Optical detection system

Abstract

The present application provides an optical detection system, comprising: a chip stage having a bearing surface; the biological chip is positioned on the bearing surface; the lens is located on the side, away from the chip carrying table, of the biochip, the lens and the carrying surface are arranged in a spaced mode, and the lens is provided with an optical surface for correspondingly collecting optical signals generated by the biochip; wherein the chip carrying table or the biological chip comprises a cleaning part, and the cleaning part is used for cleaning the optical surface of the lens. The optical detection system comprises the cleaning part, and self-cleaning of the optical surface of the lens in the optical detection system can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of optical detection technology, and in particular to an optical detection system. Background Art

[0002] The optical focusing system of a gene sequencer precisely focuses the laser beam onto the sample. This system includes an optical lens. In high-throughput sequencing applications, the diameter of the optical lens is on the millimeter scale. If small particles or traces of stains remain on the lens surface, it will directly affect the sequencing quality. Therefore, the optical lens needs to be cleaned.

[0003] The traditional cleaning method is to manually wipe the optical lens regularly. However, this method has the following drawbacks:

[0004] (1) The space below the optical lens is small and manual operation is relatively limited. The chip carrier needs to be moved to the designated position before operation can be conveniently performed.

[0005] (2) It is impossible to judge the degree of optical lens contamination and the resulting performance impact before use (which may cause the results to be unusable);

[0006] (3) It is difficult to judge the cycle of manual cleaning (the cycle is too long to achieve the expected cleaning effect, and the cycle is too short to increase the difficulty of maintenance);

[0007] (4) Manual operation steps are easily missed. Utility Model Content

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides an optical detection system, comprising: a chip carrier having a carrying surface; a biochip located on the carrying surface; and a lens located on a side of the biochip away from the chip carrier and spaced apart from the carrying surface, the lens having an optical surface for collecting light signals generated by the biochip; wherein the chip carrier or the biochip includes a cleaning portion, and the cleaning portion is used to clean the optical surface of the lens.

[0009] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the biochip includes: a chip body for holding a biological sample; a chip frame connected to and surrounding the edge of the chip body; and the cleaning part connected to the chip frame and located on the surface of the chip frame facing the lens.

[0010] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the cleaning portion is embedded in the chip frame and partially exposed relative to the chip frame.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of the present application, a minimum vertical distance between the cleaning portion and the lens is smaller than a minimum vertical distance between the chip frame and the lens.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the chip carrier includes the cleaning portion, which is located on the carrying surface and is higher than the surface of the biochip facing the lens when the biochip is located on the chip carrier.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the cleaning portion is detachably disposed on the carrying surface.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the optical system further includes a driving mechanism for driving the lens and / or the chip carrier to move so that the optical surface contacts the cleaning portion.

[0015] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the cleaning portion includes a wiper, and a vertical distance between the optical surface and the biochip is greater than a vertical distance between the optical surface and the wiper.

[0016] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the chip carrier further includes an auxiliary cleaning component for delivering a cleaning agent to the carrier surface.

[0017] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the wiping member is dust-free cotton.

[0018] The above-mentioned optical detection system includes a lens, a biochip and a chip carrier, wherein the biochip or the chip carrier includes a cleaning part. By cleaning the optical surface of the lens through the cleaning part, self-cleaning of the optical surface of the lens in the optical system can be achieved without manual operation, which is beneficial to improving the convenience and accuracy of lens cleaning, and thus beneficial to improving the detection accuracy of the optical detection system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the module structure of the optical detection system of Example 1 of the present application.

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the biochip, chip carrier and lens.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the biochip, chip carrier and lens of Example 2 of the present application.

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the optical detection system in a modified embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Description of main component symbols

[0024] Optical detection system: 1

[0025] Biochip: 10, 70

[0026] Chip body: 11

[0027] Chip frame: 12

[0028] Upper surface: 121

[0029] Mounting groove: 122

[0030] Cleaning part: 13, 23

[0031] Wiping member: 130

[0032] Cleaning surface: 131

[0033] Chip carrier: 20

[0034] Carrying surface: 21

[0035] Mounting area: 211

[0036] Functional area: 212

[0037] Moving platform: 22

[0038] Lens: 30

[0039] Optical surface: 31

[0040] Detection light path: 40

[0041] Driving mechanism: 50

[0042] Controller: 60

[0043] Auxiliary cleaning assembly: 80

[0044] Liquid supply station: 81

[0045] Liquid supply pipe: 82

[0046] End: 821

[0047] Power mechanism: 83.

