Microfluidic bulk flow determinations based on converting heat tracer measurements
US6935192B2 · kind B2 · utility
62Cited by
2References
24Claims
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Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 30, 2003 |
| Grant date | Aug 30, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 30, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01F1/7084
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The fluid flow rate within a microfluidic passageway of a microfabricated device is determined by measuring the time-of-flight of a heat pulse coupled into the fluid. Since the propagation velocity of the heat trace is generally slower than the mean flow rate of the flow, additional processing provides the appropriate scaling needed to obtain an accurate fluid flow rate measurement. The scaling factor is based on the geometry of the structure and the thermal properties of the fluid and the materials used for the device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.