Automatic micro-fluidic droplet preparation system

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic micro-fluidic liquid drop preparation system, and belongs to the technical field of micro-fluidic liquid drop preparation. The system comprises a liquid supplementing pool, an automatic liquid supplementing injection pump, a controller module and a micro-fluidic chip, the liquid supplementing pool is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the automatic liquid supplementing injection pump through a pipeline, and the liquid outlet end of the automatic liquid supplementing injection pump is communicated with the micro-fluidic chip through a pipeline. The signal output end of the automatic fluid infusion injection pump is in communication connection with the signal input end of the controller module, and the signal output end of the controller module is in communication connection with the signal input end of the automatic fluid infusion injection pump. According to the utility model, by realizing the automation of the whole preparation process, the workload of operators is reduced, the dead time in the preparation process is reduced, the preparation efficiency is improved, and the control accuracy is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of microfluidic droplet preparation, and relates to a microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system. Background Technique

[0002] Microfluidic technology is a technical process for precisely controlling and manipulating microscale fluids, and its main feature is to control fluids in a micro-nano level space. The principle of microfluidic technology is mainly based on the precise control and operation of microscale fluids. Through the fluid flow on a microfluidic chip, laminar flow effects of the aqueous phase and the organic phase can be achieved, and the effective components in the two phases can be controlled to undergo self-assembly reactions, so that reactions can occur rapidly at the extremely small phase interface. A microfluidic chip integrates basic operation units such as sample preparation, reaction, separation, and detection in the biological, chemical, and medical analysis processes on a chip at the micron scale, and automatically completes the entire analysis process.

[0003] In recent years, in the field of biochemical reactions, microfluidic technology has been widely used, especially in the fields of 3D encapsulation and microfluidic droplet preparation. However, currently, during the preparation of microfluidic droplets, manual assistance is usually required. Especially during fluid replenishment, the syringe needs to be removed from the preparation system manually, the fluid is manually extracted, and then the syringe is reinstalled into the preparation system to continue droplet preparation, which increases the workload of the operator. During the preparation process, the stagnation time is relatively long, and the work efficiency is low. At the same time, the current microfluidic droplet preparation system (as shown in Figure 1 ) adopts an open-loop control method, resulting in the inability to precisely control the droplet preparation flow rate.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system to realize the automation of the overall preparation process, reduce the workload of operators, reduce the stagnation time during the preparation process, improve the preparation efficiency, and improve the accuracy of fluid flow rate control. Content of the Utility Model

[0005] In order to overcome the problems in the background technique, the utility model measures the fluid flow rate in real time through a flow sensor and transmits the signal to a controller module. The controller module controls an automatic fluid replenishment injection pump according to the received signal to form a closed-loop control to precisely control the fluid flow rate in real time. At the same time, the automatic fluid replenishment injection pump transmits a signal to the controller module, and the controller module judges the current working state of the automatic fluid replenishment injection pump according to the received signal, and automatically adjusts the automatic fluid replenishment injection pump to replenish and discharge fluid according to the demand, realizing the automation of the overall preparation process, reducing the workload of operators, reducing the stagnation time during the preparation process, and improving the preparation efficiency.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model is realized through the following technical solutions:

[0007] The system includes a liquid replenishment pool, an automatic liquid replenishment injection pump, a controller module 5, and a microfluidic chip 6. The liquid replenishment pool is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump through a pipeline 7, and the liquid outlet end of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump is communicated with the microfluidic chip 6 through the pipeline 7.

[0008] The signal output end of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump is communicatively connected with the signal input end of the controller module 5, and the signal output end of the controller module 5 is communicatively connected with the signal input end of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump.

[0009] Preferably, the liquid replenishment pool is divided into a first liquid replenishment pool 1 and a second liquid replenishment pool 2, which contain oil-phase fluid and water-phase fluid respectively. The automatic liquid replenishment injection pump is divided into a first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 and a second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 4. The first liquid replenishment pool 1 is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 through a pipeline 7, the second liquid replenishment pool 2 is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 4 through a pipeline 7, the liquid outlet end of the first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 is communicated with the microfluidic chip 6 through a pipeline 7, and the liquid outlet end of the second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 4 is communicated with the microfluidic chip 6 through a pipeline 7.

