Patent Application
20250180883
The present disclosure relates to the field of optical device technology, and in particular, to an optomechanical system and a sequencing system.
In gene sequencing devices in the prior art, area scan cameras are commonly used to acquire fluorescence signals generated by a biological sample and give an image output, and then biological information of the biological sample is acquired on the basis of the image. In the photographing process of the area scan camera, the movement of the biological sample and the exposure and imaging operations of the camera are conducted alternately, resulting in a time-consuming procedure. In sequencing devices using area scan exposure mode, the increase of sequencing throughput is generally achieved by improving the laser power. However, excessive power may easily lead to fluorescence quenching and thus failure of sequencing.
How to achieve high-speed, high-throughput sequencing is an important issue requiring urgent resolution in the art at present.
The present disclosure provides an optomechanical system and a sequencing system that can achieve high-speed, high-throughput sequencing functionality.
In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an optomechanical system, including: an illumination device, configured for emitting an excitation light to irradiate a sample of interest so as to excite the sample of interest to generate an emission light; an imaging device, configured for acquiring the emission light and forming an image; and a movable platform device, configured for driving the sample of interest to translate and/or rotate relative to the imaging device, so as to enable the imaging device to consecutively acquire the emission light.
According to the present disclosure, by arranging the movable platform device, the sample of interest can be driven to move and/or rotate relative to the imaging device during the sequencing process, such that the imaging device can consecutively acquire the emission light generated by the sample of interest. As such, the platform moving time in the sequencing photographing process and the image acquisition time of the imaging device are reduced, and a high-speed, high-throughput sequencing can thus be achieved.
In another aspect, the present disclosure further provides a sequencing system including the optomechanical system.
Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will in part be illustrated in the following description and become apparent from the following description, or may be learned by the implementation of the present disclosure.
To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the prior art, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below. It is obvious that the drawings in the description below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be derived from these drawings by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts.
Among the drawings:
To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the present disclosure are described below clearly and comprehensively in conjunction with the drawings in the present disclosure. It is apparent that the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the claimed scope of the present disclosure.
Referring to
As used herein, the “linear scanning” refers to a process where the movable platform device 100 drives the sample of interest 20 to move at a constant speed, and the imaging device 400 scans and images the sample of interest 20 using a time delay integration line scan camera (abbreviated as TDI camera). In the scanning process, the scanning speed of the imaging device 400 matches the moving speed of the movable platform device 100. The scanning speed of the imaging device 400 is dependent on the working horizontal scanning frequency of the TDI camera and the projection size of the pixels on the sample of interest 20 and is equal to the product of the two. The working horizontal scanning frequency of the TDI camera is the number of exposures of the light-sensing unit of the camera per second, and the projection size of the pixels of the TDI camera is dependent on the whole optical imaging system to meet the resolution and imaging requirement of the sample of interest 20.
The illumination device 300 is arranged on the mounting surface 112 and includes a light source configured for emitting an excitation light to irradiate the sample of interest 20 so as to excite the sample of interest 20 to generate an emission light. Specifically, for example, four bases A, T, C, and G bonded to the nucleic acid molecules of interest on the sample of interest 20 are labeled by different fluorophores. The light source is configured for emitting the excitation light with different wavelengths to irradiate the sample of interest 20, so as to excite the fluorophores to generate four different fluorescence signals.
The light source may be a multimode laser, and the excitation light emitted by the laser can form an illumination light with uniform intensity distribution after being homogenized by a multimode fiber, so as to avoid the influence on the sequencing results due to the brightness variation in the emission light signals after the excitation of the fluorophores and the amplification of the brightness variation after integral imaging.
In one embodiment, the output end face of the multimode fiber is rectangular, such that the spot of the excitation light output by the light source is rectangular.
In one embodiment, the illumination device 300 includes one or more light sources configured for emitting a plurality of excitation lights with different wavelengths to excite the sample of interest 20 to generate emission light signals with different wavelengths. In the scanning process of the TDI camera, the excitation light is generally provided with a high power to rapidly excite the sample of interest 20 to generate the emission light, so as to achieve fast scanning. If the plurality of excitation lights with different wavelengths simultaneously irradiate the same region of the sample of interest 20, the emission light signals generated by the sample of interest 20 may easily be quenched.
In order to avoid the quenching of the emission light signals generated by the sample of interest 20 due to the excessive power of the excitation lights when the plurality of excitation lights with different wavelengths simultaneously irradiate the same region of the sample of interest 20, it was found in studies that this disadvantageous influence can be eliminated by the excitation lights with different wavelengths emitted by the one or more light sources synchronously and respectively irradiating different regions of the sample of interest 20.
