Positioning Method and Device Based on Inkjet Printing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a positioning method and device based on inkjet printing. The positioning method includes obtaining a first distribution pattern based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet-printed; inkjet-printing a second distribution pattern on a reference surface, wherein the second distribution pattern is the same as the first distribution pattern; performing pattern capture on the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern; determining whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship, and when the preset positional relationship is satisfied, the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are aligned. Through this positioning method, the actual sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed during inkjet printing can be converted to the reference surface, and then the sites on the reference surface and the sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed are processed to be in the same plane for alignment, meeting the high-precision positioning requirements for a micro-hole dense array type of sites.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of inkjet printing, and in particular to a positioning method and device based on inkjet printing. Background Art

[0002] When performing inkjet printing through an inkjet device, since the nozzles of the inkjet head of the inkjet device are usually located above the surface to be inkjet, and the arrangement of the nozzles is inconsistent with the arrangement of the areas to be printed on the surface to be inkjet, it is necessary to perform high-precision positioning on the surface to be inkjet, so as to ensure that the ink droplets from the inkjet head can accurately drop onto the surface to be inkjet below. Especially in the fields of biotechnology and semiconductor industry, when performing inkjet printing, in some cases, it is necessary to eject arrayed micron-level ink droplets into arrayed micron-level carrier holes or sites. However, due to the too small sizes of the ink droplets and the carrier holes, and the dense number of holes on the carrier, it is difficult for the ink droplets to accurately fall into the carrier holes. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Aiming at the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a positioning method and device based on inkjet printing to solve at least some of the technical problems such as the difficulty in performing high-precision positioning on arrayed micron-level micropores during the existing inkjet printing process.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a positioning method based on inkjet printing is provided, including: obtaining a first distribution pattern based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet; inkjet printing a second distribution pattern on a reference surface, wherein the second distribution pattern is the same as the first distribution pattern; performing pattern capture on the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern; determining whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset position relationship, and when the preset position relationship is satisfied, the surface to be inkjet and the reference surface are aligned.

[0005] According to the positioning method based on inkjet printing provided by the present invention, a second distribution pattern is inkjet printed on a reference surface, and the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are photographed. The obtained third distribution pattern simultaneously includes the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface. Thus, the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are converted to the same plane for comparison. Then, by determining whether the positional relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern meets a preset positional relationship, it can be determined whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern are aligned, and thus whether the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are aligned. In this article, when the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are aligned, the positioning requirement for the surface to be inkjet printed is met. At this time, the inkjet head can accurately eject ink droplets onto the arrayed microscale sites on the surface to be inkjet printed. Through the above positioning method, the positional relationship between the inkjet head of the inkjet printing and the surface to be inkjet printed is not changed, and the high-precision positioning requirement of the surface to be inkjet printed can be achieved, solving the technical problem of difficult high-precision positioning of arrayed microscale micropores in the existing inkjet printing process.

[0006] In a further preferred solution, after determining whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern meet the preset positional relationship, the positioning method further includes: when the preset positional relationship is not met, setting the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface in the same field of view, and dynamically adjusting the position of the surface to be inkjet printed until the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern meet the preset positional relationship.

[0007] In this solution, when the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern do not meet the preset positional relationship, it indicates that the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are not aligned. At this time, the position of the surface to be inkjet printed can be adjusted, and then pattern capture and comparison are performed again until the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern meet the preset positional relationship, and then it can be determined that the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are aligned, thereby achieving high-precision positioning of the surface to be inkjet printed.

[0008] In a further preferred solution, obtaining the first distribution pattern based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet printed includes: based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet printed, selecting at least part of the sites as target sites; based on the shape enclosed by the selected target sites, obtaining a pattern having the same shape as the shape as the first distribution pattern. In this solution, a part of all the sites on the surface to be inkjet printed can be selected, and the first distribution pattern is determined according to the selected part of the sites. Thus, the shape of the first distribution pattern can be freely selected, which is convenient for subsequent comparison between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern to determine whether the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are aligned.

[0009] In a further preferred embodiment, the sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed include reaction sites and alignment sites. Selecting at least some of the sites as target sites based on the distribution of the sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed includes: selecting at least some of the reaction sites as target sites based on the distribution of the reaction sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed; or selecting at least some of the alignment sites as target sites based on the distribution of the alignment sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed. In this embodiment, reaction sites and alignment sites are provided on the inkjet-printed surface. The reaction sites are used to receive ink droplets and thus react, and the alignment sites are used for positioning. By setting the alignment sites independently of the reaction sites, it is possible to freely choose to use the reaction sites for positioning or use the alignment sites for positioning, making the positioning operation more flexible.

