A PCR instrument

Abstract

This invention discloses a PCR instrument capable of automatically performing PCR reactions. The PCR instrument includes: a base; a chip mounting mechanism for mounting a microfluidic chip, the chip mounting mechanism being movably mounted on the base in a left-right direction; a first driving mechanism located on the left side of the chip mounting mechanism, the first driving mechanism including a first driving pin for engaging with a left-side rotating piston of the microfluidic chip to drive its rotation; a second driving mechanism located on the right side of the chip mounting mechanism, the second driving mechanism including a second driving pin for engaging with a right-side rotating piston of the microfluidic chip to drive its rotation; a heating mechanism located at the rear of the chip mounting mechanism for heating the microfluidic chip, the heating mechanism including a heating component movably mounted on the base and capable of approaching or moving away from the microfluidic chip; and a fluorescence detection mechanism located below the chip mounting mechanism.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of PCR, and relates to a PCR instrument. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, microfluidic chips are applied to the field of biological detection, and can be placed in a PCR instrument for reaction to achieve the purpose of detection, such as nucleic acid extraction and amplification. In order to avoid pollution, reagents required for reaction are placed in chambers in the microfluidic chip in advance, and during reaction, liquid flow direction is controlled according to a set reaction program, and reagents, samples, reaction liquid and the like flow into designated chambers. Therefore, a plurality of pistons for controlling liquid flow direction or pass or not between chambers and / or pistons for driving liquid flow are arranged on the microfluidic chip, and by rotating or moving the pistons, the communication state of flow channels between chambers can be switched, or driving force for controlling liquid flow can be provided. Accordingly, a driving mechanism needs to be arranged in the PCR instrument to automatically perform PCR reaction and detection. The prior art needs manual operation in the detection process, which may cause pollution and human error. SUMMARY

[0003] In view of the above technical problems, the present application provides a PCR instrument which can automatically perform PCR reaction.

[0004] To achieve the above purpose, the present application adopts the following technical scheme:

[0005] A PCR instrument comprises:

[0006] a base;

[0007] a chip mounting mechanism for mounting a microfluidic chip, the chip mounting mechanism being movably arranged on the base in left-right direction;

[0008] a first driving mechanism located at the left side of the chip mounting mechanism, the first driving mechanism comprising a first driving pin for engaging with a left side rotary piston of the microfluidic chip to drive rotation thereof;

[0009] a second driving mechanism located at the right side of the chip mounting mechanism, the second driving mechanism comprising a second driving pin for engaging with a right side rotary piston of the microfluidic chip to drive rotation thereof;

[0010] a heating mechanism located at the back side of the chip mounting mechanism to heat the microfluidic chip, the heating mechanism comprising a heating assembly movably arranged on the base to be able to approach or move away from the microfluidic chip;

[0011] a fluorescence detection mechanism located at the lower side of the chip mounting mechanism;

[0012] The chip mounting mechanism has at least a first position for engaging the microfluidic chip with the first driving pin and disengaging the second driving pin, and a second position for engaging the microfluidic chip with the second driving pin and disengaging the first driving pin.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the heating assembly has a first heating region and a second heating region below the first heating region, the first heating region and the second heating region have different temperatures, and the chip mounting mechanism is further movably arranged on the base in the up-down direction.

[0014] More preferably, the chip mounting mechanism is arranged on the base by a moving mechanism, the moving mechanism includes a sliding seat movably connected to the base in the left-right direction and a vertical guide rail arranged on the sliding seat, and the chip mounting mechanism is movably arranged on the vertical guide rail in the up-down direction.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the heating assembly is rotatably arranged on the base by a rotating shaft, and the axis of the rotating shaft extends in the left-right direction.

[0016] More preferably, the heating mechanism further includes a fixed seat, a swing rod, a connecting rod, a power source, and a connecting piece that can be driven by the power source to move in the left-right direction, the fixed seat is arranged on the base, the swing rod is rotatably connected to the fixed seat by a first rotating shaft, the power source is arranged on the swing rod, the connecting piece is rotatably connected to one end of the connecting rod by a second rotating shaft, the other end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the fixed seat by a third rotating shaft, and the heating assembly is arranged on the connecting rod.

[0017] Further, the power source includes a linear motor, and the connecting piece is arranged on the output shaft of the linear motor; and / or, the axes of the first rotating shaft, the second rotating shaft, and the third rotating shaft respectively extend in the left-right direction and are parallel to each other but not coincident; and / or, the heating mechanism further includes a support plate, the support plate is rotatably connected to the fixed seat by a fourth rotating shaft, the axes of the fourth rotating shaft and the third rotating shaft are coincident with each other, and the heating assembly is arranged on the support plate and the connecting rod.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the PCR instrument further includes a third driving mechanism, the third driving mechanism includes a translation driving piece for engaging with a translation piston of the microfluidic chip to drive the translation piston to move, the translation driving piece is movably arranged on the chip mounting mechanism in the left-right direction, and the translation driving piece is located on the left side or the right side of the chip mounting mechanism.

