Clamping device and gene sequencer

Abstract

The utility model provides a clamping device and a gene sequencer. The clamping device comprises a supporting seat and a gland capable of covering the supporting seat, wherein the supporting seat is used for positioning and supporting the flow cell; the gland is provided with a sealing block which is pressed against the flow cell; wherein the sealing block is provided with a channel used for being communicated with the flow channel of the flow cell. According to the scheme, the flow cell is positioned and supported by adopting the supporting seat, and the channel used for being communicated with the flow channel in the flow cell is formed in the gland, so that when the flow cell is placed in the clamping device, the opening of the flow channel can face upwards, and compared with a placement mode that the opening of the flow cell faces downwards in the prior art, the flow cell is more convenient to place. The condition of reagent leakage in the flow cell can be reduced, and the use effect of the flow cell is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of biological detection technologies, and particularly to a clamping device and a gene sequencer. Background Art

[0002] A flow cell is composed of a flow channel and liquid inlet / outlet ports. The existing clamping solution is to place the liquid inlet / outlet ports of the flow cell downward, and use the spring force to press the flow cell tightly to achieve the contact seal between the liquid inlet / outlet ports and the gasket, so as to realize the circulation of the reaction liquid. The existing solution cannot meet the requirements under specific working conditions. For example, when adding reaction liquid to the flow cell, if the liquid inlet / outlet ports are downward, leakage will occur when the flow cell is taken out. Summary of the Utility Model

[0003] This application provides a clamping device and a gene sequencer to facilitate the picking and placing of the flow cell.

[0004] In a first aspect, a clamping device for clamping a flow cell is provided. The clamping device includes: a support base and a gland that can be covered on the support base; wherein,

[0005] The support base is used to support the flow cell;

[0006] A sealing block for pressing against the flow cell is provided on the gland; wherein, a channel for communicating with the flow channel of the flow cell is provided on the sealing block.

[0007] In the above solution, by using the support base to position and support the flow cell, and by providing a channel on the gland that can be used to communicate with the flow channel inside the flow cell, when the flow cell is placed in the clamping device, the opening of the flow channel can face upward. Compared with the existing placement method where the opening of the flow cell faces downward, the situation of reagent leakage in the flow cell can be reduced, and the use effect of the flow cell is improved.

[0008] In a specific feasible implementation, the gland is rotatably connected to the support base; the sealing block is rotatably connected to the gland through a rotating shaft; wherein,

[0009] Along a first direction, the channel is divided into two groups, and the rotating shaft is located between the two groups of channels;

[0010] The first direction is perpendicular to the axis around which the gland rotates, and the axis of the rotating shaft is parallel to the axis around which the gland rotates.

[0011] In a specific feasible implementation, along the first direction, a group of channels close to the axis around which the gland rotates is the first channel, and a group of channels far from the axis around which the gland rotates is the second channel;

[0012] Wherein, the distance between the rotating shaft and the first channel is less than the distance between the rotating shaft and the second channel.

[0013] In a specific feasible implementation, the support block is provided with a first pressing protrusion and a second pressing protrusion for limiting the sealing block; wherein, the first pressing protrusion is located on one side of the rotating shaft away from the axis around which the gland rotates, and the second pressing protrusion is located on one side of the rotating shaft close to the axis around which the gland rotates;

[0014] Along the height direction of the clamping device, the pressing surface of the first pressing protrusion cooperating with the sealing block is lower than the pressing surface of the second pressing protrusion cooperating with the sealing block;

[0015] The height direction of the clamping device, the first direction and the axis of the rotating shaft are perpendicular to each other in pairs.

[0016] In a specific feasible implementation, a sealing gasket is provided on the flow cell, and the sealing gasket is located at the communication port of the flow channel;

[0017] One side of the sealing block facing the flow cell is provided with a stepped structure; wherein, one stepped surface of the stepped structure is used to press against the flow cell, the other stepped surface of the stepped structure is used to press against the sealing gasket, and the opening of the channel is located on this stepped surface;

[0018] The vertical distance between the two stepped surfaces is less than the thickness of the sealing gasket and is used to limit the compression amount of the sealing gasket.

