Micro Total Analysis System Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microfluidic chips are limited in their functionality, primarily designed for specific applications, and lack the integration and portability needed for comprehensive analytical laboratory operations, hindering their use in portable and home-based settings.
Innovation Solution
A micro-total analysis system comprising a microfluidic device, optical unit, and detection unit, where the microfluidic device is configured with electrodes and substrates to accommodate and manipulate liquids, and the optical unit uses a light source, grating, and light guide plate to irradiate and analyze the liquid, while the detection unit employs sensors to output detection signals, enabling integrated operation, detection, and analysis of liquids within a compact, portable format.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional microfluidic chips are designed for specific applications, then they achieve functional specialization, but they lack integration and portability for comprehensive analytical laboratory operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple analytical functions (liquid handling, separation, reaction, detection) into a single integrated microfluidic chip. The chip includes microchannels for fluid transport, separation zones for sample separation, reaction zones for chemical reactions, and detection zones with optical components, all merged into one device that replaces traditional separate laboratory equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The microfluidic chip is designed as a universal platform that can perform multiple analytical operations simultaneously or sequentially. Different functional zones on the chip can handle various types of analyses (electrophoresis, chromatography, PCR, spectroscopy) using the same basic device structure, making it adaptable to different application needs without requiring separate specialized equipment for each function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional microfluidic chips are designed for specific applications, then they achieve functional specialization, but they hinder use in portable and home-based settings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates light sources, optical detectors, fluidic channels, and control electronics into a single compact microfluidic chip. This merging of previously separate bulky components into a unified miniaturized system dramatically reduces the overall weight and size, making the device portable and suitable for home-based use while maintaining multiple analytical functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from three-dimensional macro-scale laboratory equipment to two-dimensional micro-scale chip architecture. By flattening and miniaturizing the system onto a planar chip substrate, the device achieves compact form factor that is both portable and functionally comprehensive, enabling multiple analytical operations in a thin, lightweight package.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional microfluidic chips lack integration, then they simplify manufacturing, but they increase experimental complexity and reduce reproducibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates all experimental operations (liquid loading, separation, reaction, detection) into a single chip with pre-defined microchannels and functional zones. This integration eliminates the need for complex external tubing connections and manual操作流程, reducing experimental complexity and improving reproducibility while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized chip fabrication processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves high integration and portability, allowing for flexible operations such as liquid movement, separation, reaction, and detection, enhancing reproducibility and reducing experimental complexity, suitable for various fields like biology, medicine, and chemistry, enabling parallel experiments and reducing the need for large experimental setups.
Implementation Method 1
the light guide plate is configured to transmit the second light
Implementation Method 2
the grating is configured to adjust the second light transmitted from the light guide plate to the first light
Implementation Method 3
the optical sensor is configured to detect a third light, and the third light is a light transmitted to the optical sensor after the first light passing through the liquid to be detected
Implementation Method 4
the third light is a fluorescence emitted by the liquid to be detected under the excitation of the first light
Implementation Method 5
the first electrode comprises a plurality of first sub-electrodes insulated from each other, each of the plurality of first sub-electrodes is connected with a first thin film transistor
Implementation Method 6
a space between the first base substrate and second base substrate is configured to accommodate the liquid to be detected
Data Source
AI summary
A micro-total analysis system and a method thereof are provided. The micro-total analysis system includes: a microfluidic device, configured to accommodate a liquid to be detected; an optical unit, configured to form a first light irradiated to the microfluidic device; and a detection unit, configured to detect the liquid to be detected and output a detection signal to obtain detection information.