Microfluidic rotary valve

Abstract

The application relates to the field of microfluidic technology, and provides a microfluidic rotary valve, which comprises a valve seat, a valve plug and a valve cover; the valve seat is provided with a placing groove and a conveying channel, one end of the conveying channel is communicated with the placing groove through a conveying hole, and the other end is communicated with an external chip; the valve seat comprises a fastener, and the fastener is located at a groove opening of the placing groove; the valve plug is connected with the valve seat through the placing groove, the valve plug is provided with an injection port and a communicating hole, the communicating hole is correspondingly arranged with the conveying hole of the conveying channel; the valve cover is provided with a socket for inserting an external injector and a clamping piece, the outer diameter of the valve plug is greater than the inner diameter of the socket, and the clamping piece and the fastener are connected and separated through rotation of the valve cover. The application has the effects of realizing the external injector and controlling the injection switch.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of microfluidics, and in particular to a microfluidic rotary valve. Background Technology

[0002] Microfluidic chips are a technology based on microelectromechanical fabrication (MEMS) technology. They consist of a network of microchannels formed on a chip, with controllable microfluidics flowing through the entire system to complete various biological and chemical processes. In the early stages of microfluidic chip technology development, chip capillary electrophoresis was the mainstream technique, using chips with simple structures and single functions. In recent years, microfluidic chips have begun to develop rapidly towards functionalization and integration, with important biological and chemical processes such as nucleic acid amplification, immune responses, and cell lysis becoming new hot topics.

[0003] When using microfluidic chips, a sample port is provided. A syringe is used to inject the sample into the microfluidic chip through the sample port. However, during the injection process, it is difficult to control the amount of excess sample delivered, which affects the accuracy of chip detection. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problem of difficulty in controlling the delivery volume, this application provides a microfluidic rotary valve.

[0005] The microfluidic rotary valve provided in this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A microfluidic rotary valve includes a valve seat, a valve plug, and a valve cover. The valve seat has a placement groove and a delivery channel. One end of the delivery channel is connected to the placement groove through a delivery hole, and the other end is connected to an external chip. The valve seat includes a fastener located at the opening of the placement groove. The valve plug is connected to the valve seat through the placement groove, and the valve plug has an injection port and a connecting hole, with the connecting hole corresponding to the delivery hole of the delivery channel. The valve cover has a socket for inserting an external syringe and a retainer. The outer diameter of the valve plug is larger than the inner diameter of the socket. Rotation of the valve cover allows the retainer to be inserted into and separated from the fastener.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, after the valve cover clip and fastener are interlocked, the valve cover is rotated to insert the clip into the fastener, and the valve plug is fixed in the placement groove by the valve cover. An external syringe is inserted through the insertion port into the injection port of the valve plug. The external syringe applies force to rotate the valve plug, so that the connecting hole of the valve plug aligns with the delivery hole, and the rotary valve is in the open state. Then, the sample can be injected sequentially from the injection port into the connecting hole, the delivery hole, and into the delivery channel through the syringe, so that the sample is finally transferred to the corresponding channel of the microfluidic chip through the other end of the delivery channel. When it is necessary to close the rotary valve, force can be applied to the external syringe to rotate the valve plug, so that the connecting hole and the delivery hole are misaligned, ensuring that the sample cannot be delivered, thus realizing the opening and closing of the flow path. In this way, the microfluidic rotary valve provided by this application can not only be directly connected to the syringe, but also control the opening and closing of the valve through a simple selection operation.

[0008] Optionally, the injection port is an irregularly shaped channel.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, the shape of the external syringe matches the irregular channel, making it easy to insert into the irregular channel. Only manual rotation of the external syringe interface is needed to rotate the valve plug to switch, without having to apply force to the valve seat, making it convenient to rotate and switch the connection between the connecting hole and the delivery channel.

[0010] Optionally, the valve seat is further provided with a reset element, which is located within the placement groove.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, the reset component can apply a force to push the valve plug towards the valve cover. When the valve cover separates from the valve seat, the reset component pushes the valve plug out of the valve seat, making it easy to remove the valve plug.

