Ultrasonic pipetting device

Abstract

The utility model provides an ultrasonic pipetting device which comprises an ultrasonic transducer, a pipetting mother board, a pipetting target board and an electrostatic adsorption device, the pipetting target board is located between the electrostatic adsorption device and the pipetting mother board, and the pipetting mother board and the pipetting target board are located between the electrostatic adsorption device and the ultrasonic transducer; the ultrasonic transducer is used for transferring liquid drops in the pipetting mother board into the pipetting target board; the electrostatic adsorption device is connected with the pipetting target plate and is used for generating an electric field force for enabling the liquid drops to move towards the target plate. According to the scheme, the liquid drops can be more accurately guided to the designated position on the target plate under the dual effects of ultrasonic waves and electric field force, efficient and non-contact transfer of micro liquid is achieved, the precision and reliability of the liquid transfer process are remarkably improved, and the liquid transfer device is suitable for scientific research and technical application needing high accuracy and repeatability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of ultrasonic applications, and more specifically, to an ultrasonic pipetting device. Background Technology

[0002] In modern biomedicine, chemical analysis, and materials science, the precise manipulation and transfer of micro-volume liquids is a crucial task. Traditional pipetting methods, such as using pipettes or capillaries, can meet the needs of most routine experiments, but when handling extremely small volumes of liquid (e.g., picoliters to nanoliters), they often struggle to achieve high-precision pipetting operations and are easily affected by human factors, leading to inconsistencies and poor reproducibility of experimental results.

[0003] In recent years, with the development of microfluidics and nanotechnology, ultrasound-assisted non-contact liquid transfer technology has emerged. This technology uses ultrasound to transfer droplets, thereby achieving contactless liquid transport.

[0004] However, ultrasonic pipetting requires high-performance ultrasound, and the droplets need to overcome gravity during transfer; insufficient momentum will prevent successful transfer. Furthermore, controlling the droplet's path during transfer is difficult, easily leading to splashing. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this utility model provides an ultrasonic pipetting device. The specific solution is as follows:

[0006] An ultrasonic pipetting device includes an ultrasonic transducer, a pipetting master plate, a pipetting target plate, and an electrostatic adsorption device, wherein the pipetting target plate is located between the electrostatic adsorption device and the pipetting master plate, and the pipetting master plate and the pipetting target plate are located between the electrostatic adsorption device and the ultrasonic transducer.

[0007] The ultrasonic transducer is used to transfer droplets from the pipetting master plate to the pipetting target plate; the electrostatic adsorption device is brought close to the pipetting target plate to generate an electric field force that causes the droplets to move toward the target plate.

[0008] In some specific embodiments, the electrostatic adsorption device includes electrode sheets and one or more plates;

[0009] The plate body at least partially covers the pipetting target plate;

[0010] The electrode plates are distributed on the plate and are used to generate electric field force.

[0011] In some specific embodiments, the electrode sheet includes a positive electrode sheet and a negative electrode sheet, which cooperate with each other to generate an electric field force that attracts droplets.

[0012] In some specific embodiments, there is a gap between the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet.

[0013] In some specific embodiments, all positive electrode sheets are arranged on the same plate.

[0014] In some specific embodiments, all the positive and negative electrode sheets are alternately distributed on the same plate.

[0015] In some specific embodiments, all the positive electrode sheets are distributed on one plate and all the negative electrode sheets are distributed on another plate.

[0016] In some specific embodiments, the plate body includes a first plate body, a second plate body, and an insulating plate;

[0017] The first plate has a positive electrode distributed on it, the second plate has a negative electrode distributed on it, the first plate is closer to the pipetting target plate than the second plate, and the insulating plate is located between the first plate and the second plate.

[0018] In some specific embodiments, the pipetting target plate has multiple target positions distributed thereon, and the target positions are used to accommodate droplets;

[0019] Each electrode corresponds to one or more target positions.

[0020] In some specific embodiments, the distribution density of the electrode sheets on the plate is less than the distribution density of the target sites on the pipetting target plate.

