KR101605653B1 - Apparatus for measuring fluid velocity - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluid velocity measuring apparatus for measuring a velocity of a fluid by using a refractive index of light emitted from two light sources.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for measuring a fluid velocity, including: a channel provided with a passage through which fluid can flow; A first light source and a second light source positioned in any one of an upper portion and a lower portion of the channel; A sensor installed in an area opposite to a region where the first light source and the second light source are located based on the channel and receiving light emitted from the first light source and the second light source; A velocity calculating unit for calculating a velocity of the fluid by using a change in intensity of light received by the sensor; And an adjusting unit connected to the channel and adjusting the flow rate of the fluid based on the calculated fluid velocity.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUID VELOCITY [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a fluid velocity measuring apparatus, and more particularly, to a fluid velocity measuring apparatus for measuring a velocity of a fluid by using a refractive index of light emitted from two light sources.

As the life expectancy of modern people increases, the kinds of diseases that accompany them have also become diverse, and various diagnosis devices and diagnosis systems for the prevention and diagnosis of diseases have been developed.

Among them, the in vitro diagnostic apparatuses can detect the substance to be analyzed using the body fluids of the human body such as blood and urine as a sample, and can quantitatively analyze the presence or absence of the disease quickly, so that promptness, efficiency, And so on.

On the other hand, the biosensor, which can be used variously from the diagnosis of pregnancy to the inspection of various diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis, uses minute proteins and DNA such as antibodies, so that the accuracy of the biosensor becomes an important task have. A related prior art document is Korean Patent Publication No. 2009-0108428.

In particular, the flow rate in the microfluidic channel may vary due to differences in the viscosity of plasma in each patient in the in vitro diagnostic market. In addition, this flow rate measurement is very important in flow cytometry, cell sorting, and micro flow switch. However, the device for measuring the velocity of the fluid is complex or bulky, making it expensive or less accurate.

Therefore, it is necessary to study the technology that can measure the velocity of microfluidic accurately at low cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid velocity measuring apparatus which can be produced at a low production cost and yet has high measurement accuracy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid velocity measuring apparatus which can be easily installed and used by a user and has high measurement accuracy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid velocity measuring device capable of accurately measuring the velocity of a fluid using the refractive index of light emitted from two light sources and adjusting the velocity of the fluid based on the measured result.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus including: a channel provided with a passage through which a fluid can flow; A first light source and a second light source positioned in any one of an upper portion and a lower portion of the channel; A sensor installed in an area opposite to a region where the first light source and the second light source are located based on the channel and receiving light emitted from the first light source and the second light source; And a speed calculating unit calculating the speed of the fluid by using a change point of intensity of the light received by the sensor. And an adjusting unit connected to the channel for adjusting a flow rate of the fluid based on the calculated fluid velocity.

The fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can easily be installed and used by all users by using two light sources and sensors of low production cost.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the production cost is low and the measurement accuracy is high.

1 and 2 are views showing a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a graph for explaining the principle of velocity measurement of fluid through a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 to 7 are graphs for explaining the principle of fluid velocity measurement and flow rate control through a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprising ", or" comprising "and the like should not be construed as necessarily including the various elements or steps described in the specification, Or may be further comprised of additional components or steps.

1 and 2 are views showing a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The fluid velocity measuring apparatus 100 may include a channel 110, a first light source 121, a second light source 122, a sensor 130, and a velocity calculator 140.

The channel 110 is provided with a passage through which fluid can flow. The fluid may comprise a microfluid and may be a specimen. A sample means a solution to be detected, which means a substance suspected of containing an analyte. For example, the sample may be any biological source such as a physiological fluid, including blood, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, sweat, urine, milk, ascites, mucus, nasal fluid, hemoptysis, joint blood, peritoneal fluid, For example, a person, an animal, etc.).

In addition, a sample can be obtained directly from a biological source, or can be used after pretreatment to modify the characteristics of the sample. The pretreatment may include filtration, precipitation, dilution, mixing, concentration, inactivation of interference components, lysis, addition of reagents, and the like. As an example, measures such as separating plasma from blood may be performed.

The first light source 121 and the second light source 122 may be located in an area above the channel 110 and the sensor 130 may be installed in a lower area of the channel.

Of course, although not shown, the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 may be located in the lower region of the channel 110, and the sensor 130 may be installed in the upper region of the channel. That is, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor 130 may be installed in a region opposite to the region where the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 are positioned with respect to the channel 110.

The first light source 121 and the second light source 122 may be positioned at a predetermined angle with respect to the channel 110, but not at 90 degrees. When the light emitted from the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 is incident at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the channel 110, a phenomenon occurs in which light is reflected on the reflection or scattering of light, It can fall.

In addition, the angles formed by the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 may be positioned not parallel to each other. The first light source 121 and the second light source 122 may be arranged to receive light emitted from the first light source 121 and the second light source 122, The cost of the sensor 130 is increased because the size of the sensor 130 must be increased.