[0019] More preferably, the translation driving member has a clamping groove for inserting the translation piston, the clamping groove has an upward facing notch; and / or, the third driving mechanism comprises a guide rail extending in left-right direction arranged on the chip mounting mechanism and a motor for driving the translation driving member to move, the translation driving member is slidably arranged on the guide rail; and / or, the chip mounting mechanism comprises a chip shell, the chip shell has a chip slot for accommodating the microfluidic chip, a notch for cooperating with the translation driving member is arranged on the left side wall or the right side wall of the chip shell, and the translation driving member has an initial position embedded in the notch.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, the PCR instrument further comprises a magnet assembly, the magnet assembly comprises a mounting base arranged on the base, a permanent magnet movably arranged on the mounting base, and an electromagnet for driving the permanent magnet to move, the electromagnet is arranged on or in the mounting base.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the chip mounting mechanism comprises a chip shell, the chip shell comprises a bottom wall, a front wall, a left wall and a right wall, the four walls surround a chip slot for inserting the microfluidic chip, the rear side of the left wall has a bent edge extending to the right, the rear side of the right wall has a bent edge extending to the left, and the rear edge of the bottom wall is located a distance in front of the bent edges of the left wall and the right wall, thereby forming a hollow part through which the lower part of the microfluidic chip can pass downward, the left wall is provided with a through hole for the first driving pin to pass through, and the right wall is provided with a through hole for the second driving pin to pass through.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment, the first driving mechanism or the second driving mechanism comprises a motor arranged on the base and a worm gear transmission mechanism for connecting the motor and the first driving pin or the second driving pin.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, the fluorescence detection mechanism is movably arranged on the base in the left-right direction.

[0024] More preferably, the fluorescence detection unit comprises one or more detection units, the number of the detection units is less than the number of amplification detection cavities of the microfluidic chip.

[0025] The above scheme is adopted in the present application, which has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0026] The PCR instrument of the present application can automatically perform the whole PCR reaction after the microfluidic chip is loaded, without other manual operation, and can effectively avoid pollution and human error, and the detection is fast and convenient, and the detection result is more accurate, and is especially suitable for nucleic acid extraction, purification and detection. The various mechanisms of the PCR instrument are reasonably arranged, and the structure is compact, so that the PCR instrument is small in size and does not occupy too much space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, the drawings needed in the following embodiment description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0028] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the PCR instrument according to the embodiment of the present application, wherein the cover is not shown;

[0029] Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a front view of the PCR instrument shown in Fig. 1; Figure 1

[0030] Figure 3 Fig. 4 is a top view of the PCR instrument shown in Fig. 1; Figure 1

[0031] Figure 4a Figs. 5 and 6 are structural schematic diagrams of the microfluidic chip from two different perspectives, respectively; Figure 4b

[0032] Figure 5 Fig. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of the moving mechanism;

[0033] Figure 6 Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the chip mounting mechanism, the third driving mechanism and the moving mechanism;

[0034] Figure 7 Fig. 9 is a side view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 8; Figure 6

[0035] Figure 8 Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the chip mounting mechanism and the third driving mechanism;

[0036] Figure 9 Fig. 11 is a side view of the first driving mechanism;

[0037] Figure 10 Fig. 12 is a sectional view in the direction of A-A in Fig. 10; Figure 9

[0038] Figure 11 Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the heating mechanism;

[0039] Figure 12 ​​​​​Front view of heating mechanism;

[0040] Figure 13 Side view of heating mechanism;

[0041] Figure 14 Top view of heating mechanism;

[0042] Figure 15 and Figure 16 Structure diagram of two different perspectives of optical detection mechanism respectively;

[0043] Figure 17 Perspective structure diagram of magnet assembly;

[0044] Figure 18 Top view of magnet assembly.

[0045] Wherein,

[0046] 1, base; 10, bottom plate; 11, mounting plate;

[0047] 2, chip mounting mechanism; 20, chip shell; 200, chip slot; 201, bottom wall; 202, front wall; 203, left wall; 2031, folded edge; 2032, through hole; 2033, notch; 204, right wall; 2041, folded edge; 2042, through hole; 2043, notch; 205, hollow part;

[0048] 3, first driving mechanism; 31, first driving pin; 32, motor; 33, worm gear transmission mechanism; 34, speed reducer;

[0049] 4, second driving mechanism; 41, second driving pin;

