Microfluidic chip clamp and raman sorting device

Abstract

The application discloses a micro-fluidic chip clamp and a Raman sorting device, which comprises a sealed clamping seat and a fixed seat, and the two are in a split structure; the side opening structure on one side of the fixed seat is provided with clamping grooves on both sides; the clamping grooves are provided with conductive contacts; the sealed clamping seat is provided with a window matched with the side opening structure of the fixed seat, and liquid inlet and outlet sealing openings; an elastic sealing element is arranged on the liquid inlet and outlet sealing openings and forms elastic sealing abutment with the micro-fluidic chip; a driving clamping mechanism is arranged between the fixed seat and the sealed clamping seat and is used for driving the relative movement between the two, and the elastic sealing abutment of the elastic sealing element and the micro-fluidic chip forms clamping and fixing, electrical connection and sealing connection of the micro-fluidic chip. Compared with the prior art, the application has the beneficial effects that the clamping and fixing, electrical connection and liquid channel sealing of the micro-fluidic chip are efficiently integrated, and the detection efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of microfluidic chips, and particularly relates to a microfluidic chip clamp and a Raman sorting device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Three problems need to be considered when the microfluidic chip is clamped and fixed: first, how to clamp and fix the microfluidic chip to ensure stable testing; second, the microfluidic chip needs to be connected with external liquid inlet and outlet devices, so a corresponding sealing structure needs to be set to ensure that there is no liquid leakage; and third, the microfluidic chip needs to be electrically connected with external circuits for electrical detection, to ensure smooth testing.

[0003] Based on the above problems, Chinese Invention Patent CN111451957A discloses a reversible microfluidic chip clamp, which effectively clamps the microfluidic chip by using the principle of a threaded screw rod; Chinese Invention Patent CN114471764B discloses a soft microfluidic chip clamp and a soft microfluidic chip clamp assembly, which realizes liquid flow channel sealing of the microfluidic chip by hinged extrusion; and Chinese Invention Patent CN116099585A discloses a microfluidic chip clamp and a microfluidic experimental device, which discloses a sliding plug-in electrical connection method. However, from the above structures, only a single problem is solved, and the three main problems of the microfluidic chip cannot be efficiently and synchronously solved at one time. Meanwhile, the structures solved by the above patents are relatively complex, such as CN111451957A which needs to be fixed in multiple directions, CN114471764B which inevitably has poor sealing effect at the distal end due to the hinged sealing structure, and CN116099585A which has a relatively complicated sliding electrical connection method, increasing the experimental process.

[0004] Therefore, based on the above problems, how to efficiently integrate the above three problems of the microfluidic chip is one of the difficult problems to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0005] The details of one or more embodiments of the application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the application will be apparent from the description of the application and from the claims.

[0006] The application provides a microfluidic chip clamp and a Raman sorting device, which efficiently integrates the clamping and fixing, electrical connection, and liquid flow channel sealing of the microfluidic chip, greatly improving the detection efficiency.

[0007] The application discloses a microfluidic chip clamp, comprising:

[0008] The sealing clamping seat and the fixing seat are in a split structure arranged in an up-down manner;

[0009] The fixing seat is in a detachable structure and is composed of an upper fixing plate and a lower fixing plate.

[0010] The sealing clamping seat is provided with a window matched with the side opening structure of the fixing seat and liquid inlet and outlet sealing ports corresponding to the positions of the liquid inlet hole and the liquid outlet hole of the micro-fluidic chip.

[0011] The elastic sealing member is arranged at the position where the elastic sealing member forms elastic sealing abutment with the micro-fluidic chip on the liquid inlet sealing port and the liquid outlet sealing port.

[0012] The driving clamping mechanism is arranged between the fixing seat and the sealing clamping seat to drive the relative movement therebetween.

[0013] In some embodiments, the driving clamping mechanism comprises:

[0014] The hand wheel limiting plate is installed on the sealing clamping seat, and the hand wheel is rotatably installed on the hand wheel limiting plate.

[0015] The lead screw is fixed on the fixing seat and is in threaded connection with the hand wheel.

