop ultra-fine liquid droplets, thereby providing design and manufacturing technology for a device that can automatically adjust and drop the volume of ultra-fine liquid droplets. The purpose is to provide

In addition, the purpose of the present invention is to provide design and manufacturing technology for a dispenser for ultra-small amount of chemical agent droplets through time control of ultra-small amount of air jet nozzle, air pressure, and on/off of the valve.

The technical challenges sought to be achieved by the embodiments of the present application are not limited to those described above, and other technical challenges may exist.

The present invention relates to a support part fixed to the ground or a table, a vertical axis disposed perpendicular to the upper surface of the support part, a moving part that is coupled to the vertical axis and moves in the vertical direction, and an end of which protrudes perpendicularly to the vertical axis, and an end of the moving part. A micro syringe coupled to and filled with a solution, a compressor connected to the micro syringe and supplying a set pressure, a valve coupled to the end of the micro syringe and determining whether to discharge the solution, and controlling the displacement of the moving part and the valve. It includes a control unit that does.

In addition, the valve is characterized in that the open passage is filled with the same solution as the solution filled in the micro syringe, and the solution in the open passage remains when closed.

In addition, the syringe is equipped with a nozzle through which the solution is discharged at the end, the nozzle is detachable, and the size of the discharged droplet is controlled depending on the presence and diameter of the nozzle.

In addition, the moving part is coupled to the vertical axis and moves up and down, and includes a first horizontal part protruding perpendicular to the vertical axis, and a tilting part coupled to an end of the first horizontal part and capable of tilting with respect to the first horizontal part. .

Additionally, the micro syringe includes a nozzle through which a solution is discharged, and the control unit controls the angle of the tilting unit to control the size of a droplet formed at the end of the nozzle.

In addition, the moving part is coupled to an end of the tilting part, and includes a second horizontal part that moves up and down with respect to the tilting part, and a coupling part that has one end coupled to the second horizontal part and the other end coupled to the micro syringe, The micro syringe is characterized in that it is slightly moved through the vertical movement of the second horizontal portion.

Additionally, the control unit includes a timer that controls the operation time and cycle of the valve.

In addition, a height adjustment step of controlling the dropping height of the droplet through upward and downward movement of the first horizontal portion and the second horizontal portion, a supply step of the compressor supplying a constant pressure to the micro syringe filled with the solution, and the control portion for a set time. It includes a dropping step of opening the valve to create a droplet at the end of the nozzle and dropping the droplet on the specimen.

In addition, the height adjustment step includes a tilting step in which the tilting portion disposed between the first horizontal portion and the second horizontal portion is tilted to change the angle of the nozzle with respect to the specimen.

In addition, in the dropping step, the control unit sets the opening and closing time of the valve by receiving the amount of droplets dropped at one time, the inner diameter of the nozzle, the viscosity of the droplet, and the surface tension.

In addition, before the dropping step, the control unit includes a preparation step of opening the valve and filling the solution up to the open passage of the valve and the end of the nozzle.

In addition, the preparation step can be omitted when the dropping step is repeated.

The present invention applies an electronic micro valve to appropriately control the air jet nozzle and pneumatic pressure, and configures the system by controlling the on/off time of the valve to control liquid substances such as chemical agents and oils with very high viscosity and surface tension in ultra-small amounts. By implementing a dispenser function for liquid droplets that is controlled by

In addition, the technology of the present invention can be used as a dispenser for ultra-small droplets of liquids with high viscosity and low surface tension as well as chemical agents.

1 is a schematic diagram of the droplet dispenser device of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a droplet dispenser.
Figure 4 is a front view of the droplet dispenser.
Figure 5 is an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 shows an example in which the nozzle is tilted.
Figure 7 shows an example with the nozzle removed.

Since the present invention can make various changes and have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains.

Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless clearly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. It shouldn't be.

