Automatic micro-fluidic chip laminating equipment and method based on visual positioning

Abstract

The invention provides automatic micro-fluidic chip laminating equipment based on visual positioning. The automatic micro-fluidic chip laminating equipment comprises a mounting rack, and a chip positioning assembly, a position positioning and adjusting assembly, a middle positioning and material taking assembly and a PCB positioning assembly which are mounted in combination with the mounting rack, the chip positioning assembly is used for positioning and adjusting a chip, the position positioning and adjusting assembly comprises a three-axis automatic adjusting platform and a position adjusting camera, and the chip is conveyed to the three-axis automatic adjusting platform and then is precisely positioned; the chip middle positioning and material taking assembly comprises a middle positioning camera and a middle material taking device, and the middle material taking device drives a chip suction head to adjust the position and the angle of a chip, carries out material taking and transmits the chip to a PCB; the PCB positioning assembly comprises a PCB translation module and a PCB positioning identification visual system, and the PCB positioning assembly is used for positioning and adjusting a PCB to be subjected to surface mounting. The invention further provides an automatic micro-fluidic chip laminating method based on visual positioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of microfluidic chip packaging and manufacturing technology, and more specifically to a vision-based automatic bonding device and method for microfluidic chips. Background Technology

[0002] Microfluidic chips are integrated chips that precisely manipulate fluids at the micrometer scale. They integrate basic operational units such as sample preparation, reaction, separation, and detection from traditional laboratory settings onto a chip of a few square centimeters or even smaller, achieving functions such as mixing, transporting, separating, and detecting minute fluids through microchannel networks. Major application areas include biomedicine, chemical analysis, and environmental monitoring.

[0003] Microfluidic chips are biochips fabricated using materials such as silicon, glass, metals, and polymers as substrates, employing micro-nano fabrication and precision injection molding technologies. They typically include one or more functional units such as microchannels, microvalves, and microreactors, enabling precise control of liquid flow within the chip to achieve specific biochemical reactions. Microfluidic chips require a pick-and-place machine for packaging to bond and mount them onto a PCB board. Existing standard pick-and-place machines are designed for microfluidic chips with dimensions less than 10mm in both length and width, making them unsuitable for larger chips. Specifically, conventional pick-and-place machines cannot maintain the flatness requirements of large chips, affecting fit; their positioning accuracy is insufficient, leading to significant chip bonding deviations; and existing nozzle structures are prone to airtightness issues when adsorbing large chips, and can easily cause chip warping.

[0004] In summary, there is a need in this field for a high-precision bonding device for larger microfluidic chips to improve bonding accuracy and quality. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device, which uses multi-camera recognition combined with a multi-axis motion control structure to accurately position and calibrate the chip and PCB board, and uses an improved adsorption structure for material handling and transfer, thereby improving bonding accuracy and efficiency.

[0006] Another objective of this invention is to provide a visual positioning-based automatic bonding method for microfluidic chips, which is implemented using the aforementioned visual positioning-based automatic bonding device for microfluidic chips.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a vision-based automated microfluidic chip bonding device, comprising a mounting frame and a chip positioning component, a position positioning adjustment component, an intermediate positioning and material handling component, and a PCB positioning component mounted in conjunction with the mounting frame. The chip positioning component positions and adjusts the chip. The position positioning adjustment component includes a three-axis automatic adjustment platform and a position adjustment camera; the chip is precisely positioned after being transported to the three-axis automatic adjustment platform. The intermediate chip positioning and material handling component includes an intermediate positioning camera and an intermediate material handling device. The intermediate material handling device drives a chip picker to adjust the chip's position and angle and picks it up, transferring the chip to the PCB board. The PCB positioning component includes a PCB translation module and a PCB positioning and recognition vision system; the PCB positioning component positions and adjusts the PCB board to be bonded.

[0008] Preferably, the chip positioning component includes a chip translation module, a chip positioning and recognition vision system, and a chip picking component; the chip positioning and recognition vision system is installed on top of the chip translation module, and the chip translation module includes a horizontal translation module, a vertical translation module, and a rotational translation module. The vertical translation module is installed on the horizontal translation module, and the rotational translation module is installed on the vertical translation module. The chip is placed on the rotational translation module, and the horizontal translation module, the vertical translation module, and the rotational translation module adjust the position and angle of the chip according to the data collected by the chip positioning and recognition vision system.

[0009] Preferably, the chip positioning and recognition vision system includes a CCD camera and a compensation light source. The CCD camera takes pictures of the chip and selects chip feature points to locate the center position of the chip, and transmits the positioning data of the chip center position to the chip picking component.