[0019] In a specific feasible implementation, the two stepped surfaces are arranged along the length direction of the rotating shaft.

[0020] In a specific feasible implementation, the support seat includes a support platform and an elastic support member provided on the support platform; wherein,

[0021] When the gland is closed on the support seat, the elastic support member and the sealing block are arranged on opposite sides of the flow cell.

[0022] In a specific feasible implementation, the number of the elastic support members is multiple, and the multiple elastic support members are respectively used to support the corner positions of the flow cell.

[0023] In a specific feasible implementation, the support seat further includes a support base, the support base is provided with a receiving cavity, and the support platform is placed in the receiving cavity; a clamping device for clamping and fixing the support platform is provided on the support base.

[0024] In a second aspect, a gene sequencer is provided, and the gene sequencer includes the clamping device described in any one of the above, and an external pipeline communicated with the channel of the sealing block.

[0025] In the above solution, the flow cell is positioned by arranging a limiting mechanism on the support base, and a channel for communicating with the flow path inside the flow cell is arranged on the gland, so that when the flow cell is placed in the clamping device, the opening of the flow path can face upward. Compared with the prior art in which the opening of the flow cell faces downward, the situation of reagent leakage in the flow cell can be reduced, and the use effect of the flow cell is improved. Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 It is a structural block diagram of the gene sequencer provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the clamping device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view when the gland of the clamping device provided by the embodiment of the present application is opened;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sealing block provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the state when the clamping device provided by the embodiment of the present application is closed;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of the gland covering the support base provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 7 It is Figure 6 a partial enlarged view of part A in Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0034] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in one or more embodiments of this specification should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in one or more embodiments of this specification do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0035] To facilitate understanding of the clamping device provided in the embodiment of the present application, its application scenario is first described. The clamping device provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to a gene sequencer to clamp a flow cell. When the current clamping device clamps the flow cell, the opening of the flow cell faces downward, which leads to a situation where reagents are easily outflowed when the flow cell is replaced. To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a clamping device to improve the effect of the flow cell during the pick-up and placement process. It is described in detail below in conjunction with specific drawings and embodiments.

[0036] To facilitate understanding of the clamping device provided in the embodiment of the present application, first refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 The overall architecture diagram of a nucleic acid sequencing system provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure. The nucleic acid sequencing system is also a gene sequencer. Figure 1 As shown, the nucleic acid sequencing system provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a flow cell 10, a clamping device 20, a reagent storage container 30, a flow guide system 40, an optical detection system 50 and a computer system 60.

[0037] Wherein, one or more sequencing objects are attached to the flow cell 10;

[0038] The clamping device 20 is configured to fix and support the flow cell 10;

[0039] The reagent storage container 30 is configured to store one or more reagents; here, the reagents may exemplarily include polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fluorescent reagents.

[0040] The flow guiding system 40 is configured to controllably deliver the one or more reagents from the reagent storage container 30 into the flow cell 10 so as to contact the sequencing target and undergo a chemical reaction;

[0041] The optical detection system 50 is configured to excite the fluorescent labels in the reagents for sequencing and detect the fluorescence signals generated by exciting the fluorescent labels;

[0042] The computer system 60 is configured to obtain the fluorescence image from the optical detection system 50 and identify the nucleic acid sequence of the sequencing target based on the fluorescence image.

[0043] Reference Figure 2 shown in Figure 2 FIG. shows a specific structural schematic diagram of the clamping device provided by an embodiment of the present application. For ease of description, an XYZ coordinate system is constructed, wherein the X direction is parallel to the length direction of the clamping device. When the flow cell is placed on the clamping device, the length direction of the flow channel is along the X direction; the Y direction is parallel to the width direction of the clamping device. When there are multiple flow channels in the flow cell, the arrangement direction of the multiple flow channels is parallel to the Y direction, and the Y direction is also referred to as the first direction; the Z direction is the height direction of the clamping device, that is, when the pressure cover 200 is closed on the support seat 100, the stacking direction of the pressure cover 200 and the support seat 100.