[0010] In a further preferred embodiment, performing pattern capture on the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern includes: taking a photo of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface from a side close to the reference surface in a state where the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are overlapped, to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern. In this embodiment, the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are overlapped, and the reference surface is made of a transparent material. When taking a photo from a side close to the reference surface, not only can the second distribution pattern on the reference surface be captured, but also the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed can be captured through the reference surface, that is, the third distribution pattern obtained by taking the photo simultaneously includes the second distribution pattern on the reference surface and the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed, facilitating comparison of the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern to determine whether they are aligned.

[0011] In a further preferred embodiment, in a state where the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are overlapped, the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are parallel, and the distance between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface is less than one focal length of the lens for taking the photo. By controlling the distance between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface within one focal length of the photo-taking lens, it is beneficial to simultaneously capture clear pictures of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface, thereby improving the accuracy of judging the positional relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern.

[0012] In a further preferred embodiment, the optical axis of the lens for taking the photo is perpendicular to the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface. In this embodiment, the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are parallel, and the photo is taken from an angle perpendicular to the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface, which is beneficial for comparing the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern obtained by taking the photo, so as to facilitate judging whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship.

[0013] In a further preferred solution, the step of determining whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship includes: visually comparing the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern to determine whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern completely overlap; when the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern completely overlap, the preset positional relationship is satisfied. Since the first distribution pattern is the same as the second distribution pattern, and the surface to be inkjet printed is placed parallel to the reference surface, by determining whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern completely overlap, it can be accurately determined whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern are aligned, improving the positioning accuracy and efficiency of the surface to be inkjet printed.

[0014] In a further preferred solution, after the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are aligned, the positioning method further includes: fixing the surface to be inkjet printed and removing the reference surface. After the surface to be inkjet printed is accurately positioned, removing the reference surface allows the inkjet head to directly perform inkjet printing on the surface to be inkjet printed, thereby realizing an integrated operation of positioning and inkjet printing, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency of inkjet printing and expanding the application fields of inkjet printing, such as applying inkjet printing to the semiconductor industry and the biotechnology field.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a positioning device based on inkjet printing, including: an identification module for obtaining a first distribution pattern based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet printed; a printing module for inkjet printing a second distribution pattern on a reference surface, where the second distribution pattern is the same as the first distribution pattern; a pattern capture module for capturing the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern; a judgment module for judging whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship, and when the preset positional relationship is satisfied, the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are aligned. According to the positioning device based on inkjet printing provided by the present invention, high-precision positioning of the surface to be inkjet printed can be achieved, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency of inkjet printing.

[0016] In summary, the positioning method and device based on inkjet printing provided by the present invention have at least the following advantages: When positioning the surface to be inkjet-printed, first obtain the first distribution pattern according to the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet-printed, then inkjet-print the second distribution pattern on the reference surface according to the first distribution pattern, where the second distribution pattern is the same as the first distribution pattern, and then obtain the third distribution pattern containing the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern by pattern capturing of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface. Thus, the actual sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed during inkjet printing can be converted to the reference surface, and then the sites on the reference surface and the sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed are processed to be in the same plane for alignment, that is, indirectly realizing the alignment of the sites on the reference surface and the sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed, and meeting the high-precision positioning requirements for the micro-hole dense array sites. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a flowchart of the positioning method based on inkjet printing provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2a It is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface when they are not aligned in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2b It is a schematic diagram of the picture taken when the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are not aligned in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3a It is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface when they are aligned in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3b It is a schematic diagram of the picture taken when the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are aligned in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a block diagram of the positioning device based on inkjet printing provided by the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0024] In order to make the above and other features and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described below with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments given herein are for the purpose of explaining to those skilled in the art and are merely exemplary, not restrictive.

[0025] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the specific details are not required to practice the present invention. In other instances, well-known steps or operations are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present invention.

