Micro-droplet detection chip fixing device

Abstract

The present invention provides a micro-droplet detection chip fixing device, the fixing device includes a rigid bottom plate and a rigid flip cover, the rear ends of the two are connected by a rotating shaft to form a rotating pair; the bottom plate is used to accommodate the micro-droplet detection chip, and the bottom plate and the flip cover cooperate to achieve rigid clamping of the micro-droplet detection chip; when the micro-droplet detection chip is detected, a row of tubes including at least two detection tubes is placed, the bottom plate is provided with a groove for accommodating the micro-droplet detection chip, and each groove bottom is provided with an elastic device for eliminating the bottom tolerance of the micro-droplet detection chip. Adding an elastic device at the bottom of each tube of the row of tubes can make up for the overall tolerance of the row of tubes and the chip plane, so that the sealing force is more uniform, the sealing effect is more uniform, the flow of liquid in all the flow channels of the chip is more uniform, and the overall detection result of the instrument is more stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of microfluidic chips, and in particular to a micro-droplet detection chip fixing device. Background Art

[0002] The scale of the flow channel structure of the microdroplet detection chip is generally in the range of 10 to 100 μm. In order to detect the contents of the microdroplets, the microdroplet detection chip needs to be positioned and clamped. At present, the commonly used microfluidic chip positioning methods are mainly column hole positioning and edge positioning. The clamping method mainly relies on the flexible gasket between the fixture and the microfluidic chip to provide a clamping force perpendicular to the chip surface. Since both the column hole positioning and the edge positioning have matching gaps, and the deformability of the flexible gasket causes the clamping force to be unable to completely limit the lateral movement of the chip, it is easy to cause errors in the alignment of the microdroplet detection chip and the detection mechanism. In the rigid chip fixing device, due to the errors in the chip processing process, the flatness of the planes at different microdroplet detection windows is inconsistent and even exceeds the detection focal length range of the instrument, which directly leads to changes in the detection signal value. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing micro-droplet detection chip in the clamping method, the present invention provides a micro-droplet detection chip fixing device.

[0004] In one embodiment, a micro-droplet detection chip fixing device is provided, the fixing device comprising a rigid base plate and a rigid flip cover, the rear ends of the two being connected by a rotating shaft to form a rotating pair; the base plate is used to accommodate the micro-droplet detection chip, and the base plate and the flip cover cooperate to achieve rigid clamping of the micro-droplet detection chip; when the micro-droplet detection chip is detected, a row of tubes comprising at least two detection tubes is placed in the micro-droplet detection chip, the base plate is provided with a groove for accommodating the micro-droplet detection chip, and an elastic device is provided at the bottom of each groove to eliminate the bottom tolerance of the micro-droplet detection chip.

[0005] In one embodiment, the elastic devices arranged at the bottom of each groove are independent of each other.

[0006] In one embodiment, the elastic device includes a base and a butterfly-shaped spring piece installed below the base, and the base and the butterfly-shaped spring piece are fixed to the bottom plate by a bracket.

[0007] In one embodiment, a hole is provided at the front end of the flip cover, and a compression adjustment device is provided at the front end of the hole for adjusting the degree of compression and flatness of the detection chip containing the micro-droplets.

[0008] In one embodiment, the clamping adjustment device includes an installation clamping member, an adjusting screw and a fastening device arranged in the front end hole of the flip cover, the adjusting screw is used to fine-tune the horizontal position of the installation clamping member, and the fastening device is used to fasten the installation clamping member.

[0009] In one embodiment, a notch is provided in the middle of the front end of the base plate, a clamping component is installed in the notch, and the clamping component is connected to the base plate through a rotating shaft to form a rotating pair; and a fixed shaft hole for installing a fixed shaft is provided in the middle of the front end of the flip cover, and the switching of locking and releasing between the base plate and the flip cover is realized through the cooperation of the clamping component and the fixed shaft.

[0010] In one embodiment, a torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft connecting the clamping component and the base plate, one end of the torsion spring abuts against the inner surface of the notch, and the other end abuts against the inner surface of the clamping component.

[0011] In one embodiment, shaft grooves are provided in the two side walls of the notch, and a complex consisting of the clamping component, the shaft and the torsion spring is installed and fixed to the bottom plate through the shaft grooves.

