A microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device and its control method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device and a control method thereof. The device includes: a base; a pressurizing assembly including a top plate, an elastic connector, and a load, wherein the lower surface of the top plate is connected to the upper surface of the base via the elastic connector, and the load is arranged on the upper surface of the top plate; a heating assembly including an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate, wherein the upper heating plate is arranged on the lower surface of the top plate, and the lower heating plate is arranged on the upper surface of the base, and heaters are arranged in the upper and lower heating plates, and a hot pressing groove is arranged on the upper surface of the lower heating plate; a transmission assembly including a driving wheel, a driven wheel, and a traction motor, wherein the driving wheel and the driven wheel are respectively arranged near the two ends of the hot pressing groove, and the driving wheel is connected to the traction motor by transmission; a main controller, and the heater and the traction motor are both electrically connected to the main controller. The present invention ensures the uniformity of microfluidic pipeline stretching and hot pressing, improves the quality of microfluidic pipelines, and can be widely used in the field of microfluidic pipeline processing technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of microfluidic pipeline processing, and in particular to a microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The main materials used to make microfluidic chips include silicon wafers, glass, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene, and paper. Different material properties determine different micromachining methods. However, the most important processing methods for microfluidic chips are photolithography technology from the microelectronics industry and soft lithography technology from surface patterning; in addition, CNC, laser etching, 3D printing, injection molding and other processing technologies are also currently widely used. Based on the above technologies, in order to produce a complete microfluidic channel, it is generally necessary to bond the two pieces of material. Materials such as glass and silicon wafers are bonded by methods such as high temperature, high pressure or high voltage, while PDMS materials are bonded by oxygen plasma treatment.

[0003] In the process of making microfluidic chips, bonding the chip with microchannels etched on the surface is an important step. The main bonding method is hot pressing bonding, which uses high temperature and pressure to tightly bond the polymer cover and chip together to act as a seal. In microfluidics-based digital PCR, the amplification reaction of the droplets needs to be carried out in microchannels. The microfluidic chip itself has this function, but it can usually only perform reaction amplification on a two-dimensional plane and cannot achieve complex three-dimensional topological structures. Therefore, this problem can be solved by forming a microfluidic pipeline by winding polymer pipes (Teflon, PVC, Silicon, etc.). The high-throughput fine polymer pipe is wrapped around the PDMS heating block. By controlling the thickness of the heating block, a temperature difference is generated on both sides of the PDMS block. When the droplets pass through the micropipes wrapped around the PDMS block, they pass through two different temperature zones, achieving DNA amplification.

[0004] Currently, commercial polymer pipes have a large inner diameter (0.3mm) and cannot meet the control and application of small amounts of microfluidics. In addition, the diameter of the current pipes is uniform on the same pipe, which cannot achieve controllable variable diameter pipes and cannot meet more complex pipe design requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device and a control method thereof. The device has a simple structure and can control the stretching speed and hot pressing temperature of the microfluidic pipeline in real time, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the microfluidic pipeline stretching and hot pressing, and improving the quality of the microfluidic pipeline.

[0006] The first technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] A microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device, comprising:

[0008] base;

[0009] A pressurizing assembly, the pressurizing assembly comprising a top plate, an elastic connector, and a load, wherein the lower surface of the top plate is connected to the upper surface of the base via the elastic connector, and the load is disposed on the upper surface of the top plate;

[0010] A heating assembly, comprising an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate, wherein the upper heating plate is arranged on the lower surface of the top plate, and the lower heating plate is arranged on the upper surface of the base, wherein heaters are arranged in both the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate, and a hot pressing groove is arranged on the upper surface of the lower heating plate;

[0011] A transmission assembly, comprising a driving wheel, a driven wheel, and a traction motor. The driving wheel and the driven wheel are respectively disposed near both ends of the hot pressing tank. The driven wheel is used to wrap around the pipe to be processed, and the driving wheel is used to apply traction to the pipe to be processed. The driving wheel is in transmission connection with the traction motor.

[0012] A main controller, the heater and the traction motor are both electrically connected to the main controller.

[0013] Furthermore, the elastic connecting member includes a guide rail and a compression spring, the lower end of the guide rail is fixed to the upper surface of the base, the upper end of the guide rail passes through the top plate, and the top plate can slide up and down along the guide rail. The compression spring is sleeved on the guide rail, the lower end of the compression spring is fixed to the upper surface of the base, and the upper end of the compression spring is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate.