[0026] With the development of biological DNA synthesis technology, the existing artificial synthesis technology can no longer meet the growing market demand. There is an urgent need for a high-throughput chip synthesizer. The chip synthesizer uses piezoelectric printing for synthesis. Specifically, the ink in the ink cartridge is replaced with four base synthesis reagents respectively. After the support is coated, the computer controls an inkjet printer to spray specific types of synthesis reagents onto a predetermined area on the surface of the chip, and then the synthesis process is completed through steps such as rinsing, deprotection, and coupling. Among them, reaction sites are provided on the surface of the chip, and the reaction sites are the positions where the ink droplets (base synthesis reagents) need to reach. Since the sizes of the ink droplets and the reaction sites are too small (micrometer level), in order to ensure that the ink droplets accurately drop onto the reaction sites on the surface of the chip, that is, reach a specific reaction area on the surface of the chip, precise positioning of the chip at the micrometer level is required. In the following specific embodiments, a method for highly accurate positioning of the chip is exemplarily provided.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 1 , the positioning method based on inkjet printing provided by the embodiment of the present invention at least includes steps S110 - S140.

[0028] In step S110, based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet, a first distribution pattern is obtained.

[0029] In this embodiment, the surface to be inkjet can be the surface of the chip. Reaction sites are provided on the surface of the chip. For example, the chip can be a porous biological chip with a porous structure or a non-porous biological chip with a planar structure. According to the distribution of all sites on the surface of the chip, the first distribution pattern can be obtained by extracting the arrangement shape of the sites, so as to facilitate determining whether the positioning operation of the surface to be inkjet is completed by comparing the first distribution pattern with the second distribution pattern in subsequent steps. For the convenience of understanding the technical solution of this embodiment, the surface to be inkjet in the following text can be understood as the surface of the chip.

[0030] For example, in some optional embodiments, the sites on the surface to be inkjet include reaction sites and alignment sites. The method for obtaining the first distribution pattern specifically includes: based on the distribution of reaction sites on the surface to be inkjet, at least some reaction sites are selected; based on the shape surrounded by the selected reaction sites, a pattern having the same shape as the shape surrounded by the selected reaction sites is obtained as the first distribution pattern.

[0031] Since there are generally multiple reaction sites on the chip and all the reaction sites on the chip may not be arranged regularly, in order to facilitate obtaining the first distribution pattern, a part of the reaction sites among all the reaction sites on the chip surface can be selected, and the first distribution pattern can be determined based on this part of the reaction sites. For example, a part of the reaction sites can be selected such that this part of the reaction sites are arranged in a triangular, rectangular or other shape, thereby obtaining a first distribution pattern in a triangular, rectangular or other shape. Thus, even if the distribution of the reaction sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed is irregular, the number and arrangement shape of the reaction sites can still be flexibly selected, so as to determine the shape of the first distribution pattern, which is convenient for subsequent comparison between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern to determine whether the surface to be inkjet-printed is aligned with the reference surface.

[0032] Of course, it is also possible to directly select the shape enclosed by all the reaction sites as the first distribution pattern. In this case, the first distribution pattern is the shape formed by the arrangement of all the reaction sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed, which is conducive to quickly determining the first distribution pattern.

[0033] For another example, in some alternative embodiments, the method for obtaining the first distribution pattern specifically includes: based on the distribution of the alignment sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed, at least part of the alignment sites are selected; based on the shape enclosed by the selected alignment sites, a pattern identical to the shape enclosed by the selected alignment sites is obtained as the first distribution pattern. By separately setting alignment sites only for positioning on the surface to be inkjet-printed, there is no need to use reaction sites for positioning, and the positions of the alignment sites can be freely set, improving the flexibility of positioning.

[0034] In step S120, a second distribution pattern is inkjet-printed on the reference surface, wherein the second distribution pattern is the same as the first distribution pattern.

[0035] In this embodiment, the reference surface is used as a positioning reference. Before the positioning operation of the surface to be inkjet-printed is completed, the reference surface remains stationary. By judging the positional relationship between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface, it can be determined whether the surface to be inkjet-printed is aligned with the reference surface, so as to determine whether the surface to be inkjet-printed is in a accurately positioned position.

[0036] For example, when inkjet-printing the second distribution pattern, an image signal of the obtained first distribution pattern can be input into the inkjet printer, and the inkjet printer is used to inkjet-print a second distribution pattern on the reference surface that is the same shape as the first distribution pattern. Then, the first distribution pattern formed by the corresponding reaction sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed is visually compared with the second distribution pattern on the reference surface, and by judging the positional relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern, it can be determined whether the surface to be inkjet-printed is accurately positioned relative to the reference surface.