[0044] The main structure of the clamping device provided by an embodiment of the present application includes a support seat 100 and a pressure cover 200. Among them, the support seat 100 is used to position and support the flow cell, and the pressure cover 200 can be closed on the support seat 100 and is used to press the flow cell to fix the flow cell between the support seat 100 and the pressure cover 200. The flow cell is a flow cell with an open top, that is, the opening where the flow channel in the flow cell communicates with the external pipeline is located on the top surface of the flow cell. This top surface refers to the side of the flow cell that faces away from the support seat 100 when the flow cell is placed on the support seat 100.

[0045] When the pressure cover 200 and the support seat 100 are specifically matched, different connection methods can be adopted. Exemplarily, the pressure cover 200 can be rotatably connected to the support seat 100. For example, the pressure cover 200 can be rotatably connected to the support seat 100 through a rotating shaft or a hinge. Referring together to Figure 2 and Figure 5 , Figure 5 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of the closed state of the clamping device. One side of the pressure cover 200 is rotatably connected to the support seat 100. The axis around which the pressure cover 200 rotates is parallel to the X direction. The pressure cover 200 can rotate along this axis to realize the opening and closing of the clamping device. The specific opening and closing directions can be referred to Figure 2The direction indicated by the dashed line with arrows shown in [the figure]. When the gland 200 is opened, the flow cell can be placed on the support base 100, and then the gland 200 is covered and fixed to the support base 100 to clamp the flow cell between the support base 100 and the gland 200.

[0046] Of course, the gland 200 and the support base 100 can also be separated. When the gland 200 is not covered on the support base 100, the gland 200 can be completely separated from the support base 100. Similarly, the effect of clamping and fixing the flow cell can also be achieved.

[0047] When supporting the flow cell, a limiting mechanism 400 can be provided on the support base 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application. The limiting mechanism 400 includes a pressing block 420 and a plurality of limiting posts 410. The pressing block 420 and the plurality of limiting posts 410 are arranged around the flow cell. When placing the flow cell, the pressing block 420 is used to abut the outer frame of the flow cell against the limiting posts 410, so as to clamp and limit the flow cell through the cooperation of the limiting posts 410 and the pressing block 40, and keep it in a set position. It should be understood that the pressing block 420 and the limiting posts 410 are common fixing methods for the flow cell, and will not be elaborated in detail here.

[0048] In addition, when connecting the flow cell to an external liquid path, a sealing block 300 for pressing against the flow cell is provided on the gland 200, and a channel 310 for communicating with the flow channel of the flow cell is provided on the sealing block 300. Exemplarily, when the limiting mechanism 400 positions the flow cell, the sealing block 300 provided on the gland 200 can press against the flow cell, and the channel 310 provided on the sealing block 300 can communicate with the flow channel of the flow cell. When connecting to an external device for storing reagents, one end of the channel 310 on the sealing block 300 communicates with the flow cell, and the other end communicates with the external device for storing reagents through a pipeline, so that external reagents can enter the flow cell.

[0049] In the above solution, by using the support base 100 to position and support the flow cell, and by providing a channel on the gland 200 that can be used to communicate with the internal flow channel of the flow cell, when the flow cell is placed in the clamping device, the opening of the flow channel can face upward. Compared with the prior art in which the opening of the flow cell faces downward, the situation of reagent leakage in the flow cell can be reduced, and the use effect of the flow cell is improved.

[0050] Refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the gland 200 covering the support base 100; Figure 7 is Figure 6An enlarged view of area A. When the flow channel in the flow cell 1000 is in communication with the channel 310 on the sealing block 300, a gasket 1100 is provided on the flow cell 1000 to seal the connection between the flow channel and the channel 310. Specifically, a gasket 1100 is provided on the flow cell 1000. The gasket 1100 is located at the communication port of the flow channel and is between the flow cell 1000 and the sealing block 300. When the channel 310 is in communication with the flow channel, the gasket 1100 is compressed and deformed by the gasket 1100 and the flow cell 1000 to ensure the seal between the gasket 1100 and the flow cell 1000, so as to ensure that the liquid can flow into the channel 310 through the flow channel or flow from the channel 310 to the flow channel.