[0048] The following detailed description will further illustrate the present application in conjunction with the above-mentioned drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The present application provides an optical detection system for detecting characteristic information of a biological sample. The optical detection system is, for example, a gene sequencing system, an optical microscopy system, etc., and the biological sample is, for example, a nucleic acid, a protein, a cell, etc. The optical detection system of the present application comprises a lens and a cleaning part, and the self-cleaning of the lens can be achieved through the cleaning part, which is conducive to improving the optical detection accuracy.

[0050] Embodiment I

[0051] Please refer to Figure 1The optical detection system 1 of the embodiment one of the present application comprises a biochip 10, a chip stage 20, a lens 30, a detection light path 40, a driving mechanism 50 and a controller 60. The controller 60 is electrically connected to the detection light path 40 and the driving mechanism 50 respectively. The biochip 10 is located on the chip stage 20, and the lens 30 is located on the side of the biochip 10 away from the chip stage 20. The driving mechanism 50 is connected to the chip stage 20 and the lens 30 respectively.

[0052] The surface of the biochip 10 is used to hold a biological sample (not shown in the figure), the detection light path 40 is used to emit light to scan the biological sample, the lens 30 is used to collect the light signal reflected by the biological sample, the driving mechanism 50 is used to drive the movement of the chip stage 20 and the lens 30, and the controller 60 is used to control the light emission of the detection light path 40, image formation according to the light signal and control the operation of the driving mechanism 50.

[0053] In the embodiment, the controller 60 is used to control the detection light path 40 to emit first light. The lens 30 is used to focus the first light on the biological sample on the biochip 10. The biological sample generates second light according to the first light. The lens 30 is used to collect the second light. The controller 60 is used to control the detection light path 40 to receive the second light and image, process and analyze. In the above process, the controller 60 is also used to control the driving mechanism 50 to drive the displacement of the chip stage 20 and the lens 30, so that the first light can scan different positions of the biochip 10. In the embodiment, the driving mechanism 50 can drive the chip stage 20 to move in two directions of X and Y, and can drive the lens 30 to move in the direction of Z, and the three directions of X, Y and Z are perpendicular to each other. In other embodiments of the present application, the driving mechanism 50 can drive the chip stage 20 to move in the three directions of X, Y and Z, and the lens 30 remains fixed.

[0054] In the embodiment, the optical detection system 1 is a gene sequencer, and the first light is laser and the second light is fluorescence. The stability of the laser light source in the gene sequencer is crucial to the accuracy of the sequencing result. Especially for high-throughput gene sequencers, the cleanliness of the optical surface of the lens will directly affect the sequencing quality. The embodiment one of the present application can clean the lens 30 by itself before the gene sequencing process or between two processes by setting the cleaning part 13 on the biochip 10, so as to ensure the optical detection quality.

[0055] In the embodiment, the optical detection system 1 comprises two biochips. The two biochips are placed side by side on the chip stage 20. One of the biochips is the biochip 10 comprising the cleaning part 13, and the other biochip is the biochip 70 not comprising the cleaning part. In other embodiments of the present application, the optical detection system 1 can comprise two biochips 10.

[0056] In this embodiment, the chip carrier 20 has a carrying surface 21. The biochip 10 is positioned on the carrying surface 21. The lens 30 is positioned to one side of the chip carrier 20, that is, the lens 30 is suspended at a distance from the carrying surface 21, with the biochip 10 and the biochip 70 positioned between the chip carrier 20 and the lens 30.