[0010] Preferably, the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump includes a syringe 11, a piston pusher 12, a Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13, a U-shaped housing 14, a ball screw 15, a mounting plate 16, a piston driver 19, and a Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 is fixedly installed on the mounting plate 16. The nipple of the syringe 11 is connected to the liquid inlet end of the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13, and the end of the piston of the syringe 11 is fixedly connected to the piston pusher 12 by screws. A chute is provided on the mounting plate 16. The piston pusher 12 is threadedly connected to the ball screw 15 and the piston pusher 12 slides in the chute. The ball screw 15 is located in the chute and is rotatably connected to the mounting plate 16. The end of the U-shaped housing 14 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 16. The piston driver 19 is fixedly installed in the U-shaped housing 14 and drives the ball screw 15 to rotate. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20 is fixedly installed in the mounting plate 16 and drives the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 to rotate. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20 are respectively located on two opposite surfaces of the mounting plate 16. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 is provided with a liquid replenishment interface 17 and a liquid outlet interface 18. The liquid replenishment pool is communicated with the liquid replenishment interface 17 through a pipeline 7, and the liquid outlet interface 18 is communicated with the microfluidic chip 6 through a pipeline 7.

[0011] The signal output ends of the piston driver 19 and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20 are communicatively connected with the signal input end of the controller module 5, and different signal output ends of the controller module 5 are respectively communicatively connected with the signal input ends of the piston driver 19 and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20.

[0012] Preferably, the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 includes an inner rotating part 131 and an outer ring 132. The inner rotating part 131 is rotatably connected to the outer ring 132. The inner rotating part 131 is driven to rotate by a Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20, and the outer side wall of the inner rotating part 131 contacts the inner side wall of the outer ring 132. A liquid replenishing interface 17 and a liquid outlet interface 18 are provided on the outer ring 132. The outer ring 132 is fixedly installed on the mounting plate 16. A conducting pipe 133 is installed on the inner rotating part 131. The conducting pipe 133 connects the liquid replenishing interface 17 or the liquid outlet interface 18 with the nipple of the syringe 11.

[0013] Preferably, both the piston driver 19 and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20 are stepper motors.

[0014] Preferably, mounting holes 21 are provided on the side wall of the mounting plate 16.

[0015] Preferably, the pipe 7 is a capillary tube.

[0016] Preferably, the conducting pipe 133 is a capillary tube.

[0017] Preferably, the controller module 5 includes an MCU, a serial communication module, a host computer, a serial-to-USB circuit, and a memory. The serial communication module receives the transmission signal of the automatic liquid replenishing syringe pump through a communication interface. After the MCU calculates the signal of the automatic liquid replenishing syringe pump received by the serial communication module, the calculation result is transmitted to the host computer through the serial-to-USB circuit. The host computer judges the calculation result and issues a control instruction to control the automatic liquid replenishing syringe pump. The memory is communicatively connected to the MCU and is used to store the signal received by the MCU and the calculation result of the MCU.

[0018] Preferably, the system further includes a reflux pool 8. The microfluidic chip 6 is connected to the reflux pool 8 through a pipe 7.

[0019] Advantages of the present utility model:

[0020] 1. In the present utility model, the automatic liquid replenishing syringe pump transmits a signal to the controller module. The controller module can judge the volume of the fluid in the syringe of the automatic liquid replenishing syringe pump according to the received signal, so as to determine whether it is necessary to control the automatic liquid replenishing syringe pump to replenish the liquid. When the liquid replenishment is completed and the volume of the fluid in the syringe is sufficient, the controller module controls the automatic liquid replenishing syringe pump to continue discharging the liquid, thereby realizing the overall automation of the preparation process and reducing the workload of the operator.

[0021] 2. In the present utility model, by controlling the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver of the controller module to drive the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve to rotate, the switching between the liquid replenishment and liquid discharge states of the automatic liquid replenishing syringe pump can be realized. There is no need to install or disassemble components, which can reduce the liquid discharge stagnation time and improve the preparation efficiency.