[0051] Refer also to Figure 5 , both ends of the flow channel in the flow cell 1000 have openings respectively. One of the openings is the liquid inlet, and the other opening is the liquid outlet. Therefore, when setting the sealing block 300, the number of corresponding sealing blocks 300 is two, and the two sealing blocks 300 are arranged at both ends of the gland 200 along the X direction. One of the sealing blocks 300 corresponds to the liquid inlet of the flow channel, and the channel 310 inside it is in communication with the liquid inlet. The other sealing block 300 corresponds to the liquid outlet of the flow channel, and the channel 310 inside it is in communication with the liquid outlet. It should be understood that when multiple flow channels are provided in the flow cell 1000, the multiple flow channels are arranged along the Y direction, and multiple channels 310 are respectively provided on the sealing block 300 so that each channel 310 is in one-to-one correspondence with each flow channel, or one channel 310 can also correspond to multiple flow channels. For the convenience of description, in the embodiment of the present application, an example in which one channel 310 corresponds to one flow channel is used for illustration.

[0052] When the sealing block 300 is in cooperation with the support seat 100, the sealing block 300 can be cooperated with the support seat 100 in different ways. Exemplarily, in an implementable solution, the sealing block 300 is rotatably connected to the gland 200. Refer also to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view when the gland 200 is opened. The sealing block 300 can be rotatably connected to the gland 200 through a rotating shaft 320. Among them, the axis of the rotating shaft 320 is parallel to the axis around which the gland 200 rotates, that is, the axis of the rotating shaft 320 is parallel to the X direction and perpendicular to the Y direction, and the sealing block 300 can swing around the rotating shaft 320 along the Figure 3 arc arrow shown in

[0053] Refer also to Figure Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 4The structural schematic diagram of the sealing block 300 is shown. The sealing block 300 is provided with a through hole 360 that cooperates with the rotating shaft 320. The rotating shaft 320 is fixed on the gland 200 and is penetrated in the through hole 360 so that the sealing block 300 can rotate relative to the gland 200. In addition, the channels 310 corresponding to the flow channel are divided into two groups along the Y direction, and the rotating shaft 320 is located between the two groups of channels (the first group of channels 350 and the second group of channels 340). Among them, each group of channels may include one channel 310, two channels 310 or more than two channels 310. When the above method is adopted, the sealing block 300 can be formed into a lever structure through the rotating shaft 320. When the above structure is adopted, the sealing block 300 can be rotated through the rotating shaft 320 during the closing process of the gland 200, thereby preventing the sealing block 300 from first pressing the flow pool close to the gland 200 and the rotating shaft of the support seat 100, causing the outer side of the flow pool to tilt and cause the flow pool to be out of the limit.

[0054] Specifically, continue to refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , along the first direction (Y direction), the rotating shaft 320 is eccentrically arranged relative to the center of gravity of the sealing block 300. In one embodiment, the gland 200 is provided with two groups of channel groups, a group of channels close to the axis around which the gland 200 rotates is the first channel group 350, and a group of channels away from the axis around which the gland 200 rotates is the second channel group 340, and the first channel group 350 and the second channel group 340 are symmetrically arranged on the sealing block 300 relative to its center of gravity. Among them, the distance between the rotating shaft 320 and the first channel group 350 is smaller than the distance between the rotating shaft 320 and the second channel group 340. When the above method is adopted, the end of the sealing block 300 away from the axis around which the pressure cover 200 rotates will drive the sealing block 300 to rotate clockwise under the action of gravity, so that the end of the sealing block 300 close to the axis around which the pressure cover 200 rotates will be tilted up, and the end of the sealing block 300 away from the axis around which the pressure cover 200 rotates will first press against the outer side of the flow pool (that is, the side of the flow pool close to the pressure block 420, which is also the side of the flow pool away from the axis around which the pressure cover 200 rotates), thereby preventing the end of the sealing block 300 close to the rotating shaft of the pressure cover 200 and the support seat 100 from first pressing against the inner side of the flow pool, causing the outer side of the flow pool to tilt up and causing the flow pool to escape from the limit.

