Microflow imager

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of solution particle detection and analysis, and particularly provides a micro-flow imager, aiming at solving the problem that the length of the existing micro-flow imager in a certain direction is too long. In order to achieve the purpose, the microflow imager comprises a frame body; the light source is arranged on the frame body; the reflecting mirror is arranged in front of the light source in the propagation direction of light in the light source, a reflecting surface is arranged on the reflecting mirror, the reflecting surface and the propagation direction of the light in the light source form a certain angle and are not perpendicular to each other, and the reflecting surface is used for turning the path of the light; a sample flow channel in the liquid pool is used for containing detected liquid, and the sample flow channel is arranged between the light source and the reflecting mirror in the propagation direction of light in the light source 2; and the camera assembly is arranged on one side of the reflecting mirror and is used for receiving the light reflected by the reflecting surface. According to the utility model, the problem that the light path occupies too much space of a table top in a certain direction is solved by folding the light path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of solution particle detection and analysis, and particularly provides a microfluidic imager. Background Art

[0002] The existing microfluidic imager includes a parallel light source, a liquid cell and a camera assembly. The liquid cell is used to hold the liquid to be detected, and a transparent window is provided on the liquid cell. The light emitted by the parallel light source enters the camera assembly through the transparent window on the liquid cell containing micro-particles for imaging. The existing microfluidic imager adopts a straight light path, resulting in an excessive length of the instrument in a certain direction, occupying too much space and being inconvenient to use. The liquid path setting of the existing microfluidic imager makes it impossible to detect the micro-particles settled at the bottom of a single solution bottle during detection, nor can it continuously detect a large number of samples simultaneously, so it cannot be applied to on-line production. In addition, the collection of waste liquid is also difficult. If the waste liquid cannot be collected in time, it may cause the waste liquid to overflow.

[0003] Correspondingly, a new technical solution is needed in this field to solve the above problems. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The utility model aims to solve the above technical problems, that is, to solve the problem that the existing microfluidic imager is too long in a certain direction and occupies too much space. For this purpose, the utility model provides a microfluidic imager, including: a frame; a light source, which is arranged on the frame; a reflector, which is arranged in front of the light source along the propagation direction of the light in the light source. A reflecting surface is provided on the reflector, and the reflecting surface forms a certain angle with the propagation direction of the light in the light source and is not perpendicular. The reflecting surface is used to deflect the light path; a liquid cell, the sample flow channel in the liquid cell is used to hold the liquid to be detected, and the sample flow channel is arranged between the light source and the reflector along the propagation direction of the light in the light source; a camera assembly, which is arranged on one side of the reflector and is used to receive the light reflected by the reflecting surface.

[0005] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, the reflecting surface forms a 45° angle with the propagation direction of the light in the light source.

[0006] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, an upper liquid inlet channel, a sample flow channel and a lower liquid outlet channel are sequentially arranged on the liquid cell along the vertical direction, and the upper liquid inlet channel is located above the lower liquid outlet channel along the vertical direction.

[0007] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, the microfluidic imager further includes: a liquid inlet hole, which is arranged on the frame and is located above the upper liquid inlet channel along the vertical direction, and the liquid inlet hole is connected to the upper liquid inlet channel.

[0008] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, the microfluidic imager further includes: a fluid pump, the fluid pump is arranged on the frame body, and the lower liquid outlet channel is connected to the fluid pump.

[0009] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, the microfluidic imager further includes: a liquid inlet adapter, the liquid inlet adapter is arranged on the frame body, a liquid inlet hole is arranged on the liquid inlet adapter, and a thread for connecting with a liquid injection connecting piece is arranged on the inner wall of the liquid inlet hole.

[0010] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, a sliding groove is arranged on the frame body; the microfluidic imager further includes a sliding cover, the sliding cover is slidably arranged in the sliding groove, and after the sliding cover slides, it covers or opens the liquid inlet hole.

[0011] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, the frame body is further provided with: a detection chamber, a light source, a reflector, a liquid cell and a camera assembly are all located in the detection chamber; a waste liquid chamber, the waste liquid chamber is arranged on one side of the detection chamber, the detection chamber and the waste liquid chamber are not communicated with each other, and the waste liquid chamber is used for placing a waste liquid bottle.

[0012] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, an overflow port is arranged at the bottom of the waste liquid chamber, and the overflow port is communicated with the outside.