[0012] In one embodiment, the clamping component includes an upper inclined surface with a notch provided below the upper inclined surface; when the outer surface of the clamping component is pressed inward, the clamping component rotates clockwise around the rotating axis to release the fixed shaft from the notch of the upper inclined surface.

[0013] In one embodiment, a V-shaped elastic device is installed on both sides of the rear end of the base plate, one end of the V-shaped elastic device is fixedly connected to the base plate, and the other end is suspended; when the clamping component and the fixed shaft are switched from a locked state to a released state, the suspended end of the V-shaped elastic device pops up the flip cover; the base plate is provided with a regional boss where a separation oil inlet and a floating oil inlet are located for supporting a micro-droplet detection chip, and the base plate is provided with a groove for placing a sample outlet slot of the micro-droplet detection chip.

[0014] Since the row of tubes in the micro-droplet detection chip is an injection-molded product, there is a tolerance in the height of each tube in the row of tubes, and the surface of the chip is an injection-molded plane. After the two are matched, there will be unevenness, resulting in inconsistent crimping seals, which directly causes poor liquid flow or unexpected liquid flow during the detection process, directly leading to poor micro-droplet detection results or detection failure. An elastic device is added to the bottom of each tube in the row of tubes. Each elastic device is independent and can make up for the overall tolerance of the row of tubes and the chip plane, making the sealing force more uniform, the sealing effect more uniform, the flow of liquid in all the flow channels of the chip more uniform, and the overall detection results of the instrument more stable.

[0015] A clamping adjustment device is provided at the front end of the flap to adjust the degree of clamping and flatness of the detection chip containing the micro-droplets. Adding a clamping adjustment device at the detection window can make up for the problem of uneven detection chip at the detection window position caused by processing errors, making the detection signal more stable. Adding a clamping adjustment device is used to balance the signal value between each detection position. If it is uneven, there will be a situation where some detection signal values ​​are high and some are low, that is, the fluctuation is more obvious. However, after this adjustment, the fluctuation of the signal value becomes smaller and the detection signal value is more stable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a micro-droplet detection chip fixing device of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded view of the parts of the fixing device within the dotted frame;

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the principle of the clamping part of the fixing device in the dotted frame releasing the flip cover;

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the principle of the clamping part of the fixing device in the dotted frame locking the flip cover;

[0021] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The front side of the bottom plate of the fixing device and its main structure;

[0022] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 An exploded view of the back side of the bottom plate of the fixing device and its main structure;

[0023] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the matching relationship between the bottom plate of the fixing device and the micro-droplet detection chip with eight-row tubes;

[0024] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the matching relationship between the bottom plate of the fixing device and the micro-droplet detection chip;

[0025] Fig. 9 yes Figure 1 The flip cover of the fixing device and its main structure;

[0026] Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 An exploded view of the front end pressing mechanism of the flip cover;

[0027] Fig.11 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the matching relationship between the flip cover of the fixing device and the micro-droplet detection chip.

[0028] In the figure, 1. bottom plate, 2. flip cover, 3. rotating shaft, 4. clamping component, 5. spring, 6. rotating shaft, 7. micro-droplet detection chip, 8. torsion spring, 9. fixed shaft, 11. groove, 12. rotating shaft hole, 13. boss, 14. rotating shaft groove, 15. locking screw hole, 16. groove, 17. positioning hole, 18. boss, 19. groove, 21. fixed shaft hole, 22. rotating shaft hole, 23. notch, 25. observation hole, 41. notch, 42. outer surface, 43. upper end inclined surface, 44. rotating shaft hole, 71. observation hole, 72. separation oil inlet, 73. floating oil inlet, 74. sample outlet groove, 75. microfluidic layer structure groove, 76. eight-row tube of micro-droplet detection chip, 91. cylindrical surface, 131. observation hole, 411. notch clamping surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the present application, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the following embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work should belong to the scope of protection of the present application. The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0030] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the practical micro-droplet detection chip fixing device comprises a rigid bottom plate 1 and a rigid flip cover 2, and the rear ends of the two are connected by a rotating shaft 3 to form a rotating pair. The bottom plate 1 is used to accommodate the micro-droplet detection chip; the bottom plate 1 and the flip cover 2 cooperate to achieve the rigid clamping of the micro-droplet detection chip. A spring 5 is installed on both sides of the rear end of the bottom plate 1, and the spring 5 is V-shaped, one end of the V-shaped is fastened to the bottom plate 1 by a thread, and the other end is suspended.