[0021] This application proposes an ultrasonic pipetting device that enables droplets to be guided more precisely to a designated position on a target plate under the combined action of ultrasound and electric field. This not only achieves efficient, non-contact transfer of micro-volume liquids but also significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of the pipetting process, making it suitable for scientific research and technological applications requiring high accuracy and repeatability.

[0022] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic pipetting device of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the electrostatic adsorption device of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the electrode arrangement of this utility model.

[0027] Figure reference numerals: 1-ultrasonic transducer; 2-pipette mother plate; 3-pipette target plate; 4-electrostatic adsorption device; 41-plate body; 42-positive electrode; 43-negative electrode; 411-first plate body; 412-insulating plate; 413-second plate body. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present utility model, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] This embodiment presents an ultrasonic pipetting device that features safe and accurate non-contact pipetting, and is also low in cost and simple to operate. A flowchart of the ultrasonic pipetting device is attached to the instruction manual. Figure 1 As shown, the specific plan is as follows:

[0031] An ultrasonic pipetting device includes an ultrasonic transducer 1, a pipetting master plate 2, a pipetting target plate 3, and an electrostatic adsorption device 4. The pipetting target plate 3 is located between the electrostatic adsorption device 4 and the pipetting master plate 2, and the pipetting master plate 2 and the pipetting target plate 3 are located between the electrostatic adsorption device 4 and the ultrasonic transducer 1. The ultrasonic transducer 1 is used to transfer droplets in the pipetting master plate 2 to the pipetting target plate 3. The electrostatic adsorption device 4 is close to the pipetting target plate 3 and is used to generate an electric field force that causes the droplets to move toward the target plate.

[0032] In this application, the ultrasonic transducer 1 generates high-frequency vibrations that break down the liquid in the pipetting master plate 2 into tiny droplets, causing these droplets to move toward the pipetting target plate 3. An electrostatic adsorption device 4 is connected to the pipetting target plate 3, using a generated electric field to overcome gravity and other obstacles, ensuring the droplets move accurately toward the target plate and are ultimately adsorbed onto it. The pipetting master plate 2 is the source of the liquid and typically contains multiple storage units or pores for loading different types of liquid samples. The pipetting target plate 3 is the destination for receiving these droplets; it can be any carrier required for the experiment, such as a microarray chip or cell culture dish.

[0033] The key function of the electrostatic adsorption device 4 is to provide the necessary electric field force for droplet transfer. It is connected to the pipetting target plate 3. When the droplets generated by the ultrasonic transducer 1 leave the pipetting base plate 2, the electric field generated by the electrostatic adsorption device 4 attracts these droplets, helping them overcome the influence of gravity and ensuring successful transfer to the target plate even with insufficient momentum. This electric field force enables the droplets to overcome gravity during transfer; even if the droplets lack sufficient momentum to transfer to the target plate above, they will be adsorbed onto the target plate under the action of the electric field force, preventing them from falling.

[0034] In some specific embodiments, the electrostatic adsorption device 4 includes electrode sheets and one or more plates 41; the plates 41 at least partially cover the pipetting target plate 3; the electrode sheets are distributed on the plates 41 and are used to generate an electric field. The electrostatic adsorption device 4 is shown in the attached figure. Figure 1 As shown in the attached diagram, the principle is as follows: Figure 2 As shown. The design of the electrostatic adsorption device 4 further refines its structure and function to ensure that the ultrasonic pipetting device can efficiently and accurately complete liquid transfer tasks. The electrode plates are the core components for generating electric field forces and are usually made of conductive materials, such as metals or doped semiconductor materials. They are carefully arranged on the plate 41 to form a specific electric field distribution. The plate 41, as a support structure, can be a flat surface or a base with a complex shape. It at least partially covers the pipetting target plate 3, ensuring that the electrode plates can create an effective electric field environment around the target plate.

