Sludge detection system and microfluidic component

Abstract

The invention discloses a sludge detection system and a microfluidic component. The sludge detection system includes: a sludge supply unit, a liquid supply unit, a sample configuration unit, and a sludge detection module. The sludge supply unit is used to automatically sample and provide an activated sludge. The liquid supply unit is used to automatically provide liquid that can be used for dilution and cleaning. The sample configuration unit is used to automatically receive activated sludge during detection operations and selectively dilute with the liquid to form a sludge sample. The sludge detection module includes a micro-fluidic component and an image capture unit. The microfluidic element is configured to automatically receive the sludge sample during a detection operation. The image capture unit is configured to capture microscopic images of the sludge sample in the microfluidic component and generate image data, and the type and quantity of microorganisms in the image data are determined through an artificial intelligence model.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a detection system, and more particularly to a sludge detection system and a microfluidic element. Prior Technology

[0002] Currently, wastewater treatment plants utilize microorganisms (protozoa, rotifers, flagellates, etc.) to degrade pollutants such as COD and ammonia nitrogen in water. The traditional monitoring method involves manual sampling followed by microscopic observation of the types and quantities of microorganisms to determine the health status of the biological treatment system. This traditional method has the following problems: High manual workload: Manual sampling, microscopic observation and interpretation, and manual data recording are all required. Low speed and lack of immediacy: Traditional methods can only obtain about 3-4 microscopic images per hour, limiting the possibility of real-time monitoring and rapid adjustment. If an anomaly is detected, it often takes several hours or even a day before treatment conditions can be adjusted. Difficulty in standardization and automation: Manual interpretation is subjective, and the speed and quality of interpretation are affected by personnel experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention discloses a sludge detection system and a microfluidic element, which are mainly used to improve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] One embodiment of the present invention discloses a sludge detection system, comprising: a sludge supply unit for automatically sampling and providing activated sludge; a liquid supply unit for automatically providing a liquid, wherein the liquid is a liquid for dilution and washing; a sample preparation unit for automatically receiving the activated sludge during a detection operation and selectively diluting it with the liquid to form a sludge sample; and a sludge detection module comprising: a microfluidic element configured to automatically receive the sludge sample during the detection operation; and an image capturing unit disposed on one side of the microfluidic element and configured to perform a microscopic image capturing operation on the sludge sample remaining in the microfluidic element, and generate image data containing a record of the microbial state in the sludge sample.

[0005] Preferably, the sludge detection module further includes: an image recognition unit, configured to perform image recognition analysis on the image data, thereby outputting an image recognition analysis result.

[0006] Preferably, after the detection operation, the sample preparation unit and the microfluidic element are washed with the liquid provided by the liquid supply unit during a washing operation.

[0007] Preferably, in the sludge detection module, the microchannel element includes a microchannel glass slide and a first microchannel clamp and a second microchannel clamp for mounting and holding the microchannel glass slide; wherein at least one of the first microchannel clamp and the second microchannel clamp has a mounting groove for mounting the microchannel glass slide.

[0008] Preferably, the microfluidic element further has at least one sample inlet and at least one sample outlet, wherein the sample inlet and the sample outlet are disposed at both ends of an upper surface of the microfluidic element along a conveying direction of the sludge sample; wherein the sample inlet receives the sludge sample input to the microfluidic element by the sample configuration unit, and the sample outlet is used to output the tested sludge sample.

[0009] Preferably, the microfluidic slide has a microfluidic channel, and has an inlet end and an outlet end at both ends of the microfluidic channel; wherein the inlet end corresponds to the sample inlet in position, and the outlet end corresponds to the sample outlet in position; wherein, the microfluidic channel is used to receive and load the sludge sample input from the sample inlet through the inlet end during the detection operation, and to perform the microscope image capture operation on the sludge sample remaining in the microfluidic channel through the image capturing unit.

[0010] Preferably, the microfluidic glass slide is formed by stacking two pieces of glass, and the microfluidic channel is a groove channel embedded between the two pieces of glass, wherein the feed end and the discharge end have openings respectively connected to the microfluidic channel and the sample inlet and the sample outlet.

[0011] Preferably, the microfluidic glass slide is defined with a feeding area, a detection area, and a discharge area along the conveying direction. The feeding endpoint is located in the feeding area, the discharge endpoint is located in the discharge area, a first width of the microfluidic channel in the feeding area increases from the feeding endpoint toward the detection area, a second width of the microfluidic channel in the discharge area increases from the discharge endpoint toward the detection area, and a third width of the microfluidic channel in the detection area is greater than the first width and the second width.