[0016] In some embodiments, further comprising:

[0017] The guide column and the guide hole are arranged between the sealing clamping seat and the fixing seat in a plug-in manner to realize the movement guidance of the two.

[0018] The mounting column and the mounting hole are arranged between the hand wheel limiting plate and the sealing clamping seat in a plug-in manner to realize the detachable connection of the two.

[0019] In some embodiments, the hand wheel and the lead screw are both provided with two and are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the clamping groove.

[0020] In some embodiments, a gap is arranged between the hand wheel limiting plate and the sealing clamping seat, and the hand wheel is rotatably connected in the gap.

[0021] In some embodiments, the conductive contact is an elastic contact in a protruding structure and is arranged at the position where the elastic contact forms extrusion abutment with the micro-fluidic chip on both sides of the clamping groove.

[0022] In some embodiments, the fixed seat comprises:

[0023] an upper fixed plate and a lower fixed plate;

[0024] a circuit board arranged between the upper fixed plate and the lower fixed plate; conductive contacts on the circuit board extend into the card slot on both sides of the fixed seat side opening structure; and a wire harness connector on the circuit board is located at the other side of the fixed seat.

[0025] In some embodiments, the elastic sealing abutting end of the liquid inlet sealing port and the liquid outlet sealing port is a tapered hole with a diameter expanding from inside to outside; and the inner end of the elastic sealing member is embedded in the tapered hole and has a tapered structure with a diameter expanding from inside to outside.

[0026] In some embodiments, the side opening structure is provided with a plurality of structures along the horizontal direction.

[0027] The application discloses a Raman sorting device, and a micro-fluidic chip clamp according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0028] In some embodiments, the device further comprises a three-dimensional moving platform, and a sliding groove is arranged on the three-dimensional moving platform;

[0029] The two sides of the fixed seat of the micro-fluidic chip clamp are provided with sliding beams matched with the sliding groove, and the fixed seat of the micro-fluidic chip clamp is located on the front surface of the three-dimensional moving platform.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the application has the following advantages:

[0031] 1. Through the structural arrangement, the micro-fluidic chip only needs to be inserted into the card slot and then the displacement of the sealing clamp is adjusted, so that the micro-fluidic chip can be quickly clamped and fixed, reliably electrically connected, and efficiently sealed, and one operation process can meet all the use requirements of the micro-fluidic chip.

[0032] 2. Since the fixed seat and the sealing clamp are designed in a split structure, they are in horizontal contact under stress during clamping, electrical connection and liquid sealing, and the stress is more uniform, so that the problems of liquid leakage, short circuit or unstable clamping caused by poor contact can be avoided.

[0033] 3. The device has a simple overall structure and reliable design, and the installation mode is limited according to the actual use process, so that the problem that residual fluid in the corresponding pipeline of the liquid inlet sealing port and the liquid outlet sealing port may drop on the micro-fluidic chip when the micro-fluidic chip is disassembled can be fundamentally avoided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application. In the drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 It is a schematic view of the three-dimensional structure of the present application.

[0036] Figure 2 It is a schematic view of the explosion structure of the present application.

[0037] Figure 3 It is a schematic view of the structure of the circuit board of the present application.

[0038] Figure 4 It is a schematic view of the structure of the elastic sealing member of the present application.

[0039] Figure 5 It is a schematic view of the structure of the electrode of the present application.

[0040] Figure 6 It is a schematic view of the three-dimensional structure of the Raman sorting device of the present application.

[0041] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS: fixed seat 1, sealing clamping seat 2, clamping groove 3, hand wheel limiting plate 4, hand wheel 5, screw rod 6, mounting column 7, mounting hole 8, liquid inlet sealing port 9, liquid outlet sealing port 10, elastic sealing member 11, guide column 12, guide hole 13, circuit board 14, elastic contact 15, wire harness connector 16, microfluidic chip 17, electrode 18, sliding groove 19, sliding beam 20, three-dimensional moving platform 21. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be described and explained below in combination with the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and should not be used to limit the present application. Based on the embodiments provided by the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0043] Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some examples or embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, the present application can be applied to other similar scenarios without creative efforts based on these drawings. In addition, it should be understood that although the efforts made in this development process may be complex and lengthy, for those skilled in the art related to the disclosed content of the present application, some design, manufacture or production changes based on the technical content disclosed in the present application are only routine technical means and should not be understood as insufficient disclosure of the present application.

