Micro-fluidic chip with adjustable channel size and clamp device

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of micro-fluidic chips, and particularly relates to a micro-fluidic chip with adjustable channel size and a clamp device. The channel-size-adjustable micro-fluidic chip and clamp device is characterized by comprising a micro-fluidic chip main body, a clamp and a channel size adjusting device, and the micro-fluidic chip main body is composed of a micro-fluidic chip upper cover, micro-channel flexible glue, a micro-fluidic chip lower cover and a connector base; the clamp is composed of a clamp upper cover, a clamp lower cover and a first connecting piece. The channel size adjusting device is composed of a size adjusting device, a speed reducing mechanism, an adjusting device supporting bracket and a displacement push plate; the device is simple in structure, compact in design, efficient and simple, the size of the microchannel can be adjusted only by rotating the size adjusting device when the size of the microchannel needs to be adjusted, so that different experiment requirements are met, and a large amount of manpower, material resources and financial resources can be saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of microfluidics technology, and specifically discloses a microfluidic chip with adjustable channel size and a fixture device. Technical Background

[0002] Microfluidics is an emerging interdisciplinary field that involves the precise control and manipulation of fluids in micro- and nano-scale spaces. This technology typically uses microchannels (tens to hundreds of micrometers in size) to process or manipulate tiny fluids (volumes ranging from nanoliters to attoliters). Due to their miniaturization and integration, microfluidic devices are often called microfluidic chips, also known as lab-on-a-chip or micro-total analytical systems. The carrier providing the micro- and nano-scale components is called a microfluidic chip. The microchannels in a microfluidic chip are typically tens to hundreds of micrometers wide and deep; however, due to inconsistent requirements for channel testing or fluid flux control, it is often necessary to design multiple microchannel sizes (width / height) for testing and verification or microdroplet size control.

[0003] Given the current problems with microfluidic technology, there is an urgent need to find a method or device to solve these problems. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A microfluidic chip with adjustable channel size and a fixture device, characterized in that it comprises: a microfluidic chip body, a fixture, and a channel size adjustment device; the microfluidic chip body is composed of a microfluidic chip upper cover, microchannel soft adhesive, a microfluidic chip lower cover, and a connector base; the fixture is composed of a fixture upper cover, a fixture lower cover, and a first connector; the channel size adjustment device is composed of a size adjustment device, a reduction mechanism, an adjustment device support bracket, and a displacement push plate; the upper side of the microfluidic chip lower cover is provided with a microchannel soft adhesive positioning groove and a liquid flow channel running vertically through it; the lower side of the microfluidic chip upper cover is provided with a boss; the microchannel soft adhesive is located between the microfluidic chip upper cover and the microfluidic chip... The chip is located within the cavity formed after the lower cover is merged; the lower cover of the clamp is provided with a microfluidic chip fixing slot and a fixing slot on the connector base, and the upper cover of the clamp is provided with a through channel in the middle; the upper cover of the clamp and the lower cover of the clamp are connected by the first connector to form a clamp with an internal cavity and a through top, and the microfluidic chip is located in the cavity inside the clamp; the deceleration mechanism is fixed on the adjustment device support bracket, the size adjustment device is fixed on the top of the deceleration mechanism, the displacement push plate is connected to the bottom of the deceleration mechanism, the adjustment device support bracket is connected to the clamp through the second connector, and the displacement push plate is located in the through channel of the upper cover of the clamp.

[0007] Preferably, the microchannel soft adhesive is provided with microchannel perforations and liquid inlets / outlets.

[0008] Preferably, after the upper cover and the lower cover of the microfluidic chip are combined, the protrusion on the lower side of the upper cover of the microfluidic chip contacts the microchannel soft adhesive and their shapes match, and there is a certain gap between the upper cover and the lower cover of the microfluidic chip when there is no external force.

[0009] Preferably, the microchannel has a square cross-section.

[0010] Preferably, the deceleration mechanism consists of a reduction gearbox and a rotating screw.

[0011] Preferably, the reduction ratio of the gearbox is 1:50-500, and the pitch of the rotating screw is 0.5-2mm; more preferably, the reduction ratio of the gearbox is 1:100, and the pitch of the rotating screw is 1mm.

[0012] Preferably, the adjustment device support bracket and the displacement push plate are respectively provided with guide mechanisms, and the displacement push plate is connected to the rotating screw by a thread; or a pin or optical shaft is used for connection; as a preferred embodiment, the guide mechanism is composed of a dovetail groove protrusion and a dovetail groove recess.

[0013] Preferably, the adjustment device support bracket is connected to the clamp via a quick-release device.

[0014] Preferably, the quick-release device consists of a locking tongue and a spring.

