CN113916963A - Capillary electrophoresis apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a capillary electrophoresis apparatus, which comprises a shell assembly, wherein an accommodating chamber is formed in the shell assembly, a partition assembly is arranged in the accommodating chamber and divides the accommodating chamber into a plurality of independent spaces, a capillary assembly and a glue injection assembly are arranged in a first space, an optical detection assembly is arranged in a second space, a sample loading assembly is arranged in a third space, the first space and the third space correspond to an instrument door on the shell assembly, the instrument door is opened, consumables on the capillary assembly and the glue injection assembly in the first space can be replaced, and a test sample is added on the sample loading assembly in the third space. The capillary electrophoresis system integrates the capillary assembly, the glue injection assembly, the sample loading assembly, the optical detection assembly and other components, has high automation degree, and can meet the requirements of increasingly miniaturized, integrated and convenient detection equipment.

Description

Capillary electrophoresis apparatus

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of biochemical detection, in particular to an integrated automatic capillary electrophoresis apparatus.

Background

Capillary electrophoresis uses a quartz capillary as a separation channel, uses a high-voltage direct-current electric field as a driving force, fills porous gel as a supporting medium, and when the size of a DNA molecule is equal to the pore diameter of the gel, the mobility of the DNA molecule is related to the size of the gel, short sections are less hindered, the DNA molecule surges from the capillary rapidly, long sections are more hindered, and the DNA molecule surges from the capillary slowly. Because DNA molecules are negatively charged, after direct-current high-voltage electricity is added at the two ends of the capillary, DNA marked with fluorescent groups enters the capillary from a cathode port of the capillary and surges towards an anode, the DNA molecules with different lengths can successively pass through the detection window, and when a certain DNA molecule passes through the optical detection window, the fluorescent groups on the DNA are excited by laser to generate fluorescence, so that the fluorescence is collected by a CCD camera. By analyzing the collected data, the base sequence or relative fragment length of the DNA molecule can be obtained.

With the rapid development of gene diagnosis, identity recognition, molecular breeding, transgenic detection and the like, the existing capillary electrophoresis apparatus can only meet basic detection requirements, and can not meet various specific requirements of the current biotechnology, especially the requirements of miniaturization, integration and convenience.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a capillary electrophoresis apparatus which is high in integration and automation degree and convenient to use.

In order to achieve the purpose, the capillary electrophoresis apparatus has the following specific technical scheme:

the utility model provides a capillary electrophoresis apparatus, wherein, including housing assembly, the inside holding chamber that forms of housing assembly, be provided with the baffle subassembly in the holding chamber, the baffle subassembly separates into a plurality of independent spaces with the holding chamber, capillary subassembly and injecting glue subassembly set up in first space, optical detection subassembly sets up in the second space, the subassembly of getting ready sets up in the third space, instrument door on first space and the third space and the housing assembly is corresponding, open the instrument door, can change the consumptive material on capillary subassembly and the injecting glue subassembly in the first space, and add the test sample on the subassembly of getting ready in the third space.

The capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the invention has the following advantages:

1) the assembled glue injection assembly simplifies the structure of a glue injection system, reduces the processing requirement and the production cost, and the glue injection system is stable and smooth in operation and high in working efficiency;

2) the capillary component has a balanced and stable heating function, can ensure the uniformity of the heating temperature of each area of the capillary in the electrophoresis process, has high heat transfer efficiency, has lower power and energy consumption during working, can improve the resolution of DNA fragments, enables experimental data to be more accurate, and has the advantages of energy conservation and environmental protection;

3) the electrical control board and the mechanical part of the sample loading assembly are assembled into a whole to form a mechanical-electrical integrated sample loading device, so that technicians can independently debug and test the sample loading assembly by means of a PC (personal computer) or a notebook computer and the like;

4) one end of the optical detection assembly is isolated from the outside through the detection window sealing door, the other end of the optical detection assembly is isolated from the outside through the partition plate assembly, and all components of the optical detection assembly are sealed with each other, so that the possibility that external pollutants enter the optical detection assembly is reduced.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a first view showing the open state of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a second drawing showing an open state of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a first internal structural view of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a second internal structural view of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a first perspective view of a separator plate assembly in a capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a second perspective view of a separator assembly in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows a first embodiment of a heating unit in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of a heating unit in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a capillary unit in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a first embodiment of a glue injection assembly in a capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a second embodiment of the glue injection assembly of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the internal structure of the second valve shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a first perspective view of a sample loading assembly in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a second perspective view of a sample loading assembly in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a first perspective view of the three-dimensional moving unit in the loading assembly;

FIG. 18 is a second perspective view of the three-dimensional moving unit in the loading assembly;

fig. 19 is a first perspective view of a first direction moving module in the three-dimensional moving unit;

fig. 20 is a second perspective view of the first direction moving module in the three-dimensional moving unit;

fig. 21 is a first perspective view of a second direction motion module in the three-dimensional mobile unit;

fig. 22 is a second perspective view of a second directional motion module in the three-dimensional mobile unit;

fig. 23 is a first perspective view of a third directional motion module in a three-dimensional mobile unit;

fig. 24 is a second perspective view of a third directional motion module in the three-dimensional mobile unit.

