Microchip controlling system
11311880 · 2022-04-26
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
F16K99/0015
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B01L2300/027
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B81B3/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B01J19/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B01L3/502738
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F16K99/0059
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B01L2200/14
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
G01N35/08
PHYSICS
B01L2400/0487
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F16K2099/0084
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16K99/0042
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B01L7/525
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B01L3/502746
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
B01L3/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
G01N35/08
PHYSICS
Abstract
A microchip controlling system comprises a microchip which is configured by adhesion of an elastic sheet and a plate/sheet member, and on which a flow path is provided as an inadhesive section between the elastic sheet and the plate/sheet member; and a microchip controlling apparatus comprising a valve mechanism which is inflated or deflated so as to control the flow path to be opened or closed.
Claims
1. A microchip controlling system, comprising: a microchip configured by adhesion of an elastic sheet and a plate/sheet member, and on which a flow path is provided as an inadhesive section between the elastic sheet and the plate/sheet member; and a microchip controlling apparatus comprising a valve mechanism which is configured to be inflated or deflated so as to control the flow path to be opened or closed, wherein the valve mechanism is configured with at least two plates and an elastic sheet sandwiched by the plates, the at least two plates including a first plate and a second plate, the first plate has a cut out section at a position to be directed to the flow path, the second plate has a groove section at a position corresponding to the cut out section, the flow path is brought into an opened state when the elastic sheet of the microchip enters the cut out section, the flow path is configured to be brought into a closed state when the elastic sheet of the valve mechanism is shoved into the cut out section due to expansion of the groove section by injection of a pressurizing medium and is configured to push out the elastic sheet of the microchip from the cut out section.
2. A microchip controlling system, comprising: a microchip which is configured by adhesion of an elastic sheet and a plate/sheet member, and on which a flow path is provided as an inadhesive section between the elastic sheet and the plate/sheet member; and a microchip controlling apparatus comprising a valve mechanism which is configured to be inflated or deflated so as to control the flow path to be opened or closed, wherein the valve mechanism comprises two elastic sheets having an inadhesive section at a position to be directed to the flow path and a plate having a groove section provided to cover the inadhesive section, the flow path is configured to be brought into an opened state when an elastic sheet of the microchip squashes the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism in the groove section, and is configured to be brought into a closed state due to expansion of the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism due to injection of a pressurizing medium, the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism is communicated with a side path section for injection of the pressurizing medium, and a partial section of the side path section is formed due to injection of the pressurizing medium in a manner where an elastic sheet of the microchip is shoved into a groove section provided on the microchip.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
PREFERRED MODES
(12) A preferable exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to drawings. Herein, symbols in the following description are expediently attached to each element as an explanatory aid for understanding, but not for limitation of the present invention to an illustrated configuration. In addition, a connection line between blocks in each figure indicates both of bidirection and single direction. One way arrow schematically shows main signal (data) flow, but not excluding bidirection.
(13)
(14) Under a state illustrated in
(15) Under a state illustrated in
(16) In the microchip controlling system above, the disposable parts are only elastic sheets 101, 102. That is, the valve mechanism 20 may be reused, thus production cost of the microchip 100 itself is reduced.
(17) A preferable exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to drawings. Herein, symbols in the following description are expediently attached to each element as an explanatory aid for understanding, but not for limitation of the present invention to an illustrated configuration. In addition, the symbols may be attached or deleted appropriately for clarity purpose.
First Exemplary Embodiment
(18) A microchip 100 is configured by attachment of elastic sheets 101, 102 and a resin plate 103 one another. In one concrete example, the microchip 100 may be disassembled as illustrated in
(19) The valve mechanism 20 comprises at least two plates and one elastic sheet interposed between the plates. In one concrete example, the valve mechanism 20 may be disassambed as illustrated in
(20) A flow path control on the microchip 100 will be explained below.
