A microfluidic chip multi-group channel split use tool
By designing a tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip, the flexible splitting and efficient utilization of the channels are realized, solving the problem that channels cannot be used after being closed in the existing technology, and improving the chip utilization rate and experimental flexibility.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 10K GENOMICS
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-14
AI Technical Summary
When the number of samples is insufficient, unused channels of existing microfluidic chips need to be closed, resulting in some functions of the chip being idle and reducing utilization.
Design a tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip. By selectively opening through holes on the gasket, some channels can be connected to the air passage while other channels are closed, thus achieving flexible splitting and use of the channels.
This avoids the problem of channels becoming unusable after glycerol is sealed, improves chip utilization efficiency, and meets the flexibility and efficient fluid transport requirements of different experiments.
Smart Images
Figure CN224486083U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of microfluidic chip technology, and in particular to a tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip. Background Technology
[0002] Lab-on-chip (Lab-on-Chip) is a miniature analytical platform based on a micrometer-scale fluid channel network. Through highly integrated design, it can realize functions such as sample preparation, reaction, separation, and detection. Due to its advantages such as miniaturization, high throughput, and low consumption, Lab-on-Chip has shown broad application potential in fields such as single-cell analysis, molecular diagnostics, and drug screening.
[0003] In existing single-cell capture platforms, microfluidic chips typically employ a multi-channel parallel design to improve detection throughput. For example, some chips use an 8-channel structure, with each channel corresponding to an independent fluid path, to achieve simultaneous processing of multiple samples. However, in practice, if the number of samples is less than 8, unused channels need to be sealed to avoid cross-contamination or fluid interference. Currently, a common sealing method is to fill empty channels with inert liquids such as glycerol, but this method has the following problems:
[0004] The channels sealed with glycerol cannot be used for subsequent experiments, resulting in some functions of the chip being idle and reducing the chip's utilization rate. Utility Model Content
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip, thereby improving chip utilization efficiency.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:
[0007] A tooling for separating multiple channels of a microfluidic chip includes:
[0008] A fixture base is used to place a microfluidic chip, and the microfluidic chip has multiple rows of sample holes, each row of sample holes forming a channel;
[0009] The tooling cover has multiple air channels inside, the number of which is equal to the number of sample holes in each column. The tooling cover has multiple connectors, each of which is connected to one of the air channels.
[0010] A gasket is clamped and fixed between the tooling cover and the microfluidic chip, and the gasket has a through hole.
[0011] Each column of sample holes is connected to an air passage on the tooling cover through a corresponding through hole on the gasket. The through holes are selectively opened so that multiple sample holes in at least one column are respectively connected to multiple air passages.
[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the through holes are divided into at least one column, and the number of through holes in each column is equal to the number of sample holes in each column, and they are connected one-to-one.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the lower surface of the tooling cover is provided with multiple rows of air holes, and each row of air holes is connected to one of the air channels.
[0014] The gasket is attached to the lower surface of the tooling cover, and the through holes in each row are connected to the air holes in each row.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the tooling base is provided with two lower supports, which are respectively disposed on both sides of the microfluidic chip, and the upper surface of the lower supports is provided with positioning blocks;
[0016] The gasket is attached to the upper surface of the lower support member, and the gasket has a positioning hole through which the positioning block passes.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the tooling cover has an opening that avoids the lower support member.
[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the tooling base has a placement slot, and the microfluidic chip is disposed in the placement slot.
[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the through hole is smaller than the diameter of the sample hole.
[0020] Compared with existing technologies, this technical solution has the following advantages:
[0021] Since the through holes on the gasket are selectively opened, when the gasket is clamped and fixed between the tooling cover and the microfluidic chip, the sample holes of some channels are connected to the airway through the corresponding through holes, while the through holes of other channels are closed. The effect is equivalent to sealing unused channels with glycerin in the prior art, but avoids the problem that the channels cannot be reused after being sealed with glycerin. Attached Figure Description
[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the tooling used to split and utilize multiple channels of the microfluidic chip described in this utility model;
[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the tooling base and gasket described in this utility model;
[0024] Figure 3This is a bottom view of the tooling cover described in this utility model;
[0025] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Sectional view along the AA direction;
[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the gasket described in this utility model;
[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second embodiment of the gasket described in this utility model;
[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third embodiment of the gasket described in this utility model;
[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fourth embodiment of the gasket described in this utility model;
[0030] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the fifth embodiment of the gasket described in this utility model;
[0031] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the sixth embodiment of the gasket described in this utility model;
[0032] Figure 11 This is a structural schematic diagram of the seventh embodiment of the gasket described in this utility model;
[0033] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the eighth embodiment of the gasket described in this utility model.
