Microfluidic observation and detection system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a microfluidic observation and detection system. The microfluidic observation and detection system comprises an optical illumination system and a microfluidic module, the optical illumination system comprises an aperture diaphragm and controls the position of a light spot incident to the microfluidic module by changing the optical parameter of the aperture diaphragm, and a sample to be detected is determined according to the position of the light spot. The micro-fluidic chip has the advantages that observation and detection are integrated, bright field observation of the micro-fluidic chip can be realized through cooperative control of the light splitting turntable, biomarkers, fluorescence signals and the like in the micro-fluidic chip can be detected, and observation and detection integration of microscopic reaction and cell behaviors is realized; real-time monitoring is conducted, the reaction process in the micro-fluidic chip is monitored in real time, reaction kinetic information can be obtained through CCD real-time collection and analysis, and feedback is provided for the experiment process; multiple pieces of parameter information are obtained at the same time, multiple reactants are detected and observed, and the efficiency is improved; through the transparent chip material, the sample is subjected to nondestructive testing and observation, and the property and activity of the sample are not influenced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of microfluidics, and more specifically to a microfluidics observation and detection system. Background Art

[0002] Microfluidics is a liquid manipulation technology that uses microchannels or electrodes to configure microliter or nanoliter liquids. This technology has the advantages of low sample consumption, fast response speed and high throughput. Optical detection uses light characteristics to analyze and detect samples. Common methods include absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. By collecting the interaction information between microfluidic samples and light, the position, size, flow rate, concentration, fluorescence and other related information of micro-nano liquids can be obtained, thereby achieving high-sensitivity, high-throughput and high-specificity detection of samples in small volumes. Portable microfluidic systems have broad application prospects in biomedicine, environmental monitoring and food safety.

[0003] At present, microfluidic observation and detection equipment are mainly mature commercial products, such as fluorescence microscopes, Raman microscopes, high-speed cameras, etc. These devices have high detection accuracy and strong universality, and can meet most microfluidic detection needs. However, their large size and high price make them difficult to adapt to portable microfluidic systems. Most existing portable microfluidic optical detection equipment can only use a specific excitation band for observation and detection, and cannot flexibly adapt to various detection needs. In addition, the quality of the incident light spot in portable microfluidic optical equipment is seriously affected by the light source and ambient light, and there are problems with the uniformity and stability of the light spot, which affects the accuracy and reliability of the observation and detection results.

[0004] Therefore, how to design an observation and detection system based on a microfluidic chip with high uniformity and stability of the incident light spot is a technical problem to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an observation and detection system based on a microfluidic chip with high uniformity and stability of the incident light spot to address the existing problems.

[0006] The embodiment of the present application provides a microfluidic observation and detection system, characterized in that it includes an optical illumination system and a microfluidic module;

[0007] Among them, the optical lighting system includes:

[0008] A light source, used for emitting light of a preset wavelength band;

[0009] Collimating lenses, used to collimate the light beams emitted by the light sources;

[0010] Aperture diaphragm, used to adjust the spot parameters of the output light beam of the collimating lens;

[0011] A compound eye array is used to homogenize and output the light beam output by the aperture diaphragm;

[0012] A convex lens, used to converge and output the light beams output by the compound eye array;

[0013] A first beam splitter disk, used for screening the light beam output by the convex lens to obtain a first target light beam of a preset wavelength band;

[0014] A beam splitter element, used for splitting the light beam output by the field aperture to form a first partial light beam and a second partial light beam;

[0015] A second beam splitter disk is used to screen the first part of the light beam output by the beam splitter element to obtain a second target light beam with a preset wavelength band;

[0016] A CCD component, used for imaging the incident first partial light beam on a confocal plane of the CCD component to form an observation image;

[0017] A projection lens, used for emitting the second part of the light beam output by the beam splitter in parallel onto the microfluidic module to form a uniform light spot;

[0018] The microfluidic module includes a microfluidic chip and a carrier platform; the microfluidic chip is provided with a plurality of microfluids containing samples to be detected;

[0019] The optical illumination system controls the position of the light spot incident on the microfluidic module by changing the optical parameters of the aperture diaphragm, and determines the sample to be detected according to the position of the light spot.

[0020] Preferably, the light splitting element is a semi-transparent and semi-reflective mirror.

[0021] Preferably, the light source is a white light source.

[0022] Preferably, the compound eye array is a hexagonal honeycomb array.