[0055] Also refer to 4. Figure 5 and Figure 6, when the sealing block 300 is specifically connected to the gland 200, a support block 500 is arranged on the side of the gland 200 facing away from the support seat 100, and the sealing block 300 is rotatably connected to the support block 500 through a rotating shaft 320. Among them, the support block 500 can be fixedly connected to the gland 200 by bonding, welding or threaded connectors (bolts or screws), or the support block 500 can also be an integral structure with the gland 200. The rotating shaft 320 passes through the support block 500 and the sealing block 300 at the same time to ensure their rotational connection. When specifically arranged, as Figure 4 shown in, the sealing block 300 and the support block 500 are arranged side by side in the X direction, and each sealing block 300 corresponds to a support block 500. In an implementable solution, the gland 200 provided in the embodiment of the present application is a frame structure, the support block 500 is fixed on the frame of the frame structure of the gland 200, and the sealing block 300 is located in the inner frame of the gland 200, so that the sealing block 300 can be inserted into the space between the gland 200 and the support seat 100 and press against the flow cell.

[0056] In addition, the sealing block 300 is located in the inner frame of the gland 200 and protrudes out of the gland 200 in the Z direction, so that the sealing block 300 has sufficient structural strength to press tightly against the flow cell 1000. In addition, the gland 200 adopts a frame structure, which can also facilitate the optical detection system to collect the image information in the flow cell 1000.

[0057] When the sealing block 300 is rotatably connected to the support block 500, a first pressing protrusion 510 and a second pressing protrusion 520 for limiting the sealing block 300 are arranged on the support block 500, and the first pressing protrusion 510 and the second pressing protrusion 520 are used in cooperation to limit the range of the rotation angle of the sealing block 300. Specifically, along the Y direction, the first pressing protrusion 510 and the second pressing protrusion 520 are arranged in a single row and are respectively arranged on both sides of the rotating shaft 320. Among them, the first pressing protrusion 510 is located on the side of the rotating shaft 320 away from the axis around which the gland 200 rotates, and the second pressing protrusion 520 is located on the side of the rotating shaft 320 close to the axis around which the gland 200 rotates.

[0058] Exemplarily, the first pressing protrusion 510 and the second pressing protrusion 520 protrude out of the support block 500 along the X direction, and the protruding parts thereof are used for pressing and cooperating with the sealing block 300. When the gland 200 is not covered on the support base 100, the sealing block 300 has a certain amount of rotation under the restriction of the first pressing protrusion 510 and the second pressing protrusion 520. And because the rotating shaft 320 of the sealing block 300 deviates towards one side of the axis around which the gland 200 rotates, the sealing block 300 is inclined at a certain angle relative to the gland 200, and the side of the sealing block 300 close to the axis around which the gland 200 rotates is upturned. During the process of covering the gland 200, it is possible to avoid the situation where one side of the sealing block 300 close to the axis around which the gland 200 rotates first presses against the flow cell. In addition, when the gland 200 is covered, the first pressing protrusion 510 can press on the sealing block 300, thereby pushing the channel 310 of the sealing block 300 to communicate with the flow channel. Avoid the situation where when the channel 310 is hermetically connected to the flow channel, the pressing force of the channel 310 on one side of the rotating shaft 320 against the flow channel is too large or too small due to the unbalanced forces on both sides of the rotating shaft 320.