[0013] In the above specific embodiment of the microfluidic imager, a status indicator light is further arranged on the frame body, and is used to indicate the working status of the microfluidic imager.

[0014] In the case of adopting the above technical solution, the present utility model reduces the problem of occupying too much tabletop space in a certain direction by folding the optical path. The liquid path with the upper inlet and lower outlet makes the flow of the micro-particle solution in the solution to be measured more smooth. Even if there are large particles that are easy to settle in the solution, they will flow through the sample channel along with the solution and then be photographed by the camera. The liquid inlet hole with a thread on the liquid inlet adapter can be connected to different connecting pieces, so that the microfluidic imager can be adapted to various sampling methods such as direct extraction, using a syringe, and using a pipette, and the operation is simple and convenient. Description of the Drawings

[0015] The following describes the preferred embodiments of the present utility model with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 is the overall structural schematic diagram of the microfluidic imager in the present utility model, in which the detection chamber and the waste liquid chamber are shown;

[0017] Figure 2 is the structural schematic diagram of a certain perspective of the microfluidic imager in the present utility model;

[0018] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the top view of

[0019] Figure 4 is Figure 3 the sectional view at A-A in it;

[0020] Figure 5 is another perspective structural schematic diagram of the microfluidic imager in the present utility model, which shows the light propagation path;

[0021] Figure 6 is the structural schematic diagram of the liquid inlet adapter in the present utility model.

[0022] In the figure: 1. frame body, 2. light source, 3. reflector, 4. reflecting surface, 5. liquid pool, 6. sample flow channel, 7. camera assembly, 8. upper liquid inlet channel, 9. lower liquid outlet channel, 10. liquid inlet hole, 11. fluid pump, 12. liquid inlet adapter, 13. water accumulation tank, 14. sliding groove, 15. sliding cover, 16. detection chamber, 17. waste liquid chamber, 18. overflow port, 19. status indicator light. Specific embodiments

[0023] The following describes the preferred embodiments of the present utility model with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principle of the present utility model and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present utility model. Those skilled in the art can adjust it according to needs to adapt to specific application scenarios.

[0024] It should be noted that in the description of the present utility model, the terms indicating directions or positional relationships such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. This is only for convenience of description and does not indicate or imply that the relevant devices or components must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present utility model. In addition, ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] In addition, it should also be noted that in the description of the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" 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 directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood according to specific situations.

[0026] Furthermore, in order to more clearly show the core technical solution of the present utility model, the description below omits the description of well-known structures such as the camera assembly. However, this omission is only for the convenience of description and does not mean that the camera assembly can be without these structures.

[0027] As Figure 1-5 shown, the present utility model proposes a microfluidic imager, which includes a frame 1; a light source 2, the light source 2 is arranged on the frame 1; a reflector 3, the reflector 3 is arranged in front of the light source 2 along the propagation direction of the light in the light source 2, a reflecting surface 4 is arranged on the reflector 3, the reflecting surface 4 forms a certain angle with the propagation direction of the light in the light source 2, and at the same time, the reflecting surface 4 is not perpendicular to the propagation direction of the light in the light source 2, and the reflecting surface 4 is used to make the path of the light turn; a liquid cell 5, the liquid cell 5 is arranged between the light source 2 and the reflector 3, and the sample flow channel 6 in the liquid cell 5 is used to accommodate the liquid to be detected, the sample flow channel 6 is arranged between the light source 2 and the reflector 3 along the propagation direction of the light in the light source 2, and the light in the light source 2 passes through the sample flow channel 6 and then irradiates on the reflecting surface 4; a camera assembly 7, the camera assembly 7 is arranged on one side of the reflector 3, and the light reflected by the reflecting surface 4 enters the camera assembly 7 for imaging, so as to obtain an image of the liquid to be detected. The light source 2 can adopt a blue pulsed light source, which can effectively avoid motion ghosting. The camera assembly 7 includes a lens and a camera, and the reflected light enters the lens and the camera in sequence and then images the solution sample. The lens can be a telecentric auto-focus lens, and the camera can be a high-resolution area array camera. The microfluidic imager further includes a data processing unit, and then the acquired image is transmitted to the data processing unit for analysis and calculation. The camera assembly 7 is placed on a moving platform, and the moving platform drives the camera assembly 7 to move after moving, so as to adjust the focal length and field of view of the lens; the moving platform can be a cross slide, which has a first slide along the length direction of the instrument and a second slide along the width direction of the instrument. The microfluidic imager further includes a control unit, and the movement of the moving platform is controlled by the control unit.