[0044] Reference to "an embodiment" or "the embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are they necessarily mutually exclusive of one another.

[0045] A microfluidic chip clamp comprises a fixed seat 1, a sealing clamping seat 2, an elastic sealing element 11, a driving clamping mechanism; the sealing clamping seat 2 and the fixed seat 1 are in a split structure arranged in an up-down manner;

[0046] The fixed seat 1 is in a detachable structure and is composed of an upper fixed plate 1-1 and a lower fixed plate 1-2; the fixed seat 1 is provided with a side opening structure penetrating from top to bottom, a clamping groove 3 is arranged between the upper fixed plate 1-1 and the lower fixed plate 1-2, and a microfluidic chip 17 is inserted into the clamping groove 3 from the side opening structure; a conductive contact 15 for forming electrical abutment with an electrode 18 in the microfluidic chip 17 is arranged in the clamping groove 3; the sealing clamping seat 2 is provided with a window matched with the side opening structure of the fixed seat 1, and a liquid inlet sealing port 9 and a liquid outlet sealing port 10 corresponding to the positions of the liquid inlet hole and the liquid outlet hole in the microfluidic chip 17, respectively; the elastic sealing element 11 is arranged at the position where the elastic sealing abutment with the microfluidic chip 17 is formed on the liquid inlet sealing port 9 and the liquid outlet sealing port 10; the driving clamping mechanism is arranged between the fixed seat 1 and the sealing clamping seat 2 for driving the relative movement between the two, and the clamping and fixing of the microfluidic chip 17, the electrical connection and the sealing connection at the liquid interface of the microfluidic chip 17 are formed by the elastic sealing abutment of the elastic sealing element 11 and the microfluidic chip 17.

[0047] The microfluidic chip 17 to be clamped is inserted into the fixed seat 1 through the clamping groove 3, the position of the microfluidic chip 17 is adjusted to roughly align the liquid inlet hole and the liquid outlet hole in the microfluidic chip 17 with the liquid inlet sealing port 9 and the liquid outlet sealing port 10, and then the driving clamping mechanism is driven to move, so that the relative movement between the fixed seat 1 and the sealing clamping seat 2 is realized, so that the elastic sealing element 11 and the liquid inlet hole and the liquid outlet hole in the microfluidic chip 17 form an elastic sealing extrusion connection. The above one step can realize the clamping and fixing of the microfluidic chip 17, the electrical connection and the sealing connection at the liquid interface of the microfluidic chip 17.

[0048] In some embodiments, the driving clamping mechanism comprises a hand wheel limiting plate 4 and a screw rod 6; the hand wheel limiting plate 4 is installed on the sealing clamping seat 2, and a hand wheel 5 is rotatably installed on the hand wheel limiting plate 4; the screw rod 6 is fixed on the fixed seat 1 and is in threaded connection with the hand wheel 5. The above structure is a specific form of the driving clamping mechanism, and other manual driving modes or automatic driving modes can also be adopted. However, considering that the overall volume of the device is relatively small, the manual rotating screw rod mode has a simpler structure, higher efficiency and stronger controllability.

[0049] On the basis of the above scheme, two hand wheels 5 and screw rods 6 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the clamping groove 3. The operator can rotate the hand wheels 5 with both hands at the same time to achieve rapid locking and positioning. In some embodiments, three hand wheel limiting plates 4 and screw rods 6 can also be arranged in an isosceles triangular structure and located at three sides of the side opening structure. Furthermore, the hand wheels 5 between the two hand wheel limiting plates 4 and screw rods 6 or the hand wheels 5 between the three hand wheel limiting plates 4 and screw rods 6 can be synchronously connected to realize relative synchronous rotation, thereby improving the operation efficiency. The multiple hand wheels 5 can be connected by a chain belt, and the chain belt is ensured to avoid the window setting to avoid affecting the illumination of the light path. The chain belt can be driven by an external driving wheel.