[0037] In step S130, pattern capture is performed on the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface, and a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern is obtained.

[0038] Since the first distribution pattern is obtained according to the shape surrounded by the corresponding reaction sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed, and the second distribution pattern with the same shape as the first distribution pattern is inkjet-printed on the reference surface, then the third distribution pattern is obtained by performing pattern capture on the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern, and the positional relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern can be determined by visually comparing the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern.

[0039] Specifically, when inkjet printing is to be performed on the surface to be inkjet-printed, the surface to be inkjet-printed needs to be placed in the area to be printed first. Since there may be deviations in the placement position of the surface to be inkjet-printed, at this time, pattern capture can be performed on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface, and it can be determined whether the surface to be inkjet-printed is accurately positioned relative to the reference surface by comparing the positional relationship between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface in the obtained third distribution pattern.

[0040] For example, after the surface to be inkjet-printed is placed, a camera lens can be used to take pictures of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface at the same time to obtain a picture, that is, the third distribution pattern. Then, the obtained picture includes the surface to be inkjet-printed and the first distribution pattern thereon as well as the reference surface and the second distribution pattern thereon, so as to realize converting the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface located on different planes to the same plane for processing. Thus, regardless of whether the reference surface and the surface to be inkjet-printed are on the same plane, the relative positions of the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the obtained picture can be visually compared to directly determine whether the surface to be inkjet-printed is accurately positioned.

[0041] In some alternative embodiments, the method of taking pictures of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface specifically includes: taking pictures of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface from the side close to the reference surface in the state where the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are overlapped, and obtaining a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern.

[0042] In this embodiment, the reference plane is made of a transparent material. For example, the reference plane can be an ultra-thin cover glass. When taking a photo from the side close to the reference plane, not only can the second distribution pattern on the reference plane be captured, but also the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed can be captured through the reference plane, so as to facilitate taking a photo to obtain a picture that simultaneously includes the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference plane, that is, to obtain the third distribution pattern. Moreover, by overlapping the surface to be inkjet-printed with the reference plane, that is, by arranging the reference plane between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the inkjet head of the inkjet printer, on the one hand, it is convenient to directly print the second distribution pattern on the reference plane by using the inkjet head, and on the other hand, it is convenient to remove the reference plane after positioning and then directly perform inkjet printing on the surface to be inkjet-printed.

[0043] In some alternative embodiments, in the state where the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference plane are overlapped, the surface to be inkjet-printed is parallel to the reference plane, and the distance between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference plane is less than the focal length of the photo-taking lens.

[0044] During the positioning operation, it is necessary to ensure that the reference plane and the surface to be inkjet-printed do not come into direct contact, so as to avoid scratching between the two when adjusting the relative position of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference plane. At the same time, the distance between the reference plane and the surface to be inkjet-printed should be made as small as possible, so as to facilitate comparing and judging the positional relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the picture obtained by taking a photo of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference plane. By controlling the distance between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference plane to be less than the focal length of the photo-taking lens, it is possible to ensure that the two planes are within the same focal length as much as possible, which is convenient for simultaneously obtaining clear images of the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern. Furthermore, when adjusting the position of the surface to be inkjet-printed, the debugging error can be reduced, so as to facilitate quickly completing the positioning.

[0045] For example, during the actual positioning operation, the distance between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference plane can be controlled to be less than 10 microns, so that the surfaces of the reference plane and the surface to be inkjet-printed are simultaneously within the same focal length of the photo-taking lens, and the distance between the reference plane and the surface to be inkjet-printed is as close as possible on the premise of ensuring relative movement, so as to improve the accuracy of judging the positional relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern.

[0046] In some alternative embodiments, the optical axis of the photo-taking lens is perpendicular to the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference plane. In this embodiment, the surface to be inkjet-printed is parallel to the reference plane, and a photo is taken from an angle perpendicular to the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference plane, which is conducive to comparing the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the photo obtained by taking a photo, so as to facilitate judging whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern are aligned.

[0047] Optionally, the surface to be inkjetted can be rectangular, and the main axis of light of the camera lens passes through the center of the surface to be inkjetted. This is conducive to an all-round comparison of the boundaries of the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern, so as to determine the relative position relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern.