[0012] Optionally, the reset member includes an elastic part and an abutting part; the abutting part is connected to the bottom of the placement groove through the elastic part.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, when the valve cover needs to be closed, the valve cover will press the valve plug against the bottom of the valve seat, thereby pressing the elastic part. This causes the elastic part to exert a force on the abutting part and the valve plug, pushing it towards the valve cover. When the valve plug presses against the valve cover, the conveying channel and the connecting hole are on the same horizontal plane, so that when the valve plug rotates, it can connect the conveying channel with the connecting hole.

[0014] Optionally, the abutment portion has a positioning port, and the bottom of the valve plug has a locking block that matches the positioning port.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, when the valve plug rotates and drives the locking block to the position of the positioning port, the positioning port and the locking block are connected due to the force exerted by the elastic part on the abutting part and the valve plug in the direction of the valve cover, thereby determining the position of the valve plug.

[0016] Optionally, the positioning port is positioned in a position corresponding to each of the conveying channels, the card block is positioned in a position corresponding to the connecting hole, and the positioning ports are spaced apart by a preset distance.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the positioning port is set in a position corresponding to each conveying channel, and the position of the card block is set in a position corresponding to the connecting hole. Therefore, the position where the positioning port and the card block are inserted is the docking point between the conveying channel and the connecting hole. The insertion of the positioning port and the card block indicates that the conveying channel and the connecting hole are connected, thereby achieving the function of precise switching.

[0018] Optionally, the end of the card block near the abutment portion has a raised curved surface structure.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, the card block has a raised curved surface structure, which can be easily detached from the positioning port.

[0020] Optionally, the positioning port is an inclined port that forms an inclined slope along the abutment portion.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, after the card block is inserted into the inclined opening, it can continue to rotate along the slope of the inclined opening, so that the card block can be disengaged from the positioning opening.

[0022] Optionally, the valve seat is further provided with a sliding port and a pressing member; the pressing member extends through the sliding port into the placement groove, and the pressing member slides along the sliding port.

[0023] By adopting the above technical solution, when the external syringe cannot be matched with the injection port, the pressure piece is manually clamped and a force is applied to the pressure piece in the direction of the valve plug, so that the valve plug is clamped by the pressure piece. While clamping, it rotates along the sliding port, so that the valve plug follows the pressure piece to rotate, thereby adjusting the docking state of the delivery channel and the connecting hole.

[0024] Optionally, two sets of the sliding port and the pressing member are provided.

[0025] By adopting the above technical solution, two sets of sliding ports and pressure components are set up to facilitate manual pressing of the two sets of pressure components during adjustment and use, making it easy to rotate and adjust the valve plug.

[0026] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0027] 1. After the valve cover clip and fastener are interlocked, the valve cover is rotated to insert the clip into the fastener, thus fixing the valve plug in the placement groove. An external syringe is inserted through the insertion port into the injection port of the valve plug. The external syringe applies force to rotate the valve plug, aligning the connecting hole of the valve plug with the delivery hole. The rotary valve is then in the open state, allowing the sample to be sequentially injected from the injection port into the connecting hole, delivery hole, and into the delivery channel via the syringe. Finally, the sample is transferred through the other end of the delivery channel to the corresponding channel of the microfluidic chip. When it is necessary to close the rotary valve, force is applied to the external syringe to rotate the valve plug, causing the connecting hole and delivery hole to misalign, ensuring that the sample cannot be delivered and thus opening or closing the flow path. In this way, the microfluidic rotary valve provided in this application can not only be directly connected to a syringe, but also control the opening and closing of the valve through a simple selection operation.

[0028] 2. When the valve cover needs to be closed, the valve cover presses the valve plug against the bottom of the valve seat, thereby pressing the elastic part. The elastic part exerts a force on the abutting part and the valve plug in the direction of the valve cover. When the valve plug presses against the valve cover, the conveying channel and the connecting hole are on the same horizontal plane, so that the valve plug can connect the conveying channel and the connecting hole when it rotates.