In one possible implementation, the plurality of excitation lights with different wavelengths respectively irradiate different regions of the sample of interest 20 along different illumination optical paths. Specifically, as shown in
In one embodiment, the illumination device 300 may also include only one light source, and the light source can emit two excitation lights with different wavelengths simultaneously to irradiate the first region and the second region of the sample of interest 20 along different illumination optical paths, respectively, so as to increase the excitation efficiency and further increase the sequencing speed.
In one embodiment, as shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
In the optomechanical system 10 of this embodiment, by setting the movable platform device 200 to cooperate with the sample of interest 20, the sample of interest 20 can be driven to move at a constant speed relative to the imaging device 400 during the sequencing process, such that the imaging device 400 can consecutively expose and scan different regions in the same line on the sample of interest 20 to acquire the emission light signals of the line; or the imaging device 400 transfers to the next line of the sample of interest 20 and consecutively exposes and scans different regions of the next line to acquire the emission light signals of that line. When the movable platform device 200 drives the sample of interest 20 to move at a constant speed, the scanning speed of the imaging device 400 matches the moving speed of the movable platform device 200, or otherwise, image information cannot be correctly formed.
Further, the movable platform device 200 can drive the sample of interest 20 to move at a constant speed, such that the imaging device 400 consecutively exposes and scans different regions of each line of the sample of interest 20 to acquire the emission light signals of the line, and the movable platform device 200 only accelerates or decelerates once when the imaging device 400 transfers to scan the next line of the sample of interest 20. Compared with the prior art where the movable platform device 200 accelerates and decelerates in every field of view in every line of the sample of interest 20 and the imaging device 400 exposes and acquires the emission light signals after the movable platform device 200 stops (that is, the movement and exposure/imaging of the sample of interest are conducted alternately), the movable platform device 200 in the optomechanical system 10 of the embodiment keeps linear movement at a high, constant speed, which greatly reduces the movement time of the movable platform device 200, allows consecutive exposure of the sample of interest 20 and high-bandwidth transmission of images during the movement, and requires no extra waiting time. As such, the time for photographing during the sequencing merely depends on the movement time of the movable platform device 200, thus greatly reducing the movement time of the movable platform device 200 and the image acquisition time of the imaging device 400 in the photographing process and improving the signal acquisition efficiency and the sequencing throughput. After the sequencing is completed, the sample of interest 20 is moved out by the movable platform device 200 to facilitate the removal and loading of the sample of interest 20, featuring convenience of use.
Meanwhile, the illumination device 300 emits two excitation lights with different wavelengths to the sample of interest 20 and synchronously irradiates different regions of the sample of interest 20 through a plurality of optical paths, thus avoiding the quenching of the emission light in the same region due to the excessive power of the excitation lights when the plurality of light sources irradiate the same region and improving the sequencing quality.
In the optomechanical system 10 of this embodiment, by arranging the movable platform device 200 and the illumination device 300 capable of emitting lights with two different wavelengths, the sample of interest 20 can be driven to move relative to the imaging device 400 during the sequencing process, so as to reduce the time for platform movement and image acquisition during the photographing process, thereby achieving a high-speed, high-throughput sequencing.
Specifically, referring to
The lens assembly 440 is configured for projecting the excitation light to the sample of interest 20 to excite the sample of interest 20 to generate the emission light, and receiving the emission light generated by the sample of interest 20. In this embodiment, the lens assembly 440 is configured for projecting the excitation lights with two wavelengths to the sample of interest 20 to excite four bases A, T, C, and G bonded to the nucleic acid molecules of interest on the sample of interest 20 to generate four different emission light signals.
The beamsplitter assembly 410 includes a first dichroic mirror 411, a second dichroic mirror 412, a third dichroic mirror 413, a fourth dichroic mirror 414, and a fifth dichroic mirror 415. The first dichroic mirror 411 and the second dichroic mirror 412 are arranged on the optical axis of the lens assembly 440. The first dichroic mirror 411 is configured for reflecting the excitation light to lens assembly 440 to project the excitation light to the sample of interest 20 through the lens assembly 440, and configured for transmitting the emission light acquired by lens assembly 440 to the second dichroic mirror 412. The second dichroic mirror 412 is configured for reflecting the emission light from the first dichroic mirror 411 to the third dichroic mirror 413. The third dichroic mirror 413 is arranged in the optical path of the emission light reflected by the second dichroic mirror 412, and configured for receiving the emission light reflected by the second dichroic mirror 412, splitting the emission light into a first light beam with mixed wavelengths and a second light beam with mixed wavelengths, reflecting the first light beam with mixed wavelengths to the fourth dichroic mirror 414, and transmitting the second light beam with mixed wavelengths to the fifth dichroic mirror 415. The first light beam with mixed wavelengths includes a light beam with a first wavelength and a light beam with a second wavelength, and the second light beam with mixed wavelengths includes a light beam with a third wavelength and a light beam with a fourth wavelength. The light beams with the first wavelength, the second wavelength, the third wavelength, and the fourth wavelength respectively correspond to the four emission light signals generated by four bases A, T, C, and G bonded to the nucleic acid molecules of interest on the sample of interest 20.
