TWI654375B - Fluid system - Google Patents

Abstract

An integrated fluid system comprising a fluid actuating zone, a fluid channel, a confluence chamber and a plurality of valves, the fluid actuating zone being constituted by at least one flow guiding unit, the flow guiding unit being controlled and actuated The transport fluid is discharged from its outlet port. The fluid passage communicates with an outlet opening of the flow guiding unit of the fluid actuating zone, and has a plurality of divergent passages for diverting the fluid transported by the fluid actuating zone. The confluence chamber communicates with the fluid passage. A plurality of valves are respectively disposed in the divergent passages, and the fluid is controlled to be outputted from the divergent passages by controlling the opening and closing state thereof. Through the above settings, the fluid output of a specific flow rate, pressure and transmission amount can be obtained.

Description

Fluid system

This case relates to a fluid system, especially a microfluidic control system produced by integrated body.

At present, in various fields, such as medicine, computer technology, printing, energy and other industries, the products are developing in the direction of refinement and miniaturization. Among them, products such as micro-pumps, sprayers, inkjet heads, industrial printing devices, etc. The fluid transport structure is its key technology, which is how to break through its technical bottleneck with innovative structure and be an important part of development.

With the rapid development of technology, the application of fluid delivery devices is becoming more and more diversified. For industrial applications, biomedical applications, medical care, electronic heat dissipation, etc., even the most popular wearable devices can be seen in the shadows. Conventional fluid delivery devices have gradually become the trend toward miniaturization of devices and maximization of flow rates.

However, the current miniaturized fluid delivery device can continuously transport gas, but the design of the miniaturized limited volume chamber or flow channel requires more gas transmission, which obviously has certain difficulty. Therefore, combined with the design of the valve, It can not only control the continuous or interrupted airflow transmission, but also control the flow of gas in one direction, and let the chamber or flow channel of a limited volume accumulate gas to increase the output of gas. This is the main subject of the invention.

In order to solve the problem that the prior art cannot meet the requirement of miniaturization of the fluid system, the present invention provides an integrated fluid system comprising: a fluid actuating zone, a fluid channel, and a The manifold chamber and a plurality of valves, which may be active or passive valves. The fluid actuating zone is formed by one or more flow guiding units, each of which has an outlet opening. The fluid passage communicates with the outlet opening of all the flow guiding units in the fluid actuating zone, and has a plurality of diverging passages for diverting the fluid transported by the fluid actuating zone. The manifold chamber communicates with the fluid passageway for fluid to accumulate within the manifold chamber. A plurality of valves are respectively disposed in the divergent passages, and the control fluid is outputted from the divergent passages by controlling the opening and closing state thereof.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the valves are active valves, and the fluid system further includes a controller electrically connected to control the opening and closing state. The controller and the flow guiding unit form an integrated structure in a system package. The fluid actuation zone includes a plurality of flow guiding units, and the flow guiding units are arranged in series and arranged to transport fluid flow. The length and width of the different channels are preset according to the specific fluid transfer rate or flow rate required, and the different channels are arranged in series and parallel.

Through the above arrangement, the fluid system of the present invention can have a miniaturized volume and acquire a fluid output of a specific flow rate, pressure and transmission amount.

100‧‧‧ Fluid System

10‧‧‧ Fluid actuating area

10a‧‧‧Guide unit

11‧‧‧Substrate

12‧‧‧ first chamber

13‧‧‧Resonance board

130‧‧‧ hollow holes

131‧‧‧movable department

14‧‧‧Acoustic board

141‧‧‧Floating Department

142‧‧‧Outer frame

143‧‧‧ gap

15‧‧‧Piezoelectric components

16‧‧‧Export board

160‧‧‧Exit hole

17‧‧‧ entrance board

170‧‧‧ entrance hole

18‧‧‧Second chamber

19‧‧‧ third chamber

20‧‧‧ fluid passage

20a, 20b, 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b‧‧ ‧ divergent channels

30‧‧‧Confluence chamber

40‧‧‧Sensor components

50, 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d‧‧‧ valves

51‧‧‧Channel substrate

511‧‧‧ first through hole

512‧‧‧first through hole

513‧‧‧ chamber

514‧‧‧ first exit

515‧‧‧second exit

52‧‧‧ Piezoelectric Actuator

521‧‧‧ Carrier Board

522‧‧‧ Piezoelectric Ceramics

53‧‧‧ linkage

531‧‧ ‧ blocking

60‧‧‧ Controller

610, 620‧‧‧Electrical connection lines

G0‧‧‧ gap

A‧‧‧Output area

Figure 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of a fluid system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a schematic structural view of a flow guiding unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2B to 2D are schematic views showing the operation of the flow guiding unit shown in Fig. 2A.

