A liquid flow rate control device suitable for biochip

Abstract

The present application provides a liquid flow rate control device suitable for biochips, which belongs to the technical field of biological experimental equipment. In the liquid flow rate control device, a pressure regulator and an air pressure sensor are provided on the straight tube. The pressure in the microfluidic channel can be observed at any time through the air pressure sensor, and then the required pressure can be adjusted at any time through the pressure regulator, thereby controlling the flow rate and flow of the liquid in the microfluidic channel. The inclination of the arc groove at the interface is controlled by the knob in the pressure regulator, thereby controlling the air flow through the pressure regulator to achieve the purpose of regulating pressure. The liquid flow rate control device has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture. It can simultaneously connect multiple microfluidic channel outlets or simultaneously connect multiple biochips through a diverter plate, so that different pressures can be used in different microfluidic channels to extract antibodies, thereby realizing the control of liquid flow rates in multiple biochips.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of biological experimental equipment and relates to a liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip. Background Art

[0002] Biochip, also known as protein chip or gene chip, uses photoconductive in situ synthesis or micro-spotting methods to orderly combine a large number of biological molecule samples such as gene fragments, DNA fragments or peptides, proteins, sugar molecules, etc. on the surface of supports such as silicon wafers, glass slices, PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), etc. After hybridization with the labeled target molecules of the biological sample to be tested, it is scanned by a specific instrument to collect fluorescent signals, and the purpose of detecting the content of the substance is achieved according to the strength of the fluorescent signal.

[0003] The most common biochip uses glass as a substrate, and PDMS containing multiple microfluidic channels is bonded to the glass, and multiple parallel channels are converged at one outlet. During the production process of the biochip, a liquid containing the target substance is added to the inlet position, and a negative pressure operation is performed at the outlet to make the liquid flow into the microfluidic channel, thereby making the target substance combine with the substrate according to the design to achieve the target product.

[0004] In the process of biochip research and development, different liquids need to be controlled to flow at different flow rates so that the target substance can be optimally combined with the substrate. Therefore, the control of the liquid flow rate is crucial. Usually, a pulling device is connected to the outlet of each microfluidic channel through a pipeline to achieve the flow of liquid in each microfluidic channel. However, the number of microfluidic channels in the biochip is large, resulting in more pipelines and pulling devices, which ultimately leads to inconvenient operation and inability to effectively control the liquid flow rate. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip, so as to solve the problem that the liquid flow rate cannot be effectively controlled in the existing biochip.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] The present invention provides a liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip, comprising a diverter plate, an external air pipe arranged at the end of the diverter plate, and a plurality of switch valves arranged on the surface of the diverter plate, each of the switch valves being connected to a straight pipe, the other end of the straight pipe being connected to a capillary via a joint, and the capillary being also connected to a coupling cap; each of the switch valves is also connected to the external air pipe; a pressure regulator and an air pressure sensor are provided on the straight pipe.

[0008] Preferably, the straight pipe is arranged inside the diverter plate, the straight pipe is exposed on the surface of the diverter plate, and the straight pipe and the switch valve are located on adjacent sides of the diverter plate.

[0009] Preferably, the air pressure sensor is located between the pressure regulator and the coupling cap.

[0010] Preferably, the external air pipe is detachably inserted into the diverter plate via an air pipe quick-insert threaded straight-through connector.

[0011] Preferably, the combining cap is hollow inside and is connected to the capillary tube through a copper tube outside.

[0012] Preferably, the capillary is a silica gel capillary.

[0013] Preferably, the joint is an all-copper pagoda joint.

[0014] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] (1) The liquid flow rate control device can be connected to multiple microfluidic channel outlets or multiple biochips at the same time through a manifold, thereby controlling the liquid flow rate in multiple biochips and using different pressures in different microfluidic channels to extract antibodies.

[0016] (2) A pressure regulator and an air pressure sensor are provided on the straight tube. The pressure in the microfluidic channel can be observed at any time through the air pressure sensor, and the required pressure can be adjusted at any time through the pressure regulator to control the flow rate and flow rate of the liquid in the microfluidic channel.

[0017] (3) The inclination of the arc groove at the interface is controlled by the knob in the pressure regulator, thereby controlling the air flow through the pressure regulator to achieve the purpose of regulating pressure.

[0018] (4) The liquid flow rate control device has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture, and is suitable for controlling the liquid flow rate in multiple biochips. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A front view of a liquid flow rate control device applicable to a biochip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 A top view of a liquid flow rate control device applicable to a biochip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 A right view of a liquid flow rate control device applicable to a biochip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 4 Provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 Sectional view in the AA direction;

[0023] Symbols represent:

[0024] 1- manifold, 2- external gas pipe, 3- switch valve, 4- straight pipe, 5- connector, 6- capillary, 7- coupling cap, 8- pressure regulator, 9- air pressure sensor, 10- gas pipe quick-insert thread straight connector, 11- copper pipe, 12- gas pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solution of the present invention is further explained and illustrated by means of specific embodiments below.

[0026] The embodiment of the present application provides a liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip, the device comprising a diverter plate 1, an external air pipe 2, a switch valve 3, a capillary 6 and a combination cap 7, etc. Figure 1-4 shown.

[0027] In the embodiment of the present application, the manifold 1 is the main part of the liquid flow rate control device, one end of which is closed and the other end is provided with an opening, and the end provided with the opening is provided with an external air pipe 2 detachably provided inside through an air pipe quick-insert threaded straight-through connector 10. The external air pipe 2 is connected to a vacuum pump so that the air in the external air pipe 2 is extracted by the vacuum pump, and a negative pressure environment is formed inside the manifold 1.