The plurality of camera assemblies 420 are a first camera assembly 420-1, a second camera assembly 420-2, a third camera assembly 420-3, and a fourth camera assembly 420-4, each configured for acquiring an emission light with a corresponding wavelength.
In one embodiment, the first camera assembly 420-1 and the second camera assembly 420-2 are configured for acquiring two different emission light signals generated by the first region of the sample of interest 20 and forming an image; the third camera assembly 420-3 and the fourth camera assembly 420-4 are configured for acquiring two different emission light signals generated by the second region of the sample of interest 20 and forming an image. Through synchronous acquisition in different regions, mutual interference of different signals is avoided, and the imaging quality is improved.
Specifically, each of the camera assemblies includes a tube lens 421, a filter 424, and a TDI camera 422. The filter 424 is configured for allowing an emission light of one wavelength to enter the corresponding TDI camera 422. The tube lens 421 is positioned between the filter 424 and the TDI camera 422, and configured for converging the emission light filtered through the filter 421 to the TDI camera 422. The light-sensing surface of the TDI camera is adapted to the elongated spot. In the sequencing process, when the sample of interest 20 is driven to move by the movable platform device 200, the TDI camera 422 consecutively exposes and scans different regions in each line of the sample of interest 20 to acquire the emission light signals of the line, thus improving the signal acquisition efficiency and the sequencing throughput.
Further, the fourth dichroic mirror 414 is arranged on the optical path of the first light beam with mixed wavelengths, and configured for receiving the first light beam with mixed wavelengths, transmitting the light beam with the first wavelength of the first light beam with mixed wavelengths to the first camera assembly 420-1. That is, the light beam with the first wavelength sequentially passes through the filter 424 and the tube lens 421 of the first camera assembly 420-1, and is then received by the TDI camera 422 for imaging. Meanwhile, the fourth dichroic mirror 414 reflects the light beam with the second wavelength of the first light beam with mixed wavelengths to the second camera assembly 420-2 for imaging.
The fifth dichroic mirror 415 is arranged on the optical path of the second light beam with mixed wavelengths, and configured for receiving the second light beam with mixed wavelengths, transmitting the light beam with the third wavelength of the second light beam with mixed wavelengths to the third camera assembly 420-3 for imaging, and reflecting the light beam with the fourth wavelength of the second light beam with mixed wavelengths to the fourth camera assembly 420-4 for imaging. Therefore, the TDI cameras 422 in the four optical assemblies 420 are configured for simultaneously acquiring the emission light signals of the four bases A, T, C, and G, thus improving the sequencing efficiency.
By setting the third dichroic mirrors 413 to cooperate with the plurality of camera assemblies 420, the light beams split by the third dichroic mirrors 413 can be directed towards the plurality of camera assemblies 420, respectively, such that the plurality of camera assemblies 420 acquire corresponding emission light signals and form images. Specifically, the light beams are directed into the TDI cameras 422 after passing through the tube lens 421 and the filters 424, and are imaged by the TDI camera 422 to form images.
As shown in
Specifically, the object-side surface of the first lens 4211 is convex at the optical axis of the first lens 4211, and the image-side surface of the first lens 4211 is concave at the optical axis of the first lens 4211. The object-side surface of the first lens 4211 has a curvature radius of 100 mm to 200 mm at the optical axis of the first lens 4211, and the image-side surface of the first lens 4211 has a curvature radius of 50 mm to 200 mm at the optical axis of the first lens 4211.
The object-side surface of the second lens 4212 is convex at the optical axis of the second lens 4212, and the image-side surface of the second lens 4212 is convex at the optical axis of the second lens 4212. The object-side surface of the second lens 4212 has a curvature radius of 50 mm to 200 mm at the optical axis of the second lens 4212, and the image-side surface of the second lens 4212 has a curvature radius of −100 mm to −500 mm at the optical axis of the second lens 4212.
The object-side surface of the third lens 4213 is convex at the optical axis of the third lens 4213, and the image-side surface of the third lens 4213 is planar at the optical axis of the third lens 4213. The object-side surface of the third lens 4213 has a curvature radius of 50 mm to 200 mm at the optical axis of the third lens 4213, and the image-side surface of the third lens 4213 has a curvature radius of 100 mm to 500 mm at the optical axis of the third lens 4213.