Figure 3A is a schematic view showing the structure of a fluid actuating area of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a schematic structural view of the flow guiding unit of the present invention arranged in series.

The 3C is a schematic structural view of the flow guiding unit of the present invention arranged in parallel.

The 3D figure is a structural schematic diagram of the flow guiding unit of the present invention arranged in series and parallel mode.

Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the structure of a fluid actuating region of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a schematic view showing the structure of a fluid actuating zone in accordance with still another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

6A and 6B are schematic views showing the operation of the first embodiment of the valve of the present invention.

Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the second embodiment of the valve of the present invention.

Some exemplary embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail in the following description. It is to be understood that the present invention is capable of various modifications in various aspects, and is not to be construed as a limitation.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic structural view of a fluid system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The fluid system 100 of the present invention comprises 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 of the present invention, all of the above components are systematically packaged on a substrate 11 to form an integrated microstructure, that is, they are formed in an integrated manner. The fluid actuation zone 10 is formed by one or more flow guiding units 10a, and the flow guiding units 10a can be arranged through series, parallel or series-parallel arrangement, and each flow guiding unit can be internally generated after being enabled. A pressure differential is used to draw a fluid that can be a gas and pressurize and discharge through one of the outlet holes 160 (shown in FIG. 3C) provided therein, thereby achieving fluid transfer.

In the present embodiment, the fluid actuation zone 10 includes four flow guiding units 10a, and the flow guiding units 10a are arranged in series and in series. The fluid passage 20 communicates with the outlet orifices 160 of all of the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating zone 10 (as shown in Fig. 3C) to receive the transport fluid discharged by the flow guiding units 10a. The structure, actuation mode and arrangement of the flow guiding unit 10a and the fluid passage 20 will be described in detail later. The fluid channel 20 further has a plurality of branch channels 20a and 20b for diverting the transport fluid discharged from the fluid actuating region 10 to form a required amount of transmission. In the embodiment, only the divergent channels 20a and 20b are used for explanation. limit. Confluence chamber 30 is connected to the fluid passage 20 through the communication branch passages 20a and 20b so that the transport fluid can be accumulated and stored in the manifold chamber 30. When the fluid system 100 controls the demand output, the output of the fluid passage 20 can be increased. The amount of fluid delivered. Additionally, a sensing element 40 is disposed in the fluid channel 20 for sensing fluid within the fluid channel 20.

The manner in which the above-mentioned divergent passages 20a and 20b communicate with the fluid passage 20 is represented by the arrangement in which the branch passages 20a and 20b are connected to the fluid passage 20 in parallel, but not limited thereto, and may further be plural The divergent channels 20a and 20b are arranged in a series arrangement, or are arranged in a series-parallel arrangement by a plurality of divergent channels 20a and 20b. The length and width of the plurality of divergent channels 20a and 20b can be preset according to the specific transmission amount required, that is, the change of the length and width of the divergent channels 20a and 20b can affect the flow rate and the transmission amount of the transmission amount. The size of the set can be pre-calculated according to the specific amount of transmission required.

In the present embodiment, as shown, the bifurcated channel 20a further includes two divergent channels 21a, 22a that are connected in a divergent manner; similarly, the divergent channel 20b also includes two divergent channels 21b, 22b that are connected in a divergent manner, although in the drawings Only the divergent channels 21a and 22a are respectively connected to the divergent channels 20a and 20b in a series arrangement manner, but not limited thereto, the plurality of divergent channels 21a and 22a may be further arranged in a parallel arrangement, or in plural The divergent channels 21a, 22a are arranged in a series-parallel arrangement. The plurality of valves 50a, 50c, 50b, and 50d may be active valves or passive valves, which in this embodiment are active valves, and are respectively disposed in the branch channels 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b. The valves 50a, 50c, 50b, and 50d can control the communication state of the disposed branch passages 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b. For example, when the valve 50a is opened, the divergent passage 21a can be opened to output the fluid to the output zone A. When the valve 50b is opened, the divergent passage 21b can be opened to output the fluid to the output zone A. When the valve 50c is opened, the divergent passage 22a can be opened to output the fluid to the output. Zone A, when valve 50d is open, can open the divergent passage 22b to output fluid to output zone A. The controller 60 has two electrical connection lines 610 and 620 and electrical connection lines. The 610 is electrically connected to the open/close state of the control valves 50a and 50d, and the electrical connection line 620 is electrically connected to the open/close state of the control valves 50b and 50c. In this way, the valves 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d can be driven by the controller 60 to control the communication state of one of the correspondingly disposed branch channels 21a, 22a, 21b, 22b, thereby controlling the fluid output to an output area A.

