Controller for an acoustic standing wave generation device in order to prevent clogging of a filter

摘要

The invention relates to a method and apparatus to continuously monitor and control acoustic energy and vacuum pressure to maintain a net unidirectional flow of multi-phase heterogeneous fluids through a porous filter or membrane. The heterogenous fluid may come form a variety of sources including biological sources such as, blood, bone marrow aspirate (BMA), adipose tissue (lipoaspirate), urine, saliva, etc.

主权项

1. An apparatus for separating a solid fraction from a fluid sample, the apparatus comprising:
a filtration unit comprising: an energy generating element; at least one filter which divides the unit into a pre-filtration chamber for receiving the fluid sample and a post-filtration chamber for receiving a fluid; and a substrate configured to be associated with the fluid in the post-filtration chamber and with the energy generating element such that the energy generating element is operable to transmit energy through the substrate which in turn transmits energy through the fluid in the post-filtration chamber and through the fluid sample within the pre-filtration chamber; a sensor capable of measuring an amount of fluid in the pre-filtration chamber; a controller capable of controlling characteristics of energy made by the energy generating element as a function of the measured amount of fluid in the pre-filtration chamber; and a suction device to remove fluid from the post-filtration chamber, thereby applying a vacuum pressure across the filter so as to generate a net unidirectional flow of fluids through the filter from the pre-filtration chamber to the post-filtration chamber.