Microfluidic system, microfluidic dispensing method, processing device and storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a microfluidic system, a microfluidic dispensing method, a processing device and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of data processing. The microfluidic system comprises a processing device, an input unit, a microfluidic chip and an image acquisition device; the processing device is connected with the input unit and is used for inputting a first control instruction to the input unit; the input unit is connected with the microfluidic chip and is used for inputting a driving signal to a first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control instruction, so as to control the movement and ejection of a mother liquid drop on the microfluidic chip, wherein the microfluidic chip comprises a plurality of electrodes arranged in sequence; the image acquisition device is connected with the processing device and is used for acquiring a first satellite liquid drop image formed by ejection on the microfluidic chip and sending the first satellite liquid drop image to the processing device; and the processing device is used for determining a first ejection amount according to the first satellite liquid drop image. The amount of microfluid is calculated through the satellite liquid drop image, and the influence on biochemical tests is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of data processing technology, and more specifically, to a microfluidic system, a microfluidic distribution method, a processing device, and a storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In biochemical experiments, it is often necessary to dispense specific volumes of liquid, making microfluidic sample manipulation more challenging. Microfluidic sample dispensing can be performed on chips, but highly precise dispensing of microfluidics presents certain challenges and has become a research hotspot.

[0003] In related technologies, a channel-based microfluidic platform has been developed, which uses external forces such as air pressure to force a continuous flow of microfluidic fluid through a microchannel to achieve the distribution of microfluidic fluid. The amount of distributed microfluidic fluid is calculated by adding fluorescent substances to the microfluidic fluid.

[0004] However, among related technologies, the structure of channel-based microfluidic platforms is relatively complex. Moreover, when adding fluorescent substances to microfluidics to calculate volume, the fluorescent substances may affect the microfluidics and thus impact biochemical experiments. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a microfluidic system, a microfluidic distribution method, a processing device, and a storage medium, so as to solve the aforementioned technical problems in the related technologies.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a microfluidic system, including: a processing device, an input unit, a microfluidic chip, and an image acquisition device;

[0008] The processing device is connected to the input unit and is used to input a first control command to the input unit; the input unit is connected to the microfluidic chip and is used to input a drive signal to a first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and spraying of mother liquid droplets on the microfluidic chip, wherein the microfluidic chip includes: a plurality of electrodes arranged in sequence, and the first target electrode is a portion of the plurality of electrodes;

[0009] The image acquisition device is connected to the processing device and is used to acquire an image of the first satellite droplet formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip and send the first satellite droplet image to the processing device.

[0010] The processing device is used to determine the first injection volume based on the first satellite droplet image.

[0011] Optionally, the input unit is a relay array, which includes multiple relay branches;

[0012] The relay array is used to control the on / off state of the plurality of relay branches according to the first control command, so as to input a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip.

[0013] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention also provide a microfluidic dispensing method, applied to a processing device in the microfluidic system described in the first aspect above, the method comprising:

[0014] A first control command is input to the input unit so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and ejection of the mother liquid droplets on the microfluidic chip;

[0015] The first jet volume is determined based on the first satellite droplet image formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0016] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0017] Determine whether the first injection volume is within a preset volume range;

[0018] If the first injection volume is less than the minimum volume in the preset volume range, then a second control command is determined based on the first injection volume;

[0019] The input unit is given a second control command, which causes the input unit to input a drive signal to the second target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the second control command, thereby controlling the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the first satellite droplet image, and to input a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to be ejected again;

[0020] The second jet volume is determined based on the second satellite droplet image until the sum of the first jet volume and the second jet volume is within the preset volume range, wherein the second satellite droplet image is an image of satellite droplets formed by re-jetting on the microfluidic chip, acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0021] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0022] If the first injection volume is greater than the maximum volume in the preset volume range, a third control command is input to the input unit so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the third target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the third control command, controls the mother droplet on the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the satellite droplet image, and inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to re-eject;

[0023] The third jet volume is determined based on the third satellite droplet image until the third jet volume is within the preset volume range, wherein the third satellite droplet image is an image of the satellite droplets re-ejected on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0024] Optionally, determining the second control command based on the first injection quantity includes:

[0025] The target injection amount is calculated based on the preset volume within the preset volume range and the first injection amount;

[0026] Based on the target injection volume, determine the injection rate and injection duration;

[0027] The second control command is determined based on the injection rate and the injection duration.

[0028] Optionally, determining the first jetting volume based on the image of the first satellite droplet formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device includes:

[0029] Calculate the volume of each satellite droplet in the first satellite droplet image;

[0030] The sum of the volumes of each satellite droplet is taken as the first injection amount.