[0050] 5, heating mechanism; 50, heating assembly; 500, heat sink; 502, heat conduction plate; 503, heat dissipation fan; 504, thermal insulation cotton; 51, fixing seat; 52, swing rod; 53, connecting rod; 54, linear motor; 55, connecting piece; 56, support plate; a, first rotation shaft; b, second rotation shaft; c, third rotation shaft; d, fourth rotation shaft;

[0051] 6, fluorescence detection mechanism; 60, detection unit; 61, horizontal guide rail; 62, motor;

[0052] 7, moving mechanism; 70, horizontal guide rail; 71, sliding seat; 72, vertical guide rail; 73, first chip motor; 74, second chip motor; 740, screw rod;

[0053] 8, third driving mechanism; 80, translation driving piece; 801, clamping groove; 81, guide rail; 82, motor; 820, screw rod;

[0054] 9. Magnet assembly: 90, mounting base; 91, mounting shaft; 92, permanent magnet; 93, sensor sheet; 94, proximity switch;

[0055] 100. Microfluidic chip; 101. Left rotary piston; 102. Right rotary piston; 103. Translational piston; 104. Separation area; 105. Lower part; 106. Step surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The preferred embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, so that the advantages and features of the present application can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the description of the embodiments is intended to help understand the present application, but is not intended to limit the present application.

[0057] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner" and "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only used to facilitate the description of the present application and simplify the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. Figure 2 For example, left and right correspond to the left and right sides of the paper in the drawing, respectively, and up and down correspond to the lower and upper sides of the paper in the drawing, respectively, and front and back correspond to the direction perpendicular to the paper and the side closer to the observer is the front. The orientation words mentioned herein are all based on the perspective shown in the drawings. Figure 2

[0058] Figures 1 to 3 A PCR instrument according to one embodiment of the present application is shown, which is used for PCR reaction in cooperation with a microfluidic chip, such as nucleic acid extraction, purification and amplification, etc. In combination with the drawing shown, Figures 1 to 3 The PCR instrument includes a base 1 and a chip mounting mechanism 2, a first driving mechanism 3, a second driving mechanism 4, a heating mechanism 5, a fluorescence detection mechanism 6, a moving mechanism 7, a third driving mechanism 8 and a magnet assembly 9, etc. disposed on the base 1. The PCR instrument further includes a cover body (not shown in the drawing) covering the above-mentioned mechanisms and assemblies, and a slit-shaped through hole is formed in the upper side wall of the cover body for the microfluidic chip to enter and exit, which is located directly above the chip mounting mechanism 2.

[0059] The structure of the microfluidic chip 100 is shown in Figure 4a and Figure 4b ​As shown, the microfluidic chip 100 has a plurality of chambers therein, and microchannels are provided between the chambers for liquid to pass through; the microfluidic chip 100 comprises a left rotary piston 101 and a right rotary piston 102 for switching the communication state of the microchannels, by rotating the left rotary piston 101 or the right rotary piston 102, some microchannels can be communicated, while other microchannels are cut off; the microfluidic chip 100 further comprises a translation piston 103 for providing driving force for liquid flow, by moving the translation piston 103, negative pressure or positive pressure can be applied to the liquid to drive it to flow to the designated chamber. The microfluidic chip 100 in the embodiment is a vertical microfluidic chip 100, which has a size (length) along the left-right direction and a size (height) along the up-down direction that are greater than a size (width) along the front-rear direction; the left rotary piston 101 is higher than the right rotary piston 102, and both are rotatably inserted into the body of the microfluidic chip 100 about their own axis, the left end of the left rotary piston 101 is exposed to facilitate the engagement of the first driving mechanism 3, which is mainly used to control the on-off switching of the chambers storing nucleic acid extraction and purification reagents and the purification and separation chamber; the right end of the right rotary piston 102 is exposed to facilitate the engagement of the second driving mechanism 4, which is mainly used to control the on-off switching between the amplification reaction chamber and each amplification detection chamber. The translation piston 103 is movably inserted into the body of the microfluidic chip 100 along the left-right direction, and the left end thereof extends out of the body of the microfluidic chip 100 to facilitate the engagement of the third driving mechanism 8. The upper part of the microfluidic chip 100 is provided with a purification and separation chamber, and a magnetic bead is arranged therein; correspondingly, the left side surface of the body of the microfluidic chip 100 is provided with a separation area 104 capable of being in contact with the magnet assembly 9. The lower part 105 of the microfluidic chip 100 is provided with a plurality of amplification detection chambers arranged side by side along the left-right direction, and the part of the body of the microfluidic chip 100 corresponding to the amplification detection chambers is transparent or translucent to allow light to enter and excitation light to exit. The thickness of the lower part 105 of the microfluidic chip 100 is less than that of the upper part, and has a step surface 106 facing downward.