FIG. 25 is a first perspective view of an optical detection assembly in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a second perspective view of an optical detection assembly in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 27 is a first schematic view of the venting of a capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 28 is a second schematic view of the venting of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention.

Detailed Description

For better understanding of the objects, structure and function of the present invention, the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1 to 28, the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention comprises a housing assembly 100, wherein the housing assembly 100 is an external housing of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, and mainly plays a role of protection; an accommodating chamber is formed inside the shell assembly 100, and the accommodating chamber is an installation space of each assembly in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus; the accommodating chamber is provided with a partition plate assembly 200, the partition plate assembly 200 divides the accommodating chamber into a plurality of independent spaces, and is used for bearing various assemblies in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, such as a capillary assembly, a glue injection assembly, a sample loading assembly, an optical detection assembly and the like.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the partition assembly 200 divides the accommodating chamber into four independent spaces, namely, a first space 210, a second space 220, a third space 230 and a fourth space 240, wherein the capillary assembly 300 and the glue injection assembly 400 are disposed in the first space 210, the optical detection assembly 500 is disposed in the second space 220, the sample application assembly 600 is disposed in the third space 230, and the fourth space 240 is communicated with the external environment, so as to introduce external air into the interior of the housing assembly 100. It should be noted that, according to practical situations, the accommodating chamber may also be divided into other numbers of independent spaces by the partition plate assembly, which is not limited to the illustrated space, and the concepts of the independent spaces are not completely communicated with each other, but are relatively independent, so as to reduce the interference between the spaces as much as possible.

Further, the first space 210 is located at the front side of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, corresponding to the instrument door 110 of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, the capillary assembly 300 and the glue injection assembly 400 are disposed in the first space 210 and fixed on the partition assembly 200, and the glue injection assembly 400 is disposed corresponding to the anode end of the capillary assembly 300.

The capillary assembly 300 of the present invention includes a capillary box, which is composed of a box body and a box cover, wherein the box cover is fastened on the box body, and an accommodating chamber is formed between the box body and the box cover. The accommodating chamber is internally provided with a capillary unit and a heating unit, the capillary unit comprises one or more capillaries, and the heating unit stably heats the capillaries during capillary electrophoresis.

Specifically, the capillary box is the flat box body structure of rectangle, and vertical setting is in capillary electrophoresis apparatus, and the box body and the baffle subassembly 200 fixed connection of capillary box, one side of lid are connected through the pivot with the box body, can rotate for the box body to open or the chamber that holds in the closed capillary box. When the box cover is closed, a closed accommodating cavity can be formed in the capillary box, the accommodating cavity provides a closed heating space for the heating unit, the capillary is heated in the heating space, heat loss can be reduced, heating efficiency is improved, and energy loss is reduced.

Further, the capillary unit includes a mounting piece 312, and the mounting piece 312 has a rectangular sheet structure. The capillary fixing piece 313 is arranged on one side surface of the mounting piece 312, a small hole is formed in the capillary fixing piece 313, and the capillary 311 penetrates through the small hole to be fixedly connected with the capillary fixing piece 313 and the mounting piece 312. Wherein the capillary 311 is integrally produced with the capillary fixing piece 313.

Further, the heating unit includes a heating groove 321, and the heating groove 321 is opened on the cartridge body surface of the capillary cartridge. The heating groove 321 is provided therein with a heating module 322, and the heating module 322 can heat the capillary 311 in the heating groove 321. When the capillary unit is installed in the capillary box, the capillary 311 can be just embedded in the heating groove 321 to be disposed adjacent to the heat generating module 322 in the heating groove 321. Preferably, the shape of the heating groove 321 is matched with the curved direction of the capillary 311, and the arrangement mode of the heating groove 321 is favorable for concentrating heat to heat the capillary 311, so that the heating efficiency is improved; in addition, since the heating groove 321 is a relatively closed groove structure, a relatively closed heating space can be provided for the heat generating module 322, thereby further reducing heat dissipation and loss.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 9, in the first embodiment of the heating unit, the heating module 322 is a flexible heating film, the flexible heating film is attached to the bottom surface of the groove body of the heating groove 321, and the flexible heating film is in an elongated strip-shaped structure and is bent along the direction of the capillary 311 to precisely heat the capillary 311. Compared with the traditional methods such as hot air heating, the heating method is favorable for ensuring that each position of the capillary tube has uniform heating temperature, the heating temperature is easy to control and not easy to fluctuate, and the heating effect is stable, so that the method is favorable for reducing the error of experimental data and ensures that the experimental result is more accurate and reliable. Meanwhile, the heating mode has the advantages of small integral heating area, low required power and generated energy consumption, and more energy conservation and environmental protection.