[0012] Preferably, the microchannel element has a detection window formed on the first microchannel fixture or the second microchannel fixture, and the detection window is positioned to correspond to the microchannel of the microchannel slide, so as to enable the image capturing unit to perform the microscope image capture operation on the sludge sample in the microchannel through the detection window.

[0013] Preferably, a sample outlet of the sample preparation unit is provided with a sample filter element, which is used to filter the sludge sample before it is input into the sludge detection module to remove large particulate impurities. The sample preparation unit is further provided with a stirring element in the tank to stir the activated sludge; or, the sample preparation unit is provided with a scraping element on the surface of the filter element to scrape off impurities attached to the surface.

[0014] One embodiment of the present invention also discloses a microchannel element, comprising: a microchannel glass slide; a first microchannel clamp; and a second microchannel clamp, which together with the first microchannel clamp are used for mounting and clamping the microchannel glass slide; wherein at least one of the first microchannel clamp and the second microchannel clamp has a mounting groove for mounting the microchannel glass slide; wherein the microchannel glass slide has a microchannel, and has an inlet end and an outlet end at both ends of the microchannel; wherein the microchannel is used to receive and load a sludge sample through the inlet end during the detection operation.

[0015] In summary, the sludge detection system and microchannel element provided by the present invention can achieve automated sampling and detection of activated sludge through the above-mentioned technical solutions, thereby improving operational efficiency.

[0016] To further understand the features and technical content of this invention, please refer to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. However, these descriptions and drawings are only for illustrating the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the invention in any way. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the sludge detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the assembly state of the microchannel element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the disassembled state of the microchannel element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the microchannel glass slide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the components of a microchannel glass slide according to another embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0022] In the following description, if a specific diagram is indicated or shown in a specific diagram, it is only to emphasize that most of the relevant content mentioned in the following description appears in that specific diagram, but does not limit the following description to referring only to that specific diagram. It should be understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various elements or signals, these elements or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are mainly used to distinguish one element from another, or one signal from another.

[0023] Additionally, the term "or" as used in this document should be interpreted as including, depending on the context, any combination of one or more of the related listed items.

[0024] [Sludge Detection System]

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the sludge detection system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The sludge detection system 100 in this embodiment of the present invention can automatically detect the microbial state of activated sludge in wastewater, and is used to assist in evaluating the ability of activated sludge treatment to treat wastewater.

[0026] To achieve the above objectives, the sludge detection system 100 includes: a sludge detection module 1, a sludge supply unit T1, a liquid supply unit T2, a sample preparation unit Tm, and a sample recovery unit Tw.

[0027] The sludge supply unit T1 is an activated sludge sample storage tank, which is used to sample an activated sludge L1 from an activated sludge tank for external wastewater treatment, and to transport the activated sludge L1 to the sample preparation unit Tm via a first pump P1 along a first output pipeline (not labeled in the figure).

[0028] Furthermore, the sludge supply unit T1 returns undetected sludge to the activated sludge tank of the external wastewater treatment via a return sludge L1r at intervals, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0029] The liquid supply unit T2 is a liquid storage tank used to receive a liquid L2 and supply the liquid L2 to the sample preparation unit Tm via a second pump P2 along a second output pipeline (not labeled in the figure). In this embodiment, the liquid L2 is a clear and transparent liquid with dilution and cleaning functions (such as pure water or deionized water, which will not affect the detection of microbial activity).

[0030] The sample preparation unit Tm is a sludge sample preparation tank for receiving activated sludge L1 and selectively diluting the activated sludge L1 with liquid L2 during a detection operation to form a sludge sample Lm with a sludge concentration suitable for optical detection (e.g., microscopic observation and image capture) and for transport in the microchannel slide 11m of the microchannel element 11 described below. Furthermore, the sample preparation unit Tm can clean the tank and the microchannel slide 11m of the microchannel element 11 using liquid L2 during a washing operation following the detection operation.

[0031] In this embodiment, the sample preparation unit Tm receives the activated sludge L1 into the tank through its bottom and receives liquid L2 (such as pure water) into the tank through its top, so as to dilute the activated sludge L1 during the above-mentioned detection operation or to wash the tank during the above-mentioned washing operation.

[0032] It is worth mentioning that, in some cases, if the concentration of the fed activated sludge L1 is already suitable for optical detection, it does not need to be diluted with liquid L2 and can be directly used as sludge sample Lm for subsequent detection.