[0031] Optionally, calculating the volume of each satellite droplet in the first satellite droplet image includes:

[0032] Determine the maximum radius of each satellite droplet;

[0033] The volume of each satellite droplet is calculated based on the maximum radius and a preset fitting curve, wherein the preset fitting curve is used to characterize the correspondence between the maximum radius of the satellite droplet and the volume of the satellite droplet.

[0034] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a processing device, including: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program executable by the processor, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the microfluidic distribution method described in any of the second aspects above.

[0035] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein when the computer program is read and executed, it implements the microfluidic dispensing method described in any of the second aspects above.

[0036] Fifthly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a microfluidic dispensing device, applied to the processing equipment in the microfluidic system described in the first aspect above, the device comprising:

[0037] An input module is used to input a first control command to an input unit, so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and spraying of the mother liquid droplets on the microfluidic chip;

[0038] The determination module is used to determine the first jet volume based on the first satellite droplet image formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0039] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0040] The judgment module is used to determine whether the first injection volume is within a preset volume range;

[0041] The first determining module is used to determine a second control command based on the first injection quantity if the first injection quantity is less than the minimum volume in the preset volume range.

[0042] The first input module is used to input the second control command to the input unit, so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the second target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the second control command, controls the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the first satellite droplet image, and inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to be ejected again;

[0043] The second determining module is used to determine the second injection amount based on the second satellite droplet image until the sum of the first injection amount and the second injection amount is within the preset volume range, wherein the second satellite droplet image is an image of satellite droplets formed by re-ejection on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0044] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0045] The second input module is used to input a third control command to the input unit if the first injection volume is greater than the maximum volume in the preset volume range, so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the third target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the third control command, controls the mother droplet on the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the satellite droplet image, and inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to re-eject;

[0046] The third determining module is used to determine the third injection amount based on the third satellite droplet image until the third injection amount is within the preset volume range, wherein the third satellite droplet image is an image of the satellite droplets re-ejected on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0047] Optionally, the first determining module is specifically configured to calculate the target injection quantity based on the preset volume within the preset volume range and the first injection quantity; determine the injection rate and injection duration based on the target injection quantity; and determine the second control command based on the injection rate and the injection duration.

[0048] Optionally, the determining module is specifically used to calculate the volume of each satellite droplet in the first satellite droplet image; and to use the sum of the volumes of each satellite droplet as the first injection amount.

[0049] Optionally, the determining module is specifically used to determine the maximum radius of each satellite droplet; and to calculate the volume of each satellite droplet based on the maximum radius and a preset fitting curve, wherein the preset fitting curve is used to characterize the correspondence between the maximum radius of the satellite droplet and the volume of the satellite droplet.

[0050] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This application provides a microfluidic system, including: a processing device, an input unit, a microfluidic chip, and an image acquisition device; the processing device is connected to the input unit and is used to input a first control command to the input unit; the input unit is connected to the microfluidic chip and is used to input a drive signal to a first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and ejection of mother fluid droplets on the microfluidic chip, wherein the microfluidic chip includes: a plurality of electrodes arranged sequentially, and the first target electrode is a portion of the plurality of electrodes; the image acquisition device is connected to the processing device and is used to acquire images of first satellite droplets formed by ejection on the microfluidic chip and send the first satellite droplet images to the processing device; the processing device is used to determine a first ejection amount based on the first satellite droplet images. The processing device inputs the first control command to the input unit, and the input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, realizing the distribution of microfluidics on the microfluidic chip. The first ejection amount can be determined based on the satellite droplet images, eliminating the need to add fluorescent substances to the microfluidics. Calculating the amount of microfluidics through satellite droplet images reduces the impact on biochemical experiments. Attached Figure Description

[0051] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0052] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a microfluidic system provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of multiple electrodes on a microfluidic chip provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 6 A schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 7A schematic diagram of an experimental result provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 8 A schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 9 A schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a microfluidic distribution device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0062] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a processing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0063] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments.

[0064] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0065] In the description of this application, it should be noted that if the terms "upper", "lower", etc. appear to indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship that the product of this application is usually placed in, it is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0066] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Additionally, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0067] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0068] In related technologies, channel-based microfluidic platforms have been developed. These platforms utilize external forces, such as air pressure, to force a continuous flow of microfluidic fluid through microchannels, thereby distributing the microfluidic fluid. The amount of distributed microfluidic fluid is then calculated by adding fluorescent substances. However, channel-based microfluidic platforms are structurally complex, and the addition of fluorescent substances to calculate volume can potentially affect the microfluidic flow and thus impact biochemical experiments.