In addition, as in the second embodiment of the heating unit shown in fig. 10, the flexible heating film may also be a sheet-like structure, and is laid on the bottom surface of the whole heating groove 321 to heat the capillary 311. The heating mode is also beneficial to ensuring that all positions of the capillary 311 have uniform heating temperature, easy control and stable heating effect, and the flexible heating film has high electric-heat conversion efficiency and large radiant heat ratio, so that the flexible heating film still has low energy consumption and is beneficial to energy conservation and environmental protection. In addition, the heating speed of the arrangement mode is higher, and the temperature in the whole heating tank body is easier to maintain a uniform and stable state.

Specifically, the flexible heating film in the above embodiments may be a polyimide heating film, a PET heating film, a silicone rubber heating film, a metal etching heating film, a graphene heating film, a carbon fiber heating film, or the like. In addition, besides the adoption of the flexible heating film, the heating module in the heating unit can also be made of a heating thin plate, a flexible heating wire and the like and is paved along the bending direction of the capillary tube or in the whole heating groove so as to carry out closed and targeted heating on the capillary tube.

Further, a heat conducting medium layer is arranged between the flexible heating film and the capillary tube, and the heat conducting medium layer is attached to the surface of the flexible heating film. On one hand, the heat conducting medium layer can enable the capillary tube and the flexible heating film to be closer to each other, and temperature transfer is facilitated; on the one hand, the heat conducting medium layer has good heat conducting performance, and can better transfer heat, so that the heat radiation is more uniform and stable. Preferably, the heat conducting medium layer may be a silica gel pad, a metal foil, or the like.

The process of replacing the capillary assembly 300 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings: when the capillary 311 needs to be replaced, the instrument door 110 of the capillary electrophoresis instrument is opened, so that the capillary assembly 300 can be exposed; then, the cap of the capillary cartridge is opened, and the attachment piece 312 is detached together with the capillary 311. When the capillary tube 311 is replaced, the used capillary tube 311 can be taken down from the mounting piece 312, a new capillary tube 311 is fixedly connected with the mounting piece 312, and then the mounting piece 312 and the capillary tube 311 are mounted on the box body of the capillary box; the mounting piece 312 and the capillary 311 may be integrally designed as a consumable, and the replacement of the capillary 311 may be realized by directly detaching and replacing the mounting piece 312.

Further, the glue injection assembly 400 of the present invention includes a separation medium unit 410, an anode unit 420, a propulsion unit 430, and a piping unit, wherein the separation medium unit 410 is used to store and supply a separation medium, such as gel; the anode unit 420 is used for storing an anode buffer solution and connecting the anode end of the capillary with the anode of the high-voltage power supply; the pushing unit 430 can provide a pushing force for the whole glue injection assembly 400, push the separation medium in the separation medium unit 410 to flow in the pipeline system, and also provide a pushing force for the separation medium to be injected into the capillary; the piping unit is used to connect the separation medium unit 410, the anode unit 420, and the propulsion unit 430, and to control communication or blocking between the units.

In addition, the pipeline unit is communicated with the anode end of the capillary tube in the capillary tube assembly. The pipeline unit is provided with a valve assembly, and the connection or disconnection of the connecting pipelines among the separation medium unit 410, the anode unit 420, the propulsion unit 430 and the capillary tube can be controlled by opening and closing each valve in the valve assembly, so that the experimental operations of injecting glue, exhausting bubbles and the like are realized.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 12, in the first embodiment of the glue injection assembly 400 of the present invention, the glue injection assembly 400 includes a separation medium unit 410, an anode unit 420 and a pushing unit 430, and the separation medium unit 410, the anode unit 420 and the pushing unit 430 are all fixedly disposed on the partition plate assembly 200 of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus and connected together through a pipeline unit.

Further, a valve assembly is arranged in the pipeline unit, the valve assembly comprises a cross 441, the cross 441 is arranged among the separation medium unit 410, the anode unit 420 and the propulsion unit 430, and a first port of the cross 441 is communicated with the separation medium unit 410 through a first pipeline; the second port of the cross joint 441 is communicated with the anode unit 420 through a second pipeline; the third port of the cross 441 is communicated with the propulsion unit 430 through a third pipeline; the fourth port of the cross 441 is in communication with the anode end of the capillary 311.

Specifically, the separation medium unit 410 includes a medium bag, the separation medium is contained in the medium bag, and the medium bag is connected to the first port of the cross 441 through a pipeline, so as to provide the separation medium for the whole glue injection system; the separation medium unit 410 further includes a refrigeration module disposed against the medium bag for refrigerating and cooling the separation medium in the medium bag. The anode unit 420 comprises a buffer solution box, wherein an anode buffer solution is stored in the buffer solution box, and the anode buffer solution is connected with the second port of the cross 441 through a pipeline; an anode electrode is also arranged in the buffer solution box, one end of the anode electrode extends out of the buffer solution box, and the other end of the anode electrode is immersed in the anode buffer solution; the buffer solution box is also provided with an exhaust valve, and the closed state in the buffer solution box can be released by opening the exhaust valve, so that the environment in the buffer solution box is communicated with the atmosphere. The propulsion unit 430 comprises an injector and a propulsion rod, the port of the injector is connected with the third port of the cross 441 through a pipeline, and the propulsion rod is pushed and pulled to control the injector to perform suction movement so as to provide power for the whole glue injection system.