[0035] In some specific embodiments, the electrode plates include a positive electrode plate 42 and a negative electrode plate 43, which cooperate to generate an electric field force to attract droplets. When the droplets generated by the ultrasonic transducer 1 leave the pipetting base plate 2, the positive electric field attracts these droplets and guides them toward the target plate. Even if the momentum of the droplets is insufficient to directly fly over the target plate, the electric field force generated by the electrode plates can overcome the influence of gravity, ensuring that the droplets are accurately adsorbed onto the target plate. In practical applications, the position and number of the positive electrode plate 42 and the negative electrode plate 43 can be adjusted according to actual needs to optimize the electric field strength and distribution. By adjusting the voltage on the electrode plates, the strength and direction of the electric field can be dynamically changed, thereby achieving highly precise control over the droplet movement path. By introducing the electrostatic adsorption device 4 with the positive electrode plate 42, the ultrasonic pipetting device can achieve efficient and accurate liquid transfer under a wider range of conditions.

[0036] In some specific embodiments, there is a gap between the positive electrode plate 42 and the negative electrode plate 43 to avoid voltage breakdown.

[0037] In some specific embodiments, all positive electrode sheets 42 are arranged on the same plate 41. (See attached...) Figure 3As shown, all positive electrode sheets 42 are concentrated on a plate 41, which covers or is close to the target plate 3, ensuring a consistent electric field direction. The resulting electric force is primarily attractive, directed towards the target plate. The uniformly distributed positive electrode sheets 42 achieve high-density and uniform spotting, simplifying the control system design by requiring only adjustment of the voltage on one plate 41.

[0038] In some specific embodiments, all the positive electrode sheets 42 and negative electrode sheets 43 are alternately distributed on the same plate 41. The alternating arrangement of the positive and negative electrode sheets 42 and 43 on the same plate 41 creates a complex electric field environment, suitable for complex tasks requiring precise control of droplet paths and landing points, such as high-resolution microarray spotting and single-cell distribution in cell culture. Utilizing the interaction between the positive and negative electrode sheets to achieve advanced liquid manipulation such as droplet merging and separation saves space and simplifies the overall design.

[0039] In some specific embodiments, all the positive electrode sheets 42 are distributed on one plate 41, and all the negative electrode sheets 43 are distributed on another plate 41. See attached figure for details. Figure 3 As shown, the positive electrode 42 and the negative electrode 43 are located on two independent plates 41, respectively. The voltage of the electrode on each plate 41 can be independently controlled, thus providing a more flexible electric field configuration. The relative position and electric field strength between the two plates 41 can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs, making it suitable for various experimental conditions. By independently controlling the electrode plates on the two plates 41, precise guidance and positioning of the droplet can be achieved over a wider range.

[0040] In some specific embodiments, the plate includes electrode sheets, a first plate 411, a second plate 413, and an insulating plate 412; positive electrode sheets 42 are distributed on the first plate 411, negative electrode sheets 43 are distributed on the second plate 413, the first plate 411 is closer to the pipetting target plate 3 than the second plate 413, and the insulating plate 412 is located between the first plate 411 and the second plate 413.

[0041] The first plate 411, with a positive electrode, is located adjacent to the target plate 3, ensuring that the generated positive electric field directly acts on the target area. It attracts negatively charged droplets, helping them overcome gravity and accurately adhere to the target plate. The second plate 413, with a negative electrode, is located below and at a distance from the first plate 411. This prevents droplets from adhering to unwanted locations and helps adjust the droplet path, improving transfer accuracy. The insulating plate 412 is positioned between the first and second plates 411, providing electrical isolation. This prevents direct current flow between the positive and negative electrodes, avoiding short-circuit risks, and also ensures that the electric fields between the two plates 41 do not interfere with each other.

[0042] In some specific embodiments, the pipetting target plate 3 has multiple target sites distributed on it, which are used to accommodate droplets; each electrode plate corresponds to one or more target sites. These target sites, which can be micropores, grooves, or other forms of positioning structures, are designed to accommodate droplets transferred from the pipetting mother plate 2. To meet the needs of high-throughput experiments, the target sites are typically arranged in a high-density manner, such as forming a microarray. Each electrode plate can correspond to one or more target sites, depending on the experimental requirements and design considerations. For more precise control, a one-to-one mapping can be selected; while for high-volume tasks with slightly lower precision requirements, a one-to-many mapping can be used. By associating electrode plates with specific target sites, a localized electric field environment can be created on the target plate, allowing droplets to be attracted at precise locations.