[0048] In step S140, it is determined whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy the preset position relationship. When the preset position relationship is satisfied, the inkjet surface and the reference surface are aligned. The preset position relationship is the position relationship between the inkjet surface and the reference surface that is predetermined according to the positioning requirements. Since the reference surface is fixed, when the first distribution pattern on the inkjet surface and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface satisfy the preset position relationship, it means that the inkjet surface is at a determined position relative to the reference surface, and the determined position is also the position when the inkjet surface is precisely positioned.

[0049] For example, in some optional embodiments, when the surface to be inkjetted is placed overlapping with the reference surface, determining whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset position relationship includes: visually comparing the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern to determine whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern completely overlap; when the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern completely overlap, the preset position relationship is satisfied.

[0050] Specifically, the surface to be inkjetted and the reference surface are photographed from the side close to the reference surface to obtain a picture containing the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern, that is, the third distribution pattern. According to the obtained picture, when the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the picture completely overlap, it means that the surface to be inkjetted and the reference surface are aligned, that is, the reaction sites on the surface to be inkjetted are all within the inkjet range of the inkjet head, and the preset position relationship is "the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the obtained picture completely overlap". Therefore, by judging whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the picture obtained by taking the picture completely overlap, it can be judged whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern are accurately aligned, thereby improving the positioning accuracy and positioning efficiency of the surface to be inkjetted.

[0051] For example, in some other optional embodiments, when the surface to be inkjetted and the reference surface are placed parallel to each other in the same horizontal plane, the surface to be inkjetted and the reference surface can be photographed from above to obtain a picture including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern. According to the obtained picture, when the spacing between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the picture is a certain value, such as 10 microns, it means that the surface to be inkjetted and the reference surface are aligned, and the preset position relationship at this time is "the spacing between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the obtained picture is 10 microns".

[0052] In some alternative embodiments, after determining whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship, the positioning method further includes: when the preset positional relationship is not satisfied, setting the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface in the same field of view, and dynamically adjusting the position of the surface to be inkjet-printed until the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern satisfy the preset positional relationship. By adjusting the position of the surface to be inkjet-printed multiple times, the surface to be inkjet-printed can be corrected to a state aligned with the reference surface, thereby achieving precise positioning of the surface to be inkjet-printed.

[0053] For example, as shown in Figures 2a - 2b When the surface 151 to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface 152 are overlapped and photographed by the camera 153, if, after visually comparing the first distribution pattern 155 and the second distribution pattern 156 in the photographed image 154 (i.e., the third distribution pattern), it is determined that the first distribution pattern 155 and the second distribution pattern 156 do not completely overlap, at this time, there is only a partial overlapping area A between the first distribution pattern 155 on the surface 151 to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern 156 on the reference surface 152, that is, the first distribution pattern 155 and the second distribution pattern 156 do not satisfy the preset positional relationship, indicating that the surface 151 to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface 152 are not aligned. Then, the position of the surface 151 to be inkjet-printed can be adjusted multiple times, and a photograph comparison is performed after each adjustment until the first distribution pattern 155 and the second distribution pattern 156 in the photographed image 154 completely overlap, and then the adjustment of the surface 151 to be inkjet-printed is stopped.

[0054] As shown in Figures 3a - 3b At this time, in the obtained image 154, the first distribution pattern 155 on the surface 151 to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern 156 on the reference surface 152 completely overlap, that is, the first distribution pattern 155 and the second distribution pattern 156 satisfy the preset positional relationship, indicating that the surface 151 to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface 152 are precisely aligned, thereby completing the positioning requirement for the surface 151 to be inkjet-printed.

[0055] Further, when the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern do not completely overlap, at this time, the position difference between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern can also be obtained through image comparison, and then the position of the surface to be inkjet-printed is directly adjusted according to the obtained position difference, and a photograph comparison verification is performed again, which can save the time for adjusting the surface to be inkjet-printed, thereby improving the positioning efficiency. For example, when it is determined through comparison that the distance between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the photographed image is 15 micrometers, the surface to be inkjet-printed can be directly moved 15 micrometers in the horizontal direction towards the reference surface, thereby achieving rapid positioning.

[0056] In some alternative embodiments, after the surface to be inkjet-printed is aligned with the reference surface, the positioning method further includes: fixing the surface to be inkjet-printed and removing the reference surface. During the alignment process between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface, the reference surface remains fixed. By adjusting the relative position between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface, the surface to be inkjet-printed can be precisely aligned with the reference surface, that is, the surface to be inkjet-printed is adjusted to the position to be printed. When the alignment between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface is completed, the reference surface can be removed at this time and the surface to be inkjet-printed can be directly inkjet-printed. Thus, not only can the high-precision positioning of the surface to be inkjet-printed be achieved, but also the inkjet printing operation can be directly performed after positioning, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency of inkjet printing.