Further, the valve assembly also includes a one-way valve 442 and a first valve 443. The check valve 442 is disposed on the first pipe, and when the separation medium in the medium bag flows into the four-way valve 441 through the first pipe, the check valve 442 can block the separation medium flowing into the four-way valve 441 from flowing back into the medium bag, thereby preventing the separation medium in the medium bag from being contaminated. The first valve 443 is disposed on the second pipeline, and the first valve 443 can control the connection or disconnection between the buffer cartridge and the four-way valve 441, and thus the connection or disconnection between the anode buffer and the syringe or capillary 311. Preferably, the first pipeline, the second pipeline and the third pipeline are communicating pipes made of insulating materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene, silica gel and plastics.

The operation of the glue injection assembly 400 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A first working process: before performing a capillary electrophoresis experiment, a separation medium needs to be injected into the capillary 311, and the anode end of the capillary 311 is ensured to be communicated with an anode buffer solution, so as to form a conductive loop.

1) Closing the first valve 443 to block the anode unit 420 from the cross joint 441; 2) lifting the pushing rod of the pushing unit 430 upwards, generating a larger suction force in the injector at the moment, sucking the separation medium in the medium bag into the cylinder of the injector, and completing the glue sucking step; although the pushing unit 430 is simultaneously communicated with the medium bag and the capillary 311 through the cross joint 441, because the inner diameter of the capillary 311 is very small, and the inner diameter of the first pipeline for communicating the medium bag and the pushing unit 430 is large, when suction force is generated in the syringe, the resistance of one end of the cross joint 441 connected with the capillary 311 against the suction force is very large, and the cross joint is almost in a closed state, so that no gas or substance is sucked into the syringe through the capillary 311; 3) the push rod is pressed downwards, so that the push rod extrudes the separation medium stored in the injector, and the separation medium cannot flow back to the medium bag along the first pipeline and can only be injected into the capillary 311 through the four-way valve 441 because the first pipeline is provided with the one-way valve 442, so that the glue injection step is completed; 4) after the glue injection step is completed, part of separation medium still remains in the injector, and at the moment, the first valve 443 is controlled to be opened, so that the buffer liquid box is communicated with the four-way valve 441; 5) opening an exhaust valve on the buffer liquid box to enable the buffer liquid box to be communicated with the atmosphere; 6) the push rod is pressed down to extrude the separation medium in the injector, and at the moment, the separation medium flows into the anode buffer solution in the buffer solution box through the cross joint 441 and the second pipeline, so that the capillary 311 is communicated with the anode buffer solution to form a conductive loop; because the capillary 311 has a very small inner diameter, a large resistance is generated at the communication part of the cross-joint 441 and the capillary 311, and when the second pipeline is in an open state, almost no separation medium is injected into the capillary 311; 7) the capillary electrophoresis experiment can be performed by completing the operation steps such as sample loading at the cathode end of the capillary 311.

And a second working process: during the experiment, if there is the bubble in the second pipeline that communicates anode buffer and capillary 311, can influence the electrically conductive effect of circuit, lead to experimental data inaccuracy or experiment failure, consequently often will carry out the step of row bubble to injecting glue subassembly 400.

1) Closing the first valve 443 to block the anode unit 420 from the cross joint 441; 2) lifting the push rod of the push unit 430 to suck the separation medium in the medium bag into the cylinder of the syringe; 3) the first valve 443 is controlled to be opened, so that the buffer liquid box is communicated with the four-way valve 441; 4) opening an exhaust valve on the buffer liquid box to enable the buffer liquid box to be communicated with the atmosphere; 5) the push rod is pushed down to make the separation medium flow into the anode buffer solution in the buffer solution box through the cross joint 441 and the second pipeline, and then the air bubbles in the second pipeline are discharged.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the first valve 443 needs to be made of an insulating and corrosion-resistant material and can withstand a working pressure greater than 6 MPa. The separation medium unit 410, the anode unit 420, the propulsion unit 430 and the capillary 311 which are communicated with the cross joint 441 can adjust the connection mode according to the requirement of equipment assembly or design, and the sequence and the position are not specially limited. The pushing rod of the pushing unit 430 is preferably motor-driven, and the motor assembly is disposed on the partition plate assembly 200 of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 13 and 14, in the second embodiment of the glue injection assembly 400 of the present invention, the glue injection assembly 400 includes a separation medium unit 410, an anode unit 420, and a pushing unit 430, and the separation medium unit 410, the anode unit 420, and the pushing unit 430 are all fixedly disposed on the partition assembly 200 of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus and connected together through a pipeline unit.