The angle and direction of the first light source 121 and the second light source with respect to the channel 110 are adjustable. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the angle formed by the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 with respect to the channel 110 is adjusted in FIG.

For example, the angle and direction of the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 can be adjusted according to the type of laser emitted from the first light source 121 and the second light source 122. In addition, the angle and direction of the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 can be adjusted according to the structure of the chip support (not shown) or the shape of the chip.

The sensor 130 may be installed in a region below the channel 110 to receive light emitted from the first light source 121 and the second light source 122. The sensor 130 may be installed to receive light emitted from the two light sources 121 and 122. That is, the fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which one sensor receives all the light of two light sources, thereby reducing the cost.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, after the light emitted from the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 cross each other in the region below the channel 110, The first light source 121, the second light source 122, and the sensor 130 may be positioned. As described above, the size of the sensor 130 can be reduced by allowing the light intersected in the lower region of the channel 110 to be received by the sensor 130.

In addition, the greater the distance k between the sensor 130 and the channel 110, the weaker the intensity of the light received by the sensor 130, and the accuracy of the measurement may be lowered. Therefore, the distance k may be 0.1 mm to 10 mm in consideration of the kind of microfluid and the distance to the light source.

A first incident point where light emitted from the first light source 121 meets the channel 110 and a second incident point where light emitted from the second light source 122 meets the channel 110 The size of the sensor 130 can be changed according to the distance d of the sensor 130. [ Therefore, the distance d may be 1 mm to 10 mm in consideration of the fact that the microfluid is measured.

The velocity measuring unit 140 may measure the velocity of the fluid using the light intensity of the light received by the sensor 130.

3 is a graph for explaining the principle of velocity measurement of fluid through a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The graph shown can be divided into three regions by the vertical dashed line. In the left region, no fluid flows inside the first channel 110, and both light emitted from the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 are not refracted, and the light is received by the sensor 130. The light emitted from the first light source 121 is refracted and received by the sensor 130. However, since the light emitted from the second light source 122 is refracted, And is received by the sensor 130. FIG. The right region shows a state in which the first light source 121 and the second light source 122 emit light and the light is received by the sensor 130 because the fluid sufficiently flows in the first channel 110.

As shown in the graph of FIG. 3, the intensity of the light is changed from a first refraction point (a point at which the light of the first light source starts refraction) and a second refraction point (a point at which the light of the second light source starts refraction) A change in the intensity of the magnetic field occurs.

The time (t) at which the fluid flows through the distance d can be measured as the time difference of the refraction time.

The velocity calculating unit 140 may calculate the velocity of the fluid using the time t and the distance d.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fluid velocity measuring device can adjust the flow rate of the fluid based on the measured fluid velocity.

4 is a view showing a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The fluid velocity measuring apparatus 200 includes a channel 210, a first light source 221, a second light source 222, a sensor 230, a velocity calculating unit 240, . ≪ / RTI >

The channel 210 is provided with a passage through which fluid can flow. The fluid may comprise a microfluid and may be a specimen.

The first light source 221 and the second light source 222 may be located in an area above the channel 210 and the sensor 230 may be installed in a lower area of the channel.

Of course, although not shown, the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 may be located in the lower region of the channel 210, and the sensor 230 may be installed in the upper region of the channel. That is, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor 230 may be installed in a region opposite to the region where the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 are positioned with respect to the channel 210.

The first light source 221 and the second light source 222 may be positioned at a predetermined angle with respect to the channel 210, but not at 90 degrees. When light emitted from the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 is incident at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the channel 210, a phenomenon occurs in which light is scattered on reflection or scattering of light, It can fall.

In addition, the angles formed by the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 may be positioned not parallel to each other. The first light source 221 and the second light source 222 may be arranged to receive light emitted from the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 at an angle of 180 degrees between the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 The cost of the sensor 230 is increased because the size of the sensor 230 is increased.

The angle and direction of the first light source 221 and the second light source with respect to the channel 210 are adjustable.

For example, the angles and directions of the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 can be adjusted according to the type of laser emitted from the first light source 221 and the second light source 222. Also, the angle and direction of the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 can be adjusted according to the structure of the chip support (not shown) or the shape of the chip.

The sensor 230 may be installed in a region below the channel 210 to receive light emitted from the first light source 221 and the second light source 222. The sensor 230 may be installed to receive light emitted from the two light sources 221 and 222. That is, the fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which one sensor receives all the light of two light sources, thereby reducing the cost.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, after light emitted from the first light source 221 and the second light source 222 cross each other in a region below the channel 210, The first light source 221, the second light source 222, and the sensor 230 may be positioned. As described above, the size of the sensor 230 can be reduced by causing the sensor 230 to receive the light intersected in the lower region of the channel 210.