[0029] 3. During the rotation process, the positioning port and the locking block are inserted to ensure that the conveying channel is accurately connected to the connecting hole, so as to achieve precise positioning. When it is necessary to disconnect the conveying channel from the connecting hole, the valve cover is removed to allow the valve plug to disengage from the positioning port, or it can be disengaged from the original positioning port by continuing to rotate along the inclined slope of the positioning port.

[0030] 4. When an external syringe cannot be matched with the injection port, manually clamp the two sets of pressure members and apply a force towards the valve plug to clamp the valve plug. At the same time, rotate along the sliding port to make the valve plug rotate with the pressure members, so as to adjust and facilitate the docking state of the delivery channel and the connecting hole. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the first exploded structure of the rotary valve in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the second exploded structure of the rotary valve in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0033] Figure 3 This is an exploded structural diagram of the contact part and valve plug in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the valve seat in Embodiment 3 of this application;

[0035] The markings in the attached diagram are as follows: 1. Valve seat; 11. Placement groove; 12. Conveying channel; 13. Fastener; 14. Reset component; 141. Elastic part; 142. Abutment part; 143. Positioning port; 144. Locking block; 15. Sliding port; 16. Pressing component; 2. Valve plug; 21. Injection port; 22. Connecting hole; 3. Valve cover; 31. Insertion port; 32. Locking component. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1 -Appendix Figure 4 This application will be described in further detail below.

[0037] This application discloses a microfluidic rotary valve.

[0038] Example 1:

[0039] A microfluidic rotary valve, reference Figure 1 The valve includes a valve seat 1, a valve plug 2, and a valve cover 3. The valve seat 1 has a placement groove 11 and a delivery channel 12. One end of the delivery channel 12 is connected to the placement groove 11 through a delivery hole, and the other end is connected to an external chip. The valve seat 1 includes a fastener 13, which is located at the opening of the placement groove 11 of the valve seat 1. The valve plug 2 is connected to the valve seat 1 through the placement groove 11, and the valve plug 2 has an injection port 21 and a connecting hole 22, which are matched with the delivery channel 12. The valve cover 3 is rotatably disposed at the opening of the placement groove 11 of the valve seat 1. The valve cover 3 has an insertion port 31 for inserting an external syringe and a locking piece 32. The outer diameter of the valve plug 2 is larger than the inner diameter of the insertion port 31. The valve cover 3 rotates to drive the locking piece 32 to be inserted into and separated from the fastener 13.

[0040] Specifically, the valve plug 2 and valve seat 1 are designed with a taper of 1:30 for sealing, so that when the valve plug 2 is pressed and locked by the valve cover 3, it can be stably fixed in the placement groove 11 of the valve seat 1. The valve plug 2 is provided with a number of delivery channels 12, the specific number of which depends on the requirements of the chip being installed. The valve seat 1 is installed on the microfluidic chip, and one end of the delivery channel 12 is connected to the placement groove 11 through the delivery hole, and the other end is connected to the corresponding connection channel of the chip.

[0041] When it is necessary to transport samples, place the valve plug 2 in the placement slot 11 and cover the valve cover 3 on the valve seat 1. The valve cover 3 only needs to be rotated one more turn to insert the clip 32 into the fastener 13. The specific degree of rotation is determined by the number of clips 32 and fasteners 13. In this embodiment, the number of clips and fasteners 13 is set to three.

[0042] After the three clips 32 of the valve cover 3 are staggered and connected with the three fasteners 13, rotating the valve cover 3 by one-third of a turn will insert the clips 32 into the fasteners 13. Since the outer diameter of the valve plug 2 is larger than the inner diameter of the insertion port 31, the valve plug 2 can be fixed in the placement groove 11 by the valve cover 3. Then, the external syringe is inserted through the insertion port 31 into the injection port 21 of the valve plug 2. The external syringe applies force to rotate the valve plug 2, so that the connecting hole 22 of the valve plug 2 is connected with the delivery channel 12. The external syringe is squeezed to make the sample in the syringe flow from the injection port 21 into the connecting hole 22 and the delivery channel 12, thereby delivering the sample. When it is necessary to stop the delivery, the external syringe is applied to rotate the valve plug 2, so that the connecting hole 22 is separated from the delivery channel 12, ensuring that the sample cannot be delivered and realizing the opening and closing of the flow path.