The object-side surface of the fourth lens 4214 is planar at the optical axis of the fourth lens 4214, and the image-side surface of the fourth lens 4214 is convex at the optical axis of the fourth lens 4214. The object-side surface of the fourth lens 4214 has a curvature radius greater than 1000 mm at the optical axis of the fourth lens 4214, and the image-side surface of the fourth lens 4214 has a curvature radius of −100 mm to −500 mm at the optical axis of the fourth lens 4214.
The object-side surface of the fifth lens 4215 is concave at the optical axis of the fifth lens 4215, and the image-side surface of the fifth lens 4215 is concave at the optical axis of the fifth lens 4215. The object-side surface of the fifth lens 4215 has a curvature radius of −100 mm to −500 mm at the optical axis of the fifth lens 4215, and the image-side surface of the fifth lens 4215 has a curvature radius of 50 mm to −200 mm at the optical axis of the fifth lens 4215.
The first lens 4211 has a thickness of 5 to 20 mm at the optical axis of the first lens 4211; the second lens 4212 has a thickness of 5 to 20 mm at the optical axis of the second lens 4212; the third lens 4213 has a thickness of 5 to 20 mm at the optical axis of the third lens 4213; the fourth lens 4214 has a thickness of 5 to 20 mm at the optical axis of the fourth lens 4214; the fifth lens 4215 has a thickness of 5 to 20 mm at the optical axis of the fifth lens 4215.
In one embodiment, the first lens 4211 and the second lens 4212 are cemented to form a first cemented lens set; the fourth lens 4214 and the fifth lens 4215 are cemented to form a second cemented lens set.
In one embodiment, the tube lens meets the relationship equation:
Δl′FC/β2≤DOF/5,
where the Δl′FC is the axial chromatic aberration, the is the magnification, the DOF is the depth of field, and Δl′FC is less than or equal to 100 mm. Through the combination of the first cemented lens set, the third lens, and the second cemented lens set, the aberration correction and apochromatic imaging can be achieved, and the field curvature is reduced. The tube lens 421 has a transmittance greater than 93%.
In this embodiment, the tube lens 421 consists of three lens sets, and the first cemented lens set and the second cemented lens set provide achromatic correction functionality, thus reducing the tolerance sensitivity. Specifically, the first cemented lens set is formed by cementing a biconvex lens and a concave-convex lens, and one convex surface of the biconvex lens is attached to the concave surface of the concave-convex lens; the second cemented lens set can be formed by cementing a biconcave lens and a plano-convex lens, and the convex surface of the plano-convex lens is attached to one concave surface of the biconcave lens so as to improving the field curvature. The symmetrical structure and the meniscus lens are also favorable for correcting the aberration. After tolerance analysis, it is confirmed that various comprehensive indexes of the tube lens 421 are within imaging requirements, MTF under a target usage line pair meets the requirements of algorithms on signal-to-noise ratio identification, the lenses in the tube lens 421 feature high machinability, and the field curvature, chromatic aberration, distortion, and the like all meet requirements of a sequencer on image quality.
In one embodiment, each of the camera assemblies includes the filter 424. The filter 424 is arranged on one side of the first lens 4211 distal to the second lens 4212. The distance between the first lens 4211 and the filter 424 may be 2 mm, and the filters 424 are mounted on parallel optical paths. As such, the influence on the image quality is reduced, and the optical filter can be used as an auxiliary reference positioning surface of the optical axis of the tube lens 421, thus facilitating the optical calibration.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the illumination device 300 can output through two optical paths. Each of the two optical paths is arranged in an independent portion of the corresponding illumination device 300, and does not affect each other. For example, the two optical paths may be lights with a wavelength of 532 nm and a wavelength of 640 nm, respectively, and the lights with different wavelengths emitted by the illumination device 300 may be set according to the actual sequencing requirements, which is not limited herein. By adapting the two TDI cameras 422 respectively to the emission light excited by the excitation lights of two wavelengths, the TDI cameras 422 can only receive the emission light with the wavelength corresponding to the preset value, so as to filter the lights with other wavelengths, thereby improving the sequencing accuracy and the sequencing efficiency of the optomechanical system 10.
Referring to
Further, in one embodiment, the camera assembly 420 includes mirrors 423, and one mirror 423 is arranged between the G camera 422-1 and the tube lens 421, between the A camera 422-2 and the tube lens 421, and between the C camera 422-3 and the tube lens 421, such that the lights can be transmitted to the corresponding camera 422 through the tube lens 421, thus making the overall structure of the imaging device 400 more compact.