[0057] Please also refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The biochip 10 includes a chip body 11, a chip frame 12 and a cleaning part 13. The surface of the chip body 11 facing away from the carrying surface 21 is used to hold biological samples. The chip frame 12 is connected to and surrounds the edge of the chip body 11, and is used to protect and encapsulate the chip body 11, and is used to form other functional structures (such as liquid inlet and liquid outlet). The cleaning part 13 is connected to the chip frame 12. In this embodiment, the cleaning part 13 is embedded in the upper surface 121 of the chip frame 12 facing away from the chip carrier 20 and is partially exposed relative to the chip frame 12. That is, in this embodiment, a mounting groove 122 is formed on the upper surface 121 of the chip frame 12, and the cleaning part 13 is partially located in the mounting groove 122 and partially protrudes out of the mounting groove 122.

[0058] In other embodiments of the present application, the mounting groove 122 may be a through groove penetrating the chip frame 12 . In other embodiments of the present application, the chip frame 12 does not have the mounting groove 122 , and the cleaning portion 13 is directly disposed on the upper surface 121 of the chip frame 12 .

[0059] In this embodiment, the chip body 11 is rectangular, and the cleaning portion 13 has a rectangular planar structure and is located on one side of the chip body 11. In other embodiments of the present application, the cleaning portion 13 may extend from one side of the chip body 11 to the other side. In other embodiments of the present application, the cleaning portion 13 may have other planar structures, such as a circle, a polygon, or other irregular shape.

[0060] In this embodiment, the cleaning unit 13 includes a wiper 130 having a cleaning surface 131. In this embodiment, the wiper 130 is a dust-free cotton pad. The lens 30 has an optical surface 31 for collecting light signals reflected from a biological sample. The controller 60 drives the chip stage 20 and lens 30 to move so that the cleaning surface 131 contacts and wipes the optical surface 31.

[0061] In this embodiment, the controller 60 drives the chip carrier 20 and the lens 30 to move in the following process: the controller 60 drives the chip carrier 20 to translate in the XY direction until the cleaning portion 13 is moved to directly below the lens 30 (that is, the orthographic projection of the optical surface 31 on the cleaning portion 13 is completely located on the cleaning portion 13); the controller 60 drives the lens 30 to move downward until the cleaning portion 13 contacts the optical surface 31; the controller 60 drives the chip carrier 20 to move back and forth in the X and / or Y direction, so that the cleaning surface 131 repeatedly wipes the optical surface 31 until the number of wipes reaches a preset number of times (the preset number is, for example, 3 times) and stops; the controller 60 resets the chip carrier 20 and the lens 30 so that the lens 30 is located directly above the chip body 11 and has a certain distance from the chip body 11 to facilitate subsequent optical inspection.

[0062] In this embodiment, in order to reserve movable space during the wiping process, the area of ​​the cleaning surface 131 is larger than the area of ​​the optical surface 31, so that while the chip carrier 20 is moved to wipe the lens 30, the entire optical surface 31 can always remain in contact with the cleaning part 13, thereby better cleaning the optical surface 31.

[0063] In this embodiment, because the dust-free cotton has a certain elasticity, after the lens 30 contacts the cleaning portion 13 during downward movement, if the lens 30 continues to move downward, the cleaning portion 13 will contract in the Z direction due to the pressure from the lens 30. To ensure a certain force when wiping the optical surface 31, in this embodiment, the controller 60 does not stop the movement of the lens 30 as soon as the lens 30 contacts the cleaning portion 13, but instead continues to move the lens 30 downward until the cleaning portion 13 contracts to a predetermined thickness. At this point, it is believed that the lens 30 is pressing against the cleaning portion, resulting in greater friction when the lens 30 and the cleaning portion 13 move relative to each other in the X and Y directions.

[0064] In this embodiment, the carrying surface 21 , the upper surface 121 , the cleaning surface 131 and the optical surface 31 are parallel to each other.

[0065] When the cleaning portion 13 is in its natural state (not squeezed and contracted), the cleaning surface 131 is higher than the upper surface 121 of the chip frame 12. That is, when the cleaning portion 13 is in its natural state, the vertical distance between the cleaning surface 131 and the optical surface 31 is smaller than the vertical distance between the upper surface 121 and the optical surface 31.