Further, a valve assembly is arranged in the pipeline unit, the valve assembly comprises a tee 444, and a first port of the tee 444 is communicated with the separation medium unit 410 and the propulsion unit 430 through a first pipeline; a second port of the tee 444 is communicated with the anode unit 420 through a second pipeline; the third port of the tee 444 is in communication with the anode end of the capillary 311.

Further, the valve assembly also includes a first valve 443 and a second valve 445. A first valve 443 is disposed on the second pipe, and the first valve 443 can control communication or blocking between the anode unit 420 and the tee 444. The second valve 445 is disposed on the first pipe, and at the same time, the propulsion unit 430 and the second valve 445 are connected by a third pipe, that is, the second valve 445 is disposed in communication with the separation medium unit 410, the propulsion unit 430 and the capillary 311 at the same time. Second valve 445 may control the communication or blockage between separation media unit 410 and capillary tube 311 and propulsion unit 430. Preferably, the first pipeline, the second pipeline and the third pipeline are communicating pipes made of insulating materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene, silica gel and plastics.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 14, a first passage, a second passage and a third passage are provided in the second valve 445, a movable passage structure is provided between the three passages, and communication or blocking between the three ports can be controlled by moving the position of the passage structure. When the channel structure is located at the position a, the second valve 445 is in a closed state, and the propulsion unit 430, the separation medium unit 410 and the tee 444 are not communicated with each other; when the passage structure is located at the b position, the separation medium unit 410 communicates with the advancing unit 430; when the channel structure is in position c, propulsion unit 430 is in communication with tee 444.

The operation of the glue injection assembly 400 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A first working process: before performing a capillary electrophoresis experiment, a separation medium needs to be injected into the capillary 311, and the anode end of the capillary 311 is ensured to be communicated with an anode buffer solution, so as to form a conductive loop.

1) Closing the first valve 443 to make the anode unit 420 and the tee 444 in a blocking state; 2) adjusting second valve 445 to position b in fig. 14 places separation medium unit 410 in communication with propulsion unit 430; 3) lifting the pushing rod of the pushing unit 430 upwards, generating a larger suction force in the injector at the moment, sucking the separation medium in the medium bag into the cylinder of the injector, and completing the glue sucking step; 4) adjusting the second valve 445 to position c in fig. 14, placing the propulsion unit 430 in communication with the tee 444; 5) pressing the push rod down to enable the push rod to extrude the separation medium stored in the injector, and injecting the separation medium into the capillary 311 to finish the step of injecting glue; 6) after the glue injection step is completed, part of separation medium still remains in the injector, and at the moment, the first valve 443 is controlled to be opened, so that the buffer liquid box is communicated with the tee 444; 7) opening an exhaust valve on the buffer liquid box to enable the buffer liquid box to be communicated with the atmosphere; 8) the push rod is pressed down to extrude the separation medium in the injector, and at the moment, the separation medium flows into the anode buffer solution in the buffer solution box, so that the capillary 311 is communicated with the anode buffer solution to form a conductive loop; 9) the capillary electrophoresis experiment can be performed by completing the operation steps such as sample loading at the cathode end of the capillary 311.

And a second working process: during the experiment, if there is the bubble in the pipeline between the connected anode buffer solution and the capillary 311, the conductive effect of the circuit will be affected, resulting in inaccurate experimental data or failure of the experiment, and therefore the step of discharging the bubble is often performed on the glue injection assembly 400.

1) Closing the first valve 443 to block the anode unit 420 from the cross joint 441; 2) adjusting second valve 445 to position b in fig. 14 places separation medium unit 410 in communication with propulsion unit 430; 3) lifting the push rod of the push unit 430 upwards to suck the separation medium in the medium bag into the cylinder of the syringe; 4) adjusting the second valve 445 to position c in fig. 14, placing the propulsion unit 430 in communication with the tee 444; 5) controlling the first valve 443 to open to enable the anode buffer solution in the buffer solution box to be communicated with the tee joint 444; 6) opening an exhaust valve on the buffer liquid box to enable the buffer liquid box to be communicated with the atmosphere; 7) and pressing the push rod to make the separation medium flow into the anode buffer solution in the buffer solution box from the injector, and further discharging the air bubbles in the pipeline.

Further, a second space 220 is provided at the upper rear side of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, and an optical detection unit 500 is disposed in the second space 220 and fixed to the barrier assembly 200. The optical detection assembly 500 includes a laser, a focusing lens, a reflector, a detection objective lens and a spectrometer, wherein the laser is used for emitting an excitation beam; the focusing lens is arranged on the transmission path of the excitation light beam and is used for converting the excitation light beam into a focusing light beam; the reflecting mirror is arranged on the transmission path of the focusing light beam and is used for reflecting the focusing light beam to the capillary tube so as to generate fluorescence; the detection objective lens is arranged opposite to the capillary tube and is used for receiving the fluorescent light beam generated in the capillary tube; the spectrometer is connected with the detection objective lens and used for receiving the detection light beam transmitted by the detection objective lens so as to carry out detection analysis.