[0060] The chip mounting mechanism 2 is used to mount the microfluidic chip 100, and is movably arranged on the base 1 along the left-right direction. Figure 3 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the chip mounting mechanism 2 is arranged on the base 1 by a moving mechanism 7 and can move along the left-right direction and the up-down direction relative to the base 1. The moving mechanism 7 comprises a sliding seat 71 connected to the base 1 along the left-right direction and the chip mounting mechanism 2 is arranged on the sliding seat 71 along the up-down direction. Specifically, the base 1 comprises a bottom plate 10 and a plurality of mounting plates 11 extending upwardly and fixed on the bottom plate 10. One of the mounting plates 11 is provided with a horizontal guide rail 70 extending along the left-right direction and the sliding seat 71 is slidably arranged on the horizontal guide rail 70; the sliding seat 71 is provided with a vertical guide rail 72 extending along the up-down direction and the chip mounting mechanism 2 is slidably arranged on the vertical guide rail 72. The moving mechanism 7 further comprises a first chip motor 73 for driving the sliding seat 71 to move along the horizontal guide rail 70 and the sliding seat 71 is connected to the output shaft of the first chip motor 73 through a screw rod; the moving mechanism 7 further comprises a second chip motor 74 for driving the chip mounting mechanism 2 to move along the up-down direction and the chip mounting mechanism 2 is connected to the output shaft of the second chip motor 74 through a screw rod 740, which extends along the up-down direction and is rotatably arranged on the mounting plate 11 along the axis thereof.

[0061] In combination Figures 6 to 8As shown, the chip mounting mechanism 2 comprises a chip shell 20, and a chip slot 200 is formed in the chip shell 20 for accommodating the microfluidic chip 100. The chip shell 20 comprises a bottom wall 201, a front wall 202, a left wall 203 and a right wall 204, and the four walls enclose the chip slot 200 for inserting the microfluidic chip 100. The rear side of the left wall 203 has a bent edge 2031 extending to the right, and the rear side of the right wall 204 has a bent edge 2041 extending to the left. The bent edges 2031 and 2041 serve as a limiting function for the microfluidic chip 100 to prevent the microfluidic chip 100 from falling out of the rear side of the chip slot 200. The rear edge of the bottom wall 201 is located at a distance in front of the bent edges 2031 and 2041 of the left wall 203 and the right wall 204, thereby forming a hollow part 205 through which the lower part of the microfluidic chip 100 can pass downward. The left wall 203 is provided with a through hole 2032 and an upper notch 2033, and the right wall 204 is provided with a through hole 2042 and an upper notch 2043. When the microfluidic chip 100 is mounted into the chip shell 20, the stepped surface 106 abuts against the bottom wall 201, and the lower part of the microfluidic chip 100 passes through the chip shell 20 and is located below the chip shell 20, so that the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 can irradiate and collect fluorescence from the amplification detection cavity at the lower part of the microfluidic chip 100. The left end of the left rotary piston 101 of the microfluidic chip 100 is opposite to the through hole 2032 on the left wall 203, and the right end of the translation piston 103 is located in the notch 2043 on the right wall 204. The right end of the right rotary piston 102 is opposite to the through hole 2042 on the right wall 204, and the separation region 104 is opposite to the notch 2033 on the left wall 203. The region to be heated of the microfluidic chip 100 faces the rear side and is not blocked by the chip shell 20, and can directly contact the heating mechanism 5.

[0062] As shown in Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 9 , Figure 10 The first driving mechanism 3 is located on the left side of the chip mounting mechanism 2, and the first driving mechanism 3 comprises a first driving pin 31 for engaging with the left rotary piston 101 of the microfluidic chip 100 to drive the rotation thereof. The second driving mechanism 4 is located on the right side of the chip mounting mechanism 2, and the second driving mechanism 4 comprises a second driving pin 41 for engaging with the right rotary piston 102 of the microfluidic chip 100 to drive the rotation thereof. The chip mounting mechanism 2 has at least a first position for engaging the microfluidic chip 100 with the first driving pin 31 and disengaging the microfluidic chip 100 from the second driving pin 41, and a second position for engaging the microfluidic chip 100 with the second driving pin 41 and disengaging the microfluidic chip 100 from the first driving pin 31.

[0063] In the top view, the first driving mechanism 3 and the second driving mechanism 4 are centrally symmetrical, and the following will be described in combination with Figure 9 and Figure 10The first driving mechanism 3 will be described in detail, and the second driving mechanism 4 is similar to the first driving mechanism 3. Referring to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , the first driving mechanism 3 comprises a motor 32 arranged on the base 1 and a worm gear transmission mechanism 33 for connecting the motor 32 and the first driving pin 31, the worm gear transmission mechanism 33 is arranged in a speed reducer 34, and the speed reducer 34 is fixedly arranged on the bottom plate 10 of the base 1. Specifically, the output shaft of the motor 32 extends in the front-rear direction, the axis of the first driving pin 31 extends in the left-right direction, and after the motor 32 operates, the torque output by the motor 32 changes direction through the worm gear transmission mechanism 33 to drive the first driving pin 31 to rotate, which in turn drives the left rotating piston 101 of the microfluidic chip 100 to rotate. The second driving mechanism 4 also comprises a motor and a worm gear transmission mechanism, and the working principle is similar to that of the first driving mechanism 3, which will not be described here.