[0034] In the diagram: 100 tooling base, 110 lower support, 111 positioning block, 120 placement slot, 200 tooling top cover, 200a air passage, 210 air hole, 220 clearance port, 230 upper support, 300 gasket, 310 through hole, 320 positioning hole, 400 connector, 500 microfluidic chip, 510 sample hole. Detailed Implementation
[0035] The following description is intended to disclose the present invention so that those skilled in the art can implement it. The preferred embodiments described below are merely examples, and other obvious variations will occur to those skilled in the art. The basic principles of the present invention defined in the following description can be applied to other embodiments, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0036] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the tooling used to separate the multiple channels of the microfluidic chip includes:
[0037] The tooling base 100 is used to place the microfluidic chip 500. The microfluidic chip 500 is provided with multiple rows of sample holes 510, and each row of sample holes 510 forms a channel.
[0038] The tooling cover 200 has multiple air passages 200a inside, the number of air passages 200a being equal to the number of sample holes 510 in each column. The tooling cover 200 has multiple connectors 400, each of which is connected to one of the air passages 200a.
[0039] A gasket 300 is clamped and fixed between the tooling cover 200 and the microfluidic chip 500, and a through hole 310 is provided on the gasket 300.
[0040] Each column of sample holes 510 is connected to an air passage 200a of the tooling cover 200 through a corresponding through hole 310 on the gasket 300. The through hole 310 is selectively opened so that at least one column of sample holes 510 is connected to multiple air passages 200a respectively.
[0041] Since the through holes 310 on the gasket 300 are selectively opened, when the gasket 300 is clamped and fixed between the tooling cover 200 and the microfluidic chip 500, the sample holes 510 of some channels are connected to the airway 200a through the corresponding through holes 310, while the through holes 310 of other channels are in a closed state. The effect is equivalent to sealing unused channels with glycerin in the prior art, but avoids the problem that the channels cannot be reused after being sealed with glycerin.
[0042] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the microfluidic chip 500 is rectangular, with multiple rows of sample holes 510 arranged at intervals along the length direction of the microfluidic chip 500, and each row of sample holes 510 arranged at intervals along the width direction of the microfluidic chip 500.
[0043] In this embodiment, the sample holes 510 are divided into 8 columns, with 4 sample holes 510 in each column. The 4 sample holes 510 in each column constitute one channel. If the sample holes 510 are divided into 8 columns, then 8 channels are formed.
[0044] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the tooling base 100 has a placement groove 120, and the microfluidic chip 500 is placed in the placement groove 120 to position the microfluidic chip 500 so as to ensure the alignment of the through hole 310 with the sample hole 510.
[0045] The depth of the placement groove 120 is less than the thickness of the microfluidic chip 500, so that the upper part of the microfluidic chip 500 protrudes from the upper surface of the tooling base 100, which facilitates the fit of the gasket 300 to the upper surface of the microfluidic chip 500.
[0046] refer to Figure 2 The tooling base 100 is provided with two lower support members 110, which are respectively located on both sides of the microfluidic chip 500. The upper surface of the lower support member 110 is provided with a positioning block 111.
[0047] The gasket 300 is attached to the upper surface of the lower support 110, and the gasket 300 has a positioning hole 320 through which the positioning block 111 passes.
[0048] Two lower support members 110 are respectively disposed on both sides of the microfluidic chip 500 along its length. Through the cooperation of the positioning blocks 111 and the positioning holes 320, the alignment of the through hole 310 with the sample hole 510 is further ensured. In this embodiment, each lower support member 110 has two positioning blocks 111 on its upper surface, meaning that two positioning holes 320 are provided on each side of the pad 300 along its length, and each positioning block 111 is inserted into the corresponding positioning hole 320, further improving the positioning effect.
[0049] When the gasket 300 is attached to the upper surface of the lower support 110, the gasket 300 can also be attached to the upper surface of the microfluidic chip 500.