[0043] When disassembly is required, rotate the valve cover 3 in the opposite direction to the insertion direction of the clip 32 to disengage the clip 32 from the fastener 13. Once the clip loses its fixing function, the valve cover 3 can be disassembled. After the valve cover 3 is separated from the valve seat 1, the valve plug 2 can be removed for replacement or cleaning.

[0044] The injection port 21 can be a non-circular channel. When a non-circular channel is used, the shape of the external syringe matches the non-circular channel, making it easy to insert into the non-circular channel. Only manual rotation of the external syringe interface is needed to rotate the valve plug 2 to switch, without having to apply force to the valve seat 1. This facilitates the switching of the connection between the connecting hole 22 and the delivery channel 12. In this embodiment, the non-circular channel used is a hexagonal channel, which includes two sections: a snap-fit ​​section and an injection section. The snap-fit ​​section is used to snap the syringe in place and drive the rotation. The injection section is set to correspond to the syringe head and is used to accommodate the syringe head. The inner diameter of the snap-fit ​​section is larger than that of the injection section to limit the syringe position.

[0045] When multiple conveying channels 12 are set, the interval between each conveying channel 12 is set to a preset distance, which is determined according to the specific number of conveying channels 12.

[0046] The implementation principle of Embodiment 1 of this application includes: after the valve cover 3's locking piece 32 and the fastener 13 are interlocked, the valve cover 3 is rotated to insert the locking piece 32 into the fastener 13, and the valve plug 2 is fixed in the placement groove 11 by the valve cover 3. An external syringe is inserted through the insertion port 31 into the injection port 21 of the valve plug 2. The external syringe applies force to rotate the valve plug 2, so that the connecting hole 22 of the valve plug 2 aligns with the delivery hole, and the rotary valve is in the open state. Then, the sample can be injected sequentially from the injection port 21 into the connecting hole 22, the delivery hole, and into the delivery channel 12 through the syringe, so that the sample is finally transferred to the corresponding channel of the microfluidic chip through the other end of the delivery channel 12. When it is necessary to close the rotary valve, the external syringe can be applied to rotate the valve plug 2, so that the connecting hole 22 and the delivery hole are misaligned, ensuring that the sample cannot be delivered, thus realizing the opening and closing of the flow path. In this way, the microfluidic rotary valve provided by this application can not only be directly connected to the syringe, but also control the opening and closing of the valve through a simple selection operation.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] Reference Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment 2 is an optimization based on embodiment 1. The optimization includes the following: the valve seat 1 is also provided with a reset member 14, which is located at the bottom of the placement groove 11; the reset member 14 can apply a force to push the valve plug 2 towards the valve cover 3. When the valve cover 3 is separated from the valve seat 1, the reset member 14 pushes the valve plug 2 out of the valve seat 1, so that the valve plug 2 can be easily removed.

[0049] The reset component 14 includes an elastic part 141 and an abutment part 142. The abutment part 142 is connected to the bottom of the valve seat 1 via the elastic part 141 and is located within the placement groove 11. The elastic part 141 can be a spring, and the abutment part 142 can be an abutment plate. The size of the abutment plate matches the size of the placement groove 11, allowing the abutment plate to slide along the inner wall of the placement groove 11 and increasing the contact area between the abutment plate and the valve plug 2. When the valve plug 2 is placed in the placement groove 11, the bottom of the valve plug 2 contacts the abutment plate. When it is necessary to cover it... When valve cover 3 is in place, valve cover 3 presses valve plug 2 against the bottom of valve seat 1, thereby compressing the spring. The spring then exerts a force on the abutment plate and valve plug 2, pushing them towards valve cover 3. When valve plug 2 is pressed against valve cover 3, the conveying channel 12 and the connecting hole 22 are on the same horizontal plane, so that when valve plug 2 rotates, the conveying channel 12 can be connected to the connecting hole 22. When valve plug 2 needs to be disassembled and replaced, valve cover 3 is rotated to separate it. The elastic force applied by the spring pushes valve plug 2 out and back into valve seat 1, thus achieving the function of easy separation and removal.