[0031] In one embodiment, a clamping component 4 is installed at the front end of the base plate 1. The clamping component 4 is located in the front end notch of the base plate 1. The clamping component 4 and the base plate 1 are connected by a rotating shaft 6 to form a rotating pair. A torsion spring 8 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 6. The torsion spring 8 is located between the two rotating shaft holes 44 of the clamping component 4, one end of which is against the outer surface of the front end notch of the base plate 1, and the other end is against the inner surface of the clamping component 4. The composite body consisting of the clamping component 4, the rotating shaft 6 and the torsion spring 8 is installed on the base plate 1 from below through the rotating shaft groove 14, and is tightened by screwing into the locking screw hole 15 from below. Pressing the outer surface 42 or the upper end inclined surface 43 of the clamping component 4 can make the clamping component 4 in the figure rotate counterclockwise around the rotating shaft 6, while compressing the torsion spring 8. After the force pressing the clamping component 4 is removed, the compressed torsion spring 8 is released, pushing the clamping component 4 to rotate clockwise around the rotating shaft 6, thereby realizing the reset of the clamping component 4.

[0032] like Figure 3 and 4 As shown, the locking and releasing switching of the flip cover 2 can be realized by the clamping part 4 and the fixed shaft 9, and the fixed shaft 9 is installed between the two fixed shaft holes 21 set at the front end of the flip cover 2. When the flip cover 2 is in the locked state, the outer surface 42 of the clamping part 4 is pressed inward, and the clamping part 4 rotates clockwise around the rotating shaft 6, and the fixed shaft 9 fixedly connected to the flip cover 2 is released from the notch 41 of the clamping part 4, and the notch clamping surface 411 of the clamping part 4 and the cylindrical surface 91 of the fixed shaft 9 are separated, and the rigid clamping force is removed. At this time, the suspended end of the spring piece 5 bounces up the flip cover 2, and the flip cover 2 can rotate around the rotating shaft 3 after being released.

[0033] When the flip cover 2 is in the released state, the flip cover 2 is first rotated to make the cylindrical surface 91 of the fixed shaft 9 contact with the upper end inclined surface 43 of the clamping part 4, and then the flip cover 2 is pressed downward. The pressure acts on the upper end inclined surface 43 of the clamping part 4 through the flip cover 2 and the fixed shaft 9, so that the clamping part 4 rotates clockwise around the rotating shaft 6, and the fixed shaft 9 enters the notch 41 of the rotating clamping part 4. Then the torsion spring 8 resets the clamping part 4, and the notch clamping surface 411 of the clamping part 4 contacts with the cylindrical surface 91 of the fixed shaft 9. The clamping part 4 locks the flip cover 2 through the fixed shaft 9 and provides a rigid clamping force. The locked flip cover 2 cannot rotate around the rotating shaft 3.

[0034] In one embodiment, if Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, on the bottom plate 1, there is a groove 11 for placing the micro-droplet detection chip 7, and a boss 13 for assisting the alignment of the detection chip is arranged in the groove 11, and eight observation holes 131 are arranged at the front end thereof for aligning with the eight observation holes 71 on the micro-droplet detection chip, and for the detection mechanism to detect the micro-droplet contents, the shaft hole 12 is used to install the shaft 3 connected to the flip cover 2, the shaft groove 14 is used to install the shaft 6 connected to the clamping part 4, the locking screw hole 15 is used to fasten the shaft 6, the groove 16 provides an operating space for placing and removing the eight-row tube 76 of the micro-droplet detection chip 7, the positioning hole 17 is used for positioning the eight-row tube 76, and the boss 18 is used to support the area where the separation oil inlet 72 and the floating oil inlet 73 of the micro-droplet detection chip 7 are located (see Fig.11 ), the groove 19 is used to place the sample outlet groove 74 of the micro-droplet detection chip 7.

[0035] In one embodiment, if Figure 6 As shown, below the positioning hole 17 of the bottom plate 1, there is a bottom bracket 601 for supporting the eight-row tube 76, and a butterfly spring piece 602 is installed below the bottom bracket 601 to give the bottom bracket an upward pressing force. At the same time, the bottom bracket 601 and the butterfly spring piece 602 are fixed to the bottom plate 1 with a bracket 603.