Please also refer to FIG. 2A, which is a schematic structural view of a flow guiding unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flow guiding unit 10a can be a piezoelectric pump. As shown, each flow guiding unit 10a is formed by sequentially stacking elements such as the inlet plate 17, the substrate 11, the resonance plate 13, the actuation plate 14, the piezoelectric element 15, and the outlet plate 16. The inlet plate 17 has at least one inlet hole 170, the resonance plate 13 has a hollow hole 130 and a movable portion 131, and the movable portion 131 is a flexible structure formed by a portion of the resonance plate 13 not fixed on the substrate 11, and The hollow hole 130 is opened at a position adjacent to a center point of the movable portion 131. A first chamber 12 is formed between the resonance plate 13 and the inlet plate 17. The actuating plate 14 is a hollow suspension structure having a floating portion 141, an outer frame portion 142 and a plurality of gaps 143. The floating portion 141 of the actuating plate 14 is connected to the outer frame portion 142 through a plurality of connecting portions (not shown), and the floating portion 141 is suspended in the outer frame portion 142 and defined between the floating portion 141 and the outer frame portion 142. A plurality of voids 143 are formed for gas circulation. The arrangement, implementation, and number of the suspension portion 141, the outer frame portion 142, and the air gap 143 are not limited thereto, and may be changed according to actual conditions. Preferably, the actuation plate 14 is made of a thin film of a metal material or a polycrystalline silicon film, but is not limited thereto. A gap g0 is formed between the actuation plate 14 and the resonance plate 13 to form a second chamber 18. The outlet opening 160 is disposed in the outlet plate 16 and a 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 flow guiding unit 10a further includes a driving circuit (not shown) for electrically connecting the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the piezoelectric element 15, thereby providing the piezoelectric element 15 The driving power supply is not limited thereto; the driving circuit can also be disposed at any position inside the flow guiding unit 10a, and can be changed according to the actual situation.

Please refer to FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C at the same time, and FIG. 2B to FIG. 2D are diagrams showing the operation of the flow guiding unit 10a shown in FIG. 2A. The flow guiding unit 10a shown in Fig. 2A is in an unpowered state (i.e., an initial state). When the piezoelectric element 15 is subjected to a voltage, that is, deformation occurs, the driving actuating plate 14 is reciprocally vibrated in a vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 2B, when the suspension portion 141 of the actuating plate 14 vibrates upward, the volume of the second chamber 18 is increased and the pressure is decreased, and the fluid is introduced by the inlet hole 170 on the inlet plate 17 in accordance with external pressure. And collected into the first chamber 12, and then flows upward into the second chamber 18 via the central hole 130 corresponding to the first chamber 12 on the resonance plate 13.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the vibration of the suspension portion 141 of the actuation plate 14 causes the resonance plate 13 to resonate, so that the movable portion 131 also vibrates upward, and the suspension portion 141 of the actuation plate 14 simultaneously downward. The vibration causes the movable portion 131 of the resonance plate 13 to adhere to the lower portion of the suspension portion 141 of the actuation plate 14. At this time, the flow gap between the central hole 130 of the resonance plate 13 and the second chamber 18 is closed, the second chamber 18 is compressed to become smaller, the pressure is increased, and the third chamber 19 is increased in volume. The pressure becomes smaller, thereby forming a pressure gradient, causing the fluid in the second chamber 18 to be pressurized and flowing to both sides, and flowing into the third chamber 19 via the plurality of voids 143 of the actuating plate 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 2D, the floating portion 141 of the actuating plate 14 continues to vibrate downward, and the movable portion 131 of the resonant plate 13 is caused to vibrate downward, so that the second chamber 18 is further compressed, and most of the second chamber 18 is compressed. The fluid flows into the third chamber 19 for temporary storage.

Finally, the suspension portion 141 of the actuating plate 14 vibrates upward, compressing the third chamber 19 to reduce the volume and pressure, and thereby the fluid in the third chamber 19 is led out from the outlet hole 160 of the outlet plate 16 to the outlet. Outside the plate 16, the transfer of fluid is completed. When the above-mentioned actuation is performed by the reciprocating vibration of the actuating plate 14, the operation of a complete vibration is completed. In a state in which the piezoelectric element 15 is enabled, the floating portion 141 of the actuating plate 14 and the movable portion 131 of the resonant plate 13 repeatedly perform the above-described operation, and continuously pressurize the fluid from the inlet hole 170 to the outlet hole 160 to be discharged. Fluid transfer. In some embodiments of the present invention, the vertical reciprocating vibration of the resonant plate 13 The dynamic frequency can be the same as the vibration frequency of the actuating plate 14, that is, both can be upward or downward at the same time, and can be changed according to the actual application situation, and is not limited to the actuation mode shown in this embodiment.