[0064] The heating mechanism 5 is located at the rear side of the chip mounting mechanism 2 to heat the microfluidic chip 100. Referring to Figures 11 to 14 , the heating mechanism 5 comprises a heating assembly 50 movably arranged on the base 1 and capable of approaching or moving away from the microfluidic chip 100. The heating assembly 50 has a first heating area and a second heating area located below the first heating area, the temperatures of the first heating area and the second heating area are different, and the chip mounting mechanism 2 moves in the up-down direction to be able to be attached to different heating areas.

[0065] The heating assembly 50 is rotatably arranged on the base 1 through a rotating shaft, and the axis of the rotating shaft extends in the left-right direction. Specifically, the heating mechanism 5 further comprises a fixed seat 51, a swing rod 52, a connecting rod 53, a power source, and a connecting piece 55 capable of being driven by the power source to move in the left-right direction, the fixed seat 51 is arranged on the base 1, the swing rod 52 is rotatably connected to the fixed seat 51 through a first rotating shaft a, the power source is arranged on the swing rod 52, the connecting piece 55 is rotatably connected to one end of the connecting rod 53 through a second rotating shaft b, the other end of the connecting rod 53 is rotatably connected to the fixed seat 51 through a third rotating shaft c, and the heating assembly 50 is arranged on the connecting rod 53. The power source comprises a linear motor 54, and the connecting piece 55 is arranged on the output shaft of the linear motor 54. The axes of the first rotating shaft a, the second rotating shaft b, and the third rotating shaft c respectively extend in the left-right direction and are parallel to each other but do not coincide. The heating mechanism 5 further comprises a support plate 56 rotatably connected to the fixed seat 51 through a fourth rotating shaft d, the axes of the fourth rotating shaft d and the third rotating shaft c coincide with each other, and the heating assembly 50 is arranged on the support plate 56 and the connecting rod 53. The heating assembly 50 swings in this way to be able to be attached to or separated from the microfluidic chip 100, without occupying too much space, so that the structure is compact; and through the movable connection of the connecting rod 53 and the like, excessive friction loss between components is avoided.

[0066] The heating assembly 50 specifically comprises a heat sink 500, a plurality of heating elements (not shown in the figure) arranged on the front side of the heat sink 500, a plurality of heat-conducting plates 502 respectively covering each heating element, and a heat-dissipating fan 503 arranged on the back side of the heat sink 500. The plurality of heating elements are arranged in the up-down direction, and the plurality of heat-conducting plates 502 are also arranged in the up-down direction. One of the heat-conducting plates 502 forms a first heating area, and another heat-conducting plate 502 below it forms a second heating area. The heating element is specifically a TEC cooling fin, which is embedded in the back of the heat-conducting plate 502. The heating assembly 50 also comprises heat insulation cotton arranged around the heating element. Each heating element can have a different temperature, and by moving the chip mounting mechanism 2 up and down, the amplification reaction can be carried out at different temperatures according to the set reaction program.

[0067] The fluorescence detection mechanism 6 is located on the lower side of the chip mounting mechanism 2, and is used to fit or approach the lower part 105 of the microfluidic chip 100 to irradiate and collect the excitation light of the amplification detection cavity thereof. Referring to Figure 15 and Figure 16 The fluorescence detection mechanism 6 is movably arranged on the base 1 in the left-right direction. Specifically, the bottom plate 10 of the base 1 is provided with a horizontal guide rail 61 extending in the left-right direction, and the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 is slidably arranged on the horizontal guide rail 61. The bottom plate 10 is also provided with a motor 62 for driving the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 to move left and right, and the motor 62 is specifically connected to the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 through a screw rod. By moving the fluorescence detection mechanism 6, the detection of all amplification detection cavities of the microfluidic chip 100 can be completed by one fluorescence detection mechanism 6. For example, in a specific example, the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 has four detection units 60 corresponding to four different colors of excitation light, and the plurality of detection units 60 are arranged in sequence in the left-right direction. The microfluidic chip 100 has 12 amplification detection cavities arranged in the left-right direction. The fluorescence detection mechanism 6 is first aligned with the amplification detection cavities 1 to 4. After detection is completed, the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 is moved to align with the amplification detection cavities 5 to 8. After detection is completed, the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 is moved again to align with the amplification detection cavities 9 to 12, thereby completing the detection of all amplification detection cavities.