The purpose of the present invention is to generate a fixed amount of droplets and drop them at a target point. Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, an ultra-fine liquid droplet dispenser device using an electronic microvalve and a liquid droplet dropping method using the liquid droplet dispenser device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

1 is a schematic diagram of the droplet dispenser device of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the air compressor 200 generates compressed air at a constant pressure through a motor 201 and discharges the compressed air at a constant pressure through a regulator 210. The discharged compressed air is supplied to the micro syringe 140, and the solution filled inside is discharged to the outside through the nozzle 160 by the supplied air pressure.

The air discharged from the regulator 210 passes through the filter 220 to remove foreign substances and is then supplied to the micro syringe 140. This has the effect of preventing contamination of the solution and making it reusable.

The air pressure discharged from the air compressor 200 is discharged at a constant pressure through the regulator 210, and the inside of the micro syringe 140 is maintained at a constant pressure by air. That is, the solution is continuously under pressure to discharge, and whether or not the solution is discharged is determined by the valve 150 formed at the end of the micro syringe 140.

The valve 150 is operated by receiving an operation signal from the control unit 300. The valve 150 is configured to be on/off by changing the flow path, and includes a timer that controls the operation time and cycle of the valve. A nozzle 160 is disposed at the end of the solenoid.

With the solution receiving a constant pressure from the air compressor 200, the control unit 300 adjusts the opening and closing time of the valve 150 to control the size of the liquid droplet discharged from the nozzle 160. At this time, the test is started after confirming that the liquid is filled up to the end of the nozzle 160.

This can be performed by filling the flow path formed in the valve 150 and the nozzle 160 with a solution, thereby forming an accurate droplet size according to the opening and closing time. In addition, the flow path within the valve 150 is filled without the solution being discharged through closure, so the initial setting is maintained when the droplet is generated again. This has the advantage of reducing test time and allowing repeat testing.

Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of the present invention. Referring to Figure 2, a support part 110 fixed to the ground or a table, a vertical axis 111 disposed perpendicular to the upper surface of the support part 110, and coupled to the vertical axis 111 to move in the vertical direction, the end of which is A moving part 120 that protrudes perpendicularly to the vertical axis 111, a micro syringe 140 coupled to the end of the moving part 120 and filled with a solution, connected to the micro syringe 140 and maintaining a set pressure. A compressor 200 to supply, a valve 150 coupled to the end of the micro syringe 140 and determining whether to discharge the solution, and a control unit that controls the displacement of the moving part 120 and the valve 150 ( 300).

The support part 110 is fixed in position on the ground or table, and has a weight capable of supporting the load of the vertical axis 111 formed on the upper surface, the moving part 120 protruding in the vertical direction from the vertical axis 111, and the micro syringe. Or it has fixing power. To increase the fixing force, coupling members such as clamps and magnetic holders using magnetism may be included.

The moving unit 120 is coupled to the vertical axis 111 and moves in the vertical direction. The moving unit 120 can be moved up and down by receiving a control signal from the control unit 300, and its height can be adjusted manually through the coupling member 112 formed on the side of the moving unit 120. A coupling portion 130 to which the micro syringe 140 is coupled is disposed at the end of the moving portion 120.

The coupling part 130 moves in the vertical direction together with the moving part 120. The end includes an insertion hole into which the micro syringe 140 is inserted and fixed, and the gap between the micro syringe 140 and the specimen is adjusted by moving the moving part.

The micro syringe 140 receives air at a certain pressure through the regulator 210. The solution in the micro syringe 140 is discharged to the outside by force supplied from the compressor 200.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a droplet dispenser. Referring to FIG. 3, a support part 110 fixed to the ground or a table, a vertical axis 111 disposed perpendicular to the upper surface of the support part 110, and coupled to the vertical axis 111 to move in the vertical direction, the end of which is connected to the vertical axis 111. A moving part 120 that protrudes perpendicularly to the vertical axis 111, a micro syringe 140 coupled to the end of the moving part 120 and filled with a solution, connected to the micro syringe 140 and maintaining a set pressure. A compressor 200 to supply, a valve 150 coupled to the end of the micro syringe 140 and determining whether to discharge the solution, and a control unit that controls the displacement of the moving part 120 and the valve 150 ( 300).