Specifically, the mirror 423 of the C camera 422-3, the mirror 423 of the G camera 422-1, and the mirror 423 of the A camera 422-2 are all adjustable in pitch angle. By adjusting the mirrors 423, the lights can be directed perpendicular to the light-sensing surfaces of the G camera 422-1, the A camera 422-2, and the C camera 422-3. Meanwhile, the C, G, and A cameras are adjustable in three degrees of freedom, and by adjusting the three degrees of freedom of the camera 422, the center of the light-sensing surface of the camera 422 can be made coincide with the center of the optical path. The T camera 422-4 may be adjustable in four degrees of freedom, and by adjusting the four degrees of freedom of the T-camera 422-4, the center of the light-sensitive surface of the T camera 422-4 can be made coincide with the center of the optical path, while the light is directed perpendicular to the light-sensitive surface of the T camera 422-4.
Further, referring to
In this embodiment, by setting the first dichroic mirror 411 to cooperate with the illumination device 300 and the imaging device 400, the excitation lights emitted by illumination device 300 may be transmitted to the sample of interest 20 after passing through the first dichroic mirror 411, and the emission light generated by the sample of interest 20 may be transmitted to the second dichroic mirror 412 after passing through the first dichroic mirror 411. In a preferred embodiment, the first dichroic mirror 411 may also be adjustably arranged relative to first base 431, and by adjusting the first dichroic mirror 411, the propagation direction of the excitation light and/or the emission light may be adjusted, such that excitation light is incident perpendicularly on the lens assembly 440, and/or the emission light is aligned with or perpendicular to the center of the light-sensing surface of the TDI camera 422.
Specifically, referring to
When the imaging device 400 of this embodiment is used, the second dichroic mirror 412 can be driven to move toward or away from the first base 431 by rotating the first adjusting member 432 (certainly, any one or more sides of the second dichroic mirror 412 can be driven to move toward or away from the first base 431) to adjust the relative position of the second dichroic mirror 412 on the first base 431. After the adjustment is accomplished, the second dichroic mirror 412 can be fastened on the first base 431 by rotating the first fixing member 433. On the contrary, when the adjustment of the second dichroic mirror 412 is required, the second dichroic mirror 412 can be released simply by reversely rotating the first fixing member 433, featuring a simple structure and ease of operation.
Further, the optical path turning assembly 430 further includes a first positioning insert block 434. The first positioning insert block 434 is detachably connected to the first base 431 and is arranged on the side towards the first dichroic mirror 411. The first adjusting member 432 abuts against the first positioning insert block 434.
By arranging the first positioning insert block 434 on the first base 431 to cooperate with the first adjusting member 432, when the first adjusting member 432 and/or the first positioning insert block 434 are abraded, the maintenance cost is reduced by simply replacing the first adjusting member 432 and/or the first positioning insert block 434. Also, the first positioning insert block 434 and the first base 431 may be made of different materials. For example, the first positioning insert block 434 is made of an abrasion-resistant material to reduce the frictional resistance between the two in use of the first adjusting member 432, and the first base 431 is made of a high-strength material. As such, the manufacturing cost-efficiency of the optical path turning assembly 430 may also be improved.
In one embodiment, the first positioning insert block 434 may include a point positioning insert (equipped with an arc slot therein), a line positioning insert (equipped with a bar slot or V-shaped slot therein), and a plane positioning insert to cooperate with the first adjusting member 432. The point positioning insert can limit the rectilinear movement in the degrees of freedom in two directions between the two; the line positioning insert, by cooperating with the point positioning insert, can limit the parallel rotation degree of freedom of the second dichroic mirror 412 relative to the first base 431; the plane positioning insert can support the first adjusting member 432. The cooperation of the three can effectively improve adjustment precision and assembly stability between the second dichroic mirror 412 and the first base 431.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the optomechanical system 10 further includes an automatic focusing device 500. The automatic focusing device 500 is connected to the first base 431. The automatic focusing device is configured for emitting a focusing light beam, such that the focusing light beam sequentially passes through the second dichroic mirror 412, the first dichroic mirror 411, and the lens assembly 440, and then irradiates the sample of interest 20. The automatic focusing device 500 is further configured for receiving the focusing light beam reflected by the sample of interest 20 along the original path. The first dichroic mirror 411 and the second dichroic mirror 412 are configured for transmitting the focusing light beam emitted by the automatic focusing device and the focusing light beam reflected by the sample of interest 20.
With this arrangement, after the emission light generated by the sample of interest 20 and the focusing light beam reflected by the sample of interest 20 pass through the first dichroic mirror 411, they may be transmitted to the imaging device 400 and the automatic focusing device 500, respectively, by the second dichroic mirror 412. In this embodiment, the first dichroic mirror 411 and the second dichroic mirror 412 are sequentially arranged on the optical axis of the lens assembly 440 from bottom to top. The first dichroic mirror 411 is positioned between the second dichroic mirror 412 and the sample of interest 20. After the emission light generated by the sample of interest 20 passes through the second dichroic mirror 412, the second dichroic mirror 412 can transmit the light to the camera assembly 420 after changing the direction by 90° and transmit the focusing light beam, after passing through the second dichroic mirror 412, to the automatic focusing device 500. This arrangement features a compact overall structure and good effects of use.