[0068] In combination with Figures 6 to 8As shown, the third driving mechanism 8 is arranged on the chip mounting mechanism 2, and the third driving mechanism 8 comprises a translation driving member 80 for engaging with the translation piston 103 of the microfluidic chip 100 to drive the translation piston 103 to move. The translation driving member 80 is movably arranged on the chip mounting mechanism 2 in the left-right direction, and the translation driving member 80 is located on the right side of the chip mounting mechanism 2. The translation driving member 80 can move leftward and rightward together with the chip mounting mechanism 2, and can also move leftward and rightward relative to the chip mounting mechanism 2 to drive the translation piston 103 to slide leftward and rightward in the body of the microfluidic chip 100. The translation driving member 80 has a clamping groove 801 for the translation piston 103 to be inserted, and the clamping groove 801 has a slot opening upward. When the translation driving member 80 is in the initial position, the translation driving member 80 is embedded in the notch 2043 of the right wall 204 of the chip shell 20, and when the microfluidic chip 100 is inserted into the chip shell 20, the right end of the translation piston 103 of the microfluidic chip 100 falls into the clamping groove 801 of the translation driving member 80 from top to bottom, engages with the translation driving member 80, and the translation driving member 80 always keeps engaging with the translation piston 103 during the whole detection process.

[0069] The third driving mechanism 8 further comprises a guide rail 81 and a motor 82. The guide rail 81 extends in the left-right direction and is arranged on the chip mounting mechanism 2, and specifically is fixedly connected with the chip shell 20. The translation driving member 80 is slidably arranged on the guide rail 81. The motor 82 is arranged on the chip mounting mechanism 2, and the motor 82 is used to drive the translation driving member 80 to slide leftward and rightward. Specifically, the motor is connected with the translation driving member 80 through a screw rod 820.

[0070] The magnet assembly 9 is used to apply a magnetic field to the magnetic beads in the purification and separation chamber in the microfluidic chip 100. In the case that the rotating piston 101 on the left side of the microfluidic chip 100 engages with the first driving pin 31, the magnet assembly 9 has at least a first state and a second state. In the first state, the purification and separation chamber is located in the magnetic field of the magnet assembly 9. In the second state, the purification and separation chamber is out of the magnetic field of the magnet assembly 9. For details, please refer to Figure 17 and Figure 18As shown, the magnet assembly 9 comprises a mounting base 90 arranged on the base 1, a permanent magnet 92 movably arranged on the mounting base 90, and an electromagnet (not shown in the figure) for driving the permanent magnet 92 to move, which is arranged on or in the mounting base 90. Specifically, the mounting base 90 is fixedly arranged on the reduction box 34 of the first driving mechanism 3, the permanent magnet 92 is movably arranged on the mounting base 90 through a mounting shaft 91 extending along the left-right direction and movably connected to the mounting base 90 along the left-right direction, and the permanent magnet 92 is fixedly arranged at the left end of the mounting shaft 91 and faces the right side; the electromagnet is arranged in the mounting base 90 to drive the mounting shaft 91 to move, when the electromagnet is powered on, the mounting shaft 91 extends to the right to drive the permanent magnet 92 to move and adhere to the separation area 104 of the microfluidic chip 100, a magnetic field is applied to the purification separation chamber, and the magnet assembly 9 is in the first state; when the electromagnet is powered off, the mounting shaft 91 retracts to the left, the permanent magnet 92 is separated from the separation area 104 of the microfluidic chip 100, and the magnetic field thereof is away from the purification separation chamber, and the magnet assembly 9 is in the second state. The mounting shaft 91 is also provided with a sensor sheet 93, and the mounting base 90 is provided with a proximity switch 94 for detecting the position of the permanent magnet 92, which is specifically an optical sensor, when the sensor sheet 93 enters or exits the detection area of the optical sensor, the optical sensor is triggered.

[0071] The working process of the PCR instrument is as follows:

[0072] Insert the microfluidic chip 100 into the chip slot 200, and after insertion, the right end of the translation piston 103 falls into the clamping groove 801 of the translation driving member 80 to make them engage;

[0073] When it is necessary to rotate the left rotating piston 101 to connect some chambers, the chip mounting mechanism 2 is moved leftward as a whole, the first driving pin 31 and the left end of the left rotating piston 101 are engaged (specifically, the first driving pin 31 passes through the through hole 2032 on the chip shell 20 and is inserted into the cross slot on the left end of the left rotating piston 101), the motor of the first driving mechanism 3 operates, and the first driving pin 31 rotates to drive the left rotating piston 101 to rotate; at this time, the right rotating piston 102 is separated from the microfluidic chip 100; at the same time, the translation driving member 80 and the translation piston 103 are engaged with each other, when the left rotating piston 101 connects some chambers, the motor 82 of the third driving mechanism 8 operates, the translation driving member 80 moves leftward and rightward to drive the translation piston 103 to move leftward and rightward in the microfluidic chip 100 to provide negative pressure or positive pressure to push the liquid to flow between the connected chambers;