[0014] Furthermore, there are multiple elastic connectors, and the multiple elastic connectors are all arranged near the corners of the base.

[0015] Furthermore, the load is a weight.

[0016] Furthermore, the hot pressing groove includes a first groove section and a second groove section, the inner diameter of the first groove section is larger than the inner diameter of the second groove section, the first groove section is located at one end of the lower heating plate close to the driven wheel, and the second groove section is located at one end of the lower heating plate close to the driving wheel.

[0017] Furthermore, the microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device also includes a gear transmission, and the traction motor is connected to the driving wheel through the gear transmission.

[0018] The second technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0019] A control method for a microfluidic pipe hot pressing and stretching device is provided, wherein the pipe to be processed is wound around a driven wheel, and one end of the pipe to be processed passes through a hot pressing groove and is fixed to a driving wheel. The control method comprises the following steps:

[0020] The main controller controls the heater to heat the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate respectively, so that the upper heating plate reaches a preset first temperature and the lower heating plate reaches a preset second temperature;

[0021] Adjust the load weight so that the upper heating plate contacts the lower heating plate and generates a certain extrusion force;

[0022] The main controller controls the traction motor to operate, thereby driving the driving wheel to stretch the pipe to be processed;

[0023] The main controller adjusts the rotation speed of the traction motor so that the pipe to be processed passes through the hot pressing tank under the action of stretching and hot pressing to form a microfluidic pipe with a preset diameter and is wound around the driving wheel.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention provides a microfluidic pipe hot pressing and stretching device and a control method thereof, wherein a pipe to be processed is wound around a driven wheel, one end of the pipe to be processed passes through a hot pressing groove and is fixed to a driving wheel, a main controller controls a heater to heat an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate respectively, so that the upper heating plate reaches a preset first temperature and the lower heating plate reaches a preset second temperature, the load weight is adjusted so that the upper heating plate contacts the lower heating plate and generates a certain extrusion force, the main controller controls the operation of a traction motor, thereby driving the driving wheel to stretch the pipe to be processed, and the main controller adjusts the speed of the traction motor so that the pipe to be processed passes through the hot pressing groove under the action of stretching and hot pressing to form a microfluidic pipe with a preset pipe diameter and is wound around the driving wheel. The present invention has a simple structure, and the main controller can adjust the heater and traction motor in real time, thereby accurately controlling the stretching speed and hot pressing temperature of the pipe to be processed. The arrangement of the upper and lower heating plates and the hot pressing groove ensures the uniformity of stretching and hot pressing of the microfluidic pipe, improves the quality of the microfluidic pipe, and can meet the production needs of diversified microfluidic pipes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of signal connections for a microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a hot pressing tank provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the steps of the control method of the microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Reference numerals:

[0030] 10. Base; 20. Top plate; 30. Elastic connector; 31. Guide rail; 32. Compression spring; 40. Load; 50. Upper heating plate; 60. Lower heating plate; 61. Hot pressing tank; 611. First tank section; 612. Second tank section; 70. Driving wheel; 80. Driven wheel; 90. Traction motor; 100. Pipeline to be processed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The step numbers in the following embodiments are provided for ease of description only and do not limit the order of the steps. The order of execution of the steps in the embodiments can be adaptively adjusted based on the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means more than two. If a first or second is described, it is only used to distinguish technical features and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The terms used in this specification are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0033] Reference Figure 1 and 2 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a microfluidic channel hot pressing and stretching device, comprising:

[0034] Base 10;

[0035] A pressurizing assembly includes a top plate 20, an elastic connector 30, and a load 40. The lower surface of the top plate 20 is connected to the upper surface of the base 10 via the elastic connector 30, and the load 40 is disposed on the upper surface of the top plate 20.

[0036] The heating assembly includes an upper heating plate 50 and a lower heating plate 60. The upper heating plate 50 is arranged on the lower surface of the top plate 20, and the lower heating plate 60 is arranged on the upper surface of the base 10. Heaters are provided in the upper heating plate 50 and the lower heating plate 60. A hot pressing groove 61 is provided on the upper surface of the lower heating plate 60.

[0037] The transmission assembly includes a driving wheel 70, a driven wheel 80, and a traction motor 90. The driving wheel 70 and the driven wheel 80 are respectively arranged near the two ends of the hot pressing tank 61. The driven wheel 80 is used to wrap around the pipe 100 to be processed, and the driving wheel 70 is used to apply traction to the pipe 100 to be processed. The driving wheel 70 is connected to the traction motor 90.