[0022] 3. The utility model obtains the piston driver signal through the controller module, and can calculate the real-time flow rate according to the piston driver signal. Then, the controller module controls the speed of the piston driver to drive the syringe piston to move according to the signal, so as to adjust the speed of the fluid ejected by the syringe, realize the adjustment of the fluid flow rate, and accurately control the fluid flow rate. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic connection diagram of an existing microfluidic droplet preparation system;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the system connection structure of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 It is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of the automatic liquid replenishing injection pump of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the working state of the Y-shaped three-way switching valve of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the syringe state of the utility model;

[0028] Figure 6 It is a schematic connection diagram of the controller module of the utility model.

[0029] In the figure, 1 - the first liquid replenishing pool, 2 - the second liquid replenishing pool, 3 - the first automatic liquid replenishing injection pump, 4 - the second automatic liquid replenishing injection pump, 5 - the controller module, 6 - the microfluidic chip, 7 - the pipeline, 8 - the reflux pool, 11 - the syringe, 12 - the piston pusher, 13 - the Y-shaped three-way switching valve, 131 - the inner rotating part, 132 - the outer ring, 133 - the conduction pipe, 14 - the U-shaped housing, 15 - the ball screw, 16 - the mounting plate, 17 - the liquid replenishing interface, 18 - the liquid outlet interface, 19 - the piston driver, 20 - the Y-shaped three-way switching valve driver, 21 - the mounting hole. Detailed Embodiments

[0030] The following further elaborates the present utility model in detail with reference to specific embodiments.

[0031] As Figure 2 shown, the system includes a liquid replenishing pool, an automatic liquid replenishing injection pump, a controller module 5, and a microfluidic chip 6. The liquid replenishing pool is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the automatic liquid replenishing injection pump through a pipeline 7, and the liquid outlet end of the automatic liquid replenishing injection pump is communicated with the microfluidic chip 6 through a pipeline 7;

[0032] The signal output end of the automatic liquid replenishing injection pump is communicatively connected to the signal input end of the controller module 5, and the signal output end of the controller module 5 is communicatively connected to the signal input end of the automatic liquid replenishing injection pump.

[0033] The liquid replenishment pool is divided into a first liquid replenishment pool 1 and a second liquid replenishment pool 2, which contain the oil-phase fluid and the water-phase fluid respectively. The automatic liquid replenishment injection pump is divided into a first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 and a second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 4. The first liquid replenishment pool 1 is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 through a pipeline 7, and the second liquid replenishment pool 2 is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 4 through a pipeline 7. The liquid outlet end of the first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 is communicated with the microfluidic chip 6 through a pipeline 7, and the liquid outlet end of the second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 4 is communicated with the microfluidic chip 6 through a pipeline 7.

[0034] In the utility model, the first liquid replenishment pool 1 contains the oil-phase fluid, and the second liquid replenishment pool 2 contains the water-phase fluid. The oil-phase fluid contained in the first liquid replenishment pool 1 enters the first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 from the liquid inlet end of the first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 through a pipeline 7. The first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump 3 then outputs the fluid from the liquid outlet end and transports the oil-phase fluid to the microfluidic chip 6 through a pipeline 7. The water-phase fluid is transported to the microfluidic chip 6 in the same way. The oil-phase fluid and the water-phase fluid are both transported into the microfluidic chip 6 for mixing reaction, and droplets are prepared in the microfluidic chip 6, that is, the whole preparation process is completed. During the preparation process, the flow rate parameters of the oil-phase fluid and the water-phase fluid are pre-designed and input into the controller module 5. The controller module 5 can calculate the real-time flow rate according to the transmission signal of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump and compare it with the preset value to regulate the real-time flow rate so that the real-time flow rate is kept as equal as possible to the preset value or within a range with little difference.