The support part 110 is fixed to a table or the ground through a clamp or a device that generates magnetism, and includes a vertical axis 111 disposed vertically on the upper surface of the support part 110. The moving unit 120 is moved in the height direction along the vertical axis 111. The moving unit 120 is operated by receiving a control signal from the control unit or its position is manually controlled.

The moving part 120 is coupled to the vertical axis 111 and moves up and down, and is coupled to a first horizontal part 121 protruding perpendicular to the vertical axis 111 and an end of the first horizontal part 121, and the first horizontal part 121 is coupled to the end of the first horizontal part 121. It includes a tilting part 123 capable of tilting with respect to the first horizontal part 121, and a second horizontal part 124 coupled to an end of the tilting part 123 and moving in the vertical direction with respect to the tilting part 123.

The first horizontal portion 121 includes a hole inserted into the vertical axis 111 and moves up and down by receiving a signal from the control unit 300. For example, irregularities are formed on the outer surface of the vertical axis 111, and it can be moved in the vertical direction through a motor and gear formed in the first horizontal portion 121.

Additionally, the position of the first horizontal portion 121 may be moved through manual manipulation. For example, the position of the first horizontal part 121 can be adjusted and fixed by adopting a method of penetrating the first horizontal part 121 and pressing the vertical axis 111.

Additionally, the vertical axis 111 is formed as a cylinder, so that the first horizontal portion 121 can be rotated in the circumferential direction with respect to the vertical axis 111. Through this, droplets can be dropped at a certain angle.

The tilting portion 123 is coupled to the end of the first horizontal portion 121. The tilting part 123 forms a virtual rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the vertical axis 111, and the second horizontal part 124, the coupling part 130, and the micro syringe ( 140) meets. The rotation of the tilting unit 123 is controlled by a signal from the control unit 300 or manually. The shape of the tilting portion 123 is not limited, and is formed so as not to be separated from the first horizontal portion 121 by rotation.

The second horizontal portion 124 is coupled to the end of the tilting portion 123 and moves in the vertical direction with respect to the tilting portion 123. The second horizontal unit 124 is controlled using a control signal from the control unit 300 or manually. A groove 132 is formed at an end of the tilting portion 123, and an end of the second horizontal portion 124 in contact with the tilting portion 123 includes a protrusion 1241 corresponding to the coupling groove 1231. It is moved in the vertical direction through coupling and position adjustment of the coupling groove 1231 and the protrusion 1241. The position of the second horizontal portion 124 is fixed through a fixing member 125 formed on the outside. An example of the pressing member 122 is inserted through the outer surface of the tilting portion 123, and the end portion can fix the position of the second horizontal portion 124 by pressing the protrusion of the second horizontal portion 124. there is.

The approximate height at which the droplets are dropped is adjusted by moving the first horizontal part 121 up and down, and the height at which the droplets are dropped is finely adjusted by moving the second horizontal part 124 up and down. The second horizontal portion may have a height adjustment configuration using a gear method for fine adjustment.

One end of the coupling portion 130 is coupled to the second horizontal portion 124, and the other end includes a through hole into which the micro syringe 140 is inserted. The coupling part 130 and the micro syringe 140 move up and down according to the movement of the first horizontal part 121 and the second horizontal part 124, and are rotated by the tilting part 123. Through this, the dropping position of the droplet can be precisely adjusted.

Figure 4 is a front view of the droplet dispenser. Figure 4 is an example of a dispenser that can be manually operated. Referring to FIG. 4, the support part 110 is fixed to the ground or a table and includes a vertical axis 111 disposed perpendicularly on the upper surface. The first horizontal part 121 of the moving part 120 is coupled with the vertical axis 111 and moves in the vertical direction.

