US-12625054-B2 - Chip fixing device and particle inspection device

US12625054B2US 12625054 B2US12625054 B2US 12625054B2US-12625054-B2

Abstract

A chip fixing device includes a mounting portion on which a channel chip is mounted and a fixing unit for fixing the channel chip mounted on the mounting portion. The channel chip includes a channel through which a liquid containing a particle flows and a pressure changing unit for introducing the particle of interest from the channel. The mounting portion includes a substrate on which the channel chip is set. The fixing unit includes a fixing member for pressing the channel chip against the substrate, a piezoelectric element for actuating the pressure changing unit, and a holding member configured to hold the piezoelectric element and movable in a direction in which the holding member approaches and separates from the pressure changing unit. The fixing member includes an elastically deformable portion for fixing the holding member to the fixing member by deforming elastically when pressing the channel chip against the substrate.

Inventors

Naohide MIYAMOTO

Assignees

Sony Group Corporation

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20201022
Priority Date: 20191101

Claims (11)

1 . A chip fixing device, comprising: a mounting portion; a channel chip on the mounting portion, wherein the channel chip includes: a channel through which a liquid, containing a particle of interest, flows, and a pressure changing unit configured to introduce the particle of interest from the channel; and a fixing unit configured to fix the channel chip to the mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion includes a substrate, the channel chip is on the substrate, the fixing unit includes: a fixing member configured to press the channel chip against the substrate, a piezoelectric element configured to actuate the pressure changing unit, and a holding member that includes a holding hole and a protrusion, the holding member is configured to hold the piezoelectric element, the holding member is movable in a specific direction, in the specific direction, the holding member approaches and separates from the pressure changing unit, the fixing member includes: a through hole, and an elastically deformable portion in a peripheral portion of the through hole, in a case where the channel chip is pressed against the substrate, the elastically deformable portion is configured to deform, and the elastically deformable portion is configured to fix the holding member to the fixing member by the deformation of the elastically deformable portion.
2 . The chip fixing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a driver configured to drive the fixing unit, wherein the fixing member further includes a pressured portion, the driver is further configured to move along the pressured portion, and the pressured portion is adjacent to the elastically deformable portion.
3 . The chip fixing device according to claim 2 , wherein the elastically deformable portion includes: a controlling portion configured to control a position of the holding member, and a pair of thin portions on both sides of the controlling portion, and the controlling portion is further configured to press the holding member against the fixing member along with elastic deformation of the pair of thin portions.
4 . The chip fixing device according to claim 3 , wherein the fixing member includes a cutout, and the cutout stretches from the pair of thin portions to an outer peripheral surface of the fixing member.
5 . The chip fixing device according to claim 3 , wherein the controlling portion is closer to the substrate than the pair of thin portions.
6 . The chip fixing device according to claim 3 , wherein the fixing member further includes a guide unit configured to guide movement of the holding member that approaches and separates from the pressure changing unit, and the guide unit is on an opposite side of the controlling portion across the holding member on a plane perpendicular to the specific direction.
7 . The chip fixing device according to claim 3 , wherein the driver includes a roller configured to move the fixing member toward the substrate, the pressured portion of the fixing member includes a slope, the roller moves along the slope, the fixing member is further configured to move toward the substrate in a case where the roller moves along the slope from a first end of the slope to a second end of the slope, and the elastically deformable portion is adjacent to the second end of the slope.
8 . The chip fixing device according to claim 7 , wherein the slope includes an intermediate portion between the first end and the second end, and the second end of the slope has an angle of inclination smaller than an angle of inclination of the intermediate portion.
9 . The chip fixing device according to claim 7 , wherein in a case where the fixing member presses the channel chip against the substrate, a plane, perpendicular to the specific direction, has a line that includes: a center of the controlling portion, a center of the piezoelectric element, and a center line of rotation of the roller stopped at the second end of the slope.
10 . A particle inspection device, comprising: a chip fixing device that includes: a mounting portion; a channel chip on the mounting portion, wherein the channel chip includes: a channel through which a liquid, containing a particle of interest flows, and a pressure changing unit configured to introduce the particle of interest from the channel; and a fixing unit configured to fix the channel chip to the mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion includes a substrate, the channel chip is on the substrate, the fixing unit includes: a fixing member configured to press the channel chip against the substrate, a piezoelectric element configured to actuate the pressure changing unit, and a holding member that includes a holding hole and a protrusion, the holding member is configured to hold the piezoelectric element, the holding member is movable in a specific direction, in the specific direction, the holding member approaches and separates from the pressure changing unit, the fixing member includes: a through hole, and an elastically deformable portion in a peripheral portion of the through hole, in a case when the channel chip is pressed against the substrate, the elastically deformable portion is configured to deform, and the elastically deformable portion is configured to fix the holding member to the fixing member by the deformation of the elastically deformable portion; and an inspection unit configured to inspect the particle of interest that flows through the channel chip, wherein the channel chip is fixed to the mounting portion by the chip fixing device.