[0035] The liquid replenishment process and the liquid outlet process of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump do not occur simultaneously. Therefore, during the droplet preparation process, the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump maintains a continuous liquid outlet state, and the liquid in the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump will decrease. The automatic liquid replenishment injection pump transmits signals to the controller module 5 in real time. The controller module 5 calculates the remaining liquid in the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump in real time. When the remaining liquid volume calculated by the controller module 5 is less than the liquid replenishment threshold preset in the controller module 5, the controller module 5 controls the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump to stop discharging liquid and enter the liquid replenishment state at the same time. The automatic liquid replenishment injection pump pumps the fluid in the liquid replenishment pool into the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump. At the same time, the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump maintains real-time signal transmission to the controller module 5, and the controller module 5 keeps calculating the remaining liquid volume. When the remaining liquid volume calculated by the controller module 5 is greater than or equal to the liquid outlet threshold preset in the controller module 5, the controller module 5 controls the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump to adjust to the liquid outlet state, and the liquid replenishment state stops at the same time, and the system continues to prepare droplets. During the droplet preparation process, there is no need for manual intervention, and the automation degree of the system is relatively high. At the same time, the controller module 5 can control the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump to quickly switch between the liquid replenishment and liquid outlet states without disassembling and installing system components, etc., and the preparation efficiency is relatively high.

[0036] Meanwhile, the liquid replenishment tank and the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump in the system can be increased or decreased according to actual needs, and the controller module 5 can also be increased or decreased according to actual needs, with its control logic and working mode remaining unchanged.

[0037] As Figure 3 shown, the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump includes a syringe 11, a piston pusher 12, a Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13, a U-shaped housing 14, a ball screw 15, a mounting plate 16, a piston driver 19, and a Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 is fixedly installed on the mounting plate 16. The nipple of the syringe 11 is connected to the liquid inlet end of the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13. The end of the piston of the syringe 11 is fixedly connected to the piston pusher 12 by screws. A chute is provided on the mounting plate 16. The piston pusher 12 is threadedly connected to the ball screw 15 and the piston pusher 12 slides in the chute. The ball screw 15 is located in the chute and is rotatably connected to the mounting plate 16. The end of the U-shaped housing 14 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 16. The piston driver 19 is fixedly installed in the U-shaped housing 14 and drives the ball screw 15 to rotate. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20 is fixedly installed in the mounting plate 16 and drives the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 to rotate. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20 are respectively located on two opposite surfaces of the mounting plate 16. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve 13 is provided with a liquid replenishment interface 17 and a liquid outlet interface 18. The liquid replenishment tank is communicated with the liquid replenishment interface 17 through a pipeline 7. The liquid outlet interface 18 is communicated with the microfluidic chip 6 through a pipeline 7.

[0038] The signal output ends of the piston driver 19 and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20 are communicatively connected to the signal input end of the controller module 5. Different signal output ends of the controller module 5 are respectively communicatively connected to the signal input ends of the piston driver 19 and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver 20.

[0039] After the piston driver 19 transmits a signal to the controller module 5, the controller module 5 can calculate the amount of remaining liquid in the syringe 11 based on the received signal. When replenishing liquid is required, the controller module 5 first controls the piston driver 19 to pause. At this time, the ball screw 15 loses the driving effect of the piston driver 19 and stops rotating. After the ball screw 15 stops rotating, the piston pusher 12 threadedly connected thereto stops sliding, and then the piston of the syringe 11 stops moving. After that, the controller module 5 controls the Y-shaped three-way valve driver 20 to drive the Y-shaped three-way valve 13 to start working, blocks the liquid outlet interface 18, and connects the liquid replenishing interface 17 to the nipple of the syringe 11. Then, the controller module 5 controls the Y-shaped three-way valve driver 20 to pause, and then controls the piston driver 19 to start working. The piston driver 19 drives the ball screw 15 to rotate. When the ball screw 15 rotates in different directions, the piston pusher 12 will slide in different directions, so as to Figure 3 take Figure 3 as an example. If the ball screw 15 rotates clockwise, the piston pusher 12 slides upward. Then, when the ball screw 15 rotates counterclockwise, the piston pusher 12 slides downward. When replenishing liquid, the controller module 5 controls the piston driver 19 to drive the ball screw 15 to rotate, so that the piston pusher 12 slides downward. At this time, the piston of the syringe 11 is pulled downward by the piston pusher 12, and the fluid in the liquid replenishing pool can be sucked into the syringe 11 through the liquid replenishing interface 17 for liquid replenishment. After the liquid replenishment is completed, the controller module 5 controls the piston driver 19 to pause, and then controls the Y-shaped three-way valve driver 20 to drive the Y-shaped three-way valve 13 to work, blocks the liquid replenishing interface 17, and connects the liquid outlet interface 18 to the nipple of the syringe 11. After that, the controller module 5 controls the Y-shaped three-way valve driver 20 to pause and controls the piston driver 19 to drive the ball screw 15 to rotate. At this time, the rotation direction of the ball screw 15 is opposite to that during liquid replenishment, so the piston pusher 12 slides upward, driving the piston of the syringe 11 upward to push the fluid in the syringe 11 out of the syringe 11 and into the pipeline 7 through the liquid outlet interface 18 for the normal liquid droplet preparation process. The speed at which the piston driver 19 drives the ball screw 15 to rotate determines the speed at which the piston of the syringe 11 moves upward or downward. Thus, the speed at which the syringe 11 sucks in or pushes out liquid is controllable, and further, the fluid flow rate can be adjusted.