[0050] To ensure the reliability and directivity of the movement direction between the fixed seat 1 and the sealing clamping seat 2, a guide column 12 and a guide hole 13 are further provided; the guide column 12 and the guide hole 13 are inserted between the sealing clamping seat 2 and the fixed seat 1; the guide column 12 can be arranged on the sealing clamping seat 2 or the fixed seat 1, and the guide hole 13 is correspondingly arranged on the fixed seat 1 or the sealing clamping seat 2.

[0051] To ensure the stability and reliability of the hand wheel 5 during rotation, a mounting column 7 and a mounting hole 8 are arranged between the hand wheel limiting plate 4 and the sealing clamping seat 2 to realize detachable connection of the two, and a gap is ensured between the hand wheel limiting plate 4 and the sealing clamping seat 2 through the cooperation of the mounting column 7 and the mounting hole 8, so that the hand wheel 5 is rotatably connected in the gap.

[0052] In some embodiments, the conductive contact 15 is a protruding structure-shaped elastic contact and is arranged at a position where the two sides of the clamping groove 3 are in extrusion abutment with the microfluidic chip 17. The protruding structure of the conductive contact 15 is higher than the surface of the clamping groove 3, thereby ensuring the reliability of the electrical connection, and is arranged at the extrusion abutment position, thereby further ensuring the reliability of the electrical connection. Figure 1 In some embodiments, the conductive contact 15 is arranged on the lower end surface of the clamping groove 3. Since the elastic sealing element 11 extrudes the microfluidic chip 17 downward, the reliability of the electrical connection is ensured.

[0053] The specific arrangement of the conductive contact 15 is that the fixed seat 1 is arranged in a detachable structure, specifically composed of an upper fixed plate 1-1 and a lower fixed plate 1-2, and a corresponding circuit board 14 is arranged between the two, and the conductive contact 15 on the circuit board 14 extends into the clamping groove 3 on both sides of the opening structure of the fixed seat 1; the wire harness connector 16 on the circuit board 14 is located at the other side of the outer end of the fixed seat 1.

[0054] In some embodiments, to ensure the stability and reliability of the liquid flow channel sealing, the elastic sealing abutting end of the liquid inlet sealing port 9 and the liquid outlet sealing port 10 is further arranged in a tapered hole structure that expands in diameter from inside to outside; the inner end of the elastic sealing member 11 is embedded in the tapered hole, and the elastic sealing member 11 is in a tapered structure that expands in diameter from inside to outside. As shown in Figure 4 , through the above structure arrangement, the connection of the corresponding pipeline with the liquid inlet sealing port 9 and the liquid outlet sealing port 10 is more reliable during extrusion, and the outwardly expanding structure of the elastic sealing member 11 also improves the efficiency of forming a butt joint with the liquid inlet hole and the liquid outlet hole in the microfluidic chip 17. Certainly, the outer diameter of the elastic sealing member 11 is larger than the diameter of the liquid inlet hole and the liquid outlet hole in the microfluidic chip 17.

[0055] In some embodiments, the side opening structure is arranged in multiple along the horizontal direction. As shown in Figure 1 , the side opening structure can be arranged in multiple along one side of the fixed seat 1, so that experiments on multiple microfluidic chips can be realized at the same time. During the experiment, since the side opening structures are arranged in the same direction and are located on the same side, the corresponding microfluidic chips can be inserted into the inside at the same time, and then the displacement adjustment of the sealing clamping seat 2 is realized to realize the synchronous operation of multiple microfluidic chips.

[0056] A Raman sorting device, comprising: the microfluidic chip clamp of any one of the above embodiments. The clamp can be applied to a corresponding Raman sorting device.

[0057] In some embodiments, further comprising: a three-dimensional moving platform 21, which can realize directional motion on the XYZ three-axis.