The position of the first horizontal portion 121 is fixed through a pressing member 122 disposed on the outer surface. The pressing member 122 determines whether to press the vertical axis 111 through rotation.

The tilting unit 123 includes a virtual rotation axis formed perpendicular to the vertical axis 111. The rotation of the tilting unit 123 allows it to rotate in stages. For example, it may be rotated in 10-degree intervals in a manner similar to a dial being rotated about its center.

The second horizontal portion 124 formed at the end of the tilting portion finely adjusts its position through the fixing member 125.

The end of the coupling portion 130 is formed with a through hole 131 through which the valve 150 is inserted from the top to the bottom, and a groove 132 is formed for connecting a connection line for controlling the valve 150 from the outside. do.

The micro syringe 140 is placed above the valve 150, and the nozzle 160 is placed at the bottom of the valve 150. The solution filled in the micro syringe 140 is discharged through the nozzle 160 under the control of the valve 150 and drips in the vertical direction.

Figure 5 is an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the nozzle 160 is spaced apart from the specimen at a certain height and is an example of dropping the droplet 10 while the nozzle 160 is arranged perpendicular to the ground.

The micro syringe 140 receives compressed air from a compressor, and the valve 150 is opened by a control signal to cause a certain amount of solution to be deposited on the end of the nozzle 160. The size of the droplet 10 formed in the nozzle 160 is determined by factors such as the inner diameter of the nozzle 160, the viscosity of the droplet, and surface tension, and is dropped onto the specimen 1.

The nozzle 160 is detachable from the valve 150, and the size of the droplet can be changed depending on the inner diameter of the nozzle 160.

The control unit controls the opening and closing time of the solenoid valve based on factors such as the inner diameter of the nozzle 160, viscosity of the droplet, and surface tension. Additionally, the control unit receives the number of drops and executes them repeatedly.

Figure 6 shows an example in which the nozzle is tilted. Referring to FIG. 6, the second horizontal part, the coupling part, the micro syringe, the valve, and the nozzle 160 are rotated together by the rotation of the tilting part.

The size of the droplet 10 formed at the end of the nozzle 160 is influenced by factors such as the inner diameter of the nozzle 160 described above, the viscosity of the droplet, and surface tension. In addition, the size of the droplet formed at the end of the nozzle 160 is influenced by the area where the droplet contacts the nozzle 160.

)로 기울어진 상태에서 액적을 형성하여 적하할 수 있다.Using this, the present invention is characterized by controlling the size of the dropped droplet through tilting. The nozzle 160 is positioned at a certain angle (

) can form droplets and drop them in a tilted state.

This has the advantage of being able to change the size of the droplet without replacing the nozzle 160 during a test using the same solution and nozzle 160. When replacing the nozzle 160, there is a time advantage because the initial setting must be redone. The dropping position is changed by tilting, but the height can be reset through control of the first and second horizontal parts, and the position can be readjusted through the movement of the specimen.

Figure 7 shows an example with the nozzle removed. Referring to Figure 7, the present invention can drop droplets with the nozzle removed. A droplet 10 corresponding to the outlet of the valve 150 is formed and dropped on the specimen 1.

The liquid droplet dropping method using the liquid droplet dispenser of the present invention will now be described. The control unit receives droplet size, nozzle diameter, droplet viscosity, and droplet surface tension to perform droplet dropping.

A tilting step in which the tilting part is tilted to change the angle of the nozzle, a height adjustment step in which the control part controls the dropping height through position control of the first horizontal part and the second horizontal part, and a compressor supplies a certain hydraulic pressure to the micro syringe filled with solution. It includes a supply step, and a dropping step in which the control unit opens the valve for a set time to generate droplets and drop the droplets on the specimen.

The tilting step is performed when the end of the nozzle is inserted into the mechanical device and droplets are required to drop. Additionally, the size of the droplet can be changed by changing the angle of the nozzle to change the area where the end of the nozzle is in contact with the droplet.