11 . A chip fixing device, comprising: a mounting portion; a channel chip on the mounting portion, wherein the channel chip includes: a channel through which a liquid, containing a particle of interest, flows, and a pressure changing unit configured to introduce the particle of interest from the channel; a fixing unit configured to fix the channel chip to the mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion includes a substrate, the channel chip is on the substrate, the fixing unit includes: a fixing member configured to press the channel chip against the substrate, a piezoelectric element configured to actuate the pressure changing unit, and a holding member that includes a holding hole and a protrusion, the holding member is configured to hold the piezoelectric element, the holding member is movable in a specific direction, in the specific direction, the holding member approaches and separates from the pressure changing unit, the fixing member includes: an elastically deformable portion that includes: a controlling portion configured to control a position of the holding member, and a pair of thin portions on both sides of the controlling portion, wherein the controlling portion is further configured to press the holding member against the fixing member along with elastic deformation of the pair of thin portions, a pressured portion adjacent to the elastically deformable portion, and a cutout that stretches from the pair of thin portions to an outer peripheral surface of the fixing member, in a case where the channel chip is pressed against the substrate, the elastically deformable portion is configured to deform, and the elastically deformable portion is configured to fix the holding member to the fixing member by the deformation of the elastically deformable portion; and a driver configured to: move along the pressured portion; and drive the fixing unit.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a U.S. National Phase of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2020/039783 filed on Oct. 22, 2020, which claims priority benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2019-199839 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Nov. 1, 2019. Each of the above-referenced applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD This disclosure relates to a chip fixing device and a particle inspection device. BACKGROUND In a known particle inspection device, a microchip through which a particle-containing sample liquid and a sheath liquid flow (hereinafter referred to as “channel chip”) is used for testing particles and sorting the sample liquid. This type of particle inspection device has a channel chip mounted on a mounting portion and causes a piezoelectric element to actuate a pressure changing unit included in the channel chip so as to introduce a sample liquid into the pressure changing unit, thereby sorting a desired particle. CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Literature 1: JP 2012-127922 A Patent Literature 2: JP 2013-32976 A SUMMARY Technical Problem In order to reduce manufacturing cost of a channel chip, a piezoelectric element is proposed to be disposed in a chip fixing device that fixes a channel chip to a mounting portion instead of providing a channel chip with a piezoelectric element that actuates a pressure changing unit of the channel chip. In this case, in order to actuate the pressure changing unit appropriately by the piezoelectric element disposed in the chip fixing device, the channel chip is fixed to the mounting portion and the piezoelectric element is fixed to the channel chip while touching the pressure changing unit. However, such a fixing structure complicates the structure of the fixing device. An object of this disclosure is to provide a chip fixing device and a particle inspection device that enable a simple structure for fixing a channel chip to a mounting portion and fixing a piezoelectric element to the channel chip. Solution to Problem According to the present disclosure, a chip fixing device is provided that includes: a mounting portion on which a channel chip is mounted, the channel chip including a channel through which a liquid containing a particle flows and a pressure changing unit configured to introduce the particle of interest from the channel; and a fixing unit configured to fix the channel chip mounted on the mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion includes a substrate on which the channel chip is set, and the fixing unit includes a fixing member configured to press the channel chip against the substrate, a piezoelectric element configured to actuate the pressure changing unit, and a holding member configured to hold the piezoelectric element and being movable in a direction in which the holding member approaches and separates from the pressure changing unit, the fixing member including an elastically deformable portion configured to fix the holding member to the fixing member by deforming elastically when pressing the channel chip against the substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a channel chip according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for describing a pressure changing unit of the channel chip according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fixing block of the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the fixing block of the chip fixing device according to the embodiment seen from the bottom face of the fixing block. FIG. 7 is a side view for describing how the channel chip is fixed to a mounting portion in the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a side view for describing how the channel chip is fixed to the mounting portion in the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an elastically deformable portion in the fixing block of the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic view for describing the elastically deformable portion in the fixing block of the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an element holder in the fixing block of the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the element holder in the fixing block of the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the element holder in the fixing block of the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional view for describing how a piezoelectric element is fixed to the channel chip in the chip fixing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view for describing how