Through the flow channel design of the flow guiding unit 10a of the embodiment, a pressure gradient is generated, the fluid flows at a high speed, and the impedance difference between the flow path and the flow direction is transmitted, and the fluid is transferred from the suction end to the discharge end, and the pressure is discharged at the discharge end. In the state, there is still the ability to continuously push out the fluid and achieve the effect of mute.

Please refer to FIG. 3A, which is a schematic structural view of a fluid actuation zone according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The fluid actuating area 10 includes a plurality of flow guiding units 10a, and the flow guiding units 10a can adjust the fluid transfer amount of the output of the fluid working area 10 according to a specific arrangement. In the embodiment, the flow guiding units 10a The substrate 11 is arranged in series and in parallel.

Please refer to Figures 3B to 3C. FIG. 3B is a schematic structural view of the flow guiding unit of the present invention arranged in series; FIG. 3C is a schematic structural view of the flow guiding unit of the present invention arranged in parallel; FIG. 3D is a structure of the guiding unit of the present embodiment arranged in series and parallel mode; schematic diagram. As shown in FIG. 3B, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating region 10 are arranged in series, and the flow guiding units 10a are connected in series to raise the fluid of the outlet holes 160 of the fluid operating region 10. The pressure value; as shown in FIG. 3C, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid working area 10 are arranged in parallel, and the flow guiding units 10a are connected in parallel to further increase the outlet hole of the fluid working area 10. The amount of output fluid of 160; as shown in FIG. 3D, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating zone 10 are arranged in series and parallel to synchronously increase the pressure value of the output fluid of the fluid actuating zone 10. And output.

Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. 4 is a schematic structural view of a fluid actuating region of another preferred embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a fluid actuating region according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating region 10 are looped. The fluids are arranged to transport fluids; as shown in FIG. 5, the flow guiding units 10a in the fluid actuating zone 10 are arranged in a honeycomb manner.

In the present embodiment, the flow guiding unit 10a of the fluid system 100 can be coupled with the connection of the driving circuit, and has high flexibility, and is applied to various electronic components, and can simultaneously transmit gas, which can respond to a large flow rate. In addition, the flow guiding unit 10a and the other flow guiding unit 10a can also be separately controlled to operate or stop. For example, the flow guiding unit 10a is actuated, the other guiding unit 10a is stopped, or it can be alternately operated, but neither To this end, the demand for various gas transmission flows can be easily achieved, and the power consumption can be greatly reduced.

Please refer to FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B , which are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the first embodiment of the valve of the present invention. The valve 50 includes a channel substrate 51, a piezoelectric actuator 52, and a link 53. Hereinafter, the valve 50 of the present embodiment is disposed in the branch passage 21a to explain the structure of the valve 50 disposed in the other branch channels 22a, 21b, and 22b. The same as the action, the following will not repeat. The channel substrate 51 has a first through hole 511 and a second through hole 512 respectively communicating with the branch channel 21a and spaced apart from each other by the channel substrate 51, and a cavity 513 is recessed above the channel substrate 51. The chamber 513 is provided with a first outlet 514 that communicates with the first through hole 511, and a second outlet 515 that is connected to the second through hole 512. The piezoelectric actuator 52 includes a carrier 521 and a piezoelectric ceramic 522. The carrier 521 is made of a flexible material, and the piezoelectric ceramic 522 is attached to one surface of the carrier 521 and electrically connected. 60. The piezoelectric actuator 52 covers the chamber 513 and is disposed on the carrier 521. The connecting rod 53 is connected to the other surface of the carrier plate 521 and is freely displaced in a vertical direction through the second outlet 515, and one end of the connecting rod 53 has a cross-sectional area larger than the aperture of the second outlet 515. 531, restricting the communication of the second outlet 515 by closing. The blocking portion 531 may be in the shape of a flat plate or a dome.