[0033] During the detection operation, the sample preparation unit Tm delivers the prepared sludge sample Lm to the sludge detection module 1 via a third pump P3 along a third output pipeline (not labeled in the figure).

[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention, a sample outlet of the sample preparation unit Tm is provided with a sample filter element Tmf (such as a polymer filter membrane with a pore size range of 10~50 μm) to filter the sludge sample Lm before it is input into the sludge detection module 1, in order to remove large particulate impurities (such as wheat bran) to avoid subsequent microfluidic channel blockage or affecting the quality of observation. It is worth mentioning that the pore size range selected by the filter element Tmf can filter large particulate impurities, but allows microorganisms in the activated sludge (such as rotifers, flagellates, etc.) to pass through. However, the present invention is not limited to setting the above-mentioned sample filter element Tmf. Furthermore, in embodiments not illustrated in this invention, the sample preparation unit Tm is equipped with a stirring element (such as a blade stirrer, spiral stirrer, bubble stirring device, magnetic stirrer, or ultrasonic stirrer) to uniformly stir the activated sludge L1 sample and prevent sample clogging; or, the sample preparation unit Tm is equipped with a scraping element (such as a rotating scraper, reciprocating scraper, elastic scraper, or vibrating scraping device) on the surface of the filter element Tmf (such as the surface of the filter element Tmf facing into the tank) to automatically scrape off impurities adhering to the filter surface, thereby maintaining filtration efficiency and unobstructed flow. This extends the service life of the filter element.

[0035] Furthermore, the sludge detection module 1 includes: a microchannel element 11, an image capturing unit 12, and an image recognition unit 13.

[0036] The microchannel element 11 is used to receive sludge sample Lm during the detection operation and to keep the sludge sample Lm in the microchannel element 11.

[0037] The image capturing unit 12 is disposed on one side of the microfluidic element 11 and is used to perform a microscopic image capture operation on the sludge sample Lm remaining in the microfluidic element 11 during the detection operation, so as to record the microbial state in the sludge sample Lm and output an image data. The image data includes multiple photos or a continuous video recording the microbial state.

[0038] It is worth mentioning that the image capturing unit 12 is configured to continuously capture or photograph the sludge sample Lm through the microscope image capturing operation to observe the time-varying dynamics of microorganisms. In this embodiment, the image capturing unit 12 can be, for example, an autofocus optical microscope device.

[0039] The image capturing unit 12 can automatically take pictures and process images. It has automatic focusing and image capturing functions at the microscope end. With program control, it can greatly increase the shooting frequency per unit time, from 3 to 4 images per hour in traditional manual inspection to tens or even hundreds of images per hour.

[0040] The image recognition unit 13 is a computer device equipped with image recognition software or artificial intelligence model. It is configured to perform image recognition analysis on the image data output by the image capturing unit 12, so as to output an image recognition analysis result containing the state of microorganisms in activated sludge.

[0041] In some embodiments of the present invention, based on an artificial intelligence model, the image recognition unit 13 can automatically classify and count the types of microorganisms in the captured image data using image recognition technology. The image recognition unit 13 can identify different types of protozoa, such as rotifers and flagellates, through various morphological features (spherical, elliptical, different sizes) for automatic classification.

[0042] By designing specific algorithms and adjusting parameters, the recognition accuracy is improved, avoiding confusion between microorganisms with similar morphologies. Through the above analysis, the image recognition unit 13 can further generate an image recognition analysis result containing the state of microorganisms in activated sludge (e.g., real-time microbial community data), so that wastewater treatment plants can quickly adjust treatment conditions (e.g., adding specific agents or nutrient sources) based on the analysis results to improve or maintain the wastewater treatment efficiency of activated sludge.

[0043] The training of the artificial intelligence model may include, for example, capturing microbial images and manually labeling them, and then conducting recognition training and establishing a recognition model.

[0044] Furthermore, please refer to Figure 1 above and also refer to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the assembly state of the microchannel element 11 in an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of the microchannel element 11, while Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the microchannel glass slide 11m.