[0023] Preferably, the first light splitting turntable is provided with a first motor for controlling the rotation thereof.

[0024] Preferably, the second light splitting turntable is provided with a second motor for controlling the rotation thereof.

[0025] Preferably, a plurality of filters of different types are respectively arranged on the first light splitting rotating disk and the second light splitting rotating disk.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following advantages:

[0027] (1) Integration of observation and detection. The observation and detection system of this embodiment can not only realize bright field observation of the microfluidic chip through the coordinated control of the multi-channel spectroscopic turntable, but also detect the biomarkers, fluorescent signals, chemiluminescence, etc. in the microfluidic chip, thereby realizing the integration of observation and detection of microscopic reactions and cell behaviors.

[0028] (2) Real-time monitoring. The observation and detection system of this embodiment can monitor the reaction process in the microfluidic chip in real time. Through real-time acquisition and analysis of CCD, reaction kinetic information can be obtained, the change trend and reaction rate of the sample can be understood, and timely feedback can be provided for the control and adjustment of the experimental process.

[0029] (3) Multi-parameter analysis can obtain information on multiple parameters at the same time and detect and observe multiple reactants, thereby improving the efficiency of the experiment and the comprehensive analysis capability.

[0030] (4) It is non-invasive. The system can perform non-destructive testing and observation of samples through transparent chip materials, without affecting the properties and activity of the samples, and maintaining the original state of the samples;

[0031] (5) The compound eye array homogenizes light to improve light utilization. The compound eye is arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb array. The homogenized light beam is converged on the observation surface through a focusing lens to obtain a uniform hexagonal light spot. Compared with the rectangular array, the hexagonal array has a higher overlap rate and a higher light source utilization rate.

[0032] In summary, the observation and detection system of the utility model can realize the integration of detection and observation, and has the advantages of real-time monitoring, multi-parameter analysis, and non-invasiveness. It provides a more comprehensive and in-depth experimental means for the application expansion of microfluidic chips, and plays an important role in on-site instant analysis, diagnosis and biological research. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] A more complete understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following drawings.

[0034] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same components or steps.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a microfluidic observation and detection system provided according to Example 1 of the present application.

[0036] Reference numerals

[0037] 1-light source, 2-collimating lens, 3-aperture diaphragm, 4-compound eye array, 5-convex lens, 6-first spectroscopic turntable, 7-second spectroscopic turntable, 8-CCD assembly, 9-filter, 10-first motor, 11-second motor, 12-spectrometric element, 13-projection lens, 14-microfluidic module, 141-microfluidic chip, 142-microfluidic. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided in order to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0041] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0042] The utility model provides a portable observation and detection system based on a microfluidic chip, which is described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0043] Example 1

[0044] Reference Figure 1 This embodiment discloses a microfluidic observation and detection system, including an optical illumination system and a microfluidic module 14.

[0045] Among them, the optical illumination system includes a light source 1, a collimating lens 2, an aperture stop 3, a compound eye array 4, a convex lens 5, a first spectroscopic turntable 6, a second spectroscopic turntable 7, a CCD component 8, a first motor 10, a second motor 11, a spectroscopic element 12, and a projection lens 13.

[0046] Specifically, the light source 1 can be visible white light with a wavelength coverage range of 400-700nm; it can also be ultraviolet light, preferably UV-A ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 320-405nm; or near or mid-infrared light with a wavelength of 695-25000nm.

[0047] Specifically, the light beam emitted by the light source 1 is first collimated by the collimating lens 4 and then incident on the aperture stop 3 and is homogenized by the compound eye array 4 before being output.

[0048] In this embodiment, the compound eye array 4 is preferably arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb array, and the light beam after homogenization is converged on the observation surface through a focusing lens to obtain a uniform hexagonal light spot. Because the lens field of view is a circular field of view, compared with a rectangular array, the overlap rate of the hexagonal array and the circular market is higher, and the light source utilization rate is higher. The compound eye array can also be a conventional rectangular array, which is determined according to the specific use requirements.