As shown in Fig. 6A, the valve 50 is in a normally open initial position in a state where the piezoelectric actuator 52 is not enabled. 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 connected to each other through the gap. It is communicated in the branch passage 21a to allow the transport fluid to pass. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the piezoelectric actuator 52 is enabled, the piezoelectric ceramic 522 drives the carrier plate 521 to be bent upward, and the link 53 is moved upward by the carrier plate 521 to further move 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 transport fluid cannot pass. By the above-mentioned actuation mode, the valve 50 can maintain the open state of the branch passage 21a in the unenergized state, and close the branch passage 21a in the enable state; that is, the valve 50 can be opened and closed by controlling one of the second through holes 512. The state can in turn control the output of the fluid by the divergent passage 21a.

Please refer to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, which are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the second embodiment of the valve of the present invention. The structure of the valve 50 is completely the same, and will not be described here. Only the operation of the normally closed state in the state where the valve 50 is not enabled will be described.

As shown in Fig. 7A, the valve 50 is in a normally closed initial position in a state where the piezoelectric actuator 52 is not enabled. At this time, the blocking portion 531 closes the aperture of the second outlet 515, so that the transport fluid cannot pass. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the piezoelectric actuator 52 is enabled, the piezoelectric ceramic 522 drives the carrier plate 521 to be bent downward, and when the link 53 is moved downward by the carrier 521, the blocking portion 531 is There is a flow space between the second outlets 515, so that the second through holes 512, the chamber 513 and the first through holes 511 are connected to each other through the flow space to communicate with the branch passages 21a, so that the transport fluid can pass. By the above-mentioned actuation mode, the valve 50 can maintain the closed state of the branch passage 21a in the unenergized state, and the branch passage 21a is opened in the enabled state; that is, the valve 50 controls one of the second through holes 512. The switching state, in turn, controls the output of the fluid from the diverging passage 21a.

In summary, the fluid system provided in the present invention transmits gas to the confluence chamber through at least one flow guiding unit, and uses a valve in the divergent passage to further control and adjust the flow rate, flow rate and pressure of the fluid output by the fluid system. . In addition, this case also allows for flexible changes in the number of diversion units, number of divergent channels, setting methods and driving methods. With the demand for gas transmission flow, high throughput, high efficiency, and high flexibility can be achieved.

This case has been modified by people who are familiar with the technology, but it is not intended to be protected by the scope of the patent application.

Claims (16)

A fluid system, comprising: a fluid actuating zone, comprising at least one flow guiding unit, the flow guiding unit being controlled to actuate to transport fluid from at least one outlet opening; a fluid passage connecting the The at least one outlet hole of the fluid actuating zone has a plurality of diverging channels, so that the fluid transported by the fluid actuating zone is shunted to form a required amount of transport; a confluent chamber is connected to the fluid channel, and the fluid is accumulated therein. a sensing chamber disposed in the fluid passage for sensing fluid in the fluid passage; and a plurality of valves disposed in the divergent passage to control the opening and closing state for the divergence a fluid output in the channel, the valve comprising: a channel substrate having a first through hole and a second through hole spaced apart from each other and communicating with the branch channel, and the channel substrate recessing a chamber, the cavity The chamber is provided with a first outlet communicating with the first through hole, and a second outlet connected to the second through hole; a piezoelectric actuator attached by a carrier and a surface of the carrier It a piezoelectric ceramic, and covering the chamber; and a connecting rod connecting the other surface of the carrier plate and penetrating into the second outlet for free displacement, and the connecting rod has a cross-sectional area greater than the first end a blocking portion of the outlet aperture to close the second outlet; wherein the piezoelectric actuator is actuated to drive the displacement of the carrier, and the blocking portion of the linkage controls the second outlet Open and close state to control the flow of fluid from the bifurcation channel. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the fluid actuation zone is arranged in series by a plurality of flow guiding units to transport fluid flow. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the fluid actuation zone is arranged in parallel by a plurality of flow guiding units to transport fluid flow. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the fluid actuation zone is arranged in series by a plurality of flow guiding units to transport fluid flow. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the fluid actuation zone is arranged in an annular manner by a plurality of flow guiding units to transport fluid flow. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the fluid actuation zone is arranged in a honeycomb manner by a plurality of flow guiding units to transport fluid flow. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the flow guiding unit is a piezoelectric pump. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the length of the plurality of different channels is preset according to a demand-specific amount of transmission. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the width of the plurality of different channels is preset according to a specific transmission amount required. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the valves are controlled by a controller to be in an open state. The fluid system of claim 10, wherein the controller and the flow guiding unit form an integrated structure in a system package. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of divergent channels are arranged in series. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of divergent channels are arranged in parallel. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of divergent channels are arranged in series and parallel. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the blocking portion of the connecting rod is in the shape of a flat plate. The fluid system of claim 1, wherein the blocking portion of the connecting rod has a meandering shape.