[0050] Reference Figure 3As shown, the abutment part 142 has a positioning port 143, and the bottom of the valve plug 2 has a locking block 144 that matches the positioning port 143. Since the position between the conveying channel 12 and the connecting hole 22 is difficult to determine precisely, the valve plug 2 cannot rotate precisely to the access point when rotating. Therefore, the positioning port 143 and the locking block 144 are provided. When the valve plug 2 drives the locking block 144 to rotate to the position of the positioning port 143, due to the spring exerting a lifting force on the abutment plate and the valve plug 2 towards the valve cover 3, the positioning port 143 of the abutment plate is aligned with the valve plug 2. The valve plug 2 is positioned by inserting the locking block 144. The positioning port 143 is positioned one-to-one with each conveying channel 12, and the locking block 144 is positioned corresponding to the connecting hole 22. The number of positioning ports 143 is the same as the number of conveying channels 12. Therefore, the positions of the positioning port 143 and the locking block 144 are the docking points of the conveying channel 12 and the connecting hole 22. The insertion of the positioning port 143 and the locking block 144 indicates that the conveying channel 12 and the connecting hole 22 are docked, thereby achieving precise switching.

[0051] The positioning ports 143 are spaced at a preset distance, which ensures that the rotation distance required to switch each positioning port 143 is the same, thus guaranteeing the accuracy of switching the connecting hole 22.

[0052] The end of the locking block 144 away from the abutment part 142 has a raised curved surface structure; the raised curved surface structure is like a hemisphere, which makes it easy to detach from the locking block 144.

[0053] The positioning port 143 is an inclined port with an inclined slope along the abutment part 142. The inclined port has a slope structure. After the locking block 144 is inserted into the inclined port, it can continue to rotate along the slope of the inclined port, so that the locking block 144 can be disengaged from the positioning port 143.

[0054] If the positioning port 143 is an inclined port, the valve plug 2 can only rotate in one direction. To increase the accuracy of rotation, a rotation indicator piece can be pasted on the outer wall of the valve seat 1 or an indicator pattern can be engraved to help the user determine the rotation direction.

[0055] The number of positioning ports 143 is determined by the number of conveying channels 12 and connecting holes 22, and is the same as the number of conveying channels 12 and connecting holes 22. Each positioning port 143 is spaced apart by a preset distance. Rotating the valve plug 2 by a preset distance will cause one of the positioning ports 143 to lock the block 144. Continuing to rotate will switch other positioning ports 143 along the inclined slope, thereby realizing the switching between the conveying channels 12 and the connecting holes 22.

[0056] The implementation principle of Embodiment 2 of this application includes: when the valve cover 3 needs to be covered, the valve cover 3 presses the valve plug 2 against the bottom of the valve seat 1, thereby pressing the elastic part 141, so that the elastic part 141 applies a force to the abutment part 142 and the valve plug 2 in the direction of the valve cover 3. When the valve plug 2 presses against the valve cover 3, the conveying channel 12 and the connecting hole 22 are on the same horizontal plane, so that when the valve plug 2 rotates, the conveying channel 12 can be connected with the connecting hole 22. During the rotation, the positioning port 143 and the locking block 144 are engaged, so that the conveying channel 12 can be accurately connected with the connecting hole 22. When it is necessary to disconnect the conveying channel 12 from the connecting hole 22, the valve cover 3 is taken out so that the locking block 144 of the valve plug 2 is disengaged from the positioning port 143, or it can continue to rotate along the inclined slope of the positioning port 143, which can also disengage from the original positioning port 143.