[0010] Preferably, the intermediate material handling device includes an intermediate mounting platform, an intermediate vertical drive device, and a suction head mounting assembly. The intermediate vertical drive device is fixedly connected to the intermediate mounting platform, the intermediate mounting platform is slidably connected to the mounting frame, an intermediate moving platform is slidably mounted on the intermediate mounting platform, the intermediate moving platform is driven to move up and down by the intermediate vertical drive assembly, the suction head mounting assembly is fixedly mounted on the intermediate moving platform, and the chip suction head is connected to the suction head mounting assembly.

[0011] Preferably, the PCB translation module includes a horizontal translation module and a vertical translation module, the vertical translation module is mounted on the horizontal translation module, and a fixture is mounted on the vertical translation module.

[0012] Preferably, the PCB positioning and recognition vision system is installed on top of the PCB translation module; the PCB board to be mounted is placed in the fixture, and the PCB positioning and recognition vision system works in conjunction with the PCB translation module to automatically perform position compensation; the PCB translation module moves the fixture to a set position, the PCB positioning and recognition vision system takes a picture and calculates the position, and then, based on the visual analysis results, fine-tunes the position of the PCB board to make the PCB board in the optimal mounting position.

[0013] Preferably, the chip pick-up head includes a plurality of nozzle seats, a plurality of nozzle heads are mounted on the nozzle seats, and a plurality of nozzle mounting heads are provided on the nozzle seats, with the nozzles mounted on the nozzle mounting heads.

[0014] Preferably, the nozzle mounting head is located at the four corners of the bottom of the nozzle seat.

[0015] Preferably, the mounting frame includes a marble platform and a gantry frame mounted on the marble platform, and the chip positioning component, the position positioning adjustment component, the intermediate positioning material picking component, and the PCB positioning component are all installed in conjunction with the marble platform and the gantry frame.

[0016] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a visual positioning-based automatic bonding method for microfluidic chips, employing the aforementioned visual positioning-based automatic bonding device for microfluidic chips, comprising the following steps:

[0017] (A) The PCB board is positioned and adjusted to the positioning point by the PCB positioning component;

[0018] (B) In sync with step (A), the chip is positioned under the control of the chip positioning component;

[0019] (C) The chip is picked up by the chip picking assembly and placed on the positioning stage;

[0020] (D) The chip is controlled by the position positioning and adjustment component to adjust its position and angle;

[0021] (E) The intermediate positioning component picks up the chip adjusted in step (D) and performs fine positioning, and then places the finely positioned chip on the PCB board in step (A).

[0022] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of the visual positioning-based automatic microfluidic chip bonding equipment and method disclosed in this invention are as follows: the visual positioning-based automatic microfluidic chip bonding equipment and method can achieve bonding of larger chips with high bonding accuracy and small bonding voids; the visual positioning-based automatic microfluidic chip bonding equipment and method has high recognition accuracy of chips and PCB boards, resulting in higher bonding yield; and the visual positioning-based automatic microfluidic chip bonding equipment and method has higher production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] like Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device according to this application.

[0025] like Figure 2 The diagram shows a schematic of the chip feeding and positioning components of a vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device according to this application.

[0026] like Figure 3 The diagram shows the structure of the intermediate positioning and material picking component of a vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device according to this application.

[0027] like Figure 4 The diagram shows a structural schematic of the PCB positioning component of a vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device according to this application.

[0028] like Figure 5 The diagram shows the structure of the chip pick-up head of a vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device according to this application. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, this application discloses a vision-based automated microfluidic chip bonding device, comprising a mounting frame 1 and a chip positioning component 2, a position positioning adjustment component 3, an intermediate positioning and picking component 4, and a PCB positioning component 5, all mounted in conjunction with the mounting frame 1. The chip positioning component 2 includes a chip translation module, a chip positioning recognition vision system, and a chip picking component 23, which precisely positions and adjusts the chip. The position positioning adjustment component 3 includes a three-axis automatic adjustment platform 31 and a position adjustment camera 32. The chip is transported by the chip picking component 23 to the three-axis automatic adjustment platform 31 for precise positioning. The intermediate chip positioning and picking component 4 includes an intermediate positioning camera 41 and an intermediate picking device 42. The intermediate picking device 42 is slidably connected to the mounting frame 1. After the intermediate picking device 42 drives the chip picker head 43 to pick up the chip, it works with the intermediate positioning camera 41 to adjust the chip's position and angle, and then transfers the chip to the PCB board. The PCB positioning component 5 includes a PCB translation module 51 and a PCB positioning recognition vision system 50, which precisely positions and adjusts the PCB board to be bonded. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding equipment can achieve automatic bonding of microfluidic chips with high bonding accuracy and small bonding voids; the vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding equipment has high recognition accuracy of chips and PCB boards, resulting in higher bonding yield; the vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding equipment has higher production efficiency.