[0059] For easy understanding, the process when the gland 200 is covered is described in detail. When the gland 200 starts to be covered, because the rotating shaft 320 is offset relative to the sealing block 300, therefore, when the gland 200 rotates to a certain angle, under the action of gravity, the sealing block 300 rotates clockwise, and one end of the sealing block 300 away from the axis around which the gland 200 rotates inclines downward, and one end of the sealing block 300 close to the axis around which the gland 200 rotates presses on the second pressing protrusion 520, and the second pressing protrusion 520 restricts the rotation angle of the gland 200 from being too large during this process. In this state, one end of the sealing block 300 close to the axis around which the gland 200 rotates is upturned, so as to avoid generating a component force that pushes the flow cell to move outward during the process of covering the gland 200 by the sealing block 300. Continuing to rotate the gland 200, the side of the sealing block 300 away from the axis around which the gland 200 rotates first contacts the flow cell and pushes the sealing block 300 to rotate counterclockwise until it presses against the first limiting protrusion 510. With the cooperation of the rotating shaft 320 and the first limiting protrusion 510, the two channel groups on both sides of the rotating shaft 320 of the sealing block 300 are respectively in contact with and communicate with the corresponding flow channels. It can be seen from the above description that when the sealing block 300 is arranged in the above manner, during the process of covering the gland 200, the sealing block 300 only presses and cooperates with the flow cell when the gland 200 is covered, thereby improving the effect when the sealing block 300 cooperates with the flow cell.

[0060] In one embodiment, along the height direction (Z - direction) of the clamping device, the pressing surface where the first pressing protrusion 510 cooperates with the sealing block 300 is lower than the pressing surface where the second pressing protrusion 520 cooperates with the sealing block 300. This is because if the pressing surfaces where the first pressing protrusion 510 and the second pressing protrusion 520 cooperate with the sealing block 300 are at the same Z - height, when the flow cell 1000 is fixed on the support base 100, at this time, neither the first pressing protrusion 510 nor the second pressing protrusion 520 will contact the sealing block 300. At this time, if the sealing block 300 is to be stable, the supporting force distances received from both sides of the flow cell 1000 on itself are the same. However, since the rotating shaft 320 of the sealing block 300 is offset, that is, the force arms on both sides of the sealing block 300 are not equal, the forces exerted by the flow cell 1000 on both sides of the sealing block 300 are necessarily unbalanced. Therefore, the pressing force of the sealing block 300 on the flow cell 1000 is not uniform. Therefore, the pressing surface where the first pressing protrusion 510 cooperates with the sealing block 300 is lower than the pressing surface where the second pressing protrusion 520 cooperates with the sealing block 300. At this time, when the sealing block 300 fixes the flow cell 1000 on the support base 100, one end of it abuts against the pressing surface of the first pressing protrusion 510. By setting the height of the pressing surface, the pressing forces of both sides of the sealing block 300 on the flow cell 1000 can be made equal.

[0061] Continue to refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , in a specific example, to ensure that the deformation amount of the gasket 1100 is controllable. A stepped structure 330 is provided on the surface of the sealing block 300 facing the flow cell 1000. The stepped structure 330 has two stepped surfaces. For the convenience of description, the two stepped surfaces are respectively named the first stepped surface 332 and the second stepped surface 331. Among them, along the Z - direction, the height of the first stepped surface 332 is higher than the height of the second stepped surface 331 (taking the state where the gland 200 covers the support base 100 as the reference state). When cooperating with the flow cell, the first stepped surface 332 is used to press against the gasket, and the opening of the channel 310 is located on the first stepped surface 332 to ensure that the channel 310 can be communicated with the flow path. And the vertical distance between the first stepped surface 332 and the second stepped surface 331 is less than the thickness of the gasket. The first stepped surface 332 can be used to press the gasket. It should be understood that the compression amount of the gasket defined by the cooperation of the first stepped surface 332 and the second stepped surface 331 is within the effective compression amount range of the gasket, so as to ensure that after the gland 200 is opened, the gasket can return to its initial state, and when the gland 200 is covered, the gasket can undergo effective deformation to provide an elastic force to seal the connection between the flow path and the channel 310.