[0074] When the right rotating piston 102 needs to be rotated to connect some other chambers, the chip mounting mechanism 2 is moved to the right as a whole, the second driving pin 41 is engaged with the right end of the right rotating piston 102 (specifically, the second driving pin 41 is inserted into the cross slot on the right end of the right rotating piston 102 through the through hole 2032 on the chip shell 20), the motor of the second driving mechanism 4 is operated, the second driving pin 41 is rotated to drive the right rotating piston 102 to rotate; at this time, the left rotating piston 101 and the permanent magnet 92 are both disengaged from the microfluidic chip 100; at the same time, the translation driving member 80 and the translation piston 103 are engaged with each other, when the right rotating piston 102 connects some chambers, the motor 82 of the third driving mechanism 8 is operated, the translation driving member 80 is moved left and right to drive the translation piston 103 to move left and right in the microfluidic chip 100 to provide negative pressure or positive pressure to push the liquid to flow between the connected chambers;

[0075] When the magnetic beads (specifically located in a purification and separation chamber) in the microfluidic chip 100 need to be adsorbed to separate the extracted nucleic acid, the chip mounting mechanism 2 is moved to the left as a whole to the specified position, the electromagnet of the magnet assembly 9 is powered on, the mounting shaft 91 is extended to the right, and the permanent magnet 92 is attached to the separation area 104 on the left side of the microfluidic chip 100; at the same time, the left rotating piston 101 is engaged with the first driving pin 31 and the translation piston 103 is engaged with the translation driving member 80, the left rotating piston 101 is rotated to connect the sample extraction and separation chamber and the waste liquid chamber, and then the translation piston 103 is moved left and right to make the separated waste liquid flow into the waste liquid chamber;

[0076] When the microfluidic chip 100 performs amplification reaction, the linear motor 54 of the heating mechanism 5 is operated to swing the heating assembly 50 forward to attach to the back side of the microfluidic chip 100, after attachment, according to the cycle program, the microfluidic chip 100 and the first heating area are attached for a period of time to perform reaction at the first temperature; the chip mounting mechanism 2 is moved downward to attach the microfluidic chip 100 and the second heating area for a period of time to perform reaction at the second temperature; the chip mounting mechanism 2 is moved upward to attach the microfluidic chip 100 and the first heating area, and the step is repeated according to the cycle number;

[0077] When the fluorescence needs to be collected, the chip mounting mechanism 2 is moved downward, the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 is opposite to the amplification and detection chamber of the microfluidic chip 100, and the fluorescence detection mechanism 6 is moved left and right to complete the detection of all the amplification and detection chambers.

[0078] The PCR instrument can automatically perform the entire PCR reaction after the microfluidic chip 100 is loaded, without other manual operations, and the detection is fast and convenient, and the detection result is relatively accurate, and the PCR instrument is especially suitable for nucleic acid extraction, purification and detection. The various mechanisms of the PCR instrument are reasonably arranged, and the structure is compact, so that the PCR instrument is small in size and does not occupy too much space.

[0079] As shown in the specification and claims, the terms "comprise" and "include" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements explicitly identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list, and the method or device can also include other steps or elements. The term "and / or" used herein includes any combination of one or more related listed items.

[0080] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, when a certain feature is referred to as "fixed" or "connected" to another feature, it can be directly fixed or connected to the other feature, or indirectly fixed or connected to the other feature. In addition, the up, down, left, right and other descriptions used in the present application are only relative to the relative positions of the components of the present application in the drawings.