[0031] Specifically, the mounting frame 1 includes a marble platform 10 and a gantry frame 11 mounted on the marble platform 10. The chip positioning component 2, the position positioning adjustment component 3, the intermediate positioning material picking component 4, and the PCB positioning component 5 are all installed together with the marble platform 10 and the gantry frame 11.

[0032] See Figure 2 The chip positioning component 2 includes a chip translation module 21 and a chip positioning recognition vision system 20. The chip positioning recognition vision system 20 is installed on top of the chip translation module 21. The chip translation module 21 includes a horizontal translation module 211, a vertical translation module 212, and a rotational translation module 213. The vertical translation module 212 is installed on the horizontal translation module 211, and the rotational translation module 213 is installed on the vertical translation module 212. The chip is placed on the rotational translation module 213. The horizontal translation module 211, the vertical translation module 212, and the rotational translation module 213 adjust the position and angle of the chip according to the data collected by the chip positioning recognition vision system 20.

[0033] Specifically, the chip positioning and recognition vision system 20 includes a CCD camera 201 and a compensation light source 202. The CCD camera takes pictures of the chip and selects chip feature points to locate the chip's center position, then transmits the chip center position positioning data to the chip picking component 23. By setting the compensation light source 202, the image quality of the CCD camera 201 can be improved, thus increasing the positioning accuracy.

[0034] The chip picking assembly 23 is slidably connected to the mounting bracket 1, and the chip picking assembly 23 can move vertically up and down. The chip picking assembly 23 uses a vacuum suction head or force-sensing clamp for picking up chips, and both the vacuum suction head and force-sensing clamp can rotate 360°, allowing for picking up chips at any angle. The chip picking assembly 23 adjusts its orientation and rotation angle based on received chip center position positioning data, and transfers the chip from the chip positioning assembly 2 to the position positioning adjustment assembly 3. Combined with the chip positioning and recognition vision system 20, the chip positioning accuracy can reach 0.01mm, and the picking accuracy can reach 0.02mm.

[0035] See Figure 3 The intermediate material handling device 42 includes an intermediate mounting platform 421, an intermediate vertical drive device 422, and a suction head mounting assembly 423. The intermediate vertical drive device 422 is fixedly connected to the intermediate mounting platform 421. The intermediate mounting platform 421 is slidably connected to the mounting frame 1. An intermediate moving platform 4211 is slidably mounted on the intermediate mounting platform 421. The intermediate moving platform 4211 is driven up and down by the intermediate vertical drive assembly 422. The suction head mounting assembly 423 is fixedly mounted on the intermediate moving platform 4211. The chip suction head 43 is connected to the suction head mounting assembly 423. When the intermediate picking device 42 picks up the chip, the intermediate mounting stage 421 is driven to move to the top of the three-axis automatic adjustment platform 31, and the intermediate moving stage 4211 is driven by the intermediate driving device 422 to move the chip pick-up head 42 downward to pick up the chip; then the intermediate mounting stage 421 is driven to move to the top of the intermediate positioning camera 41, the intermediate positioning camera 41 takes a picture of the chip, and the chip pick-up head 43 rotates and adjusts; then the intermediate mounting stage 421 is driven to move to the top of the rotary PCB translation module 51, the chip pick-up head 42 moves downward and places the adjusted chip on the adjusted PCB board.

[0036] See Figure 4The PCB translation module 51 includes a horizontal translation module 511 and a vertical translation module 512. The vertical translation module 512 is mounted on the horizontal translation module 511, and a fixture is mounted on the vertical translation module 512. A PCB positioning and recognition vision system 50 is mounted on top of the PCB translation module 51. The PCB board to be mounted is placed in the fixture 52. The PCB positioning and recognition vision system 50, in conjunction with the PCB translation module 51, automatically performs position compensation. The PCB translation module 51 moves the fixture 52 to a set position. The PCB positioning and recognition vision system 50 takes a picture and calculates the position. Then, based on the visual analysis results, it fine-tunes the position of the PCB board to ensure it is in the optimal mounting position. The positioning accuracy of the PCB positioning component 5 can reach 0.005 mm.

[0037] See Figure 5 The chip pick-up head 43 includes several nozzle seats 431, on which several nozzle heads are mounted. Each nozzle seat 431 has several nozzle mounting heads 432, on which the nozzles are mounted. Preferably, the nozzle mounting heads 432 are located at the four corners of the bottom of the nozzle seat 431 to prevent chip warping during pick-up, making it suitable for large-size microfluidic chips.

[0038] Testing revealed that the vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding equipment can support chip bonding from 10 to 40 mm in diameter, with a bonding position accuracy of <±30 μm and a chip bonding void area of ​​<5% of the chip area, enabling precise bonding of larger chips. The equipment also boasts a recognition accuracy of ±2 μm and a bonding yield of ≥99.8%, demonstrating high recognition accuracy and product yield. Furthermore, the production cycle time using this vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding equipment is ≤15 s / pcs, resulting in higher production efficiency.