[0028] In this embodiment, in order to solve the problem that the existing microfluidic imager is too long in a certain direction and occupies too much space, a folded optical path method is adopted. Specifically, the light source 2 is a parallel light source, and the light emitted by the light source 2 penetrates the transparent window 6 on the liquid cell 5 and irradiates on the reflecting surface 4 of the reflector 3. The incident light and the reflected light form a certain angle, and the reflected light continues to propagate and irradiates on the camera assembly 7. The camera assembly 7 forms a corresponding image after receiving the reflected light. The optical path of the existing microfluidic imager is a parallel optical path. After the light source emits light, it directly irradiates on the camera assembly after passing through the liquid cell, resulting in the microfluidic imager being too long in a certain direction. In this embodiment, the reflector 3 is used to fold the optical path, reducing the length of the optical path in a certain direction and the space occupied on the tabletop in a certain direction, which is convenient for placement and use.

[0029] Further, as Figure 5 shown, as long as the reflecting surface 4 is not perpendicular to the propagation direction of the light in the light source 2, the reflecting surface 4 can form any angle with the propagation direction of the light in the light source 2. In order to minimize the volume of the microfluidic imager, in this embodiment, the reflecting surface 4 forms a 45° angle with the propagation direction of the light in the light source 2.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4 , on the upper edge of the liquid pool 5, an upper liquid inlet channel 8, a sample channel 6, and a lower liquid outlet channel 9 are successively arranged in the vertical direction; the upper liquid inlet channel 8 is located above the lower liquid outlet channel 9 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the liquid path of the liquid pool 5 adopts the way of upper inlet and lower outlet, making the flow of the micro-particle solution in the measured solution smoother. Even if there are large particles that are prone to sedimentation in the solution, they will flow through the sample channel 6 along with the solution and then be detected. Compared with the prior art method of placing the reagent bottle filled with the liquid to be measured on one side of the light source for measurement, the liquid path in this embodiment can detect large particles that are prone to precipitation.

[0031] A transparent window is also arranged on the liquid pool 5. The transparent window is arranged on both sides of the sample channel 6 along the propagation direction of the light in the light source 2. The transparent window can prevent the sample channel 6 from being blocked and allow the light to pass through the sample channel 6 smoothly.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4 , the microfluidic imager further includes: a liquid inlet hole 10. The liquid inlet hole 10 is arranged on the frame body 1 and is located above the upper liquid inlet channel 8 in the vertical direction. The liquid inlet hole 10 is connected to the upper liquid inlet channel 8 through a liquid path tube (not shown in the figure). In this embodiment, the liquid inlet hole 10 is arranged above the upper liquid inlet channel 8, and feeding liquid into the liquid pool 5 from above can make the sample injection smoother.

[0033] Furthermore, the microfluidic imager further includes a fluid pump 11. The fluid pump 11 is arranged on the frame body 1 and is located below the liquid pool 5 in the vertical direction. The lower liquid outlet channel 9 is connected to the water inlet of the fluid pump 11 through a liquid path tube (not shown in the figure).

[0034] The fluid pump 11 is arranged at the end of the liquid path. The negative pressure generated by the fluid pump 11 sucks the measured liquid from the liquid inlet hole 10 into the upper liquid inlet channel 8, then flows through the sample channel 6 and the lower liquid outlet channel 9 into the fluid pump 11, and finally discharges from the fluid pump 11. The fluid pump 11 can continuously pump the measured liquid into the sample channel 6, enabling the microfluidic imager to continuously detect a large number of samples.

[0035] For a particularly viscous measured liquid, the fluid pump 11 can also be installed in front of the liquid pool 5 to push the measured liquid into the liquid pool 5 through positive pressure. However, installing the fluid pump 11 below can avoid the measured liquid from being contaminated because the fluid pump 11 may be contaminated during use. If the measured liquid passes through the fluid pump 11 first and then through the liquid pool 5, it may cause the measured liquid to carry impurities in the fluid pump 11, thereby affecting the detection result. Therefore, the fluid pump 11 is arranged at the end of the liquid path, allowing the measured liquid to directly enter the liquid pool 5 and then enter the fluid pump 11. In this way, even if the fluid pump 11 is contaminated, it will not affect the detection result.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown inFigure 4 and Figure 6 As shown in Figure 6 , in the prior art, a liquid suction tube is generally inserted into the liquid inlet hole to suck the liquid to be measured. To adapt to more injection methods, the microfluidic imager in this embodiment further includes: a liquid inlet adapter 12, the liquid inlet adapter 12 is arranged on the frame body 1, the liquid inlet hole 10 is arranged on the liquid inlet adapter 12, and a thread for connecting with the injection connection part is arranged on the inner wall of the liquid inlet hole 10. Through different connection parts, various injection methods such as direct extraction, using a syringe, and using a pipette gun can be realized, and the operation is convenient.