[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the gasket 300 is clamped and fixed between the tooling cover 200 and the microfluidic chip 500, and its material can be silicone. The gasket 300 has through holes 310, which are distributed in columns, with at least one column. In this embodiment, each column has four through holes 310, equal to the number of sample holes 510 in each column, and they are all connected in a one-to-one correspondence.
[0051] Since the through holes 310 on the gasket 300 are selectively opened, when the gasket 300 is clamped and fixed between the tooling cover 200 and the microfluidic chip 500, the sample holes 510 of some channels will be connected to the air channel 200a through the corresponding through holes 310, while the through holes 310 of other channels will be closed.
[0052] Therefore, the number of rows of the 310 through-hole can be flexibly designed according to actual needs, ranging from 1 to 8 rows. For details, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figures 5 to 12 .
[0053] For example, when only 3 channels are needed, then select... Figure 7 The gasket 300 is shown. This gasket 300 has three rows of through holes 310. When the gasket 300 is securely clamped between the fixture cover 200 and the microfluidic chip 500, three channels are connected to the air passage 200a through these three rows of through holes 310, allowing fluid to flow normally within the corresponding channels and meeting experimental requirements. The remaining five channels are effectively closed because no through holes 310 are provided on the corresponding positions of the gasket 300, preventing interference from the fluid in these unused channels.
[0054] The diameter of the through hole 310 is smaller than the diameter of the sample hole 510, and with the cooperation of the positioning block 111 and the positioning hole 320, the sample hole 510 and the through hole 310 can be better connected.
[0055] like Figures 5 to 12 As shown, the upper left corner of the gasket 300 has a notch, which serves as the starting position for the gasket 300 to open the through hole 310.
[0056] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the tooling cover 200 has four air channels 200a inside. These four air channels 200a are arranged from left to right along the width of the microfluidic chip 500, forming the first to fourth air channels 200a. Simultaneously, the sample holes 510 in each column are also arranged from left to right, forming the first to fourth sample holes 510. The first air channel 200a is aligned and connected to the first sample hole 510 of the four columns of sample holes 510, the second air channel 200a is aligned and connected to the second sample hole 510 of the four columns of sample holes 510, and so on.
[0057] The lower surface of the tooling cover 200 has multiple rows of air holes 210, each row of air holes 210 communicating with one of the air channels 200a. This allows fluid in the air channel 200a to be smoothly discharged or introduced through the air holes 210.
[0058] The gasket 300 is fitted to the lower surface of the tooling cover 200, and each row of through holes 310 corresponds to and is connected to each row of air holes 210. This ensures that the fluid flowing out of the sample hole 510 can sequentially enter the air channel 200a through the through holes 310 and air holes 210, and then be precisely controlled and detected by external equipment; conversely, the fluid delivered by the external equipment through the air channel 200a can also accurately enter the sample hole 510 along the opposite path, realizing efficient and precise fluid transfer and interaction between the microfluidic chip and external equipment.
[0059] like Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, the air passage 200a is formed by punching, that is, the air passage 200a penetrates the tooling cover 200 in the length direction of the tooling cover 200. Plugs can be set at both ends of the air passage 200a to ensure that the air passage 200a is connected to the channel and the fluid will not leak out from both ends of the air passage 200a in the length direction.
[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, the upper surface of the tooling cover 200 is provided with four connectors 400, each connector 400 being connected to one of the air passages 200a. The connectors 400 can be fixed to the tooling cover 200 by means of screwing, sleeve connection, or other methods. The connectors 400 are used to connect air tubes.
[0061] like Figure 1 As shown, the tooling cover 200 has an opening 220, which avoids the lower support member 110.
[0062] The tooling cover 200 avoids the lower support 110 through the clearance opening 220, ensuring smooth engagement of the positioning block 111 and the positioning hole 320, and that the gasket 300 can be tightly clamped between the lower surface of the tooling cover 200 and the microfluidic chip 500.
[0063] like Figure 1 As shown, the lower surface of the tooling cover 200 is provided with an upper support 230, which abuts against the upper surface of the tooling base 100 so that the gasket 300 is clamped between the lower surface of the tooling cover 200 and the microfluidic chip 500.
[0064] The number of upper support members 230 is four, and they are respectively arranged on both sides of the width direction of the microfluidic chip 500, so that the connection between the tooling cover 200 and the tooling base 100 is more stable and the force is evenly distributed.