[0057] According to the positioning method based on inkjet printing provided by the embodiments of the present invention, by using the reference surface as an intermediate medium, the alignment of the inkjet head of the inkjet printer and the surface to be inkjet-printed, which are not in the same plane and have different shapes, is converted into the alignment in the same plane and with the same shape, which is beneficial to improving the positioning accuracy and positioning efficiency of the surface to be inkjet-printed. Specifically, first, the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed is obtained, then the second distribution pattern with the same shape as the first distribution pattern is inkjet-printed on the reference surface, and then the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are pattern-captured to obtain the third distribution pattern that simultaneously includes the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern. Thus, the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are converted to the same plane for comparison. Thereby, the traditional vision alignment method can be used to determine whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the photographed third distribution pattern satisfy the preset position relationship to determine whether the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are aligned, solving the technical problem of accurately spraying the inkjet head within the range of the reaction sites of the surface to be inkjet-printed with micron-level accuracy. Moreover, the positioning method in the embodiments of the present invention does not change the structural design of the inkjet head and the surface to be inkjet-printed, making the applicable fields of inkjet printing more extensive.

[0058] Refer to Figure 4 As shown, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a positioning device based on inkjet printing is provided. The positioning device 200 can be used to implement the positioning method in the above embodiments. Among them, the positioning device 200 at least includes an identification module 210, a printing module 220, a pattern capture module 230, and a judgment module 240.

[0059] The identification module 210 is used to obtain the first distribution pattern based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet-printed. In this embodiment, the identification module 210 can, for example, execute step S110 in the above text. Optionally, the identification module 210 can include a computer system. Through the pattern capture module 230, the surface to be inkjet-printed can be photographed and uploaded to the computer system, and then the computer system can identify the site distribution on the surface of the surface to be inkjet-printed in the photographed image and analyze to obtain the first distribution pattern.

[0060] The printing module 220 is configured to inkjet print a second distribution pattern on the reference surface, where the second distribution pattern is the same as the first distribution pattern. In this embodiment, the printing module 220 can, for example, execute step S120 described above. Optionally, the printing module 220 may include an inkjet printer (including an inkjet head such as an I3200 printhead, an ink cartridge, etc.) and a driving module (including a motor, a slide rail, etc.). The driving module can drive the inkjet head to move above the reference surface and the surface to be inkjet printed, so as to inkjet print the second distribution pattern on the reference surface and perform inkjet printing on the surface to be inkjet printed.

[0061] The pattern capturing module 230 is configured to capture the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern. In this embodiment, the pattern capturing module 230 can, for example, execute step S130 described above. Optionally, the pattern capturing module 230 may include a machine vision camera, and the pattern capturing module 230 is electrically connected to the recognition module 210, such as a computer system. The machine vision camera can take pictures of the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface to obtain a picture including both the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern, and upload the obtained picture to the judgment module 240. The judgment module 240 analyzes and judges the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the obtained picture.

[0062] The judgment module 240 is configured to judge whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship. When the preset positional relationship is satisfied, the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface are aligned. In this embodiment, the judgment module 240 can, for example, execute step S140 described above. Optionally, the judgment module 240 may include a computer program, and the judgment module 240 may be integrally arranged with the recognition module 210, such as a computer system. When the judgment module 240 receives the picture uploaded by the pattern capturing module 230, it can judge the relative positional relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the picture. When the relative positional relationship between the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern satisfies the preset positional relationship, it can be determined that the surface to be inkjet printed and the reference surface achieve high-precision alignment at this time, that is, the positioning operation of the surface to be inkjet printed is completed.

[0063] According to the positioning device 200 based on inkjet printing provided in this embodiment, it can be used to accurately position the surface to be inkjet printed, so as to perform inkjet printing on the surface to be inkjet printed, improve the inkjet printing efficiency, and the positioning device 200 can be used in the semiconductor industry and the biotechnology field, such as inkjet printing on a biochip.

[0064] In some alternative embodiments, the positioning device 200 may further include an adjustment module configured to adjust the position of the surface to be inkjet-printed when the preset positional relationship is not satisfied, and take pictures of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface until the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the obtained picture satisfy the preset positional relationship.