[0069] To address the aforementioned technical problems in related technologies, this application provides a microfluidic system, including: a processing device, an input unit, a microfluidic chip, and an image acquisition device. The processing device is connected to the input unit, and the input unit is connected to the microfluidic chip. The input unit can input a driving signal to a first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to a first control command, thereby realizing the distribution of microfluidics on the microfluidic chip. This eliminates the need to construct microchannels such as air pressure channels, simplifying the structure of the microfluidic system. Furthermore, the image acquisition device can acquire satellite droplet images formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip. The processing device can determine the first jetting volume based on the satellite droplet images, eliminating the need to add fluorescent substances to the microfluidic. The amount of microfluidic is calculated through satellite droplet images, reducing the impact on biochemical experiments.

[0070] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a microfluidic system provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the microfluidic system may include: a processing device 101, an input unit 102, a microfluidic chip 103, and an image acquisition device 104;

[0071] The processing device 101 is connected to the input unit 102 and is used to input a first control command to the input unit 102. The input unit 102 is connected to the microfluidic chip 103 and is used to input a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip 103 according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and spraying of the mother liquid droplets on the microfluidic chip 103. The microfluidic chip 103 includes a plurality of electrodes arranged in sequence, and the first target electrode is a portion of the plurality of electrodes.

[0072] In addition, the image acquisition device 104 is connected to the processing device and is used to acquire images of the first satellite droplets formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip 103 and send the first satellite droplet images to the processing device; the processing device is used to determine the first jetting amount based on the first satellite droplet images.

[0073] In some embodiments, the processing device 101 inputs a first control command to the input unit 102, and the input unit 102 inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip 103 according to the first control command, thereby controlling the movement and ejection of the mother droplet on the microfluidic chip 103. The image acquisition device acquires an image of the first satellite droplet formed by the ejection on the microfluidic chip 103 and sends the first satellite droplet image to the processing device. The processing device receives the first satellite droplet image and determines the first ejection amount based on the first satellite droplet image.

[0074] In this embodiment, the microfluidic system can be a closed-loop microfluidic sample dispensing system with volume self-control. If the first injection volume does not reach the expected target, the above process can be executed again to achieve the re-injection of the mother liquor droplet.

[0075] It should be noted that the input unit 102 can be a switching device. The first control command is used to control the opening and closing of the input unit 102, and inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip 103 through the input unit 102. This microfluidic system may also include a signal generator and a transformer, wherein the signal generator and the transformer are connected, and the transformer is connected to the input unit 102. The signal generator can generate an AC signal (alternating signal), and the transformer can amplify the AC signal and convert it into a drive signal, which is then input to the input unit 102.

[0076] In addition, the image acquisition device 104 can acquire high-definition images; optionally, the image acquisition device 104 can be a microscope with a camera.

[0077] In summary, this application provides a microfluidic system, including: a processing device, an input unit, a microfluidic chip, and an image acquisition device; the processing device is connected to the input unit and is used to input a first control command to the input unit; the input unit is connected to the microfluidic chip and is used to input a drive signal to a first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and ejection of mother fluid droplets on the microfluidic chip, wherein the microfluidic chip includes: a plurality of electrodes arranged in sequence, and the first target electrode is a portion of the plurality of electrodes; the image acquisition device is connected to the processing device and is used to acquire a first satellite droplet image formed by ejection on the microfluidic chip and send the first satellite droplet image to the processing device; the processing device is used to determine a first ejection amount according to the first satellite droplet image. The processing device inputs the first control command to the input unit, and the input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, thereby realizing the distribution of microfluidic fluid on the microfluidic chip. The first ejection amount can be determined according to the satellite droplet image, eliminating the need to add fluorescent substances to the microfluidic fluid. The amount of microfluidic fluid is calculated through the satellite droplet image, reducing the impact on biochemical experiments.

[0078] Optionally, the input unit 102 is a relay array, which includes multiple relay branches.

[0079] The relay array can be used to control the on / off state of multiple relay branches according to the first control command, so as to input a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip 103.

[0080] In this embodiment of the application, each relay branch can be connected to one of multiple electrodes. When the relay branch is in the on state, a drive signal can be input to the electrode connected to the relay branch.