[0038] Main Controller ( Figure 1 The heater and the traction motor 90 are both electrically connected to the main controller.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present invention, the pipe 100 to be processed is wound around the driven wheel 80, and one end of the pipe 100 to be processed passes through the hot pressing groove 61 and is fixed on the driving wheel 70. The main controller controls the heater to heat the upper heating plate 50 and the lower heating plate 60 respectively, so that the upper heating plate 50 reaches a preset first temperature and the lower heating plate 60 reaches a preset second temperature. The weight of the load 40 is adjusted so that the upper heating plate 50 contacts the lower heating plate 60 and generates a certain extrusion force. The main controller controls the traction motor 90 to run, thereby driving the driving wheel 70 to stretch the pipe 100 to be processed. The main controller adjusts the speed of the traction motor 90 so that the pipe 100 to be processed passes through the hot pressing groove 61 under the action of stretching and hot pressing to form a microfluidic pipe with a preset diameter change and is wound around the driving wheel 70. The embodiment of the present invention has a simple structure. The heater and the traction motor 90 can be adjusted in real time through the main controller, so that the stretching speed and hot pressing temperature of the pipe 100 to be processed can be accurately controlled. By setting the upper and lower heating plates 60 and the hot pressing groove 61, the uniformity of the stretching and hot pressing of the microfluidic pipe is guaranteed, the quality of the microfluidic pipe is improved, and the production needs of diversified microfluidic pipes can be met.

[0040] Reference Figure 1 As an optional embodiment, the elastic connecting member 30 includes a guide rail 31 and a compression spring 32. The lower end of the guide rail 31 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 10, and the upper end of the guide rail 31 passes through the top plate 20. The top plate 20 can slide up and down along the guide rail 31. The compression spring 32 is sleeved on the guide rail 31, and the lower end of the compression spring 32 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 10, and the upper end of the compression spring 32 is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 20.

[0041] Specifically, the compression spring 32 is mounted on the guide rail 31 to form an elastic connector 30. The guide rail 31 enables the top plate 20 to move along a fixed track, ensuring the structural stability of the pressurizing assembly. The compression spring 32 can reset the top plate 20 when the load 40 becomes lighter or removed, so that the upper and lower heating plates 60 are separated, facilitating the removal of the stretched microfluidic pipeline and the placement of the pipeline 100 to be processed.

[0042] Reference Figure 1As an optional embodiment, there are multiple elastic connectors 30 , and the multiple elastic connectors 30 are all arranged near the corners of the base 10 .

[0043] In the embodiment of the present invention, the base 10 and the top plate 20 are both rectangular plates, and the four elastic connectors 30 are respectively arranged at the four corners of the rectangular plates, further ensuring the structural stability of the pressurizing assembly.

[0044] As a further optional embodiment, the load 40 is a weight.

[0045] Specifically, multiple weights are used as loads, and the load weight can be adjusted by adding or removing weights. The embodiment of the present invention provides downward force through weights, replacing the general commercial pneumatic pressure method, greatly simplifying the mechanical structure and reducing costs.

[0046] Reference Figure 1 and 3 As an optional embodiment, the hot pressing groove 61 includes a first groove section 611 and a second groove section 612. The inner diameter of the first groove section 611 is larger than the inner diameter of the second groove section 612. The first groove section 611 is located at one end of the lower heating plate 60 close to the driven wheel 80, and the second groove section 612 is located at one end of the lower heating plate 60 close to the driving wheel 70.

[0047] Specifically, by setting the first groove section 611 and the second groove section 612 with a variable diameter, the extrusion-type stretching of the pipe 100 to be processed can be achieved, further ensuring the uniformity of the stretching of the pipe 100 to be processed.

[0048] In some optional embodiments, the hot pressing tank 61 can be designed to have different sizes to stretch microfluidic channels of different specifications.

[0049] As a further optional embodiment, the microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device further includes a gear transmission, and the traction motor 90 is transmission-connected to the driving wheel 70 via the gear transmission.

[0050] Specifically, the rotation speed of the driving wheel 70 can be adjusted by changing the transmission ratio of the gear box, thereby adjusting the stretching speed of the pipe 100 to be processed.