[0028] A plurality of grooves are provided on the same surface of the manifold 1, and a switch valve 3 is provided in each groove. A gas pipeline 12 is provided inside the manifold 1, and the gas pipeline 12 is respectively connected to each groove and the end opening, thereby realizing the connection between the external gas pipe 2 and the switch valve 3 through the gas pipeline 12.

[0029] In addition, each switch valve 3 is also connected to a straight tube 4, and the other end of the straight tube 4 is connected to the capillary 6 through a joint 5. Therefore, the number of switch valves 3, straight tubes 4, joints 5 and capillary tubes 6 is one-to-one. In the embodiment of the present application, the joint 5 is a full copper pagoda joint, and the end with a larger diameter of the full copper pagoda joint is connected to the straight tube 4, and the end with a smaller diameter is connected to the capillary 6.

[0030] The straight tube 4 is provided with a pressure regulator 8 and an air pressure sensor 9, and the air pressure sensor 9 is located between the pressure regulator 8 and the coupling cap 7. When air flows through the straight tube 4, the air pressure sensor 9 can display the real-time pressure, and then the air flow through the straight tube 4 can be adjusted by the pressure regulator 8. Since the switch valve 3, the straight tube 4, the joint 5 and the capillary tube 6 are respectively arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, the air flow in each capillary tube 6 can be adjusted by the pressure regulator 8 on the straight tube 4, so as to achieve the purpose of pressure regulation and diversion of the negative pressure airflow in the diverter plate 1.

[0031] In the embodiment of the present application, the inclination of the arc groove at the interface is controlled by the knob in the pressure regulator 8, thereby controlling the air flow passing through the pressure regulator 8 to achieve the purpose of regulating pressure.

[0032] To reduce space occupation, the straight pipe 4 is arranged inside the manifold 1, and the end of the straight pipe 4 is exposed on the surface of the manifold 1. To facilitate the simultaneous arrangement of the connected straight pipe 4 and the switch valve 3 on the manifold 1, the straight pipe 4 and the switch valve 3 are arranged on adjacent sides of the manifold 1, respectively.

[0033] The capillary 6 is a component for connecting the cap 7 and the straight tube 4. The capillary 6 is soft and long, and is convenient for connecting different biochips. In the embodiment of the present application, the capillary 6 is a silica gel capillary.

[0034] The binding cap 7 is a component of the liquid flow rate control device provided in the embodiment of the present application that is connected to the biochip, so the external structure of the binding cap 7 matches the shape of the microfluidic channel outlet of the biochip. The binding cap 7 is hollow inside, and the outside is connected to the capillary 6 through the copper tube 11. One binding cap 7 can be connected to the microfluidic channel outlet of a biochip, so the liquid flow rate control device in the embodiment of the present application can be connected to multiple microfluidic channel outlets at the same time, or connected to multiple biochips at the same time, to achieve the control of the liquid flow rate in multiple biochips.

[0035] The use process of the liquid flow rate control device suitable for biochip provided by the embodiment of the present application is as follows: buckle the binding cap 7 to the outlet of the microfluidic channel of the biochip, and turn on the vacuum pump and the switch valve 3. The air inside the binding cap 7 is evacuated through the capillary 6, the straight tube 4 and the external air pipe 2, so that a stable negative pressure is formed inside the binding cap 7. Since the binding cap 7 is tightly combined with the outlet of the microfluidic channel of the biochip, a stable negative pressure is also formed in the microfluidic channel, and then the liquid containing the antibody is pumped into the microfluidic channel to achieve the injection of the antibody, and then the antibody is combined with the substrate according to the chip surface pattern design to make a chip for use. In the process of the liquid containing the antibody being pumped into the microfluidic channel, the negative pressure in each binding cap 7 can be adjusted by controlling the pressure regulator 8, and then the suction flow rate of the liquid in the corresponding microfluidic channel is adjusted, so that different pressures are used in different microfluidic channels to pump antibodies.

[0036] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip, characterized in that: The invention comprises a flow dividing plate (1), an external air pipe (2) arranged at the end of the flow dividing plate (1), and a plurality of switch valves (3) arranged on the surface of the flow dividing plate (1), each of the switch valves (3) being connected to a straight pipe (4), the other end of the straight pipe (4) being connected to a capillary (6) via a joint (5), and the capillary (6) being further connected to a coupling cap (7); each of the switch valves (3) being further connected to the external air pipe (2); a pressure regulator (8) and an air pressure sensor (9) being provided on the straight pipe (4); the external air pipe (2) forming a gas pipeline with one end being closed in the flow dividing plate (1) and the other end being connected to a vacuum pump, the air in the external air pipe (2) being extracted by the vacuum pump, so that a negative pressure environment is formed in the flow dividing plate (1); the external structure of the coupling cap (7) is consistent with the shape of the microfluidic channel outlet of the biochip.

2. The liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The straight pipe (4) is arranged inside the diverter plate (1), the straight pipe (4) is exposed on the surface of the diverter plate (1), and the straight pipe (4) and the switch valve (3) are located on adjacent sides of the diverter plate (1).

3. The liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air pressure sensor (9) is located between the pressure regulator (8) and the coupling cap (7).

4. The liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The external air pipe (2) is detachably inserted into the diverter plate (1) via an air pipe quick-insert threaded straight-through connector (10).

5. The liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The combining cap (7) is hollow inside and is connected to the capillary (6) through a copper tube (11) outside.

6. The liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The capillary (6) is a silica gel capillary.

7. The liquid flow rate control device suitable for a biochip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The joint (5) is a full copper pagoda joint.

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