[0081] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of multiple electrodes on a microfluidic chip provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown, multiple electrodes are arranged sequentially, including: an electrode corresponding to the first moving region, an electrode corresponding to the second moving region, an electrode corresponding to the jetting region, and an electrode 106 corresponding to the third moving region. The electrode corresponding to the jetting region includes: a fixation electrode 1041 and a jetting electrode 1042. The fixation electrode 1041 is used to fix the mother droplet, and the jetting electrode 1042 is used to contain the satellite droplets formed by the jetting. Figure 2 The number of electrodes 106 corresponding to the third moving region is two. This is just an example, and the embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0082] It should be noted that the first target electrode can be the electrode corresponding to the first moving region and the electrode corresponding to the spraying region. By inputting a driving signal to the first target electrode, the mother liquid droplet on one of the electrodes corresponding to the first moving region can be controlled to move to the stationary electrode 1041, and the mother liquid droplet can be sprayed. The satellite droplet formed after spraying can be accommodated on the spraying electrode.

[0083] The second target electrode can be the electrode corresponding to the second moving region. Inputting a drive signal to the second target electrode can control the pickup droplet on one of the electrodes corresponding to the second moving region to move to the jet electrode 1042, so that the pickup droplet can pick up the satellite droplet on the jet electrode 1042. The pickup droplet is the droplet of the microfluidic to be added.

[0084] In addition, the third target electrode can be the electrode corresponding to the third moving area. Inputting a driving signal to the third target electrode can control the mother liquid droplet to move to the jet electrode 1042 so that the mother liquid droplet can pick up the satellite droplet on the jet electrode 1042. When the jetted satellite droplet is excessive, the mother liquid droplet can be used to pick it up. That is, the satellite droplet sprayed this time is unqualified and will not be added to the pick-up droplet.

[0085] This application also provides a microfluidic dispensing method, applied to the processing device in the above-mentioned microfluidic system. The following is an explanation of the microfluidic dispensing method provided by this application.

[0086] Optional, Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the method may include:

[0087] S301. Input a first control command to the input unit so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and spraying of the mother liquid droplets on the microfluidic chip.

[0088] In some implementations, the processing device inputs a first control command to the input unit. The input unit can receive the first control command and control its own opening and closing state according to the first control command. The input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet on the microfluidic chip to move to the stationary electrode and control the spraying of the mother droplet. The satellite droplet formed by the spraying falls on the spraying electrode.

[0089] The stationary electrode and the jetting electrode are adjacent to each other, as described above. Figure 2 The structure in.

[0090] S302. Determine the first jet volume based on the first satellite droplet image formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0091] The image acquisition device can be positioned above the jetting electrode of the microfluidic chip.

[0092] In this embodiment of the application, the image acquisition device can acquire an image of a first satellite droplet formed on the jetting electrode of the microfluidic chip and send the first satellite droplet image to the processor, which can receive the first satellite droplet image.

[0093] In some implementations, the first satellite droplet image can be an RGB (red, green, and blue) image. The first satellite droplet image can be grayscale processed to obtain a single-channel grayscale image. An adaptive threshold binarization algorithm is used to convert the grayscale image into a binary image with only grayscale values ​​of 0 and 255. Contour detection is performed on the binary image to obtain contour information such as the perimeter and area of ​​the pattern in the image. Patterns with low roundness values ​​are deleted, leaving only the pattern of the satellite droplet. Based on the pattern of the satellite droplet, the first ejection amount is calculated.

[0094] In summary, this application provides a microfluidic dispensing method, which may include: inputting a first control command to an input unit, causing the input unit to input a drive signal to a first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and ejection of mother fluid droplets on the microfluidic chip; and determining a first ejection amount based on a first satellite droplet image formed by ejection on the microfluidic chip acquired by an image acquisition device. The processing device inputs the first control command to the input unit, and the input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, thereby realizing the dispensing of microfluidic fluid on the microfluidic chip. The first ejection amount can be determined based on the satellite droplet image, eliminating the need to add fluorescent substances to the microfluidic fluid. Calculating the amount of microfluidic fluid through satellite droplet images reduces the impact on biochemical experiments.

[0095] It should be noted that the driving signals may include: a relatively low-voltage transport voltage (TV) signal for moving the droplet, which is a sinusoidal signal with a peak voltage of 150V and a frequency of 2kHz; and a relatively high-voltage injection voltage (EV) signal for ejecting the droplet, which is a spike pulse signal with a peak voltage of 440V and a frequency of 800Hz.

[0096] In the embodiments of this application, different microfluidic chips can select driving signals of different intensities. The driving signal of the corresponding intensity can be selected according to the dielectric material, dielectric layer thickness, chip surface material and state in the microfluidic chip.

[0097] Optional, Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 4 As shown, the method may further include:

[0098] S401. Determine whether the first injection volume is within the preset volume range.