(21)
(22) The explanation above would be described with another expression as follows. Under the state from
(23) As illustrated in
(24) Like as
(25) Herein, configurations of the microchip 100 and the microchip controlling apparatus 10 are similar to those disclosed in an international application publication WO2014/148265 (Patent Literature 1), except for the valve mechanism 20. Briefly, for example, the DNA extracting unit is an electromagnet etc. which holds magnetism beads enclosed in the microchip 100. The PCR unit comprises a temperature sensor, a heat conductor, a Peltier element (thermoelectric element), a heat releasing plate and the like and functions as a thermal cycler. The electrophoresis unit comprises an electrode, a laser, a camera and the like, and executes capillary electrophoresis. Herein, the electrophoresis mechanism, such as a capillary, is fitted on a notched part of the resin plate 103 shown in
(26) In the microchip controlling system stated above, the valve mechanism 20 is mounted on the microchip controlling apparatus 10 and used repeatedly. Therefore, production cost of the microchip 100 itself may be reduced.
Second Exemplary Embodiment
(27) The valve mechanism 20 may be configured with the resin plate 23 only. Concretely, as illustrated in
(28) As illustrated in
(29) The explanation for
Third Exemplary Embodiment
(30) A part to be inflated or deflated in the valve mechanism 20 may be configured as an inadhesive section between the elastic sheets similarly to the flow path 110 of the microchip 100. In such exemplary embodiment, the valve mechanism 20 is provided with a valve part 27 to be directed to the flow path 110 and a side path section 28 as an inadhesive section for injection of pressurizing medium into the valve part 27.
(31) In a perspective view of the microchip 100 while focusing on the configuration thereof, as illustrated in
(32) In a perspective view while focusing on the configuration of the valve mechanism 20, as shown in
(33)
(34) The explanation for
(35) Other modified modes will be explained below. The microchip 100 may be configured with the elastic sheet 101 and the resin plate 103. That is, the flow path 110 on the microchip 100 may be configured as an inadhesive section (channel) between the elastic sheet 101 and the resin plate 103. In such case, the elastic sheet 101 would contact to the resin plate 103 more easily, if the aspect ratio of the flow path (i.e. height/width) is reduced or the flow path is configured to have no corner (designed in a round shape). In such case, the resin plate 103 corresponds to a plate-shaped member.
(36) The pressurizing medium may be injected/released from a side of the lid 13. For example, in the first exemplary embodiment illustrated in
(37) A part or entire of the exemplary embodiments above may be described as follows, but no to be limited thereto.
(38) (Mode 1)
(39) A microchip controlling system comprising:
(40) a microchip which is configured by adhesion of an elastic sheet and a plate/sheet member, and on which a flow path is provided as an inadhesive section between the elastic sheet and the plate/sheet member; and
(41) a microchip controlling apparatus comprising a valve mechanism which is inflated or deflated so as to control the flow path to be opened or closed.
(42) (Mode 2)
(43) The microchip controlling system of Mode 1, wherein
(44) the valve mechanism is configured with at least two plates and an elastic sheet sandwiched by the plates,
(45) a first plate has a cut out section at a position to be directed to the flow path,
(46) a second plate has a groove section at a position corresponding to the cut out section,
(47) the flow path is brought into an opened state when the elastic sheet of the microchip enters the cut out section,
(48) the flow path is brought into a closed state when the elastic sheet of the valve mechanism is shoved into the cut out section due to expansion of the groove section by injection of pressurizing medium and pushes out the elastic sheet of the microchip from the cut out section.
(49) (Mode 3)
(50) The microchip controlling system of Mode 1, wherein
(51) the valve mechanism comprises a plate having a groove section at a position to be directed to the flow path,
(52) the flow path is brought into an opened state when the elastic sheet of the microchip enters the groove section, and brought into a closed state when the elastic sheet of the microchip is pushed out from the groove section due to injection of a pressurizing medium.
(53) (Mode 4)
(54) The microchip controlling system of Mode 1, wherein
(55) the valve mechanism comprises two elastic sheets having an inadhesive section at a position to be directed to the flow path and a plate having a groove section provided to cover the inadhesive section, and
(56) the flow path is brought into an opened state when an elastic sheet of the microchip squashes the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism in the groove section, and brought into a closed state due to expansion of the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism due to injection of a pressurizing medium.