[0065] For example, the adjustment module may be an XYθ alignment platform, specifically including a carrier plate, an X-direction module, a Y-direction module, and a rotation mechanism. The carrier plate is used to place the surface to be inkjet-printed. The X-direction module is configured to drive the carrier plate and the surface to be inkjet-printed thereon to move along the X direction. The Y-direction module is configured to drive the carrier plate and the surface to be inkjet-printed thereon to move along the Y direction. The rotation mechanism is configured to drive the carrier plate and the surface to be inkjet-printed thereon to rotate about the Z axis, and the rotation angle is θ, and θ can be any angle between 0 and 360°. Among them, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction form a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system, and the XY plane where the X direction and the Y direction are located is parallel to the reference surface. Thus, the position of the surface to be inkjet-printed in the misaligned state can be corrected by the adjustment module, so that the surface to be inkjet-printed is accurately aligned with the reference surface, thereby achieving high-precision positioning of the surface to be inkjet-printed.

[0066] The technical features described above can be combined arbitrarily. Although not all possible combinations of these technical features are described, any combination of these technical features should be considered to be covered by this specification as long as such a combination does not contain contradictions.

[0067] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An inkjet printing-based positioning method, characterized in that, it includes: Based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet-printed, obtaining a first distribution pattern; Inkjet-printing a second distribution pattern on a reference surface, wherein the second distribution pattern is the same as the first distribution pattern; Performing pattern capture on the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern; Judging whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship. When the preset positional relationship is satisfied, the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are aligned; After judging whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship, the positioning method further includes: When the preset positional relationship is not satisfied, setting the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface in the same field of view, and dynamically adjusting the position of the surface to be inkjet-printed until the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern satisfy the preset positional relationship.

2. The inkjet printing-based positioning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The obtaining of the first distribution pattern based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet-printed includes: Based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet-printed, selecting at least some of the sites as target sites; Based on the shape enclosed by the selected target sites, obtaining a pattern identical to the shape as the first distribution pattern.

3. The inkjet printing-based positioning method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed include reaction sites and alignment sites. The selecting of at least some of the sites as target sites based on the site distribution on the surface to be inkjet-printed includes: Based on the distribution of reaction sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed, selecting at least some of the reaction sites as target sites; or Based on the distribution of alignment sites on the surface to be inkjet-printed, selecting at least some of the alignment sites as target sites.

4. The inkjet printing-based positioning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The performing of pattern capture on the first distribution pattern on the surface to be inkjet-printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern includes: In the state where the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are overlapped and placed, taking a photo of the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface from the side close to the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern.

5. The inkjet printing-based positioning method according to claim 4, characterized in that, In the state where the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are overlapped and placed, the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface are parallel, and the distance between the surface to be inkjet-printed and the reference surface is less than one focal length of the camera lens for taking the photo.

6. The inkjet printing-based positioning method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The optical axis of the lens for taking pictures is perpendicular to the surface to be ink-jet printed and the reference surface.

7. The positioning method based on ink-jet printing according to claim 4, wherein, the judging whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship includes: visually comparing the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern to judge whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern completely coincide; when the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern completely coincide, the preset positional relationship is satisfied.

8. The positioning method based on ink-jet printing according to claim 1, wherein, after the surface to be ink-jet printed and the reference surface are aligned, the positioning method further includes: fixing the surface to be ink-jet printed and removing the reference surface.

9. A positioning device based on ink-jet printing, wherein, it includes: an identification module, configured to obtain a first distribution pattern based on the site distribution on the surface to be ink-jet printed; a printing module, configured to ink-jet print a second distribution pattern on the reference surface, wherein the second distribution pattern is the same as the first distribution pattern; a pattern capturing module, configured to capture the first distribution pattern on the surface to be ink-jet printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface to obtain a third distribution pattern including the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern; a judging module, configured to judge whether the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern in the third distribution pattern satisfy a preset positional relationship. When the preset positional relationship is satisfied, the surface to be ink-jet printed and the reference surface are aligned; when the preset positional relationship is not satisfied, the first distribution pattern on the surface to be ink-jet printed and the second distribution pattern on the reference surface are set in the same field of view, and the position of the surface to be ink-jet printed is dynamically adjusted until the first distribution pattern and the second distribution pattern satisfy the preset positional relationship.

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