[0062] In an implementable solution, the first step surface 332 and the second step surface 331 are arranged along the length direction of the rotating shaft 320. That is, the first step surface 332 and the second step surface 331 are arranged along the X direction. On the one hand, it is convenient for the processing and preparation of the sealing block 300. On the other hand, the first step surface 332 and the second step surface 331 extend along the Y direction, and can also provide a reliable pressing force to press against the flow cell 1000 and the gasket 1100.

[0063] Of course, the sealing block 300 can also be fixedly connected to the gland 200. When the gland 200 is closed, the sealing block 300 moves synchronously with the gland 200. And when the gland 200 is closed on the support base 100, the sealing block 300 presses against the flow cell, and the channel 310 in the sealing block 300 communicates with the flow channel of the flow cell 1000. The fixing method of the sealing block 300 and the gland 200 can be realized by bonding, clamping or fixing connection through threaded connectors (bolts or screws), and is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0064] Continue to refer to Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 6 and Figure 7 When the support base 100 supports the flow cell 1000, it has a support platform 110 and an elastic support member 120 provided on the support platform 110. The limiting mechanism 400 is arranged around the support platform 110 and is used to clamp and limit the flow cell 1000. And the elastic support member 120 protrudes outside the support platform 110 and provides an elastic support force in the Z direction through elastic deformation. When the flow cell 1000 is placed on the support platform 110, it is supported by the elastic support member 120. When the gland 200 is closed, the elastic support member 120 and the sealing block 300 are arranged on opposite sides of the flow cell 1000. Among them, the sealing block 300 presses against the flow cell 1000, and the elastic support member 120 is compressed to provide an elastic force to ensure the pressing force between the flow cell 1000 and the sealing block 300.

[0065] Exemplarily, the number of the elastic support members 120 is multiple, and the multiple elastic support members 120 are respectively used to support the corner positions of the flow cell 1000. Specifically, the number of the elastic support members 120 is four, and the four elastic support members 120 are arranged at the positions corresponding to the four corners of the flow cell 1000 one by one. To support the four corners of the flow cell 1000, and the four corner positions of the flow cell 1000 are also the connection positions between the flow channel openings of the flow cell 1000 and the sealing block 300. Thus, the elastic support members 120 can provide sufficient support force for the flow cell 1000 to support the pressing between the flow cell 1000 and the sealing block 300.

[0066] In specific settings, each elastic support member 120 includes a support column 121 and a compression spring 122 sleeved on the support column 121. One end of the support column 121 with the compression spring 122 sleeved thereon is inserted into the support platform 110. One end of the compression spring 122 abuts against the support platform 110, and the other end abuts against the support column 121. When the gland 200 is closed on the support base 100, the support column 121 slides along the Z direction, and the compression spring 122 is compressed to provide an elastic force to support the flow cell 1000. After the gland 200 is opened, the compression spring 122 pushes the support column 121 to slide out of the support platform 110.

[0067] In the embodiment of the present application, the support base 100 further includes a support pedestal 130 which is provided with a receiving cavity, and the support platform 110 is placed in the receiving cavity. When the support platform 110 is placed in the receiving cavity, the surface of the support platform 110 for supporting the flow cell can be exposed outside the receiving cavity to ensure that the flow cell will not interfere with the support pedestal 130 during placement.

[0068] In addition, a clamping device 800 for clamping and fixing the support platform 110 is provided on the support pedestal 130. The clamping device 800 includes a plurality of limit blocks 810 provided on the support pedestal 130. The plurality of limit blocks 810 are arranged around the support platform 110 and are used to abut against the outer frame of the support platform 110. As Figure 2 shown, the number of limit blocks 810 is five. Among them, two limit blocks 810 are arranged at intervals along the X direction and are used to abut against the opposite ends of the support platform 110 along the X direction. Along the Y direction, the other three limit blocks 810 are arranged in two columns on both sides of the support platform 110, and one column includes two limit blocks 810, and the other column includes one limit block 810, and they respectively abut against both sides of the support platform 110 along the Y direction to limit the support platform 110. In specific limiting, the limit blocks 810 are fixedly connected to the support pedestal 130, and an adjusting bolt 820 is provided on the limit block 810. The adjusting bolt 820 is threadedly connected to the limit block 810, and the support platform 110 can be abutted against by rotating the adjusting bolt 820, so as to clamp and fix the support platform 110, and the position of the support platform 110 is adjusted by the adjusting bolt 820 to ensure that the flow cell placed thereon can cooperate and conduct with the sealing block 300 on the gland 200.