[0051] The above is a description of the system structure of the embodiment of the present invention. The following is a further description of the processing process of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] like Figure 1As shown, first, the pipe 100 to be processed is wound around the driven wheel 80 at the right end, and one end of the pipe 100 to be processed is stretched by heating. This stretched pipe 100 to be processed only serves as a stretching traction function, and the uniformity of the stretching is not considered; the stretched pipe 100 to be processed is passed through the hot pressing groove 61 on the lower heating plate 60 and fixed on the driving wheel 70 on the left; after the preparation work is completed, the upper and lower heating plates 60 are heated to the melting temperature at which the pipe 100 to be processed can be shaped through the main controller, and a certain weight is placed on the top plate 20. The weight of the weights is used to press the top plate 20 downward to achieve a stable downward force. Different pressures can be achieved by changing the number of weights. The traction motor 90 is then started to control the motor speed to be stable and to stretch the pipe 100 to be processed at a uniform speed. The pipe 100 to be processed becomes a plastic state at the temperature of the upper and lower hot pressing plates. Under the extrusion of the hot pressing groove 61, the pipe 100 to be processed is slowly pulled out by the driving wheel 70. Due to the variable diameter setting of the hot pressing groove 61, the pipe 100 to be processed is evenly stretched to a preset pipe diameter, thereby achieving uniform stretching of the pipe 100 to be processed.

[0053] The embodiment of the present invention can also be used for hot-press bonding of microfluidic chips. The working process is as follows: place the chip flat on the lower heating plate 60, and then align the polymer cover plate on the chip; after the chip and the cover plate are placed, place a certain weight of weight on the top plate 20 to make the upper and lower heating plates 60 contact and provide stable downward pressure, and heat the upper and lower heating plates 60 by the heater to the corresponding hot keys and temperature of the polymer chip, and maintain it for 10-20 minutes until the chip and the cover plate are completely bonded; after the chip bonding is completed, remove the weight, and the top plate 20 will return to the initial position under the action of the compression spring 32, and the bonded chip can be taken out.

[0054] Reference Figure 4 An embodiment of the present invention provides a control method for a microfluidic pipe hot pressing and stretching device, which is used to execute the microfluidic pipe hot pressing and stretching device. The pipe to be processed is wound around a driven wheel, and one end of the pipe to be processed passes through a hot pressing groove and is fixed to a driving wheel. The control method includes the following steps:

[0055] S101, controlling the heaters through a main controller to heat the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate respectively, so that the upper heating plate reaches a preset first temperature and the lower heating plate reaches a preset second temperature;

[0056] S102, adjusting the load weight so that the upper heating plate contacts the lower heating plate and generates a certain extrusion force;

[0057] S103, controlling the traction motor to operate through the main controller, thereby driving the driving wheel to stretch the pipe to be processed;

[0058] S104. Regulating the rotation speed of the traction motor through the main controller so that the pipe to be processed passes through the hot pressing tank under the action of stretching and hot pressing to form a microfluidic pipe with a preset diameter and is wound around the driving wheel.

[0059] Specifically, the control method of the embodiment of the present invention can realize programmed control of the processing technology. The heater and traction motor can be adjusted in real time through the main controller, so that the stretching speed and hot pressing temperature of the pipeline to be processed can be accurately controlled. Through the setting of the upper and lower heating plates and the hot pressing groove, the uniformity of the stretching and hot pressing of the microfluidic pipeline is guaranteed, the quality of the microfluidic pipeline is improved, and the production needs of diversified microfluidic pipelines can be met.

[0060] It should be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention can be implemented or practiced by computer hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or by computer instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable memory. The above methods can be implemented in a computer program using standard programming techniques—including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured with a computer program, wherein the storage medium so configured causes the computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner—according to the methods and figures described in the specific embodiments. Each program can be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language to communicate with the computer system. However, if desired, the program can be implemented in assembly or machine language. In any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language. In addition, the program can be run on a programmed application-specific integrated circuit for this purpose.