[0066] In this embodiment, the detection optical path 40 may include, for example, a light source (e.g., a laser), a light guiding element (e.g., a lens, a reflector, a spectroscope), and an imaging element (e.g., a CCD). The drive mechanism 50 may include, for example, a motor, and the controller 60 may be, for example, a control circuit, a control chip, or a control module in a smart terminal.

[0067] The optical detection system 1 of this embodiment, by providing a cleaning unit 13 within the biochip 10, enables self-cleaning of the optical surface 31 of the lens 30. This eliminates the need for manual, periodic wiping of the optical surface 31, saving manpower and preventing missed cleanings. Cleaning the optical surface 31 before sequencing or between sequencing steps helps ensure sequencing quality. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cleaning unit 13 is located within the biochip 10 and is removed with the biochip 10 after sequencing is complete, preventing cross-contamination caused by repeated use or prolonged exposure to the environment.

[0068] Example 2

[0069] See also Figure 3 The optical detection system 2 of this embodiment differs from the optical detection system 1 of the first embodiment primarily in that the cleaning unit of this embodiment is disposed on the chip carrier 2 rather than the biochip. The following describes only the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment.

[0070] In this embodiment, the biochip 10 includes a chip body 11 and a chip frame 12. The chip carrier 20 includes a movable platform 22 and a cleaning unit 23. The movable platform 22 has a carrying surface 21, and the cleaning unit 23 is located on the carrying surface 21. The controller 60 is used to drive the movable platform 22 and the cleaning unit 23 to move synchronously.

[0071] In this embodiment, the optical detection system 2 includes two cleaning units 23 disposed on the supporting surface 21 and corresponding to the two biochips 10. The two cleaning units 23 can be used to clean the lens before detecting and scanning the biochips 10.

[0072] In this embodiment, the support surface 21 comprises a mounting area 211 and a functional area 212, which are connected to each other. The mounting area 211 is located in the center, while the functional area 212 surrounds and connects to the periphery of the mounting area 211. When the biochip 10 is mounted on the chip carrier 20, it is located in the mounting area 211, and the cleaning unit 23 is located in the functional area 212. In this embodiment, when the biochip 10 is mounted on the chip carrier 20, the cleaning unit 23 is spaced apart from the biochip 10 to prevent the biochip 10 from colliding with the lens 30 during cleaning.

[0073] In this embodiment, the cleaning portion 23 is detachably disposed on the supporting surface 21 , and the cleaning portion 23 can be replaced regularly to ensure a cleaning effect.

[0074] The optical detection system 1 in the second embodiment of the present application can achieve all the beneficial effects described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, by incorporating the cleaning unit into the chip carrier 2, the cost of the biochip 2 can be reduced. Furthermore, the cleaning unit in the chip carrier 2 can be removed for periodic replacement.

[0075] In a modified embodiment of the present application, both the optical inspection system 1 and the optical inspection system 2 may further include an auxiliary cleaning component for delivering a cleaning agent to the carrying surface 21 of the chip carrier 20. Figure 4 In this modified embodiment, the auxiliary cleaning assembly 80 may include a liquid supply station 81, a liquid supply pipe 82, and a power mechanism 83. The liquid supply station 81 is used to load the cleaning agent. One end of the liquid supply pipe 82 is located in the liquid supply station 81, and the other end is wound around the lens 30. The end 821 of the liquid supply pipe 82 wound around the lens 30 extends toward the chip carrier 20. The power mechanism 83 is electrically connected to the controller ( Figure 4 The cleaning agent (not shown) is, for example, a pump, configured to pump the cleaning agent from the liquid supply station 81 into the liquid supply tube 82, so as to drip the cleaning agent onto the supporting surface 21 of the chip carrier 20 through the end portion 821. By driving the chip carrier 20 to translate in the XY directions, the cleaning agent can be controlled to drip onto different positions on the supporting surface 21.

[0076] In this modified embodiment, optical inspection system 1 and optical inspection system 2 may further include a drain pipe (not shown) and a power mechanism connected to the drain pipe (not shown, but electrically connected to a controller). The drain pipe may communicate with the drain channel of chip carrier 20. After cleaning lens 30, the used cleaning agent may be transported to a recycling station via the drain pipe, the power mechanism, and the drain channel.

