US 11,806,708 B2
Droplet dispenser
Adrian Woodward, Royston (GB)
Assigned to TTP Plc, Royston (GB)
Appl. No. 17/255,491
Filed by TTP PLC, Royston (GB)
PCT Filed Jun. 25, 2019, PCT No. PCT/GB2019/051792
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 23, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/002903, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1810546 (GB), filed on Jun. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0276005 A1, Sep. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. B01L 3/02 (2006.01); B05C 5/02 (2006.01); G01F 11/02 (2006.01); G01F 11/08 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/0265 (2013.01) [B05C 5/0225 (2013.01); G01F 11/021 (2013.01); G01F 11/088 (2013.01); B01L 2200/0605 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0481 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0616 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A droplet dispenser comprising a chamber with a fluid inlet valve and a fluid outlet valve, the chamber being arranged such that a chamber volume changes in use to cause fluid to be alternately drawn into the chamber through the fluid inlet valve then subsequently expelled from the chamber through the fluid outlet valve to dispense a droplet, the droplet dispenser further comprising:
a control actuator arranged to apply a driving force to the droplet dispenser to dispense the droplet, wherein the control actuator comprises a solenoid, a pneumatic actuator, a piezo electric device, an electric motor or a manually actuated spring driven device; and
a control system to vary a magnitude or a duration of the driving force applied by the control actuator to thereby vary a volume of the droplet that is dispensed by the droplet dispenser,
wherein the volume of the droplet dispensed in a single dispensing is proportional to at least one of the magnitude or the duration of the driving force, and
wherein the chamber includes walls that comprise elastomeric material such that the volume of the chamber changes by elastic deformation of the elastomeric material.