[0099] It should be noted that it can be determined whether the first injection volume is within the preset volume range, or it can be determined whether the first injection volume is less than the preset volume. This application embodiment does not impose specific limitations.

[0100] For example, the preset volume range can be determined based on the preset volume and the preset error range. The preset volume can be M, and the preset error range can be N. Then the preset volume range can be expressed as [MN, M+N].

[0101] S402. If the first injection volume is less than the minimum volume in the preset volume range, then the second control command is determined based on the first injection volume.

[0102] In some implementations, if the first ejection volume is less than the minimum volume in a preset volume range, or if the first ejection volume is less than the preset volume, a second control command is determined based on the first ejection volume, wherein the second control command is used to make the sum of the second ejection volume and the first ejection volume of the satellite droplet ejected again approach or equal to the preset volume.

[0103] S403. Input a second control command to the input unit so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the second target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the second control command, controls the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the first satellite droplet image, and inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to be ejected again.

[0104] In this embodiment of the application, the processing device can input a second control command into the input unit. The input unit can change its own opening and closing state according to the second control command, and then input a drive signal into the second target electrode in the microfluidic chip, and input a drive signal into the first target electrode to control the mother liquid droplet to be sprayed again.

[0105] like Figure 2 The picking droplet can be located on the electrode corresponding to the second moving area. The picking droplet is controlled to move to the spray electrode to pick up the satellite droplet on the spray electrode. The picking droplet is then controlled to return to the electrode corresponding to the second moving area. The mother droplet is then controlled to spray again. The satellite droplet formed by the spray can fall onto the spray electrode again. The image acquisition device can acquire the image of the satellite droplet formed by the re-spray to obtain the second satellite droplet image.

[0106] S404. Determine the second injection volume based on the second satellite droplet image until the sum of the first injection volume and the second injection volume is within a preset volume range.

[0107] The second satellite droplet image is an image of a satellite droplet formed by a second jet from a microfluidic chip, acquired by an image acquisition device.

[0108] In some implementations, the image acquisition device can send the second satellite droplet image to the processing device. The processing device can receive the second satellite droplet image and determine the second jet volume based on the second satellite droplet image. It can then determine whether the sum of the first jet volume and the second jet volume is within a preset volume range. If so, the process ends. If it does not reach the preset volume range, the difference between the preset volume and (the sum of the first jet volume and the second jet volume) is obtained. The next control command is determined based on the difference, and the above steps are repeated until the sum of the multiple jet volumes is within the preset volume range.

[0109] It should be noted that if the sum of the current ejection volume and the historical ejection volume is within the preset volume range, the satellite droplets ejected at the moment can be picked up by the pickup droplets, and ultimately a preset volume of microfluidic fluid can be added to the pickup droplets.

[0110] Optional, Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the method may further include:

[0111] S501. If the first injection volume is greater than the maximum volume in the preset volume range, a third control command is input to the input unit so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the third target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the third control command, controls the mother droplet on the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the satellite droplet image, and inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to re-eject.

[0112] S502. Determine the third injection volume based on the third satellite droplet image until the third injection volume is within the preset volume range.

[0113] The third satellite droplet image is an image of a satellite droplet formed by re-ejection on a microfluidic chip, acquired by an image acquisition device.

[0114] If the third jet amount is within the preset volume range, then the preset volume of microfluidic fluid is added to the picked-up droplet. If the third jet amount is less than the minimum volume within the preset volume range, then the preset volume is subtracted from the third jet amount to obtain the difference. The next control command is determined based on this difference until the sum of multiple jet amounts is within the preset volume range, thus realizing the addition of the preset volume of microfluidic fluid to the picked-up droplet.

[0115] In some implementations, if the first spray volume is greater than the maximum volume in the preset volume range, it indicates that the spray volume is too large and cannot be added to the pick-up droplet. It is necessary to use the mother droplet to pick up the satellite droplet and re-spray it. The third control command is input to the input unit. The input unit can input a drive signal to the third target electrode in the microfluidic chip to control the mother droplet to pick up the satellite droplet on the spray electrode and control the mother droplet to re-spray the satellite droplet.

[0116] In this embodiment, the mother droplet is located on the stationary electrode, and the ejected satellite droplet is located on the ejection electrode. After the mother droplet is ejected, it can be controlled to move from the stationary electrode to any electrode within the first moving region. When controlling the mother droplet to pick up the satellite droplet on the ejection electrode, the mother droplet can be controlled to move from any electrode within the first moving region to the stationary electrode, and then to the ejection electrode to pick up the satellite droplet on the ejection electrode. Then, the mother droplet moves back to the stationary electrode and is controlled to be ejected again. Alternatively, the mother droplet can be controlled to move from any electrode within the first moving region to an electrode in the third moving region, and then to the ejection electrode to pick up the satellite droplet on the ejection electrode. Then, the mother droplet moves back to the stationary electrode and is controlled to be ejected again.