[0077] In this modified embodiment, the movement process of the controller 60 includes:

[0078] Soaking process: The controller 60 drives the chip carrier 20 to translate in the XY direction until the liquid outlet of the end 821 is aligned with a preset area of ​​the carrying surface 21 (the area outside the carrying biochip 10); the controller 60 controls the power mechanism 83 to pump the detergent from the liquid supply station 81 into the liquid supply pipe 82, and finally drips the detergent onto the carrying surface 21 of the chip carrier 20 through the end 821; the controller 60 drives the chip carrier 20 to translate in the XY direction until the position of the detergent is moved to directly below the lens 30; the controller 60 drives the lens 30 to move downward until the optical surface is immersed in the detergent; the controller 60 drives the chip carrier 20 to reciprocate in the X and / or Y direction so that the optical surface 31 is fully exposed to the detergent until the number of movements reaches a preset number or the soaking time reaches a preset time; the controller 60 controls the power mechanism to pump the used detergent waste liquid out of the drain pipe to the recycling station.

[0079] Wiping process: The controller 60 drives the chip carrier 20 to translate in the XY direction until the cleaning portion 13 is moved to directly below the lens 30 (the orthographic projection of the optical surface 31 on the cleaning portion 13 is completely located on the cleaning portion 13); the controller 60 drives the lens 30 to move downward until the cleaning portion 13 contacts the optical surface 31; the controller 60 drives the chip carrier 20 to reciprocate in the X and / or Y direction, so that the cleaning surface 131 repeatedly wipes the optical surface 31 until the number of wiping reaches a preset number (the preset number is, for example, 3 times) and stops; the controller 60 resets the chip carrier 20 and the lens 30 so that the lens 30 is directly above the biochip 10 and has a certain distance from the chip body 11.

[0080] Therefore, this modified embodiment can achieve all the beneficial effects of embodiment 1 and embodiment 2. On this basis, since the optical surface 31 is soaked in a cleaning agent before wiping the optical surface 31, the optical surface 31 of the lens 30 can be better cleaned, thereby improving the optical detection quality.

[0081] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application and are not used to limit the present application. As long as they are within the spirit of the present application, appropriate changes and modifications to the above embodiments are within the scope of protection claimed in the present application.

Claims

1. An optical detection system, characterized in that: include: A chip carrier having a carrying surface; A biochip, located on the supporting surface; as well as a lens, located on a side of the biochip away from the chip carrier, spaced apart from the carrier surface, and having an optical surface corresponding to collecting the optical signal generated by the biochip; Wherein, the chip carrier or the biochip includes a cleaning portion, and the cleaning portion is used to clean the optical surface of the lens.

2. The optical detection system according to claim 1, wherein: The biochip comprises: The chip body is used to hold biological samples; a chip frame connected to and surrounding the edge of the chip body; and The cleaning portion is connected to the chip frame and is located on a surface of the chip frame facing the lens.

3. The optical detection system according to claim 2, wherein: The cleaning portion is embedded in the chip frame and partially exposed relative to the chip frame.

4. The optical detection system according to claim 3, wherein: A minimum vertical distance between the cleaning portion and the lens is smaller than a minimum vertical distance between the chip frame and the lens.

5. The optical detection system according to claim 1, wherein: The chip carrier includes the cleaning portion, which is located on the carrying surface and is higher than the surface of the biochip facing the lens when the biochip is located on the chip carrier.

6. The optical detection system according to claim 5, wherein: The cleaning portion is detachably arranged on the carrying surface.

7. The optical detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The optical detection system further includes a driving mechanism for driving the lens and / or the chip carrier to move so that the optical surface contacts the cleaning portion.

8. The optical detection system according to claim 7, wherein: The cleaning part includes a wiper, and a vertical distance between the optical surface and the biochip is greater than a vertical distance between the optical surface and the wiper.

9. The optical detection system according to claim 8, wherein: The chip carrier further includes an auxiliary cleaning component for delivering a cleaning agent to the carrier surface.

10. The optical detection system according to claim 8, wherein: The wiping piece is dust-free cotton.

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