The automatic focusing device 500 is configured for emitting the focusing light beam to the sample of interest 20 and receiving the focusing light beam reflected by the sample of interest 20, so as to detect whether the sample of interest 20 is positioned on the focal plane of the lens assembly 440. Specifically, referring to
In the present embodiment, by arranging the second adjusting assembly 530 to connect the second base 510 and the focusing assembly 520, the second base 510 is configured in a fixed connection with the bracket device 100. The second adjusting assembly 530 can adjust the focusing assembly 520 relative to the second base 510, including, but not limited to, movement adjustment, pitch adjustment, and rotation adjustment. Certainly, in a preferred embodiment, the second adjusting assembly 530 can perform movement adjustment and pitch adjustment on the focusing assembly 520.
Further, referring to
When the optomechanical system 10 of this embodiment is used, if the focusing assembly 520 needs to be adjusted in pitch angle, the second adjusting member 532 is operated to abut against the second base 510 to drive the first movable seat 531 to perform pitch adjustment. In this embodiment, the number of the second adjusting member 532 is more than one, and the second adjusting members 532 are arranged around the first movable seat 531 and in threaded connections with the first movable seat 531. The first movable seat 531 can be driven to move in pitch angle relative to the second base 510 by rotating the second adjusting members 532.
Referring to
In one embodiment, the second adjusting assembly 530 includes a second movable seat 534 and a third adjusting member 535. The second movable seat 534 is movably arranged relative to the second base 510. The focusing assembly 520 and the first movable seat 531 are arranged on the second movable seat 534. The third adjusting member 535 is separately connected to the second movable seat 534 and the second base 510.
In this embodiment, the third adjusting member 535 is in a threaded connection with the second movable seat 534, and is rotatably connected to the second base 510. The second movable seat 534 can be driven to move relative to the second base 510 by rotating the third adjusting member 535, so as to perform movement adjustment on the focusing assembly 520 relative to the second base 510.
Specifically, referring to
Referring to
Since the distance between sites of the nucleic acid molecules of interest on the sample of interest 20 is typically several hundred nanometers, the objective lens is designed to have a high numerical aperture (NA) according to the Rayleigh criterion. In this embodiment, the objective lens has a numerical aperture greater than 0.75, which can significantly improve the spatial resolution of the object and improve the image quality. In addition, the objective lens is designed to have a large field of view in consideration of the fact that the imaging region of the optomechanical system is an elongated region with a high aspect ratio. In this embodiment, the objective lens has a field of view greater than 1.2 mm. That is, the objective lens has a high numerical aperture and a large field of view.
The mounting bracket 4412 and the third base 442 are movable relative to each other, and the objective lens 4411 is detachably connected to the mounting bracket 4412.
In this embodiment, the objective lens 4411 and the mounting bracket 4412 are detachably connected to each other, which can improve convenience in combining the two and facilitate the assembly and later maintenance. Specifically, the mounting bracket 4412 includes a shade barrel 44121, a guide barrel 44122, and a connecting plate 44123 that are connected in sequence. The connecting plate 44123 is detachably connected to the third base 442. The shade barrel 44121 is positioned on the side of the guide barrel 44122 distal to the sample of interest 20 and configured for shading the imaging device 400 against stray light. The guide barrel 44122 can guide the transmitted light. As shown in
Further, the lens assembly 440 further includes a lifting structure 443. The lifting structure 443 is separately connected to the third base 442 and the objective lens structure 441 and configured for driving the objective lens structure 441 to move up and down relative to the third base 442.
In this embodiment, the automatic focusing device 500 is coupled to the lens assembly 440 through the optical path. By setting the lifting structure 443 to cooperate with the objective lens structure 441, during the operation of the optomechanical system 10, the focusing light beam information acquired by the automatic focusing device 500 can be fed back to the lifting structure 443, and the distance between the objective lens 4411 and the sample of interest 20 can be adjusted, so as to position the sample of interest 20 on the focal plane of the objective lens and ensure the image definition. Certainly, in some embodiments, the lifting structure 443 may also be adjusted or controlled manually by, e.g., a threaded connection, a gear and rack combination structure, a guide rod, or a slide rail structure, etc. The positions between the objective lens 4411 and the sample of interest 20 can be adjusted through manual adjustment.
Furthermore, the lifting structure 443 includes a driving member 4431 and a stopper 4432. The stopper 4432 is connected to the objective structure 441, and is at least partially positioned on the top of the third base 442. The driving member 4431 is separately connected to the objective lens structure 441 and the third base 442 and configured for driving the objective lens structure 441 to move.