[0057] Example 3

[0058] Reference Figure 4 As shown, this embodiment 3 is an optimization based on the above embodiment. The optimization includes the following: when the external syringe cannot match the injection port 21, the valve plug 2 is difficult to rotate. Therefore, the valve seat 1 is also provided with a sliding port 15 and a pressing member 16. The pressing member 16 is slidably connected to the sliding port 15, and the pressing member 16 extends through the sliding port 15 into the placement groove 11. The sliding port 15 can be a non-circular opening, and the pressing member 16 is a non-circular plate. With the groove opening of the placement groove 11 as the horizontal plane, the vertical dimensions of both ends of the pressing member 16 are larger than those of the sliding port 15, so that the pressing member 16 cannot be separated from the sliding port 15. The sliding port 15 is located inside the placement groove 11 and has a matching groove at one end that matches the size of the end of the pressing member 16. When the valve plug 2 enters the placement groove 11, it squeezes the pressing member 16 to the sliding port 15, and the end of the pressing member 16 is squeezed into the matching groove, so that the inner wall of the placement groove 11 is not affected.

[0059] Two sets of sliding ports 15 and pressure members 16 are provided. The two sets of sliding ports 15 and pressure members 16 make it convenient to manually press the two sets of pressure members 16 during adjustment and use, so as to rotate and adjust the valve plug 2.

[0060] The implementation principle of Embodiment 3 of this application includes: when the external syringe cannot be matched with the injection port 21, the two sets of pressure members 16 are manually clamped and a force is applied to the pressure members 16 in the direction of the valve plug 2, so that the valve plug 2 is clamped by the two sets of pressure members 16. While clamping, it rotates along the sliding port 15, so that the valve plug 2 rotates with the pressure members 16 to adjust and facilitate the docking state of the delivery channel 12 and the connecting hole 22.

[0061] The embodiments described in this specific implementation are preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Identical components are represented by the same reference numerals. Therefore, all equivalent changes made to the structure, shape, and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A microfluidic rotary valve, characterized in that, The device includes a valve seat (1), a valve plug (2), and a valve cover (3). The valve seat (1) has a placement groove (11) and a delivery channel (12). One end of the delivery channel (12) is connected to the placement groove (11) through a delivery hole, and the other end is connected to an external chip. The valve seat (1) includes a fastener (13), which is located at the opening of the placement groove (11). The valve plug (2) is connected to the valve seat (1) through the placement groove (11), and the valve plug (2) has an injection port (21) and a connecting hole (22), which are correspondingly arranged with the delivery hole of the delivery channel (12). The valve cover (3) has an insertion port (31) for inserting an external syringe. The valve plug (2) has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the insertion port (31). The valve plug (3) is rotated to achieve the insertion and separation of the valve plug (32) and the fastener (13). The injection port (21) is a non-circular channel. When a non-circular channel is used, the external syringe matches the shape of the non-circular channel. The external syringe interface is manually rotated to drive the valve plug (2) to rotate and switch. Alternatively, the valve seat (1) is also provided with a sliding port (15) and a pressure member (16). The pressure member (16) extends through the sliding port (15) into the placement groove (11) and slides along the sliding port (15). Both the sliding port (15) and the pressure member (16) are provided in two sets.

2. A microfluidic rotary valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The valve seat (1) is also provided with a reset member (14), which is located in the placement groove (11).

3. A microfluidic rotary valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reset member (14) includes an elastic part (141) and an abutting part (142); the abutting part (142) is connected to the bottom of the placement groove (11) through the elastic part (141).

4. A microfluidic rotary valve according to claim 3, characterized in that, The abutment part (142) has a positioning port (143), and the bottom of the valve plug (2) has a locking block (144) that matches the positioning port (143).

5. A microfluidic rotary valve according to claim 4, characterized in that, The positioning port (143) is positioned in a position corresponding to each of the conveying channels (12), the position of the card block (144) is corresponding to the connecting hole (22), and the positioning ports (143) are spaced apart by a preset distance.

6. A microfluidic rotary valve according to claim 4, characterized in that, The end of the card block (144) near the abutment (142) has a raised curved surface structure.

7. A microfluidic rotary valve according to claim 4, characterized in that, The positioning port (143) is an inclined port with an inclined slope along the abutment portion (142).

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