[0036] In one embodiment, if Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, on the flip cover 2, the fixed shaft hole 21 is used to install the fixed shaft 9, the rotating shaft hole 22 cooperates with the rotating shaft hole 12 to install the rotating shaft 3 connected to the base plate 1, the notch 23 is used to avoid the interference of the flip cover 2 with the oil phase injection port 72 and the water phase injection port 73 of the micro-droplet detection chip 7 during the rotation process, and the eight observation holes 25 are aligned with the eight observation holes 71 on the micro-droplet detection chip, which are used for the detection mechanism to detect the micro-droplet contents.

[0037] In one embodiment, Fig.10 As shown, a pressing piece 102 is installed in the square hole 104 at the front end of the flip cover 2. At the same time, the horizontal position of the pressing piece 102 can be fine-tuned by using four adjusting screws, and then the pressing piece 102 is fastened by using the fastening screw 101.

[0038] When in use, first press the clamping component 4 for locking the front end of the chip fixing device by hand; then open the flip cover 2; then, put the micro-droplet detection chip 7 (including the eight-row tube 76 with the cover) into the chip fixing device; finally, cover the flip cover 2, press the flip cover surface perpendicularly by hand, and the clamping component 4 locks the flip cover 2 to achieve rigid clamping of the micro-droplet detection chip.

[0039] It should be understood that the disclosed invention is not limited only to the specific method, scheme and material of description, because these all can change.It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiment scheme, rather than being intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is only limited to the appended claims.

[0040] Those skilled in the art will also recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein. Such equivalents are also intended to be encompassed by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A micro-droplet detection chip fixing device, characterized in that: The fixing device comprises a rigid bottom plate and a rigid flip cover, and the rear ends of the two are connected by a rotating shaft to form a rotating pair; the bottom plate is used to accommodate the micro-droplet detection chip, and the bottom plate and the flip cover cooperate to achieve rigid clamping of the micro-droplet detection chip; when the micro-droplet detection chip is detected, a row of tubes including at least two detection tubes is placed, and a groove for accommodating the micro-droplet detection chip is provided on the bottom plate, and an elastic device is provided at the bottom of each groove to eliminate the bottom tolerance of the micro-droplet detection chip; A hole is provided at the front end of the flip cover, and a compression adjustment device is provided at the front end of the hole, which is used to adjust the compression degree and flatness of the detection chip accommodating the micro-droplets; the compression adjustment device includes an installation compression piece, an adjustment screw and a fastening device provided in the hole at the front end of the flip cover, the adjustment screw is used to fine-tune the horizontal position of the installation compression piece, the fastening device is used to fasten the installation compression piece, and the installation compression piece is provided with an observation hole.

2. The fixing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic devices arranged at the bottom of each groove are independent of each other.

3. The fixing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic device comprises a bottom bracket and a butterfly-shaped spring piece installed below the bottom bracket, and the bottom bracket and the butterfly-shaped spring piece are fixed on the bottom plate by a bracket.

4. The fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: A notch is provided in the middle of the front end of the base plate, a clamping component is installed in the notch, and the clamping component is connected to the base plate through a rotating shaft to form a rotating pair; and a fixed shaft hole for installing a fixed shaft is provided in the middle of the front end of the flip cover, and the switching of locking and releasing between the base plate and the flip cover is realized through the cooperation of the clamping component and the fixed shaft.

5. The fixing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft connecting the clamping component and the bottom plate, one end of the torsion spring abuts against the inner surface of the notch, and the other end abuts against the inner surface of the clamping component.

6. The fixing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Rotating shaft grooves are arranged in the two side walls of the notch, and a complex consisting of the clamping component, the rotating shaft and the torsion spring is installed and fixed to the bottom plate through the rotating shaft grooves.

7. The fixing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The clamping component includes an upper end inclined surface, and a notch is arranged below the upper end inclined surface; when the outer surface of the clamping component is pressed inwardly, the clamping component rotates clockwise around the rotating shaft to release the fixing shaft from the notch of the upper end inclined surface.

8. The fixing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A V-shaped elastic device is installed on both sides of the rear end of the base plate, one end of the V-shaped elastic device is fixedly connected to the base plate, and the other end is suspended; when the clamping component and the fixed shaft are switched from a locked state to a released state, the suspended end of the V-shaped elastic device pops up the flip cover; the base plate is provided with a regional boss where a separation oil inlet and a floating oil inlet are located for supporting a micro-droplet detection chip, and the base plate is provided with a groove for placing a sample outlet slot of the micro-droplet detection chip.

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