[0040] such as Figure 4As shown, the Y-shaped three-way directional valve 13 includes an inner rotating part 131 and an outer ring 132. The inner rotating part 131 is rotatably connected to the outer ring 132. The inner rotating part 131 is driven to rotate by a Y-shaped three-way directional valve driver 20, and the outer side wall of the inner rotating part 131 contacts the inner side wall of the outer ring 132. A liquid supplement interface 17 and a liquid outlet interface 18 are provided on the outer ring 132. The outer ring 132 is fixedly installed on a mounting plate 16. A conduction pipe 133 is installed on the inner rotating part 131, and the conduction pipe 133 connects the liquid supplement interface 17 or the liquid outlet interface 18 with the nipple of the syringe 11.

[0041] The Y-shaped three-way directional valve driver 20 only needs to drive the inner rotating part 131 to rotate back and forth within a certain angle to connect the nipple of the syringe 11 with the liquid supplement interface 17 or the liquid outlet interface 18. Figure 4 (A), the conduction pipe 133 connects the liquid supplement interface 17 with the nipple of the syringe 11. After the Y-shaped three-way directional valve driver 20 drives the inner rotating part 131 to rotate clockwise, the conduction pipe 133 can connect the liquid outlet interface 18 with the nipple of the syringe 11 (as Figure 4 (B) shown).

[0042] The piston driver 19 and the Y-shaped three-way directional valve driver 20 are both stepper motors.

[0043] Using a stepper motor, the remaining liquid in the syringe 11 can be calculated relatively simply. As Figure 5 shown, since the liquid in the syringe 11 is inhaled or ejected by the up and down movement of the piston. At the same time, the speed of the piston moving upward and the speed of the fluid being ejected from the syringe 11. After the fluid is ejected from the syringe 11, it is transported to the microfluidic chip 6 through the pipeline 7. The diameter of the pipeline 7 is determined, and the diameter of the sampling pipeline in the microfluidic chip 6 is also determined. Then the speed of the fluid being ejected from the syringe 11 determines the flow rate of the fluid entering the microfluidic chip 6. The volume of the liquid in the syringe 11 is equal to the volume of the cylinder between the piston of the syringe 11 and its nipple. When the model of the stepper motor is determined, its step size is a fixed value. The up and down movement of the piston is driven by the piston pusher 12. The up and down sliding of the piston pusher 12 is generated by the rotation of the ball screw 15. The number of turns of the ball screw 15 determines the distance of the up and down sliding of the piston pusher 12 (i.e., the distance of the up and down movement of the piston), and the speed of the rotation of the ball screw 15 determines the speed of the up and down sliding of the piston pusher 12 (i.e., the speed of the up and down movement of the piston). And the ball screw 15 is driven by the piston driver 19. Then the number of steps n of the piston driver 19 is related to both the distance of the up and down movement of the piston of the syringe 11 and the speed of the up and down movement of the piston of the syringe 11. If the distance between the piston of the syringe 11 and its nipple is s, and the inner diameter of the empty cylinder of the syringe 11 is D, then the volume of the liquid in the empty cylinder between the piston and the nipple is And there is a relationship between the number of steps n of the stepper motor and s: Among them, L is the maximum distance between the piston of the syringe 11 and the nipple, and N is the maximum number of steps of the piston driver 19. Given the number of steps n, the maximum distance L between the piston of the syringe 11 and the nipple, and the maximum number of steps N of the piston driver 19, s can be obtained. When the distance s between the piston of the syringe 11 and its nipple is the largest, the number of steps n of the stepper motor = N, which is also at the maximum value. When the syringe 11 is reset, the distance s between the piston of the syringe 11 and its nipple is 0, and the number of steps n is 0. Thus, when the piston driver 19 transmits its own step signal to the controller module 5, the controller module 5 can calculate the remaining liquid volume in the syringe 11 according to the number of steps n, and determine whether the remaining liquid volume in the syringe 11 meets the requirements through the remaining liquid volume. The Y-shaped three-way valve driver 20 mainly transmits its forward and reverse rotation and its rotation-in-place signals to the controller module 5, so that the controller module 5 can judge the next operation.