[0037] The structure of the injection connection part is prior art. Different models of injection connection parts are suitable for different liquid inlet methods. The injection connection part includes a connection part arranged at the upper part and a thread part arranged at the lower part. The inside of the injection connection part is an injection channel, and the injection channel can connect the liquid inlet hole with the container containing the liquid to be measured. During use, the thread part is screwed into the liquid inlet hole 10. The shape of the connection part is different for different liquid inlet methods. For example, if the direct extraction method is adopted, the connection part can be a liquid suction tube; if a pipette gun is used, the connection part can be a funnel shape adapted to the tip of the pipette gun; if a syringe is used, the connection part is a shape adapted to the syringe.

[0038] The liquid inlet hole 10 includes an upper liquid inlet hole, a communication hole, and a lower liquid inlet hole that are sequentially communicated. The diameter of the communication hole is smaller than the diameters of the upper liquid inlet hole and the lower liquid inlet hole. Threads are arranged on the inner sides of the upper liquid inlet hole and the lower liquid inlet hole. The upper liquid inlet hole is used to install the injection connection part, and the lower liquid inlet hole is used to install the connection part that connects the liquid inlet hole 10 with the liquid pool 5. This connection part can adopt an injection connection part with a liquid suction tube as the connection part. Screw the thread part into the lower liquid inlet hole, and connect the liquid suction tube with the upper liquid channel 8.

[0039] Further, as Figure 4 and Figure 6 shown, to avoid liquid overflow during injection, resulting in contamination of the internal components of the instrument, a water accumulation groove 13 is arranged on the liquid inlet adapter 12, and the water accumulation groove 13 surrounds the outside of the liquid inlet hole 10 in the circumferential direction. If there is excess liquid, when the liquid flows outwards, it will flow into the water accumulation groove 13, avoiding contamination of the internal components.

[0040] Further, as Figure 2-4 shown, a sliding groove 14 is arranged on the frame body 1; the microfluidic imager further includes a sliding cover 15, the sliding cover 15 is slidably arranged in the sliding groove 14, and the sliding cover 15 covers or opens the liquid inlet hole 10 after sliding. When the liquid to be measured does not need to be injected, slide the sliding cover 15 to the position covering the liquid inlet hole 10 to avoid dust falling into the liquid inlet hole 10 and contaminating the sample to be measured; when the liquid to be measured needs to be injected, slide the sliding cover 15 to the position exposing the liquid inlet hole 10, and then perform corresponding operations. A handle can be arranged on the sliding cover 15 to facilitate pushing the sliding cover 15.

[0041] AsFigure 1 As shown, the frame 1 is further provided with: a detection chamber 16, in which a light source 2, a reflector 3, a liquid cell 5 and a camera assembly 7 are all arranged; a waste liquid chamber 17, which is arranged on one side of the detection chamber 16. The detection chamber 16 and the waste liquid chamber 17 are not communicated with each other. The waste liquid chamber 17 is used for placing a waste liquid bottle, and the waste liquid bottle is connected to the water outlet of the fluid pump 11 through a liquid path pipe (not shown in the figure).

[0042] In this embodiment, a waste liquid bottle is used to collect waste liquid to prevent the detection waste liquid from flowing into the instrument. Even if there is a waste liquid bottle, if the waste liquid is not cleaned up in time, it will still cause the waste liquid to overflow or be accidentally spilled. To avoid the influence of the overflowed waste liquid on the internal components of the instrument, two chambers, namely a detection chamber 16 and a waste liquid chamber 17, are arranged on the frame 1. The light source 2, the reflector 3, the liquid cell 5 and the camera assembly 7 are all located in the detection chamber 16, and the waste liquid bottle is arranged in the waste liquid chamber 17. The waste liquid chamber 17 and the detection chamber 16 are not communicated, so even if the waste liquid overflows, it will not flow into the detection chamber. The waste liquid chamber 17 is arranged on one side of the detection chamber 16, which is convenient for the user to pour out the waste liquid.