In addition, the end of the optical detection assembly 500 connected to the capillary assembly 300 is located in the first space 210, and preferably, a detection window sealing door 211 is disposed in the first space 210, and the detection window sealing door 211 can cover the end of the optical detection assembly 500 connected to the capillary assembly 300. Except for replacing the capillary tube unit, the detection window sealing door 211 needs to be opened to connect the window assembly on the capillary tube 311 with the optical detection assembly 500, and the detection window sealing door 211 is closed at other times, so that the detection window and the adjacent focusing lens, detection objective lens, reflector and the like can be effectively prevented from being polluted by external pollutants.

Further, a third space 230 is located at the lower rear side of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, a sample loading module 600 is disposed in the third space 230 and fixed on the separator module 200, and the sample loading module 600 is disposed corresponding to the cathode end of the capillary module 300.

The sample loading assembly 600 of the present invention includes a sample stage 610, a three-dimensional moving unit 620, an electrical control board 660, and a mounting base plate 640, wherein the electrical control board 660, the sample stage 610, and the three-dimensional moving unit 620 are disposed on the mounting base plate 640. Wherein the sample stage 610 is disposed on the three-dimensional moving unit 620, the three-dimensional moving unit 620 can realize the movement of the sample stage 610 in the three-dimensional direction, the electrical control board 660 is electrically connected to the three-dimensional moving unit 620, and specifically, the electrical control board 660 is electrically connected to the driving part of the three-dimensional moving unit 620 to control the movement of the three-dimensional moving unit 620.

Specifically, the sample stage 610 is provided with a first receiving groove 611 and a second receiving groove 612, wherein the sample plate can be placed in the first receiving groove 611, and the sample plate can be a 96-well plate, an eight-row tube or a centrifuge tube, and is used for containing a sample to be detected; the reaction liquid tank can be placed in the second receiving tank 612, and the reaction liquid tank includes two chambers, the first chamber is used for containing cathode buffer, the second chamber is used for containing pure water, the cathode buffer can provide a buffer system and a conductive medium for the electrophoresis process, and the pure water can be used for discharging waste glue and cleaning capillaries.

Further, the three-dimensional moving unit 620 includes a first direction moving module, a second direction moving module, and a third direction moving module, wherein the sample stage 610 is disposed on the third direction moving module, the third direction moving module is disposed on the second direction moving module, the second direction moving module is disposed on the first direction moving module, and the first direction moving module is disposed on the installation base plate 640.

Preferably, the first direction movement module in this embodiment may realize the movement of the sample stage 610 in the X-axis direction, the second direction movement module may realize the movement of the sample stage 610 in the Y-axis direction, and the third direction movement module may realize the movement of the sample stage 610 in the Z-axis direction. Thus, the movement of the sample stage 610 in the three-dimensional direction may be achieved by the first direction movement module, the second direction movement module, and the third direction movement module.

Further, the first direction movement module includes a first motor 621, a first belt 622 and a first slide rail 623, wherein the first slide rail 623 is fixedly disposed on the mounting base plate 640, the first motor 621 is connected to the first belt 622, the first belt 622 is fixedly disposed with a first loading platform 624, the first loading platform 624 is fixedly disposed with a first slide block 625, and the first slide block 625 is slidably disposed on the first slide rail 623. Therefore, the first motor 621 can drive the first belt 622 to rotate, and the first belt 622 can synchronously drive the first loading platform 624 to move when rotating, so as to drive the first slider 625 to move along the first slide rail 623, thereby realizing the movement of the sample platform 610 in the X-axis direction.

Further, the second direction movement module includes a second motor 631, a second belt 632 and a second slide rail 633, wherein the second slide rail 633 is fixedly disposed on the first bearing platform 624, the second motor 631 is connected to the second belt 632, the second belt 632 is fixedly disposed with a second bearing platform 634, the second bearing platform 634 is fixedly disposed with a second slider 635, and the second slider 635 is slidably disposed on the second slide rail 633. From this, the second motor 631 can drive the second belt 632 to rotate, and when the second belt 632 rotates, the second bearing table 634 can be synchronously driven to move, and then the second slider 635 is driven to move along the second slide rail 633, so as to realize the movement of the sample table 610 in the Y-axis direction.

Further, the third direction moving module includes a third motor 641, wherein the third motor 641 is fixedly disposed on the sample stage 610, a motor shaft of the third motor 641 is connected to a connecting bracket 642, the connecting bracket 642 is fixedly disposed on the second carrying stage 634, a third sliding rail 643 is disposed on the second carrying stage 634, a third sliding block 644 is fixedly disposed on the sample stage 610, and the third sliding block 644 is slidably disposed on the third sliding rail 643. Thus, the extension of the motor shaft of the third motor 641 can move the sample stage 610 away from the connecting bracket 642, so as to move the third slide 644 on the sample stage 610 along the third slide track 643 on the second carriage 634, thereby achieving the movement of the sample stage 610 in the Z-axis direction.