[0045] The microchannel element 11 includes a microchannel glass slide 11m and a first microchannel clamp 11a (upper microchannel clamp) and a second microchannel clamp 11b (lower microchannel clamp) for mounting and holding the microchannel glass slide 11m. At least one of the first microchannel clamp 11a and the second microchannel clamp 11b has a mounting groove SP for mounting the microchannel glass slide 11m. In this embodiment, the mounting groove SP is formed in the second microchannel clamp 11b, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0046] Furthermore, the microfluidic element 11 has at least one sample inlet 111 and at least one sample outlet 112. The sample inlet 111 and the sample outlet 112 are disposed at both ends of the upper surface of the first microfluidic clamp 11a (upper microfluidic clamp) of the microfluidic element 11 along a conveying direction D of the sludge sample Lm, and protrude in a direction away from the second microfluidic clamp 11b (lower microfluidic clamp).

[0047] In this embodiment, the sample inlet 111 and sample outlet 112 are both installed facing upwards along with the orientation of the first microchannel fixture 11a (upper microchannel fixture) (as shown in Figure 1), but the present invention is not limited to this. The sample inlet 111 and sample outlet 112 can also be arranged facing downwards.

[0048] The sample inlet 111 receives the sludge sample Lm input to the microfluidic element 11 by the sample configuration unit Tm, and the sample outlet 112 is used to output the tested sludge sample Lm to the subsequent sample recovery unit Tw to collect the waste liquid sample Lw generated by the tested sludge sample Lm.

[0049] Furthermore, the microfluidic slide 11m has a microfluidic channel 113 (see Figures 3 and 4), and at least one inlet endpoint 111a and at least one outlet endpoint 111b are respectively located at both ends of the microfluidic channel 113. The inlet endpoints 111a correspond to the sample inlet 111 in both number and position, and the outlet endpoints 111b correspond to the sample outlet 112 in both number and position. It should be noted that the embodiments in Figures 3 and 4 are illustrated using one inlet endpoint 111a and one outlet endpoint 111b, and one corresponding sample inlet 111 and one sample outlet 112, respectively, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments of the present invention, the number of inlet endpoints 111a and 111b, and the number of corresponding sample inlets 111 and 112, can be adjusted according to requirements. For example, the embodiment shown in Figure 5 has one inlet endpoint 111a' (corresponding to one sample inlet) and multiple outlet endpoints 111b' and 111b'' (corresponding to multiple sample outlets).

[0050] Please refer to Figure 1. During the detection operation, the microfluidic channel 113 is used to receive and load the sludge sample Lm input by the sample inlet 111 through the feed end 111a. When the sludge sample Lm is loaded to a detectable amount, the sludge detection module 1 stops the delivery of the sludge sample Lm, and the image capturing unit 12 performs the above-mentioned microscope image capture operation on the sludge sample Lm that is staying in the microfluidic channel 113 of the microfluidic element 11.

[0051] It is worth mentioning that the microfluidic glass slide 11m can be formed, for example, by stacking two pieces of glass, and the microfluidic channel 113 is a groove channel embedded between the inner sides of the two pieces of glass, so that the sludge sample Lm will not overflow when it is transported or detected in the microfluidic channel 113. The feed end 111a and the discharge end 111b have openings that respectively connect the microfluidic channel 113 with the sample inlet 111 and the sample outlet 112, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0052] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the microchannel glass slide 11m is defined along the conveying direction D as having a feeding area R1, a detection area R2, and a discharge area R3.

[0053] The feed endpoint 111a is located in the feed region R1, and the discharge endpoint 111b is located in the discharge region R3. The microfluidic channel 113 of the microfluidic slide 11m has a first width W1 in the feed region R1 that increases from the feed endpoint 111a towards the detection region R2 (initially fixed at its narrowest width and then gradually and smoothly increasing). The second width W2 of the microfluidic channel 113 in the discharge region R3 increases from the discharge endpoint 111b towards the detection region R2 (initially fixed at its narrowest width and then gradually and smoothly increasing), and is symmetrical in shape to the feed region R1. Furthermore, the third width W3 of the microfluidic channel 113 in the detection region R2 is greater than both the first width W1 and the second width W2. The third width W3 remains approximately fixed, making the middle region rectangular. Moreover, the detection region R2 is larger than both the feed region R1 and the discharge region R3, but the invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the length of the detection area R2 along the conveying direction D accounts for about 60% to 90% of the overall length of the microchannel glass slide 11m, the length of the feeding area R1 accounts for about 5% to 20%, and the length of the discharge area R3 accounts for about 5% to 20%, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0054] From another perspective, the feed endpoint 111a and the discharge endpoint 111b are respectively spaced a distance from the two edges of the microchannel glass slide 11m along the conveying direction D, and the microchannel 113 forms a closed shape in the microchannel glass slide 11m. The detection area R2 in the middle is roughly rectangular, while the feed area R1 and the discharge area R3 on both sides have smooth transition lines whose widths gradually decrease towards the feed endpoint 111a and the discharge endpoint 111b, respectively.