[0081] It should be further understood that the terms "first", "second", and the like are used to describe various information, but these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other, and do not indicate a specific order or importance. In fact, the expressions of "first", "second", etc. can be completely interchangeable. For example, the first information can also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information can also be referred to as the first information without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0082] The above examples are only for illustrating the technical concept and characteristics of the present application, and are a preferred embodiment, and the purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present application and implement it, and cannot limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent transformation or modification made according to the principle of the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A PCR instrument, characterized by, The PCR instrument comprises: a base; a chip mounting mechanism for mounting a microfluidic chip, the chip mounting mechanism being movably arranged on the base in the left-right direction; a first driving mechanism located at the left side of the chip mounting mechanism, the first driving mechanism comprising a first driving pin for engaging with a left-side rotary piston of the microfluidic chip to drive the rotary piston to rotate; a second driving mechanism located at the right side of the chip mounting mechanism, the second driving mechanism comprising a second driving pin for engaging with a right-side rotary piston of the microfluidic chip to drive the rotary piston to rotate; a heating mechanism located at the back side of the chip mounting mechanism to heat the microfluidic chip, the heating mechanism comprising a heating assembly movably arranged on the base to be able to approach or move away from the microfluidic chip; a fluorescence detection mechanism located at the lower side of the chip mounting mechanism; the chip mounting mechanism has at least a first position for engaging the microfluidic chip with the first driving pin and disengaging the microfluidic chip from the second driving pin, and a second position for engaging the microfluidic chip with the second driving pin and disengaging the microfluidic chip from the first driving pin; a region to be heated of the microfluidic chip is configured to face the back side and is not shielded by the chip shell, so as to be able to directly contact the heating mechanism; the heating assembly has a first heating region and a second heating region located below the first heating region, the temperatures of the first heating region and the second heating region are different, and the chip mounting mechanism is further movably arranged on the base in the up-down direction; the PCR instrument further comprises a third driving mechanism, the third driving mechanism comprising a translation driving member for engaging with a translation piston of the microfluidic chip to drive the translation piston to move, the translation driving member being movably arranged on the chip mounting mechanism in the left-right direction, and the translation driving member being located at the left side or the right side of the chip mounting mechanism; the PCR instrument further comprises a magnet assembly for applying a magnetic field to a purification separation chamber in the microfluidic chip; the chip mounting mechanism comprises a chip shell, the chip shell comprising a bottom wall, a front wall, a left wall and a right wall, the four walls surrounding a chip slot for inserting the microfluidic chip, the back side of the left wall having a bent edge extending to the right, the back side of the right wall having a bent edge extending to the left, and the back edge of the bottom wall being located at a distance in front of the bent edges of the left wall and the right wall, thereby forming a hollow part through which the lower part of the microfluidic chip can pass downward, the left wall being provided with a through hole for the first driving pin to pass through, and the right wall being provided with a through hole for the second driving pin to pass through; the left wall or the right wall of the chip shell is provided with a notch matched with the translation driving member, and the translation driving member has an initial position embedded in the notch.

2. The PCR machine of claim 1, wherein, The chip mounting mechanism is arranged on the base by a moving mechanism, the moving mechanism comprising a sliding seat movably connected to the base in the left-right direction and a vertical guide rail arranged on the sliding seat, and the chip mounting mechanism is movably arranged on the vertical guide rail in the up-down direction.

3. The PCR machine of claim 1, wherein, The heating assembly is rotatably arranged on the base through a rotating shaft, and an axis of the rotating shaft extends along a left-right direction.

4. The PCR machine of claim 3, wherein, The heating mechanism further comprises a fixed base, a swing rod, a connecting rod, a power source and a connecting piece capable of moving along a left-right direction driven by the power source, the fixed base is arranged on the base, the swing rod is rotatably connected to the fixed base through a first rotating shaft, the power source is arranged on the swing rod, the connecting piece is rotatably connected to one end of the connecting rod through a second rotating shaft, the other end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the fixed base through a third rotating shaft, and the heating assembly is arranged on the connecting rod.

5. The PCR machine of claim 4, wherein, The power source comprises a linear motor, and the connecting piece is arranged on an output shaft of the linear motor; the axis of the first rotating shaft, the second rotating shaft and the third rotating shaft respectively extend along the left-right direction and are parallel to each other but not coincident with each other; the heating mechanism further comprises a support plate rotatably connected to the fixed base through a fourth rotating shaft, the axis of the fourth rotating shaft and the third rotating shaft are coincident with each other, and the heating assembly is arranged on the support plate and the connecting rod.

6. The PCR machine of claim 1, wherein, The translation driving piece has a clamping groove for inserting the translation piston, and the clamping groove has an upwardly facing slot; and / or the third driving mechanism comprises a guide rail extending along a left-right direction arranged on the chip mounting mechanism and a motor for driving the translation driving piece to move, and the translation driving piece is slidably arranged on the guide rail.

7. The PCR machine of claim 1, wherein, The magnet assembly comprises a mounting base arranged on the base, a permanent magnet movably arranged on the mounting base and an electromagnet for driving the permanent magnet to move, and the electromagnet is arranged on or in the mounting base.

8. The PCR machine of claim 1, wherein, The first driving mechanism or the second driving mechanism comprises a motor arranged on the base and a worm gear transmission mechanism for connecting the motor and the first driving pin or the second driving pin; and / or the fluorescence detection mechanism is movably arranged on the base along a left-right direction. The first driving mechanism or the second driving mechanism comprises a motor arranged on the base and a worm gear transmission mechanism for connecting the motor and the first driving pin or the second driving pin; and / or the fluorescence detection mechanism is movably arranged on the base along a left-right direction.

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