[0044] At the same time, given that the diameter of the sampling pipeline in the microfluidic chip 6 is d and the number of steps of the piston driver 19 is n, the fluid flow rate can be calculated through the formula where V is the value of V1 when s is the largest, and V is a fixed value. After calculating the fluid flow rate, compare the actual fluid flow rate with the preset value in the controller module 5. The controller module 5 controls the rotation speed of the ball screw 15 driven by the piston driver 19 according to the comparison result, thereby adjusting the up and down sliding speed of the piston pusher 12, and then regulating the speed at which the fluid is pushed out of the syringe 11, and finally regulating the fluid flow rate to keep the fluid flow rate within a relatively accurate range.

[0045] Mounting holes 21 are provided on the side wall of the mounting plate 16.

[0046] It is convenient to install the automatic replenishing syringe pump on other fixed or supporting components.

[0047] The pipeline 7 is a capillary tube.

[0048] The conducting tube 133 is a capillary tube.

[0049] The capillary tube has a small and compact structure and a wide range of applications.

[0050] Such as Figure 6As shown, the controller module 5 includes an MCU, a serial communication module, a host computer, a serial-to-USB circuit, and a memory. The serial communication module receives the transmission signal of the automatic fluid infusion pump through a communication interface. After the MCU calculates the signal of the automatic fluid infusion pump received by the serial communication module, the calculation result is transmitted to the host computer through the serial-to-USB circuit. The host computer judges the calculation result and issues a control instruction to control the automatic fluid infusion pump. The memory is communicatively connected to the MCU and is used to store the signal received by the MCU and the calculation result of the MCU.

[0051] Both the piston driver 19 and the Y-type three-way valve driver 20 are built-in with encoders. The encoder is responsible for transmitting the signal to the serial communication module of the controller module 5 through a communication interface. The MCU calculates the received signal, and the MCU transmits the calculation result to the host computer through the serial-to-USB interface. The host computer judges the result and issues a control instruction to control the relevant components to perform subsequent actions. A data memory RAM is set in the MCU, which can store the initial position signals of the Y-type three-way valve 13 and the piston of the syringe 11 obtained by calculation and other calculation results.

[0052] The system further includes a reflux pool 10, and the microfluidic chip 6 is communicated with the reflux pool 10 through a pipeline 7.

[0053] The droplets prepared by the microfluidic chip 9 are transported to the reflux pool 10 through the pipeline 7 for collection.

[0054] The working process of the present utility model: First, install and connect the system. Then, preset parameters such as flow rate, remaining liquid threshold, and fluid infusion threshold in the controller module, and ensure that the Y-type three-way valve is in the correct position. Start the piston driver through the controller module, that is, perform normal droplet preparation work. During the preparation process, the system performs automatic fluid infusion and automatically switches to normal droplet preparation work. The staff only needs to process the liquid collected in the reflux pool.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above preferred embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present utility model and are not restrictive. Although the present utility model has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes can be made in form and details without departing from the scope defined by the claims of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system, characterized in that: The system includes a liquid replenishment pool, an automatic liquid replenishment injection pump, a controller module (5), and a microfluidic chip (6). The liquid replenishment pool is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump through a pipeline (7), and the liquid outlet end of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump is communicated with the microfluidic chip (6) through the pipeline (7). The signal output end of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump is communicatively connected with the signal input end of the controller module (5), and the signal output end of the controller module (5) is communicatively connected with the signal input end of the automatic liquid replenishment injection pump.