[0049] The light beam output by the compound eye array enters the convex lens 5, and the convex lens 5 focuses the light beam and then outputs it. The output light beam enters the multi-channel spectroscopic turntable (the first spectroscopic turntable 6). In this embodiment, a plurality of filters 9 are arranged on the spectroscopic turntable. After the light beam passes through the spectroscopic turntable, any wavelength can be filtered out for fluorescence excitation; the filter 9 can also be replaced with a through hole to allow the entire white light spectrum to pass through, so as to be used for white light illumination for image observation. In this embodiment, the first spectroscopic turntable 12 is used to quasi-define the upper and lower limits of the wavelength of the excitation light. Similarly, the second multi-channel spectroscopic turntable 7 is used to accurately define the upper and lower limits of the wavelength of the emitted light, so as to achieve the purpose of precise excitation and detection. Preferably, the first spectroscopic turntable 6 and the second spectroscopic turntable 7 are respectively provided with a first motor 10 and a fourth motor 11 for controlling their rotation.

[0050] Specifically, the filter 9 can be a high-pass long-wave filter, a low-pass short-wave filter, a band-stop filter, a band-pass filter, etc., but is not limited thereto. A variety of different working modes can be achieved by using the above different filters alone or in combination.

[0051] (1) Simple mode

[0052] The filter 9 uses a single long-wave pass, a short-wave pass or an empty channel to achieve illumination or excitation of a wider spectrum, such as red light transmission through the long-wave pass, blue light transmission through the short-wave pass, and full-wavelength light transmission through the empty channel.

[0053] (2) Multi-channel mode

[0054] The filter 9 uses a single bandpass filter to achieve transmission of a specific narrow wavelength range for excitation, for example, a filter with a central wavelength of 550nm and a bandwidth of 8nm is used to achieve transmission of 546nm-554n (550±4nm).

[0055] (3) Single wavelength precision control mode

[0056] Since the bandwidth of the filter 9 cannot be very small when designing a single film system, some narrow-band filters with bandwidths of 5nm, 8nm, etc. are common; however, when the long-wave pass and the short-wave pass are used in combination, a pass that is infinitely close to a single wavelength can be obtained, for example, the cutoff wavelength of the long-wave pass of the spectroscopic disk is defined as 554nm to cut off short waves below 554, and the cutoff wavelength of the short-wave pass of the spectroscopic disk is defined as 556nm to cut off long waves above 556, thereby obtaining a narrow-wave pass excitation light of 555±1nm. The multiple channels of the first spectroscopic disk 6 and the second spectroscopic disk 7 work together to accurately control the wavelength of the excitation light at a single wavelength.

[0057] (4) Multiple wavelength coordination modes

[0058] Filter 9 uses bandpass and bandstop filters to achieve the transmission of a dual wavelength band. For example, to simultaneously and only achieve dual narrow bandpasses of 440±5nm and 550±5nm, a 435-555nm bandpass filter plus a 445-545nm bandstop filter can be used to filter out the wavelength of 445-545nm from 435-555nm to achieve a dual narrow bandpass effect. Similarly, if more band group filters (spectrometer) are superimposed, narrow bandpass effects with more peaks can be achieved.

[0059] In this embodiment, the diameter of the aperture diaphragm 3 in front of the compound eye array 4 can be adjusted. With this arrangement, when the light beam enters the lens through the beam splitting element 12 (which can be reflected by a semi-transparent and semi-reflective mirror), the diameter of the aperture diaphragm 3 can be adjusted to change the position where the light spot falls on the microfluidic chip 141, thereby achieving the purpose of accurate detection.

[0060] In this embodiment, the aperture diaphragm 3 adjusts the brightness of the field of view by controlling the amount of light passing through; there is a CCD component 8 above the projection lens 13, and the position of the CCD component 8 is symmetrical with the observation hole aperture diaphragm 3 relative to the beam splitter 12 (semi-transparent and semi-reflective mirror), and they are mirror images of each other. The beam splitter 12 reflects the light beam into the lens 13, and the lens 13 projects the light beam onto the microfluidic module. The observation and detection module has the following two modes:

[0061] (1) Bright field observation mode: The emission light of the bright field image on the microfluidic chip 141 passes through the lens 13 and the spectroscopic element 12, passes through the blank channel (without filter) of the second spectroscopic rotating disk 7, and is imaged on the CCD for observation;

[0062] (2) Fluorescence detection mode: The emission light of the fluorescent substance on the microfluidic chip 141 passes through the lens 13 and the spectroscopic element 12, passes through the specific wavelength filter of the second spectroscopic rotating disk 7, completes the fluorescence imaging in the CCD, and is detected.