With this arrangement, when the driving member 4431 drives the objective lens structure 441 to descend to the limit position, the stopper 4432 can abut against the third base 442 to limit the movement of the objective lens structure 441, so as to prevent the objective lens structure 441 from being detached from the lifting structure 443, and improve the reliability of the optomechanical system 10.
In one embodiment, the lens assembly 440 includes a first spring 447. The first spring 447 is arranged on the lifting structure and configured for applying an elastic force to the objective lens structure 441 when the lifting structure 443 drives the objective lens structure 441 to move. By providing the first spring 447, the weight of the load can be balanced by adjusting the first spring 447.
In this embodiment, the elastic force generated by the first spring 447 is balanced with the load on the Z-axis. When the load changes, the first spring 447 can be expanded and contracted to ensure the balance with the load, so as to provide better dynamic response performance to movement on the Z-axis, higher precision, and stronger interference resistance.
Further, referring to
In the optomechanical system 10 of this embodiment, the third adjusting assembly 444 may be in a threaded connection with the third base 442. Furthermore, referring to
By arranging the second positioning insert block 4442 on the bracket device 100 to cooperate with the fourth adjusting member 4441, when the fourth adjusting member 4441 and/or the second positioning insert block 4442 are abraded, the maintenance cost is reduced by simply replacing the fourth adjusting member 4441 and/or the second positioning insert block 4442. Also, the second positioning insert block 4442 and the bracket device 100 may be made of different materials. For example, the second positioning insert block 4442 is made of an abrasion-resistant material to reduce the frictional resistance between the two in use of the fourth adjusting member 4441, and the bracket device 100 is made of a high-strength material. As such, the manufacturing cost-efficiency of the bracket device 100 may also be improved.
In one embodiment, the second positioning insert block 4442 may include a point positioning insert (equipped with an arc slot therein), a line positioning insert (equipped with a bar slot or V-shaped slot therein), and a plane positioning insert to cooperate with the fourth adjusting member 4441. The point positioning insert can limit the rectilinear movement in the degrees of freedom in two directions between the two; the line positioning insert, by cooperating with the point positioning insert, can limit the parallel rotation degree of freedom of the third base 442 relative to the bracket device 100; the plane positioning insert can support the fourth adjusting member 4441. The cooperation of the three can effectively improve adjustment precision and assembly stability between the third base 442 and the bracket device 100.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the lens assembly 440 further includes a connection seat 448. The connection seat 448 is fixed on the bracket device 100, and the third base 442 and the connection seat 448 are connected via the third fixing member 445. During the process of adjusting the height of the third base 442, by setting the second spring 446 to cooperate with the third base 442, the third base 442 is provided with a reaction force when moving towards the bracket device 100, so as to balance the abutting force of the fourth adjusting member 4441, thereby improving the adjustment precision of the lens assembly 440.
Specifically, referring to
In this embodiment, by arranging the fourth adjusting assembly 320 having at least one of the linear adjusting mechanism 321, the rotational adjusting mechanism 322, and the pitch adjusting mechanism 323 in connection with the illumination assembly 310, the linear adjusting mechanism 321 can perform linear movement adjustment on the illumination assembly 310 relative to the bracket device 100, the rotational adjusting mechanism 322 can perform rotational adjustment on the illumination assembly 310 relative to the bracket device 100, and the pitch adjusting mechanism 323 can perform pitch adjustment on the illumination assembly 310 relative to the bracket device 100. As such, the fourth adjusting assembly 320 can adjust the illumination position of the illumination assembly 310, featuring good effects of use.
Referring to
With this arrangement, after the optomechanical system 10 finishes the scanning, the movable carrier platform 220 may drive the sample of interest 20 to move out of the cavity 111, so as to facilitate the operator to replace the sample of interest 20. When the optomechanical system 10 performs a linear scanning operation, the movable carrier platform 220 may further drive the carrier structure 210 to rotate and/or translate, so as to ensure that, for example, a reference line on the sample of interest 20 is parallel to the scanning direction of the imaging device 400, thereby improving the scanning effect of the optomechanical system 10.
Referring to
When the carrier structure 210 of this embodiment is used to carry the sample of interest 20, the locking member 212 is firstly turned over to open the receiving slot 2111 on the carrier stage 211. Then the sample of interest 20 is placed in the receiving slot 2111, and the locking member 212 is turned over to correspond to the positioning slot 2201 of the sample of interest 20 until the locking member 212 is in snap-fit with the positioning slot 2201, so as to secure the mounting of the sample of interest 20 to the carrier stage 211 and improve the stability of fixing the sample of interest 20 to the carrier stage 211. When the sample of interest 20 needs to be removed, the locking member 212 can be reversely turned over to release the sample of interest 20, featuring a simple structure and ease to operate. Specifically, the carrier stage 211 is further provided with a snap fastener 2121. When the locking member 212 is pressed into the positioning slot 2201, the snap fastener 2121 is in snap-fit with the locking member 212 to fix the locking member 212.