[0065] The upper support 230 and the tooling base 100 can be fixed together by bolts, and the upper support 230 and the tooling base 100 can be positioned together by positioning pins and positioning holes to ensure that the air hole 210 on the tooling cover 200 is aligned with the through hole 310 on the gasket 300.
[0066] The method for using the tooling to separate the multiple channels of the microfluidic chip is as follows:
[0067] The microfluidic chip 500 is placed in the placement slot 120 of the tooling base 100.
[0068] According to the actual experimental requirements, the experimental liquid is injected into the sample hole 510 of the channel used by the microfluidic chip 500.
[0069] Based on the number of channels used in the experiment, select a suitable gasket from the spare gaskets 300. The selected gasket 300 should meet the requirement that channels containing experimental liquid correspond to through holes 310 on the gasket 300, and channels without experimental liquid correspond to the absence of holes on the gasket 300. Place the selected gasket 300 stably on the microfluidic chip 500, ensuring that the positioning holes 320 on the gasket 300 are accurately aligned with the positioning blocks 111 on the fixture base 100.
[0070] The tooling cover 200 is placed on the gasket 300, and the tooling cover 200 is fixed to the tooling base 100 by bolts, so that the gasket 300 is tightly clamped and fixed between the tooling cover 200 and the microfluidic chip 500.
[0071] Insert the trachea into the connector 400 of the tool cover 200, turn on the control instrument connected to the tool, set the appropriate air pressure parameters on the instrument's operating interface according to the specific requirements of the experiment, and start the instrument. Internal pressure will be generated inside the channel corresponding to the through hole 310 on the gasket 300, and the experimental liquid will flow in these channels according to the preset process; while there is no air pressure inside the channel corresponding to the unopened hole on the gasket 300, which is equivalent to not being used.
[0072] In traditional microfluidic chip experiments, unused channels are typically sealed with glycerin, but this renders the channels unusable, resulting in a significant waste of chip resources. This fixture, however, cleverly designs a gasket 300, allowing researchers to select gaskets 300 with different via distributions 310 according to actual experimental needs. Channels containing experimental fluid correspond to the vias 310 on the gasket 300, while channels without experimental fluid correspond to the non-perforated areas, thus enabling flexible disassembly and use of over 500 channels of the microfluidic chip.
[0073] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical ideas and features of this utility model. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this utility model and implement it accordingly. The scope of patent application of this utility model should not be limited by these embodiments. That is, any equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit disclosed in this utility model still fall within the patent scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A tooling for splitting multiple channels of a microfluidic chip, characterized in that, include: Tooling base (100) is used to place microfluidic chip (500). The microfluidic chip (500) is provided with multiple rows of sample holes (510), and each row of sample holes (510) constitutes a channel. The tooling cover (200) has multiple air passages (200a) inside, the number of air passages (200a) being equal to the number of sample holes (510) in each column, and the tooling cover (200) has multiple connectors (400), each connector (400) being connected to one of the air passages (200a); A gasket (300) is clamped and fixed between the tooling cover (200) and the microfluidic chip (500), and a through hole (310) is provided on the gasket (300). Each column of sample holes (510) is connected to an air passage (200a) of the tooling cover (200) through a corresponding through hole (310) on the gasket (300). The through hole (310) is selectively opened so that at least one column of sample holes (510) is connected to multiple air passages (200a) respectively.
2. The tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The through holes (310) are divided into at least one column, and the number of through holes (310) in each column is equal to the number of sample holes (510) in each column, and they are connected one by one.
3. The tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The lower surface of the tooling cover (200) has multiple rows of air holes (210), and each row of air holes (210) is connected to one of the air channels (200a); The gasket (300) is attached to the lower surface of the tooling cover (200), and the through holes (310) in each row are connected to the air holes (210) in each row.
4. The tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The tooling base (100) is provided with two lower support members (110), which are respectively located on both sides of the microfluidic chip (500). The upper surface of the lower support member (110) is provided with a positioning block (111). The gasket (300) is attached to the upper surface of the lower support (110), and the gasket (300) has a positioning hole (320) through which the positioning block (111) passes.
5. The tooling for splitting multiple channels of a microfluidic chip as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The tooling cover (200) has an opening (220) that avoids the lower support (110).
6. The tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The tooling base (100) has a placement slot (120), and the microfluidic chip (500) is disposed in the placement slot (120).
7. The tooling for splitting and using multiple channels of a microfluidic chip as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the through hole (310) is smaller than the diameter of the sample hole (510).