In general, the sample stage 610 is fixedly connected to the third slide block 644, the third slide block 644 is slidably connected to the third slide rail 643, and the third slide rail 643 is fixedly connected to the second carrier stage 634; the second bearing table 634 is fixedly connected with the second slide block 635, the second slide block 635 is slidably connected with the second slide rail 633, and the second slide rail 633 is fixedly connected with the first bearing table 624; the first bearing platform 624 is fixedly connected with the first sliding block 625, the first sliding block 625 is slidably connected with the first sliding rail 623, and the first sliding rail 623 is fixedly arranged on the mounting base plate 640.

Further, the extending directions of the first slide rail 623, the second slide rail 633 and the third slide rail 643 are perpendicular to each other. Accordingly, the motor shaft of the third motor 641 extends or retracts to drive the sample stage 610 to reciprocate in the extending direction of the third sliding rail 643; the second motor 631 drives the second belt 632 to rotate, so as to drive the sample stage 610 to reciprocate in the extending direction of the second slide rail 633; the first motor 621 drives the first belt 622 to rotate, so as to drive the sample stage 610 to reciprocate along the extending direction of the first slide rail 623.

The first motor 621, the second motor 631, and the third motor 641 may be implemented by a stepping motor, a dc motor, or a servo motor. Specifically, the first motor 621, the second motor 631, and the third motor 641 of the three-dimensional moving unit 620 are connected to the control ports of the electrical control board 660 through electrical connection lines. Preferably, the installation bottom plate 640 is provided with a wiring groove 650, and the electrical connection lines are placed in the wiring groove 650, so that the electrical connection lines are prevented from being placed in a mess, the installation space is saved, and the integration of the device is improved.

Further, the electric control board 660 comprises a single chip microcomputer 661, and a power interface 662, a bus interface 663 and a control port 664 which are connected with the single chip microcomputer 661, wherein the power interface 662 is used for connecting a power supply, the bus interface 663 is used for being electrically connected with an external device, and the control port 664 is used for being electrically connected with the three-dimensional moving unit 620. In this embodiment, the electrical control part and the mechanical part are integrated, the electrical control board 660 and the capillary electrophoresis apparatus are connected by the bus only through the power interface 662 and the bus interface 663, and the sample loading assembly 600 enables a technician to independently debug and test the module through the bus interface 663 on the electrical control board 660 by means of a notebook computer or a PC.

The bus interface 663 may include at least one of a CAN bus interface, an RS232 bus interface, and an RS485 bus interface. The bus interface may include other bus interfaces, which are only preferred examples and are not limited in particular. In this embodiment, the number of bus interfaces provided on the electrical control board may be set according to needs, which is not specifically limited in the present invention. In one embodiment, 2 identical bus interfaces may be provided on the electrical control boards to facilitate the series connection of multiple electrical control boards.

Further, a fourth space 240 is located at a lower portion of a rear side of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, an air inlet 241 is disposed on a side wall of the fourth space 240, the air inlet 241 is communicated with an external environment, and external air may enter the fourth space 240 through the air inlet 241. In this embodiment, the air inlet 241 is disposed on the bottom wall of the fourth space 240, that is, the bottom wall of the housing assembly 100, wherein preferably, a filter screen is disposed at the air inlet 241 to filter the external air flowing into the fourth space 240. Of course, it is understood that the air inlet may be disposed on other side walls according to practical situations, and is not limited to the illustration, as long as the inflow of the outside air is facilitated.

Further, a first air duct 221 is disposed between the fourth space 240 and the second space 220, an air outlet 222 is disposed on a side wall of the second space 220, the air outlet 222 is communicated with the external environment, and a portion (such as a laser) of the optical detection assembly 500 that needs to dissipate heat is disposed near an outlet of the first air duct 221. Therefore, the external air can enter the fourth space 240 through the air inlet 241 on the bottom wall of the fourth space 240, and flow into the second space 220 through the first air duct 221 to dissipate heat of the optical detection assembly 500, and finally flow out through the air outlet 222 on the side wall of the second space 220.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the air outlet 222 is disposed on a rear sidewall of the second space 220, that is, a rear sidewall of the housing assembly 100, wherein preferably, a fan is disposed at the air outlet 222 to guide the flow of the air inside the accommodating chamber. Of course, it is understood that the air outlet may be disposed on other side walls according to practical situations, and is not limited to the illustration shown in the drawings as long as the air inside flows out conveniently.