[0069] The embodiment of the present application also provides a gene sequencer, which includes the clamping device described in any one of the above, and an external pipeline communicated with the channel of the sealing block.

[0070] In the above solution, the flow cell is positioned by a limiting mechanism provided on the support base, and a channel that can be used to connect the flow path inside the flow cell is provided on the gland cover, so that when the flow cell is placed in the clamping device, the opening of the flow path can face upward. Compared with the prior art in which the opening of the flow cell faces downward, the situation of reagent leakage in the flow cell can be reduced, and the use effect of the flow cell is improved.

[0071] One or more embodiments of this specification are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of this specification shall be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0072] The above is only the specific implementation manner of this application, but the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A clamping device for clamping a flow cell, characterized in that, The clamping device comprises: a support seat and a pressure cover that can cover the support seat; wherein, The support seat is used to position and support the flow cell; The gland is provided with a sealing block for pressing against the flow cell; wherein the sealing block is provided with a channel for communicating with the flow channel of the flow cell.

2. The clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that The gland is rotatably connected to the support seat; the sealing block is rotatably connected to the gland via a rotating shaft; wherein, Along the first direction, the channels are divided into two groups, and the rotating shaft is located between the two groups of channels; The first direction is perpendicular to the axis around which the gland rotates, and the axis of the rotating shaft is parallel to the axis around which the gland rotates.

3. The clamping device according to claim 2, wherein Along the first direction, a group of channels close to the axis around which the gland rotates is a first channel, and a group of channels away from the axis around which the gland rotates is a second channel; Wherein, the distance between the rotating shaft and the first channel is smaller than the distance between the rotating shaft and the second channel.

4. The clamping device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A support block is arranged on one side of the gland away from the support seat, and the sealing block is rotatably connected to the support block via the rotating shaft; wherein, The support block is provided with a first pressing protrusion and a second pressing protrusion for limiting the sealing block; wherein the first pressing protrusion is located on a side of the rotating shaft away from the axis around which the gland rotates, and the second pressing protrusion is located on a side of the rotating shaft close to the axis around which the gland rotates; Along the height direction of the clamping device, the pressing surface of the first pressing protrusion and the sealing block is lower than the pressing surface of the second pressing protrusion and the sealing block; The height direction of the clamping device, the first direction and the axis of the rotating shaft are perpendicular to each other.

5. The clamping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The flow cell is provided with a sealing gasket, and the sealing gasket is located at the communication port of the flow channel; The sealing block is provided with a step structure on one side facing the flow pool; wherein one step surface of the step structure is used to press against the flow pool, the other step surface of the step structure is used to press against the sealing pad, and the opening of the channel is located on the step surface; The vertical distance between the two step surfaces is smaller than the thickness of the sealing gasket and is used to limit the compression amount of the sealing gasket.

6. The clamping device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The two step surfaces are arranged along the length direction of the rotating shaft.

7. The clamping device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The support seat includes a support platform and an elastic support member arranged on the support platform; wherein, When the pressure cover is covered on the support seat, the elastic support member and the sealing block are arranged on two opposite sides of the flow pool.

8. The clamping device according to claim 7, wherein, There are multiple elastic support members, and the multiple elastic support members are respectively used to support the corners of the flow pool.

9. The clamping device according to claim 7, wherein, The support seat also includes a support base, the support base is provided with a receiving cavity, and the support platform is placed in the receiving cavity; The support base is provided with a clamping device for clamping and fixing the support platform.

10. A gene sequencer, characterized in that, It comprises the clamping device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, and an external pipe connected to the channel of the sealing block.

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