[0055] Based on the above configuration, in this embodiment, the sludge sample Lm enters the microfluidic channel 113 by sequentially passing through the sample inlet 111 and the feed end point 111a in the vertical direction of the microfluidic slide 11m (perpendicular to the conveying direction D). The sludge sample Lm flows along the conveying direction D through the feed area R1, the detection area R2, and the discharge area R3, and is finally output through the discharge end point 111b and the sample outlet 112 after the detection operation is completed.

[0056] Furthermore, the microchannel element 11 has a detection window 114 formed on the first microchannel fixture 11a or the second microchannel fixture 11b (in this embodiment, at least the second microchannel fixture 11b has the detection window 114), and the detection window 114 is positioned to correspond to the detection area R2 of the microchannel 113 of the microchannel slide 11m, so as to provide the image capturing unit 12 to perform the above-mentioned microscope image capturing operation on the sludge sample Lm in the microchannel 113 through the detection window 114.

[0057] It is worth mentioning that after the detection operation is completed, the sludge detection system 100 is configured to further perform a washing operation. The liquid supply unit T2 provides liquid L2 (such as clean water or deionized water) to clean the tank of the sample preparation unit Tm, and further transports liquid L2 through the transport path of the microfluidic element 11 to the microfluidic channel 113 of the microfluidic slide 11m through the third pump P3 to clean the residual sludge sample Lm in the microfluidic channel 113 (at this time, the sample preparation unit Tm stops the transport of sludge sample Lm to the microfluidic channel 113 of the microfluidic slide 11m), which is beneficial to the next stage of detection operation.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 1. After the above-mentioned detection and cleaning operations are completed, the sludge detection system 100 transports the waste liquid sample Lw generated after detection to the sample recovery unit Tw (waste liquid recovery tank) through a fourth pipeline (not labeled in the figure), and can, for example, return the waste liquid sample Lw through a fourth pump P4.

[0059] In summary, the sludge detection system and microchannel element provided by the present invention can achieve automated sampling and detection of activated sludge through the above-mentioned technical solutions, thereby improving operational efficiency.

[0060] It is worth mentioning that the embodiments in Figures 3 and 4 above are illustrated using the example of one feed endpoint 111a and one discharge endpoint 111b, with corresponding sample inlet 111 and sample outlet 112, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 5, the microfluidic channel 113' of the microfluidic slide 11m' has one feed endpoint 111a' in the feed area and multiple (three) discharge endpoints 111b' and 111b' in the discharge area. The design of multiple discharge endpoints can effectively reduce the pressure when the sludge sample Lm is discharged, thereby effectively avoiding the problem of sample blockage. More specifically, the multiple discharge endpoints 111b' and 111b' can be distinguished as one first discharge endpoint 111b' and two second discharge endpoints 111b' and 111b''. The discharge endpoint 111b” is symmetrically positioned at both ends of the microfluidic channel 113’ along its long axis. The two second discharge endpoints 111b” are located adjacent to the two sides of the first discharge endpoint 111b’ (i.e., on both sides of the virtual line connecting the inlet endpoint 111a’ and the first discharge endpoint 111b’) and are located in the two protruding extensions of the microfluidic channel 113’ in the discharge area, thereby effectively dispersing the liquid and reducing the pressure during discharge.

[0061] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made based on the description and drawings of the present invention are included within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0062] 100: Sludge Detection System 1: Sludge Detection Module 11: Microchannel components 11m, 11m': Microchannel glass slides 11a: First microchannel fixture 11b: Second microchannel fixture 111: Sample Import 112: Sample Export 113, 113': Microfluidic channels 114: Detection Window 111a, 111a': Feed endpoint 111b, 111b', 111b”: Discharge endpoint 111b': First discharge end point 111b”: Second discharge end point SP: Mounting Groove R1: Feeding area R2: Detection area R3: Discharge area W1: First width W2: Second width W3: Third width 12: Image Capture Unit 13: Image Recognition Unit T1: Sludge Supply Unit T2: Liquid supply unit Tm: Sample configuration unit TMF: Sample Filtering Element Tw: Sample Recovery Unit L1: Activated sludge L1r: Return sludge L2: Liquid Lm: sludge sample Lw: Waste liquid sample P1: First Pump P2: Second Pump P3: Third Pump P4: Fourth Pump D: Conveying direction