Further, a second air duct 231 is disposed between the fourth space 240 and the third space 230, a third air duct 232 is disposed between the third space 230 and the second space 220, a portion (such as an electrical control unit) of the sample loading assembly 600 that needs heat dissipation is disposed near an outlet of the second air duct 231 and an inlet of the third air duct 232, and an inlet of the third air duct 232 and an outlet of the second air duct 231 are disposed on different sidewalls of the third space 230. Therefore, the air in the fourth space 240 can flow into the third space 230 through the second air duct 231 to dissipate heat of the loading assembly 600, then flow into the second space 220 through the third air duct 232, and finally flow out through the air outlet 222 on the sidewall of the second space 220.

Preferably, the outlet of the third air duct 232 is disposed far away from the optical detection assembly 500 in the second space 220, and the air outlet 222 on the sidewall of the second space 220 is also disposed far away from the optical detection assembly 500 in the second space 220, so as to avoid affecting the optical detection assembly 500. Of course, it can be understood that, according to the actual situation, the side wall of the third space may also be separately provided with an air outlet communicated with the external environment, that is, there is no need to provide a third air duct between the third space and the second space, and the air in the third space may directly flow out through the air outlet on the side wall of the third space.

Of course, it is understood that the air introduced from the fourth space into the second space and the third space in the present invention is not only used for heat dissipation of the optical detection assembly and the sample loading assembly, but also used for heat dissipation of other components in the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, such as a heating assembly, a high voltage power supply assembly, and the like.

The present invention has been further described with reference to specific embodiments, but it should be understood that the detailed description should not be construed as limiting the spirit and scope of the present invention, and various modifications made to the above-described embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art after reading this specification are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. The utility model provides a capillary electrophoresis apparatus, a serial communication port, including housing assembly, the inside holding chamber that forms of housing assembly, be provided with the baffle subassembly in the holding chamber, the baffle subassembly separates into a plurality of independent spaces with the holding chamber, capillary subassembly and injecting glue subassembly set up in first space, optical detection subassembly sets up in the second space, the subassembly of getting ready sets up in the third space, instrument door on first space and the third space and the housing assembly is corresponding, open the instrument door, can change the capillary subassembly in the first space and the consumptive material on the injecting glue subassembly, and add test sample on the subassembly of getting ready in the third space.

2. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capillary assembly comprises a capillary box having a capillary unit and a heating unit disposed therein, the heating unit being in the form of a ribbon disposed along the run of the capillary in the capillary unit to heat the capillary.

3. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the glue injection assembly comprises a separation medium unit, an anode unit, a propulsion unit and a pipeline unit, the pipeline unit comprises a first pipeline, a second pipeline and a third pipeline, the separation medium unit is communicated with the propulsion unit through the first pipeline, the anode unit is communicated with the propulsion unit through the second pipeline, the propulsion unit is communicated with the capillary through the third pipeline, and the pipeline unit is provided with a valve assembly which can control the communication or blocking of the first pipeline, the second pipeline and the third pipeline.

4. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first, second and third conduits are comprised of a plurality of communicating tubes, and the separation medium unit, the anode unit, the propulsion unit and the valve assembly are interconnected by the plurality of communicating tubes.

5. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus of claim 3 wherein the valve assembly comprises a first valve, a one-way valve, and a four-way junction, a first port of the four-way junction being in communication with the separation media unit, a second port of the four-way junction being in communication with the anode unit, a third port of the four-way junction being in communication with the propulsion unit, and a fourth port of the four-way junction being in communication with the capillary; the first valve is arranged between the second port of the four-way valve and the anode unit and can control the communication or the blocking between the anode unit and the separation medium unit, between the propulsion unit and the capillary; the one-way valve is arranged between the first port of the four-way valve and the separation medium unit, and the separation medium in the separation medium unit can flow out through the one-way valve.

6. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sample loading assembly comprises a mounting base plate, and an electric control board, a sample stage and a three-dimensional moving unit which are arranged on the mounting base plate, the sample stage is used for containing the sample and the reaction liquid, the sample stage is arranged on the three-dimensional moving unit, the three-dimensional moving unit can realize the movement of the sample stage in the three-dimensional direction, and the electric control board is electrically connected with the three-dimensional moving unit to control the movement of the three-dimensional moving unit.

7. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth space, wherein an air inlet is disposed on a side wall of the fourth space, the air inlet is communicated with the external environment, a first air duct is disposed between the fourth space and the second space, and the external air can enter the fourth space through the air inlet and flow into the second space through the first air duct to dissipate heat of the optical detection assembly.

8. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a second air duct is provided between the fourth space and the third space, and air in the fourth space can flow into the third space through the second air duct to dissipate heat of the sample loading assembly.

9. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the second space has an air outlet on a side wall thereof, the air outlet being in communication with the external environment, a third air duct being disposed between the second space and the third space, and air in the second space and the third space being able to be exhausted through the air outlet.

10. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus of claim 1 wherein the end of the optical detection assembly connected to the capillary assembly is located in the first space, and wherein a detection window seal door is disposed in the first space and covers the end of the optical detection assembly connected to the capillary assembly.

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