(57) (Mode 5)
(58) The microchip controlling system of Mode 4. wherein
(59) the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism is communicated with a side path section for injection of the pressurizing medium.
(60) (Mode 6)
(61) The microchip controlling system of Mode 5, wherein
(62) a partial section of the side path section is formed due to injection of the pressurizing medium in a manner where an elastic sheet of the microchip is shoved into a groove section provided on the microchip.
(63) (Mode 7)
(64) A microchip controlling method for a microchip controlling system comprising a microchip and a microchip controlling apparatus, wherein
(65) a microchip which is configured by adhesion of an elastic sheet and a plate/sheet member, and on which a flow path is provided as an inadhesive section between the elastic sheet and the plate/sheet member; and
(66) the microchip controlling apparatus comprises a valve mechanism,
(67) the valve mechanism is inflated or deflated so as to control the flow path to be opened or closed.
(68) (Mode 8)
(69) The microchip controlling method of Mode 7, wherein
(70) the valve mechanism are configured with at least two plates and the elastic sheets sandwiched by the plates,
(71) a first plate has a cut out section at a position corresponding to the flow path,
(72) a second plate has a groove section at a position corresponding to the cut out section,
(73) the flow path is controlled to be an opened state in a manner where the elastic sheet of the microchip enters the cut out section, and
(74) the flow path is controlled to be a closed state in a manner where the elastic sheet is shoved into the cut out section due to expansion of the groove section by injection of a pressurizing medium and the elastic sheet of the microchip is pushed out from the cut out section.
(75) (Mode 9)
(76) The microchip controlling method of Mode 7, wherein
(77) the valve mechanism comprises a plate having a groove section at a position directed to the flow path,
(78) the flow path is controlled to be an opened state in a manner where an elastic sheet of the microchip enters the groove section, and the flow path is controlled to be a closed state in a manner where the elastic sheet of the microchip is pushed out from the groove section due to injection of a pressurizing medium.
(79) (Mode 10)
(80) The microchip controlling method of Mode 7, wherein
(81) the valve mechanism comprises two elastic sheets having an inadhesive section at a position directed to the flow path and a plate having a groove section provided to cover the inadhesive section, and
(82) the flow path is controlled to be an opened state in a manner where an elastic sheet of the microchip squashes the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism in the groove section, and the flow path is controlled to be a closed state in a manner where the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism is expanded by injection of a pressurizing medium.
(83) (Mode 11)
(84) The microchip controlling method of Mode 10, wherein
(85) the pressurizing medium is injected into the inadhesive section of the valve mechanism via a side path section.
(86) (Mode 12)
(87) The microchip controlling method of Mode 10, wherein
(88) the elastic sheet of the microchip is shoved into the groove section on the microchip by injection of the pressurizing medium so as to form a partial section of the side path section.
(89) (Mode 13)
(90) A microchip according to any one of Modes 1 to 6.
(91) (Mode 14)
(92) A microchip controlling apparatus according to any one of Modes 1 to 6.
(93) The disclosure of the Patent Literature above is incorporated in the present application by reference thereto. The exemplary embodiments or examples may be modified or adjusted within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention, inclusive of claims, based on the fundamental technical concept of the invention. In addition, a variety of combinations or selection of elements disclosed herein, inclusive each element in each claim, each element in each exemplary embodiment or example, each element in each drawing etc., may be made within the context of entire disclosure of the present inventions. That is, the present invention may cover a wide variety of modifications or corrections that may be made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the entire disclosure of the present invention, inclusive of claims, and the technical concept of the present invention.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
(94) 1 microchip controlling system 10 microchip controlling apparatus 11 base member 12 hinge 13 lid 14 pressurizing hole 20 valve mechanism 21, 23 resin plate of valve mechanism 22, 29 elastic sheet of valve mechanism 24 cut out section 25 groove section of valve mechanism 26 hole part 27 valve part 28 side path section 31 power supplying part 32 solenoid valve 33 pressure accumulator 34 controller 35 display part 100 microchip 101, 102 elastic sheet of microchip 103 resin plate of microchip 104 through hole 105 groove section of microchip 110 flow path 120 reaction chamber