[0117] It should be noted that if the first ejection volume exceeds the maximum volume within the preset volume range, the first ejection volume is not counted, and the satellite droplets corresponding to the first ejection volume are picked up by the parent droplet. Similarly, for the intermediate process, if the sum of the current ejection volume and the historical ejection volume exceeds the maximum volume within the preset volume range, the currently ejected satellite droplets can be picked up by the parent droplet. However, if the sum of the current ejection volume and the historical ejection volume is excessive, the currently ejected satellite droplets are not added to the picked-up droplets and need to be ejected again.

[0118] In this embodiment, the process of determining the second jet amount based on the second satellite droplet image and the process of determining the third jet amount based on the third satellite droplet image are similar to the process of determining the first jet amount based on the first satellite droplet image, and will not be described again here.

[0119] Optional, Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 6 As shown, the process of determining the second control command based on the first injection quantity in S402 above may include:

[0120] S601. Calculate the target injection quantity based on the preset volume within the preset volume range and the first injection quantity.

[0121] The difference between the preset volume and the first injection amount is used as the target injection amount.

[0122] S602. Determine the injection rate and injection duration based on the target injection volume;

[0123] The injection rate can be a preset fixed injection rate, and the injection duration can be determined based on the target injection volume and the fixed injection rate; or the injection rate can be changed, and the injection rate and injection duration can be flexibly determined based on the target injection volume.

[0124] S603. Determine the second control command based on the injection rate and injection duration.

[0125] It should be noted that the injection duration can be used to control the opening and closing duration of the input unit, and the injection rate can be used to control the voltage corresponding to the drive signal. The input unit inputs the drive signal to the microfluidic chip according to the second control instruction, which can control the amount of satellite droplets formed by the mother droplet injection, so as to reach or approach the target injection amount.

[0126] In addition, the target injection quantity can be calculated based on the preset volume within the preset volume range and the first injection quantity; the injection rate and injection duration can be determined based on the target injection quantity; and the third control command can be determined based on the injection rate and injection duration.

[0127] In the embodiments of this application, the settings of the preset volume (P) and the acceptable percentage difference (error range) (D) are key factors affecting the number of injection cycles. To characterize their impact on the efficiency of the delivery process, we tested the number of injection cycles required under user settings of an acceptable difference of 5% to 10% and a preset volume of 100 pL to 2000 pL, respectively.

[0128] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an experimental result provided in an embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 7 As shown in (a) in the figure, Figure 7 As shown in Figure a, when D is set to 5%, for a preset volume of 100 pL to 1000 pL, delivery can generally be completed within 5 injection cycles. However, for lower preset volumes (<100 pL), the injection efficiency becomes unstable, and more injection cycles may be required to complete the final delivery. For preset volumes greater than 1000 pL, the number of injection cycles increases almost linearly with the preset volume. This is because the saturation capacity of the injection electrode limits the maximum amount injected in a single injection, resulting in the need for more injection cycles of maximum duration to reach the preset volume.

[0129] like Figure 7As shown in (b), the effect of different D value settings on delivery efficiency is illustrated. For a preset volume of 1000 pL, the number of injection cycles required decreases as the D value increases. At a D value of 10%, approximately three injection cycles are sufficient to complete the delivery process. In fact, smaller preset volumes or smaller D values ​​imply a narrower preset volume range, thus requiring more cycles to complete the delivery.

[0130] Testing revealed that the minimum spray volume that the processing device could calculate was approximately 5 pL. The capacity of a 1*1 mm spray electrode is approximately 400 pL. However, due to the limitation of the shortest response time of the input unit, the spray volume is not stable under extreme conditions. For very small sample deliveries, the spray volume per unit time can be reduced by lowering the spray voltage or frequency, thereby improving the controllability of the spray volume over the spray duration.

[0131] Optional, Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 8 As shown, the process of determining the first jet volume in S302 based on the image of the first satellite droplet formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device may include:

[0132] S801. Calculate the volume of each satellite droplet in the first satellite droplet image.

[0133] The volume of each satellite droplet can be calculated sequentially or simultaneously; this application does not impose specific limitations on this method.

[0134] S802. The sum of the volumes of each satellite droplet is used as the first ejection amount.

[0135] In some implementations, each satellite droplet can be spherical in shape, with a base circle and a maximum circle. The volume V of the satellite droplet is obtained by measuring the radius r of the base circle and the radius R of the maximum circle.