[0058] As shown in Figure 6 , the three-dimensional moving platform 21 is provided with a sliding groove 19; the fixed seat 1 of the microfluidic chip clamp is provided with a sliding beam 20 matched with the sliding groove 19 on both sides, and the fixed seat 1 of the microfluidic chip clamp is located on the front of the three-dimensional moving platform 21.

[0059] Through the above setting, the relative lateral position adjustment of the microfluidic chip clamp can be realized. Meanwhile, it should be noted that in the actual use process of the microfluidic chip clamp, the fixing seat 1 of the microfluidic chip clamp is located on the front of the three-dimensional moving platform 21, that is, the corresponding pipelines at the liquid inlet sealing port 9 and the liquid outlet sealing port 10 supply the corresponding fluid upward. The advantage of this design is that when the contact sealing is achieved, no residual fluid will drop on the microfluidic chip 17, so as to avoid the risk of corresponding short circuit. At the same time, by locating the fixing seat 1 on the front of the three-dimensional moving platform 21, the front structure is flat and smooth, which is more convenient for observation during the use of the equipment.

[0060] Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments can still be modified, or some technical features can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A microfluidic chip clamp, characterized by, include: The sealing clamp and the fixing seat are two separate structures arranged vertically. The mounting base is configured as a detachable structure, consisting of an upper mounting plate and a lower mounting plate; one side of the mounting base has a through-hole structure, and a slot is set between the upper and lower mounting plates, through which the microfluidic chip is inserted; the slot is provided with conductive contacts for forming an electrical contact with the electrodes in the microfluidic chip; The sealing clamp is provided with a window adapted to the side opening structure of the fixed seat, and a liquid inlet sealing port and a liquid outlet sealing port corresponding to the positions of the liquid inlet and liquid outlet in the microfluidic chip, respectively. An elastic seal is provided at the position on the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet where it forms an elastic seal with the microfluidic chip. A drive clamping mechanism is provided between the fixed base and the sealed clamping base to drive the relative movement between the two. The elastic seal abuts against the microfluidic chip to form a clamping and fixing mechanism for the microfluidic chip, an electrical connection, and a sealed connection at the liquid interface. A handwheel limiting plate is installed on the sealing clamp, and a handwheel is rotatably mounted on the handwheel limiting plate; The lead screw is fixed on the fixed base and threadedly connected to the handwheel; The guide post and guide hole are interlocked between the sealing clamp and the fixed seat to guide their movement. Two handwheels and two lead screws are provided, and they are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the slot.

2. The microfluidic chip clamp of claim 1, wherein, Also includes: The mounting post and mounting hole are interlocked between the handwheel limiting plate and the sealing clamp seat to achieve a detachable connection between the two.

3. The microfluidic chip clamp of claim 1, wherein, A gap is provided between the handwheel limiting plate and the sealing clamp; the handwheel is rotatably connected and located in the gap.

4. The microfluidic chip clamp of claim 1, wherein, The conductive contacts are protruding, elastic contacts located on both sides of the slot at positions where they press against the microfluidic chip.

5. The microfluidic chip clamp of claim 1, wherein, The fixing base includes: A circuit board is disposed between the upper fixing plate and the lower fixing plate; the conductive contacts on the circuit board extend into the slots on both sides of the side opening structure of the fixing seat; the wire harness connector on the circuit board is located at the outer end of the other side of the fixing seat.

6. The microfluidic chip clamp of claim 1, wherein, The elastic sealing contact ends of the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are tapered openings with an expanding diameter structure from the inside out; the inner end of the elastic sealing element is embedded in the tapered opening and has a tapered structure with an expanding diameter structure from the inside out.

7. The microfluidic chip clamp of claim 1, wherein, The side opening structure has multiple openings arranged in the horizontal direction.

8. A Raman sorting apparatus, characterized by include: The microfluidic chip fixture and three-dimensional moving platform as described in any one of claims 1-7; The three-dimensional moving platform is equipped with a sliding groove; The microfluidic chip fixture has sliding beams on both sides of the fixing base that are adapted to the sliding groove, and the fixing base of the microfluidic chip fixture is located on the front of the three-dimensional moving platform.

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