[0043] In some specific embodiments, the distribution density of electrode sheets on plate 41 is lower than the distribution density of target sites on pipetting target plate 3. Pipetting target plate 3 has a large number of target sites distributed in a high-density arrangement to accommodate droplets transferred from pipetting mother plate 2. For example, in biochip manufacturing or drug screening applications, it may be necessary to process hundreds or thousands of sample points. Target sites are typically arranged in the form of a microarray, where each target site can be a micropore, groove, or other form of positioning structure. The lower distribution density of electrode sheets on plate 41 compared to the target site distribution density means that not every target site has a corresponding independent electrode sheet. This reduces the number of electrode sheets required, thereby simplifying circuit design and control systems. By mapping multiple target sites to a single electrode sheet, uniform electric field control can be achieved over a larger area, suitable for situations where individual fine control of each droplet is not required. Due to the lower electrode sheet distribution density, each electrode sheet is responsible for controlling multiple target sites within a region. The electric field force generated by the positive electrode sheet 42 attracts all droplets within that region towards their corresponding target sites. Once a droplet approaches the target location, even without a one-to-one correspondence between electrode plates, the electric field can still help the droplet overcome gravity and accurately adhere to the predetermined position. Reducing the number of electrode plates lowers material costs and manufacturing complexity, making the entire device more economical. Fewer electrode plates mean fewer electrical connections and control circuits, reducing maintenance difficulty and failure rate. For high-volume tasks with slightly lower precision requirements, localized electric field control can accelerate processing speed, making it suitable for high-throughput experiments.

[0044] This application proposes an ultrasonic pipetting device that enables droplets to be guided more precisely to a designated position on a target plate under the combined action of ultrasound and electric field. This not only achieves efficient, non-contact transfer of micro-volume liquids but also significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of the pipetting process, making it suitable for scientific research and technological applications requiring high accuracy and repeatability.

[0045] Those skilled in the art will understand that the modules of this invention described above can be implemented using general-purpose computing systems. They can be centralized on a single computing system or distributed across a network of multiple computing systems. Optionally, they can be implemented using computer-executable program code, allowing them to be stored in a storage system for execution by the computing system. Alternatively, they can be fabricated as separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, this invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

[0046] Note that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Many other equivalent embodiments may be included without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

[0047] The above-disclosed examples are only a few specific implementation scenarios of this utility model. However, this utility model is not limited to these. Any variations that can be conceived by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic pipetting device, characterized in that, It includes an ultrasonic transducer, a pipetting master plate, a pipetting target plate, and an electrostatic adsorption device, wherein the pipetting target plate is located between the electrostatic adsorption device and the pipetting master plate, and the pipetting master plate and the pipetting target plate are located between the electrostatic adsorption device and the ultrasonic transducer; The ultrasonic transducer is used to transfer droplets from the pipetting master plate to the pipetting target plate; the electrostatic adsorption device is brought close to the pipetting target plate to generate an electric field force that causes the droplets to move toward the target plate.

2. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrostatic adsorption device includes electrode plates and one or more plates; The plate body at least partially covers the pipetting target plate; The electrode plates are distributed on the plate and are used to generate electric field force.

3. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The electrode sheet includes a positive electrode sheet and a negative electrode sheet, which cooperate with each other to generate an electric field force that attracts droplets.

4. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 3, characterized in that, There is a gap between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate.

5. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 4, characterized in that, All positive electrode plates are arranged on the same plate.

6. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 4, characterized in that, All the positive and negative electrode plates are alternately distributed on the same plate.

7. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 4, characterized in that, All the positive electrode plates are distributed on one plate, and all the negative electrode plates are distributed on another plate.

8. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The plate body includes a first plate body, a second plate body, and an insulating plate; The first plate has a positive electrode distributed on it, the second plate has a negative electrode distributed on it, the first plate is closer to the pipetting target plate than the second plate, and the insulating plate is located between the first plate and the second plate.

9. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pipetting target plate has multiple target positions distributed on it, and the target positions are used to accommodate droplets; Each electrode corresponds to one or more target positions.

10. The ultrasonic pipetting device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The distribution density of the electrode sheets on the plate is less than the distribution density of the target sites on the pipetting target plate.

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