[0136]

[0137] Where H represents the height of the missing element, and the volume of each satellite droplet can be calculated using the above formula.

[0138] In this embodiment, considering the extremely small volume of satellite droplets, which is difficult to directly measure to verify the accuracy of image analysis, a verification method is proposed: a calibration droplet is loaded onto a sufficiently large square electrode, and its initial volume is calculated using an image analysis program; then, an EV signal is applied to cause the calibration droplet to be ejected until it is completely dispersed into satellite droplets; the total volume of the satellite droplets is calculated using an image analysis program, and the volume after dispersion is compared with the initial volume for calibration. In this calibration experiment, the calibration droplets are generated by the "jet-aggregate-transport" method, and different sizes of transport electrodes are designed to obtain calibration droplets of different sizes ranging from 20 pL (picolitically liters) to 2.6 nL (nanolitically liters). According to the comparison results of the total volume of the satellite droplets after complete dispersion and the volume of the initial calibration droplets, a highly linear relationship is found between the two, and the slope of the linear fit of 0.95 is very close to 1. Although the accurate true volume value cannot be directly obtained, the volume of the droplets before and after dispersion remains consistent under the same calculation method, which also proves that using the sum of the volumes of each satellite droplet as the first ejection amount in this embodiment is reliable. The volume after dispersing is slightly lower than the initial volume, which may be due to a small number of droplets located on the top plate of the microfluidic chip and not being calculated.

[0139] Optional, Figure 9 This is a schematic flowchart of a microfluidic distribution method provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 9 As shown, the process of calculating the volume of each satellite droplet in the first satellite droplet image in S701 above may include:

[0140] S901. Determine the maximum radius of each satellite droplet.

[0141] Among these methods, the maximum radius of each satellite droplet can be measured.

[0142] S902. Calculate the volume of each satellite droplet based on the maximum radius and the preset fitting curve.

[0143] The preset fitting curve is used to characterize the relationship between the maximum radius of the satellite droplet and the volume of the satellite droplet.

[0144] Optionally, the preset fitting curve can be V(R) = 0.004. 3 -0.0007 2 With +0.0044, given R, the volume of each satellite droplet can be obtained, improving the efficiency of calculating the volume of each satellite droplet.

[0145] The following describes the microfluidic dispensing apparatus, processing equipment, and storage medium used to implement the microfluidic dispensing method provided in this application. For the specific implementation process and technical effects, please refer to the relevant content of the microfluidic dispensing method above, which will not be repeated below.

[0146] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a microfluidic distribution device provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 10 As shown, the device may include:

[0147] The input module 1001 is used to input a first control command to the input unit, so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and spraying of the mother liquid droplets on the microfluidic chip;

[0148] The determining module 1002 is used to determine the first jetting amount based on the first satellite droplet image formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0149] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0150] The judgment module is used to determine whether the first injection volume is within a preset volume range;

[0151] The first determining module is used to determine a second control command based on the first injection quantity if the first injection quantity is less than the minimum volume in the preset volume range.

[0152] The first input module is used to input the second control command to the input unit, so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the second target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the second control command, thereby controlling the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the first satellite droplet image and controlling the mother droplet to be ejected again.

[0153] The second determining module is used to determine the second injection amount based on the second satellite droplet image until the sum of the first injection amount and the second injection amount is within the preset volume range, wherein the second satellite droplet image is an image of satellite droplets formed by re-ejection on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0154] Optionally, the device further includes:

[0155] The second input module is used to input a third control command to the input unit if the first injection volume is greater than the maximum volume in the preset volume range, so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the third target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the third control command, controls the mother droplet on the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the satellite droplet image, and controls the mother droplet to re-eject;

[0156] The third determining module is used to determine the third injection amount based on the third satellite droplet image until the third injection amount is within the preset volume range, wherein the third satellite droplet image is an image of the satellite droplets re-ejected on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

[0157] Optionally, the first determining module is specifically configured to calculate the target injection quantity based on the preset volume within the preset volume range and the first injection quantity; determine the injection rate and injection duration based on the target injection quantity; and determine the second control command based on the injection rate and the injection duration.

[0158] Optionally, the determining module 1002 is specifically used to calculate the volume of each satellite droplet in the first satellite droplet image; and to use the sum of the volumes of each satellite droplet as the first injection amount.

[0159] Optionally, the determining module 1002 is specifically used to determine the maximum radius of each satellite droplet; and to calculate the volume of each satellite droplet based on the maximum radius and a preset fitting curve, wherein the preset fitting curve is used to characterize the correspondence between the maximum radius of the satellite droplet and the volume of the satellite droplet.