[0015] Preferably, the lower side of the microfluidic chip's lower cover is provided with a connector base fixing groove, and the connector base fixing groove corresponds one-to-one with the liquid flow channel.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first connector is a bolt, and the number of bolts is set according to the conventional operation of those skilled in the art, for example, 4, 6, or 8.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0018] This device has a simple structure, compact design, high efficiency and ease of use. When it is necessary to adjust the microchannel size, simply rotate the size adjustment device to adjust the microchannel size, thereby meeting different experimental needs. The device can save a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size provided in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 An exploded view of a microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size provided in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the support structure for the adjustment device;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the displacement pusher structure;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the fixture's upper cover structure;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the microfluidic chip's top cover structure.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a microchannel soft adhesive structure;

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the lower cover structure of a microfluidic chip;

[0027] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the lower cover structure of the clamp;

[0028] Figure 10 for Figure 1 A partial sectional view;

[0029] Figure 11A schematic diagram of a microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size provided in Embodiment 2 of the utility model;

[0030] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size provided in embodiment 3 of the utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. In the following description, only certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described by way of illustration. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art will recognize that the described embodiments can be modified in different ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are illustrative in nature and not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In this document, directional terms such as inner, outer, upper, and lower are defined based on the chip body; it should be understood that the use of these directional terms should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] like Figure 1-12 The present invention provides a microfluidic chip with adjustable channel size and a clamping device, comprising a microfluidic chip body, a clamp, and a channel size adjustment device. The microfluidic chip body is composed of a microfluidic chip upper cover 6, a microchannel soft adhesive 7, a microfluidic chip lower cover 8, and a connector base 9. The clamp is composed of a clamp upper cover 5, a clamp lower cover 10, and a first connector 11. The channel size adjustment device is composed of a size adjustment device 1, a reduction mechanism 2, an adjustment device support bracket 3, and a displacement push plate 4. The microfluidic chip lower cover 8 has a microchannel soft adhesive positioning groove 81 and a liquid flow channel 82 that runs vertically through it on its upper side. The microfluidic chip upper cover 6 has a boss 61 on its lower side. The microchannel soft adhesive 7 is located between the microfluidic chip upper cover 6 and the microfluidic chip. The lower cover 8 is located inside the cavity formed after merging; the lower cover 10 of the clamp is provided with a microfluidic chip fixing groove 1001 and a fixing groove 1002 on the connector base; the upper cover 5 of the clamp is provided with a through channel 51 in the middle; the upper cover 5 of the clamp and the lower cover 10 of the clamp are connected by the first connector 11 to form a clamp with an internal cavity and a through top, and the microfluidic chip is located inside the cavity of the clamp; the deceleration mechanism 2 is fixed on the adjustment device support bracket 3, the size adjustment device 1 is fixed on the top 2 of the deceleration mechanism, the displacement push plate 4 is connected to the bottom of the deceleration mechanism 2, the adjustment device support bracket 3 is connected to the clamp through the second connector 12, and the displacement push plate 4 is located in the through channel 51 of the upper cover of the clamp.

[0034] The microchannel soft adhesive 7 is provided with microchannel perforations 72 and liquid inlet / outlet 71.

[0035] After the upper cover 6 and the lower cover 8 of the microfluidic chip are combined, the protrusion 61 on the lower side of the upper cover 6 contacts the microchannel soft adhesive 7 and their shapes match. After the upper cover 6 and the lower cover 8 of the microfluidic chip are combined, there is a certain gap between them in the absence of external force. The gap size is generally in the range of 100-400um.

[0036] The microchannel cutout section 72 is square.

[0037] The deceleration mechanism 2 consists of a reduction gearbox and a rotating screw 21.

[0038] The reduction ratio of the gearbox is 1:100, and the pitch of the rotating screw 21 is 1mm.

[0039] The displacement push plate 4 is connected to the rotating screw 21 by a thread.

[0040] The lower side of the microfluidic chip cover 8 is provided with a connector base lower fixing groove 83, which corresponds one-to-one with the liquid flow channel 82.

[0041] Example 2

[0042] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the adjustment device support bracket 3 and the displacement push plate 4 are respectively provided with a dovetail groove protrusion and a dovetail groove groove of the guide mechanism, and the rest is the same as that of embodiment 1.

[0043] Example 3

[0044] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the second connector 12 is a sliding quick-release device. During assembly, the channel size adjustment device is automatically fastened by the quick-release device due to gravity. During disassembly, pushing the sliding quick-release device will allow it to contact and fasten. The rest is the same as in embodiment 1.

