Microchip Slider for Accurate Reagent Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microchip operating methods are prone to errors and inefficiencies due to manual reagent injection and sealing processes, especially in multi-channel PCR chips, which require skilled operation and can lead to reagent loss through evaporation.
Innovation Solution
A semiautomatic operating device for microchips featuring a base with slider guides and a slider unit that aligns with reagent inlets for injection and seals them using a pressurizing sealing element, allowing for simple and accurate operation of microchip units, enabling easy alignment of pipettes and sealing of reagent inlets and outlets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual injection using a pipette is used, then the operation is simple, but the accuracy and reliability deteriorate due to channel confusion and hand shaking
Solution Approach 1:
A slider component is introduced as an intermediary between the pipette and the microchip. The slider includes alignment marks that guide the pipette tip to the correct channel inlet, eliminating the need for manual positioning and preventing channel confusion while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The slider automatically performs the alignment function through its built-in alignment marks and physical structure. The design allows the system to self-correct positioning errors without requiring operator skill, making the process both simple and accurate
2Reliability
If manual sealing with tape is used, then the sealing function is achieved, but the device complexity and operation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged with the existing slider component. The same slider that facilitates injection also provides sealing through its bottom surface that covers the channel inlet, eliminating the need for separate sealing materials and procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The external sealing material (tape) is removed from the system entirely. The sealing function is extracted and integrated into the slider itself, which uses its own structure to provide both injection access and sealing capabilities
3Ease of operation
If the microchip remains open during reaction, then access is easy, but reagent loss occurs through evaporation
Solution Approach 1:
The slider is designed to be dynamically positionable between two states: open position for injection/access and closed position for sealing. This dynamic capability allows the system to switch between accessibility and evaporation prevention based on operational needs
Solution Approach 2:
The slider is positioned in the closed state by default before injection occurs. The system prepares for potential evaporation by having the sealing mechanism already in place, which can be quickly opened for injection and then closed to prevent loss
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an apparatus for performing a chemical reaction using a microchip having at least one micro-channel. The device, which is a semiautomatic operating device for a microchip on which at least one micro-channel with a reagent inlet is formed, includes: a base which accommodates the microchip; a slider with injection inlets corresponding to the reagent inlets that reciprocally move parallel to the base; and a slider moving unit which selectively moves the slider to a first location at which the microchip is opened, after the injection inlet of the slider and the reagent inlet are aligned, and to a second location where the microchip is sealed by a bottom surface of the slider covering the reagent inlet.