Before the dropping step, it includes a preparation step where the control unit opens the valve and fills the solution up to the open passage of the valve and the end of the nozzle. After the preparation step, the valve is opened for a certain period of time to form the correct droplet size. At this time, the preparation step can be omitted when the dropping step is repeated. When the valve opens and closes, the valve's open passage is filled with solution, so the preparation step can be omitted and droplets of the correct size can be formed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of application is diverse. Of course, various modifications and implementations are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims.

100: Dispenser
110: support 111: vertical axis
112: Coupling member
120: moving part
121: first horizontal portion 122 pressurizing member
123: tilting portion 124: second horizontal portion
125 fixing member
130: coupling part
131: through hole 132: groove
140: Micro syringe
150: valve
160: nozzle
200: Compressor
201: motor
210: regulator 220: air filter
300: control unit

Claims (12)

A support fixed to the ground or table;
A vertical axis disposed perpendicular to the upper surface of the support,
A moving part coupled to the vertical axis and moving in the vertical direction, the end of which protrudes perpendicularly to the vertical axis;
A micro syringe coupled to the end of the moving part and filled with a solution,
A compressor connected to the micro syringe and continuously supplying air to maintain the inside of the micro syringe at a constant pressure,
A valve coupled to the end of the micro syringe and determining whether to discharge the solution, and
A droplet dispenser device comprising a control unit that controls the valve by receiving inputs of the displacement of the moving part, the amount of droplet dropped at one time, the inner diameter of the nozzle, the viscosity and surface tension of the droplet, and setting the opening and closing time of the valve.
According to paragraph 1,
The valve is a droplet dispenser device characterized in that the open flow path is filled with the same solution as the solution filled in the micro syringe, and when the valve is closed, the solution in the open flow path remains.
According to paragraph 1,
The syringe is coupled to an end with a nozzle through which the solution is discharged,
The nozzle is detachable, and the size of the discharged droplet is controlled depending on the presence and diameter of the nozzle.
According to paragraph 1,
The moving part is coupled to the vertical axis and moves up and down, and a first horizontal part protruding perpendicular to the vertical axis, and
A droplet dispenser device coupled to an end of the first horizontal portion and including a tilting portion capable of tilting with respect to the first horizontal portion.
According to paragraph 4,
The micro syringe includes a nozzle through which a solution is discharged, and the control unit controls the angle of the tilting unit to control the size of the droplet formed at the end of the nozzle.
According to clause 4,
The moving portion is coupled to an end of the tilting portion, and includes a second horizontal portion that moves up and down with respect to the tilting portion, and a coupling portion that has one end coupled to the second horizontal portion and the other end coupled to the micro syringe, and the micro A droplet dispenser device, characterized in that the syringe is slightly moved through the vertical movement of the second horizontal portion.
According to paragraph 1,
A droplet dispenser device, wherein the control unit includes a timer that controls the operating time and cycle of the valve.
In the droplet dropping method using the droplet dispenser device of claim 1,
A height adjustment step of controlling the dropping height of the droplet through vertical movement of the first horizontal portion and the second horizontal portion, and
A supply step in which a compressor supplies a constant pressure to a microsyringe filled with a solution, and
The control unit sets the opening and closing time of the valve by receiving the amount of droplet dropped at one time, the inner diameter of the nozzle, the viscosity and surface tension of the droplet, and opens the valve for the set time to create a droplet at the end of the nozzle and deposit the liquid on the specimen. Dropping stage to drop enemies
A droplet dropping method using a droplet dispenser device including.
According to clause 8,
The height adjustment step includes a tilting step in which a tilting portion disposed between the first horizontal portion and the second horizontal portion is tilted to change the angle of the nozzle with respect to the specimen.
delete According to clause 8,
Before the dropping step, the control unit opens the valve and fills the open passage of the valve with the solution to the end of the nozzle. A droplet dropping method using a droplet dispenser device.
According to clause 11,
The preparation step is a droplet dropping method using a droplet dispenser device, wherein the preparation step can be omitted when the dropping step is repeatedly performed.