[0063] In this embodiment, the aperture diaphragm 3 can adjust the size of the light beam. When the light beam converges and becomes an angle, it is equivalent to further adjusting the angle of the light spot on the observation surface. The angle is reflected in the illumination brightness and irradiation position of the illumination spot after being imaged by the lens. Therefore, the aperture diaphragm 3 can not only control the size of the light beam to achieve brightness adjustment, but also realize the adjustment of the irradiation position of the microfluidic chip. When point observation needs to eliminate the negative impact of oblique light, the aperture diaphragm can be adjusted to change the irradiation position to achieve an irradiation close to collimated light.

[0064] In this embodiment, the microfluidic module 14 includes a microfluidic chip 141 and a carrier platform (not shown in the figure), and a plurality of microfluids 142 containing samples to be detected are arranged on the microfluidic chip 141.

[0065] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following advantages:

[0066] (1) Integration of observation and detection. The observation and detection system of this embodiment can not only realize bright field observation of the microfluidic chip through the coordinated control of the multi-channel spectroscopic turntable, but also detect the biomarkers, fluorescent signals, chemiluminescence, etc. in the microfluidic chip, thereby realizing the integration of observation and detection of microscopic reactions and cell behaviors.

[0067] (2) Real-time monitoring. The observation and detection system of this embodiment can monitor the reaction process in the microfluidic chip in real time. Through real-time acquisition and analysis of CCD, reaction kinetic information can be obtained, the change trend and reaction rate of the sample can be understood, and timely feedback can be provided for the control and adjustment of the experimental process.

[0068] (3) Multi-parameter analysis can obtain information on multiple parameters at the same time and detect and observe multiple reactants, thereby improving the efficiency of the experiment and the comprehensive analysis capability.

[0069] (4) It is non-invasive. The system can perform non-destructive testing and observation of samples through transparent chip materials, without affecting the properties and activity of the samples, and maintaining the original state of the samples;

[0070] (5) The compound eye array homogenizes light to improve light utilization. The compound eye is arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb array. The homogenized light beam is converged on the observation surface through a focusing lens to obtain a uniform hexagonal light spot. Compared with the rectangular array, the hexagonal array has a higher overlap rate and a higher light source utilization rate.

[0071] It can be understood that the same or similar parts of the above embodiments can be referenced to each other, and the contents not described in detail in some embodiments can refer to the same or similar contents in other embodiments.

[0072] It should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In addition, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" refers to at least two.

[0073] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the utility model. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0074] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limitations of the present invention. Ordinary technicians in the field can change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A microfluidic observation and detection system, characterized in that: Including optical illumination system and microfluidic module; Among them, the optical lighting system includes: A light source, used for emitting light of a preset wavelength band; A collimating lens, used for respectively collimating the light beams emitted by the light source; Aperture diaphragm, used to adjust the spot parameters of the output light beam of the collimating lens; The compound eye array is used to homogenize and output the light beam output by the aperture diaphragm; A convex lens, used to converge and output the light beams output by the compound eye array; A first beam splitter disk, used for screening the light beam output by the convex lens to obtain a first target light beam of a preset wavelength band; A beam splitter element, used for splitting the light beam output by the field aperture to form a first partial light beam and a second partial light beam; A second beam splitter disk is used to screen the first part of the light beam output by the beam splitter element to obtain a second target light beam with a preset wavelength band; A CCD component, used for imaging the incident first partial light beam on a confocal plane of the CCD component to form an observation image; A projection lens, used for emitting the second part of the light beam output by the beam splitter in parallel onto the microfluidic module to form a uniform light spot; The microfluidic module includes a microfluidic chip and a carrier platform; the microfluidic chip is provided with a plurality of microfluids containing samples to be detected; The optical illumination system controls the position of the light spot incident on the microfluidic module by changing the optical parameters of the aperture diaphragm, and determines the sample to be detected according to the position of the light spot.

2. A microfluidic observation and detection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light splitting element is a semi-transparent and semi-reflective mirror.

3. A microfluidic observation and detection system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The light source is a white light source.

4. A microfluidic observation and detection system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The compound eye array is a hexagonal honeycomb array.

5. A microfluidic observation and detection system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first light splitting turntable is provided with a first motor for controlling its rotation.

6. A microfluidic observation and detection system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second light splitting turntable is provided with a second motor for controlling its rotation.

7. A microfluidic observation and detection system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first beam splitting disk and the second beam splitting disk are respectively provided with a plurality of filters of different types.

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