[0043] Further, as Figure 2 shown, an overflow port 18 is arranged at the bottom of the waste liquid chamber 17, and the overflow port 18 is communicated with the outside. If the waste liquid overflows from the waste liquid bottle or is accidentally spilled, the waste liquid in the waste liquid chamber 17 can be discharged through the overflow port 18. The overflow port 18 can be connected to an external waste water bucket through a pipe.

[0044] The frame 1 is further provided with a status indicator light 19 for indicating the working status of the microfluidic imager. The status indicator light 19 is connected to the control unit. The status indicator light 19 can be a breathing light, and its brightness and hue can be adjusted by the control unit. For example, when the test is in progress, the control unit controls it to light up green; when the test is completed, the control unit controls it to light up blue; when a fault occurs in the instrument, the control unit controls it to light up red. The current working status can be judged by the color of the light, and the test progress can be confirmed without the user observing repeatedly.

[0045] Those skilled in the art can understand that although some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments rather than other features, the combination of the features of different embodiments means that it is within the scope of the present application and forms different embodiments. For example, in the claims of the present application, any one of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0046] So far, the technical solution of the present utility model has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present utility model is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principle of the present utility model, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will all fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A microfluidic imager, characterized in that: include: Frame (1); A light source (2), wherein the light source (2) is arranged on the frame (1); A reflector (3), the reflector (3) being arranged in front of the light source (2) along the propagation direction of the light in the light source (2), the reflector (3) being provided with a reflecting surface (4), the reflecting surface (4) being at a certain angle to the propagation direction of the light in the light source (2) and not perpendicular; A liquid pool (5), wherein a sample flow channel (6) in the liquid pool (5) is used to contain a liquid to be detected, and the sample flow channel (6) is arranged between the light source (2) and the reflector (3) along a propagation direction of light in the light source (2); A camera component (7), wherein the camera component (7) is arranged on one side of the reflector (3) and is used to receive light reflected by the reflective surface (4).

2. The microfluidic imager according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reflection surface (4) is at an angle of 45° to the propagation direction of light from the light source (2).

3. The microfluidic imager according to claim 1, characterized in that: An upper liquid inlet channel (8), the sample flow channel (6) and a lower liquid outlet channel (9) are arranged in sequence on the liquid pool (5) in the vertical direction, and the upper liquid inlet channel (8) is located above the lower liquid outlet channel (9) in the vertical direction.

4. The microfluidic imager according to claim 3, characterized in that: The microfluidic imager also includes: A liquid inlet hole (10), the liquid inlet hole (10) is arranged on the frame (1), and is located above the upper liquid inlet channel (8) in the vertical direction, and the liquid inlet hole (10) is connected to the upper liquid inlet channel (8).

5. The microfluidic imager according to claim 3, characterized in that: The microfluidic imager also includes: A fluid pump (11), wherein the fluid pump (11) is arranged on the frame (1), and the lower liquid outlet channel (9) is connected to the fluid pump (11).

6. The microfluidic imager according to claim 4, characterized in that: The microfluidic imager also includes: A liquid inlet adapter (12), wherein the liquid inlet adapter (12) is arranged on the frame (1), the liquid inlet hole (10) is arranged on the liquid inlet adapter (12), and a thread for connecting to a liquid injection connector is arranged on the inner wall of the liquid inlet hole (10).

7. The microfluidic imager according to claim 6, characterized in that: The frame (1) is provided with a slide groove (14); The microfluidic imager further comprises a sliding cover (15), wherein the sliding cover (15) is slidably disposed in the sliding groove (14), and the sliding cover (15) covers or opens the liquid inlet hole (10) after sliding.

8. The microfluidic imager according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The frame (1) is also provided with: A detection chamber (16), wherein the light source (2), the reflector (3), the liquid pool (5) and the camera assembly (7) are all located in the detection chamber (16); A waste liquid bin (17), wherein the waste liquid bin (17) is arranged on one side of the detection bin (16), the detection bin (16) and the waste liquid bin (17) are not connected to each other, and the waste liquid bin (17) is used to place a waste liquid bottle.

9. The microfluidic imager according to claim 8, characterized in that: The waste liquid bin (17) is provided with an overflow port (18) at the bottom, and the overflow port (18) is communicated with the outside.

10. The microfluidic imager according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frame (1) is also provided with a status indicator light (19) for indicating the working status of the microfluidic imager.

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