[0160] The above-described device is used to execute the method provided in the foregoing embodiments, and its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, so they will not be described again here.

[0161] These modules can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Alternatively, when a module is implemented using processing element scheduler code, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or other processor capable of calling program code. Furthermore, these modules can be integrated together as a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0162] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a processing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 11 As shown, the processing device includes: processor 1101 and memory 1102.

[0163] The memory 1102 is used to store programs, and the processor 1101 calls the programs stored in the memory 1102 to execute the above method embodiments. The specific implementation and technical effects are similar, and will not be described in detail here.

[0164] Optionally, the present invention also provides a program product, such as a computer-readable storage medium, including a program that, when executed by a processor, is used to perform the above-described method embodiments.

[0165] In the several embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0166] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0167] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

[0168] The integrated units implemented as software functional units described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. These software functional units, stored in a storage medium, include several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute some steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0169] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A microfluidic system, characterized in that, include: Processing equipment, input units, microfluidic chips, and image acquisition equipment; The processing device is connected to the input unit and is used to input a first control command to the input unit; The input unit is connected to the microfluidic chip and is used to input a driving signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and spraying of the mother liquid droplets on the microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip includes a plurality of electrodes arranged in sequence, and the first target electrode is a portion of the plurality of electrodes. The image acquisition device is connected to the processing device and is used to acquire an image of the first satellite droplet formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip and send the first satellite droplet image to the processing device. The processing device is used to determine the first injection volume based on the first satellite droplet image; The processing device is further configured to determine whether the first injection volume is within a preset volume range; if the first injection volume is greater than the maximum volume within the preset volume range, a third control command is input to the input unit, so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the third target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the third control command, controls the mother droplet on the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the satellite droplet image, and inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to re-eject; a third injection volume is determined according to the third satellite droplet image until the third injection volume is within the preset volume range, wherein the third satellite droplet image is an image of the satellite droplet formed by re-ejection on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The input unit is a relay array, which includes multiple relay branches; The relay array is used to control the on / off state of the plurality of relay branches according to the first control command, so as to input a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip.

3. A microfluidic distribution method, characterized in that, The processing device applied to the microfluidic system of claim 1 or 2 above, the method comprising: A first control command is input to the input unit so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the first control command, so as to control the movement and ejection of the mother liquid droplets on the microfluidic chip; The first jet volume is determined based on the image of the first satellite droplet formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device; The method further includes: Determine whether the first injection volume is within a preset volume range; If the first injection volume is greater than the maximum volume in the preset volume range, a third control command is input to the input unit so that the input unit inputs a drive signal to the third target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the third control command, controls the mother droplet on the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the satellite droplet image, and inputs a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to re-eject; The third jet volume is determined based on the third satellite droplet image until the third jet volume is within the preset volume range, wherein the third satellite droplet image is an image of the satellite droplets re-ejected on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the first injection volume is less than the minimum volume in the preset volume range, then a second control command is determined based on the first injection volume; The input unit is given a second control command, which causes the input unit to input a drive signal to the second target electrode in the microfluidic chip according to the second control command, thereby controlling the microfluidic chip to pick up the satellite droplet corresponding to the first satellite droplet image, and to input a drive signal to the first target electrode to control the mother droplet to be ejected again; The second jet volume is determined based on the second satellite droplet image until the sum of the first jet volume and the second jet volume is within the preset volume range, wherein the second satellite droplet image is an image of satellite droplets formed by re-jetting on the microfluidic chip, acquired by the image acquisition device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of determining the second control command based on the first injection quantity includes: The target injection amount is calculated based on the preset volume within the preset volume range and the first injection amount; Based on the target injection volume, determine the injection rate and injection duration; The second control command is determined based on the injection rate and the injection duration.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining the first jetting volume based on the image of the first satellite droplet formed by jetting on the microfluidic chip acquired by the image acquisition device includes: Calculate the volume of each satellite droplet in the first satellite droplet image; The sum of the volumes of each satellite droplet is taken as the first injection amount.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The calculation of the volume of each satellite droplet in the first satellite droplet image includes: Determine the maximum radius of each satellite droplet; The volume of each satellite droplet is calculated based on the maximum radius and a preset fitting curve, wherein the preset fitting curve is used to characterize the correspondence between the maximum radius of the satellite droplet and the volume of the satellite droplet.

8. A processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: A memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program executable by the processor, the processor executing the computer program to implement the microfluidic dispensing method according to any one of claims 3-7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program, which, when read and executed, implements the microfluidic distribution method according to any one of claims 3-7.

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