Claims

1. A sludge testing system, comprising: a sludge supply unit for automatically sampling and providing activated sludge; a liquid supply unit for automatically providing a liquid, wherein the liquid is a liquid for dilution and washing; a sample preparation unit for automatically receiving the activated sludge in a testing operation and selectively diluting it with the liquid to form a sludge sample; and a sludge testing module comprising: a microfluidic element configured to automatically receive the sludge sample in the testing operation, wherein the microfluidic element comprises: a microfluidic slide, a first microfluidic clamp and a second microfluidic clamp that together mount and hold the microfluidic slide; wherein... The microfluidic element further includes a sample inlet and a sample outlet respectively disposed at both ends of the upper surface of the first microfluidic fixture along a conveying direction of the sludge sample, and protruding away from the second microfluidic fixture; wherein, the microfluidic slide has a microfluidic channel, and at both ends of the microfluidic channel are a feed end and a discharge end corresponding to the sample inlet and the sample outlet respectively; wherein the microfluidic channel is used to receive and load the sludge sample through the feed end, and the sludge sample sequentially passes through the sample inlet and the feed end in the vertical direction of the microfluidic slide into the microfluidic channel, and is output through the discharge end and the sample outlet after the detection operation is completed; wherein the feed end and the discharge end are respectively spaced apart from the two edges of the microfluidic slide along the conveying direction by a distance; and an image capturing unit is disposed on one side of the microfluidic element and configured to perform a microscopic image capturing operation on the sludge sample remaining in the microfluidic element, and generate image data containing a record of the microbial state in the sludge sample.

2. The sludge detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The sludge detection module further includes: an image recognition unit, configured to perform image recognition analysis on the image data, thereby outputting an image recognition analysis result.

3. The sludge detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, After the detection operation, the sample preparation unit and the microfluidic element are washed with the liquid provided by the liquid supply unit during a washing operation.

4. The sludge detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, At least one of the first microchannel fixture and the second microchannel fixture has a mounting groove for mounting the microchannel glass slide.

5. The sludge detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The microfluidic glass slide is formed by stacking two pieces of glass, and the microfluidic channel is a groove channel embedded between the two pieces of glass. The feed end and the discharge end have openings that are respectively connected to the microfluidic channel and the sample inlet and the sample outlet.

6. The sludge detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The microfluidic glass slide is defined along the conveying direction with a feeding area, a detection area, and a discharge area. The feeding endpoint is located in the feeding area, and the discharge endpoint is located in the discharge area. A first width of the microfluidic channel in the feeding area increases from the feeding endpoint toward the detection area. A second width of the microfluidic channel in the discharge area increases from the discharge endpoint toward the detection area. A third width of the microfluidic channel in the detection area is greater than the first width and the second width.

7. The sludge detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, The microchannel element has a detection window formed on the first microchannel fixture or the second microchannel fixture, and the detection window is positioned to correspond to the microchannel of the microchannel slide, so as to enable the image capturing unit to perform the microscope image capturing operation on the sludge sample in the microchannel through the detection window.

8. The sludge detection system as described in claim 1, wherein, A sample outlet of the sample configuration unit is provided with a sample filter element, which is used to filter the sludge sample before it is input into the sludge detection module to remove large particulate impurities; wherein a stirring element is further provided in the tank of the sample configuration unit to stir the activated sludge; or the sample configuration unit is provided with a scraping element on the surface of the filter element to scrape off impurities attached to the surface.

9. A microchannel element comprising: a microchannel slide; a first microchannel fixture; and a second microchannel fixture, which, together with the first microchannel fixture, is used for mounting and holding the microchannel slide; wherein, At least one of the first microchannel fixture and the second microchannel fixture has a mounting groove for mounting the microchannel slide; wherein the microchannel element further has a sample inlet and a sample outlet, respectively disposed at both ends of the upper surface of the first microchannel fixture along the conveying direction, and protruding away from the second microchannel fixture; wherein the microchannel slide has a microchannel, and at both ends of the microchannel are a feed end and a discharge end corresponding to the sample inlet and the sample outlet, respectively; wherein the microchannel is used to receive and load a sludge sample through the feed end during the detection operation, and the sludge sample sequentially passes through the sample inlet and the feed end in the vertical direction of the microchannel slide into the microchannel, and is output through the discharge end and the sample outlet after the detection operation is completed; wherein in the microchannel slide, the feed end and the discharge end are respectively spaced a distance from the two edges of the microchannel slide along the conveying direction.

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