The velocity measuring unit 240 can measure the velocity of the fluid using the light intensity of the light received by the sensor 130. The measurement of the velocity of the fluid can be applied as it is in the description of FIG.

The controller 250 may adjust the flow rate of the flowing fluid based on the calculated fluid velocity. The control unit 250 may include a vent hole 251, a tube 252, a valve 253, and a control unit 254.

The vent hole portion 251 is connected to the outside of the channel 210 to discharge the air inside the channel 210 to the outside.

The valve 253 may be connected to the inlet of the vent hole 251 through a tube 252 to open or close the inlet of the vent hole 251 according to a predetermined time.

In addition, the control unit 254 can control the operation of the valve 253. For example, the control unit 254 may apply an on signal and an off signal to the valve 253 based on the calculated fluid velocity. Specifically, the control unit 254 may determine the time, the number of times, and the order in which the ON signal and the OFF signal are applied. Particularly, the control unit 254 can store the time of the ON signal and the OFF signal of the valve 253 according to the flow rate of the fluid, the number of times applied, and the order in which the OFF signal is applied.

Meanwhile, when the ON signal and the OFF signal of the valve 253 are determined according to the flow rate of the fluid, the controller 254 can control the valve 253. Specifically, the control unit 254 can alternately apply the ON signal and the OFF signal to the valve 253. [

In addition, the controller 254 may set the time when the ON signal is applied and the time when the OFF signal is applied to be different from each other. Specifically, the ON signal is applied in a shorter time than the OFF signal.

For example, the controller 254 may apply the on-signal to the valve 253 for a first time if the flow rate of the fluid is a first flow rate. In addition, the control unit 254 may apply the off signal to the valve 253 for a second time. At this time, the first time and the second time may be different from each other as described above.

5 is a graph for explaining the principle of flow rate control through a fluid velocity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

t _p is the sum of the valve opening and closing times and represents the unit cycle time. t _p = the time the valve is open (t _o ) + the time the valve closes (t _c ). v means the measured flow rate.

When the vent hole portion 251 connected to the channel 210 is closed, the air flowing through the channel 210 is pressurized by the air inside the channel 210, and the resistance due to the air pressure is increased by the capillary force The material inside the channel may not move. Since the viscosity of the fluid varies with time, the flow rate can be controlled by considering the viscosity of the fluid to be changed.

Fig. 6 shows the relationship between the flow velocity and the time when t _p is constant, and Fig. 7 shows the relationship between the measured flow velocity and the movement distance of the fluid.

As the flow rate increases, the travel time increases at the same open time, so the open time must be reduced and the closing time increased. Also, as the flow rate increases, the travel distance per unit time increases, so the flow rate must be constant by adjusting the open time.

The fluid velocity measurement and flow rate control methods described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer readable recording medium. At this time, the computer-readable recording medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. On the other hand, the program instructions recorded on the recording medium may be those specially designed and configured for the present invention or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software.

The computer-readable recording medium includes a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk and a magnetic tape, an optical medium such as a CD-ROM and a DVD, a magnetic disk such as a floppy disk, A magneto-optical media, and a hardware device specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like.

The recording medium may be a transmission medium such as a light or metal line, a wave guide, or the like including a carrier wave for transmitting a signal designating a program command, a data structure, and the like.

The program instructions also include machine language code, such as those generated by the compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

The above-described fluid velocity measuring apparatus can be applied to not only the configuration and the method of the embodiments described above but also all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications can be made. .

100, 200: fluid velocity measuring device
110, 210: channel
121, 122, 221, 222: light source
130 and 230:
140, 240: Speed calculation unit
250:
251:
252: tube
253: Valve
254:

Claims (5)

A channel provided with a passage through which fluid can flow;
A first light source and a second light source positioned in any one of an upper portion and a lower portion of the channel;
A sensor installed in an area opposite to an area where the first light source and the second light source are located based on the channel and receiving light emitted from the first light source and the second light source; And
A velocity calculating unit for calculating a velocity of the fluid by using a change in intensity of light received by the sensor; And
And an adjuster connected to the channel for adjusting a flow rate of the fluid based on the calculated velocity of the fluid,
Wherein the first light source and the second light source do not proceed in parallel with each other but proceed with a certain angle. 2. The apparatus of claim 1,
A vent hole connected to the outside of the channel to discharge the air inside the channel to the outside;
A valve connected to an inlet portion of the vent hole portion and opening / closing an inlet portion of the vent hole portion according to a preset time; And
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the valve. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control unit
And applies an on signal and an off signal to the valve based on the calculated fluid velocity. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control unit
Wherein the controller sets the time when the ON signal is applied and the signal to which the OFF signal is applied to be different from each other. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller
Further comprising a tube connecting the inlet portion of the vent hole portion and the valve.

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