[0039] This application also provides a visual positioning-based automatic bonding method for microfluidic chips, employing the aforementioned visual positioning-based automatic bonding device for microfluidic chips, including the following steps:

[0040] (A) The PCB board is positioned and adjusted to the positioning point by the PCB positioning component;

[0041] (B) In sync with step (A), the chip is positioned under the control of the chip positioning component;

[0042] (C) The chip is picked up by the chip picking assembly and placed on the positioning stage;

[0043] (D) The chip is controlled by the position positioning and adjustment component to adjust its position and angle;

[0044] (E) The intermediate positioning component picks up the chip adjusted in step (D) and performs fine positioning, and then places the finely positioned chip on the PCB board in step (A).

[0045] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A vision-based automatic bonding device for microfluidic chips, characterized in that, The system includes a mounting bracket and chip positioning components, position positioning adjustment components, intermediate positioning and picking components, and PCB positioning components that are mounted in conjunction with the mounting bracket. The chip positioning components position and adjust the chip. The position positioning adjustment components include a three-axis automatic adjustment platform and a position adjustment camera. After the chip is transported to the three-axis automatic adjustment platform, it is precisely positioned. The chip intermediate positioning and picking components include an intermediate positioning camera and an intermediate picking device. The intermediate picking device drives the chip picker to adjust the position and angle of the chip and picks it up, transferring the chip to the PCB board. The PCB positioning components include a PCB translation module and a PCB positioning and recognition vision system. The PCB positioning components position and adjust the PCB board to be mounted.

2. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The chip positioning component includes a chip translation module, a chip positioning and recognition vision system, and a chip picking component. The chip positioning and recognition vision system is installed on top of the chip translation module. The chip translation module includes a horizontal translation module, a vertical translation module, and a rotational translation module. The vertical translation module is installed on the horizontal translation module, and the rotational translation module is installed on the vertical translation module. The chip is placed on the rotational translation module. The horizontal translation module, the vertical translation module, and the rotational translation module adjust the position and angle of the chip according to the data collected by the chip positioning and recognition vision system.

3. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The chip positioning and recognition vision system includes a CCD camera and a compensation light source. The CCD camera takes pictures of the chip and selects chip feature points to locate the center position of the chip, and transmits the positioning data of the chip center position to the chip picking component.

4. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The intermediate material handling device includes an intermediate mounting platform, an intermediate vertical drive device, and a suction head mounting assembly. The intermediate vertical drive device is fixedly connected to the intermediate mounting platform, and the intermediate mounting platform is slidably connected to the mounting frame. An intermediate moving platform is slidably mounted on the intermediate mounting platform. The intermediate moving platform is driven to move up and down by the intermediate vertical drive assembly. The suction head mounting assembly is fixedly mounted on the intermediate moving platform, and the chip suction head is connected to the suction head mounting assembly.

5. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The PCB translation module includes a horizontal translation module and a vertical translation module. The vertical translation module is mounted on the horizontal translation module, and a fixture is mounted on the vertical translation module.

6. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The PCB positioning and recognition vision system is installed on top of the PCB translation module. The PCB board to be mounted is placed in the fixture, and the PCB positioning and recognition vision system works in conjunction with the PCB translation module to automatically perform position compensation. The PCB translation module moves the fixture to a set position, the PCB positioning and recognition vision system takes a picture and calculates the position, and then, based on the visual analysis results, fine-tunes the position of the PCB board to make the PCB board in the optimal mounting position.

7. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The chip pick-up head includes several nozzle seats, several nozzle heads are mounted on the nozzle seats, and several nozzle mounting heads are provided on the nozzle seats, with the nozzles mounted on the nozzle mounting heads.

8. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The nozzle mounting head is located at the four corners of the bottom of the nozzle seat.

9. The vision-based microfluidic chip automatic bonding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting frame includes a marble platform and a gantry frame mounted on the marble platform. The chip positioning component, the position positioning adjustment component, the intermediate positioning material picking component, and the PCB positioning component are all installed in conjunction with the marble platform and the gantry frame.

10. A method for automatic bonding of microfluidic chips based on vision positioning, employing the automatic bonding device for microfluidic chips based on vision positioning as described in any one of claims 1-9, comprising the steps of: (A) The PCB board is positioned and adjusted to the positioning point by the PCB positioning component; (B) In sync with step (A), the chip is positioned under the control of the chip positioning component; (C) The chip is picked up by the chip picking assembly and placed on the positioning stage; (D) The chip is controlled by the position positioning and adjustment component to adjust its position and angle; (E) The intermediate positioning component picks up the chip adjusted in step (D) and performs fine positioning, and then places the finely positioned chip on the PCB board in step (A).

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