[0061] Furthermore, the operations of the processes described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by the context. The processes described herein (or variations and / or combinations thereof) may be performed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) that is executed collectively on one or more processors, by hardware, or a combination thereof. The computer programs described above include a plurality of instructions that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0062] Furthermore, the above methods can be implemented in any type of computing platform that is operably connected to a suitable computer, including but not limited to a personal computer, a minicomputer, a mainframe, a workstation, a network or distributed computing environment, a separate or integrated computer platform, or in communication with a charged particle tool or other imaging device, etc. Various aspects of the present invention can be implemented as machine-readable code stored on a non-transitory storage medium or device, whether removable or integrated into a computing platform, such as a hard disk, an optical read and / or write storage medium, RAM, ROM, etc., so that it can be read by a programmable computer, and when the storage medium or device is read by the computer, it can be used to configure and operate the computer to perform the processes described herein. In addition, the machine-readable code, or portions thereof, can be transmitted over a wired or wireless network. When such media includes instructions or programs that implement the steps described above in conjunction with a microprocessor or other data processor, the invention described herein includes these and other different types of non-transitory computer-readable storage media. When programmed according to the methods and techniques described herein, the present invention also includes the computer itself.

[0063] The computer program can be applied to input data to perform the functions described herein, thereby converting the input data to generate output data that is stored in a non-volatile memory. The output information can also be applied to one or more output devices such as a display. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the converted data represents a physical and tangible object, including a specific visual depiction of the physical and tangible object produced on the display.

[0064] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments. As long as the technical effects of the present invention are achieved by the same means, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Within the scope of protection of the present invention, various modifications and variations of the technical solutions and / or implementation methods are possible.

Claims

1. A microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device, characterized in that: include: base; A pressurizing assembly, the pressurizing assembly comprising a top plate, an elastic connector, and a load, wherein the lower surface of the top plate is connected to the upper surface of the base via the elastic connector, and the load is disposed on the upper surface of the top plate; A heating assembly, comprising an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate, wherein the upper heating plate is arranged on the lower surface of the top plate, and the lower heating plate is arranged on the upper surface of the base, wherein heaters are arranged in both the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate, and a hot pressing groove is arranged on the upper surface of the lower heating plate; A transmission assembly, comprising a driving wheel, a driven wheel, and a traction motor. The driving wheel and the driven wheel are respectively disposed near both ends of the hot pressing tank. The driven wheel is used to wrap around the pipe to be processed, and the driving wheel is used to apply traction to the pipe to be processed. The driving wheel is in transmission connection with the traction motor. a main controller, the heater and the traction motor being electrically connected to the main controller; Among them, the main controller is used to control the heater to heat the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate respectively, so that the upper heating plate reaches a preset first temperature and the lower heating plate reaches a preset second temperature, control the traction motor to run, thereby driving the driving wheel to stretch the pipe to be processed, and adjust the speed of the traction motor so that the pipe to be processed passes through the hot pressing tank under the action of stretching and hot pressing to form a microfluidic pipe with a preset pipe diameter change and is wound around the driving wheel.

2. The microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic connecting member includes a guide rail and a compression spring, the lower end of the guide rail is fixed to the upper surface of the base, the upper end of the guide rail passes through the top plate, and the top plate can slide up and down along the guide rail. The compression spring is sleeved on the guide rail, the lower end of the compression spring is fixed to the upper surface of the base, and the upper end of the compression spring is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate.

3. The microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device according to claim 2, characterized in that: There are multiple elastic connecting members, and the multiple elastic connecting members are all arranged close to the corners of the base.

4. The microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The load is a weight.

5. The microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hot pressing groove includes a first groove section and a second groove section, the inner diameter of the first groove section is larger than the inner diameter of the second groove section, the first groove section is located at one end of the lower heating plate close to the driven wheel, and the second groove section is located at one end of the lower heating plate close to the driving wheel.

6. The microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microfluidic pipeline hot pressing and stretching device also includes a gear transmission, and the traction motor is connected to the driving wheel through the gear transmission.

7. A control method for a microfluidic channel hot pressing and stretching device, for use with the microfluidic channel hot pressing and stretching device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The pipe to be processed is wound around the driven wheel, and one end of the pipe to be processed passes through the hot pressing groove and is fixed on the driving wheel. The control method includes the following steps: The main controller controls the heater to heat the upper heating plate and the lower heating plate respectively, so that the upper heating plate reaches a preset first temperature and the lower heating plate reaches a preset second temperature; Adjust the load weight so that the upper heating plate contacts the lower heating plate and generates a certain extrusion force; The main controller controls the traction motor to operate, thereby driving the driving wheel to stretch the pipe to be processed; The main controller adjusts the rotation speed of the traction motor so that the pipe to be processed passes through the hot pressing tank under the action of stretching and hot pressing to form a microfluidic pipe with a preset diameter and is wound around the driving wheel.

Images