[0045] Example 4

[0046] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the adjustment device support bracket 3 and the displacement push plate 4 are respectively provided with a dovetail groove protrusion and a dovetail groove of the guide mechanism, and the second connecting piece 12 is a sliding quick-release device. During assembly, the channel size adjustment device is automatically fastened by the quick-release device due to gravity; during disassembly, pushing the sliding quick-release device will contact and fasten it. The rest is the same as in embodiment 1.

[0047] The working principle of the adjustable channel size microfluidic chip and fixture device provided by this utility model is as follows: The required microchannel cutouts are processed on the microchannel soft rubber. The microchannel is currently at its maximum value, for example, 100µm in width and 100µm in height. When the soft rubber sheet is compressed from above and below, due to the extensibility of the soft rubber, the width and height of the microchannel will gradually decrease. After the microfluidic chip is assembled, there is a certain height difference between the upper and lower covers of the microfluidic chip due to the height of the microchannel soft rubber. This height difference is used to compress the microchannel soft rubber, forcing the microchannels in the soft rubber to extend inwards to achieve the purpose of adjusting the microchannel size. After the device is installed and operational, when microchannel size adjustment is needed, rotate the size adjustment knob to drive the reduction gearbox. The reduction gearbox drives the rotating screw. Since the reduction gearbox is fixed on the adjustment bracket, the rotation of the rotating screw forces the threaded displacement push plate to move downwards. For example, with a reduction gearbox ratio of 1:100, each rotation of the adjustment knob moves the displacement push plate downwards by 10µm. Based on the compression calculation, the microchannel size decreases by 10µm in both width and height. Therefore, microchannel size adjustment is achieved in this design. Generally, the microchannel can be infinitely adjusted between 50-100µm. When other ranges are needed, simply replace the microchannel rubber. When the microchannel size adjustment is less than 10µm, simply rotate the knob by the corresponding angle or increase the reduction gearbox ratio.

[0048] The structure provided by this utility model is not limited to the structures provided in the above embodiments, and any reasonable structural changes or combinations can be made based on the above embodiments.

[0049] The above descriptions are illustrative embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Any equivalent changes and modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the concept and principles of this utility model should fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A microfluidic chip with adjustable channel size and a fixture device, characterized in that... include: The microfluidic chip body, fixture, and channel size adjustment device are disclosed. The microfluidic chip body is composed of a microfluidic chip upper cover, microchannel soft adhesive, microfluidic chip lower cover, and connector base. The fixture is composed of a fixture upper cover, a fixture lower cover, and a first connector. The channel size adjustment device is composed of a size adjustment device, a deceleration mechanism, an adjustment device support bracket, and a displacement push plate. The upper side of the microfluidic chip lower cover is provided with a microchannel soft adhesive positioning groove and a liquid flow channel that runs vertically through it. The lower side of the microfluidic chip upper cover is provided with a boss. The microchannel soft adhesive is located in the cavity formed after the microfluidic chip upper cover and the microfluidic chip lower cover are combined. The lower cover of the clamp is provided with a microfluidic chip fixing slot and a fixing slot on the connector base. The upper cover of the clamp is provided with a through channel in the middle. The upper cover and the lower cover of the clamp are connected by the first connector to form a clamp with an internal cavity and a through top. The microfluidic chip is located in the cavity inside the clamp. The deceleration mechanism is fixed to the adjustment device support bracket. The size adjustment device is fixed to the top of the deceleration mechanism. The displacement push plate is connected to the bottom of the deceleration mechanism. The adjustment device support bracket is connected to the clamp through the second connector. The displacement push plate is located in the through channel of the upper cover of the clamp.

2. The microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microchannel soft adhesive is provided with microchannel perforations and liquid inlets and outlets.

3. A microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, After the upper cover and the lower cover of the microfluidic chip are combined, the protrusion on the lower side of the upper cover of the microfluidic chip contacts the microchannel soft adhesive and their shapes match. After the upper cover and the lower cover of the microfluidic chip are combined, there is a certain gap when there is no external force.

4. The microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 2, characterized in that, The microchannel has a square cross-section.

5. The microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 1, characterized in that, The deceleration mechanism consists of a reduction gearbox and a rotating screw.

6. The microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 5, characterized in that, The reduction ratio of the gearbox is 1:50-500, and the pitch of the rotating screw is 0.5-2mm.

7. A microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that... The adjustment device support bracket and the displacement push plate are respectively provided with guide mechanisms, and the displacement push plate is connected to the rotating screw by a thread.

8. The microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment device support bracket is connected to the clamp via a quick-release device.

9. A microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 8, characterized in that, The quick-release device consists of a locking tongue and a spring.

10. A microfluidic chip and fixture device with adjustable channel size according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower side of the microfluidic chip's lower cover is provided with a connector base fixing groove, and the connector base fixing groove corresponds one-to-one with the liquid flow channel.

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