2. The microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 1, wherein: The liquid replenishment pool is divided into a first liquid replenishment pool (1) and a second liquid replenishment pool (2), which contain an oil-phase fluid and a water-phase fluid respectively. The automatic liquid replenishment injection pump is divided into a first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump (3) and a second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump (4). The first liquid replenishment pool (1) is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump (3) through a pipeline (7), the second liquid replenishment pool (2) is communicated with the liquid inlet end of the second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump (4) through a pipeline (7), the liquid outlet end of the first automatic liquid replenishment injection pump (3) is communicated with the microfluidic chip (6) through a pipeline (7), and the liquid outlet end of the second automatic liquid replenishment injection pump (4) is communicated with the microfluidic chip (6) through a pipeline (7).

3. A microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic liquid replenishment injection pump includes a syringe (11), a piston pusher (12), a Y-shaped three-way reversing valve (13), a U-shaped housing (14), a ball screw (15), a mounting plate (16), a piston driver (19), and a Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver (20). The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve (13) is fixedly installed on the mounting plate (16). The nipple of the syringe (11) is connected to the liquid inlet end of the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve (13). The end of the piston of the syringe (11) is fixedly connected to the piston pusher (12) by a screw. A chute is provided on the mounting plate (16). The piston pusher (12) is threadedly connected to the ball screw (15) and the piston pusher (12) slides in the chute. The ball screw (15) is located in the chute and rotatably connected to the mounting plate (16). The end of the U-shaped housing (14) is fixedly connected to the mounting plate (16). The piston driver (19) is fixedly installed in the U-shaped housing (14) and drives the ball screw (15) to rotate. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver (20) is fixedly installed in the mounting plate (16) and drives the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve (13) to rotate. The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve (13) and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver (20) are respectively located on two opposite surfaces of the mounting plate (16). The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve (13) is provided with a liquid replenishment interface (17) and a liquid outlet interface (18). The liquid replenishment pool is communicated with the liquid replenishment interface (17) through a pipeline (7), and the liquid outlet interface (18) is communicated with the microfluidic chip (6) through a pipeline (7). The signal output ends of the piston driver (19) and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver (20) are communicatively connected with the signal input end of the controller module (5), and different signal output ends of the controller module (5) are respectively communicatively connected with the signal input ends of the piston driver (19) and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver (20).

4. The microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 3, wherein: The Y-shaped three-way reversing valve (13) includes an inner rotating part (131) and an outer ring (132). The inner rotating part (131) is rotatably connected to the outer ring (132). The inner rotating part (131) is driven to rotate by a Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver (20), and the outer side wall of the inner rotating part (131) contacts the inner side wall of the outer ring (132). A liquid replenishing interface (17) and a liquid outlet interface (18) are provided on the outer ring (132). The outer ring (132) is fixedly installed on a mounting plate (16). A conducting pipe (133) is installed on the inner rotating part (131). The conducting pipe (133) connects the liquid replenishing interface (17) or the liquid outlet interface (18) with the nipple of the syringe (11).

5. The microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 3, wherein: The piston driver (19) and the Y-shaped three-way reversing valve driver (20) are both stepper motors.

6. The microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 3, characterized in that: Mounting holes (21) are provided on the side wall of the mounting plate (16).

7. A microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The pipeline (7) is a capillary tube.

8. A microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The conducting pipe (133) is a capillary tube.

9. The microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 1, wherein: The controller module (5) includes an MCU, a serial communication module, a host computer, a serial-to-USB circuit, and a memory. The serial communication module receives the automatic liquid replenishing injection pump transmission signal through a communication interface. After the MCU calculates the automatic liquid replenishing injection pump signal received by the serial communication module, the calculation result is transmitted to the host computer through the serial-to-USB circuit. The host computer judges the calculation result and issues a control instruction to control the automatic liquid replenishing injection pump. The memory is communicatively connected to the MCU and is used to store the signal received by the MCU and the calculation result of the MCU.

10. A microfluidic droplet automatic preparation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system further includes a reflux pool (8). The microfluidic chip (6) is communicated with the reflux pool (8) through a pipeline (7).

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