Specifically, the sample of interest 20 includes a body 21 and a carrier frame 22. The carrier frame 22 is provided with a mounting slot 2202 for accommodating the body 21, and the positioning slot 2201 is arranged on the outer wall of the carrier frame 22.
Through arranging the carrier frame 22 to carry the body 21, when the sample of interest 20 is fixed on the carrier stage 211 via the locking member 212, the direct contact between the locking member 212 and the body 21 and damage to the body 21 can be avoided, thus featuring good effects of use.
Further, the carrier structure 210 includes the carrier stage 211 and a temperature controller 213. The receiving slot 2111 is arranged on the carrier stage 211. The temperature controller 213 includes a heating stage 2131 and a temperature sensor 2132. The heating stage 2131 is arranged at the bottom of the receiving slot 2111. The temperature sensor 2132 is connected to the carrier stage 211 and configured for acquiring the temperature of the sample of interest 20.
In this embodiment, by setting the temperature controller 213 to cooperate with the sample of interest 20, the heating stage 2131 can heat the reaction solution in the fluid channel of the sample of interest 20, and the temperature sensor 2132 can acquire the temperature of the sample of interest 20 in real time to perform feedback control on the heating stage 2131.
Specifically, the top of the carrier stage 211 is provided with a positioning part 2112, and the bottom of the carrier frame 22 is provided with a positioning hole 2203 mating with the positioning part 2112.
During the process of placing the sample of interest 20 in the receiving slot 2111, the positioning part 2112 may mate with the positioning hole 2203 of the carrier frame 22, so as to position the loading of the sample of interest 20. In a preferred embodiment, the positioning part 2112 is of a spheric structure, such that, when the positioning part 2112 mates with the sample positioning hole 2203, the sample of interest 20 can be guided by the arc surface, so as to improve the convenience of loading the sample of interest 20.
Specifically, referring to
Further, referring to
In the embodiment, the frame 110 is levitated over the top of the bottom plate structure 130 and the two are connected via the vibration damping structure 120, such that the two are connected in a non-rigid manner. This arrangement can reduce the vibration conducted by the bottom plate structure 130 to the frame 110, thereby improving the scanning precision of the imaging device 400 and the transportation smoothness of the movable platform device 200. In addition, the vibration damping structure 120 may be arranged outside the frame 110, so as to lower the center of gravity of the frame 110, reduce the transmission of high-frequency vibration outside the frame 110, and improve the precision and stability of the optomechanical system 10.
Furthermore, the frame 110 is provided with a plurality of slots 114. Such an arrangement can reduce the overall weight of the optomechanical system 10, improve the natural frequency of the optomechanical system 10, and avoid low-frequency resonance.
Specifically, the bottom plate structure 130 includes a bottom plate body 131 and supports 132. The bottom plate body 131 contacts with the bottom surface or the benchtop through the supports 132. The support 132 includes a support leg and a vibration damping member sleeving the support leg. The vibration damping member may be, for example, a silica gel pad. The vibration damping member, by sleeving the support leg, can further reduce the vibration conduction capability of the bracket device 100 and thus further improve the precision and the stability of the optomechanical system 10.
Referring to
The present disclosure further provides a sequencing system, including the optomechanical system 10 in any one of the above embodiments.
In the sequencing system of this embodiment, by arranging the optomechanical system 10 in any one of the above embodiments, the optomechanical system 10 can, by setting the movable platform device 200 to cooperate with the sample of interest 20, drive the sample of interest 20 to move relative to the imaging device 400 in the sequencing process, so as to meet different sequencing requirements such as line feed scanning, etc. After the sequencing is completed, the sample of interest 20 can be removed, thus facilitating the removal and loading of the sample of interest 20 and featuring the convenience of use. Also, as the illumination device 300 emits two lights with different wavelengths to the sample of interest 20, synchronous sequencing in different regions through multiple optical paths can be achieved during the sequencing process, so as to avoid the quenching of the emission light due to the excessive power of the excitation lights in the focused region and ensuring the sequencing successful rate. The sample of interest 20 can be driven to move relative to the imaging device 400 during the sequencing process, so as to reduce the time for platform movement and image acquisition during the photographing process, thereby achieving a high-speed, high-throughput sequencing. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be noted that orientational or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “central”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, and the like are those shown on the basis of the accompanying drawings, and are merely intended to facilitate and simplify the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure rather than indicate or imply that the indicated device or element must have a specific orientation and be configured and operated according to the specific orientation. Such relationships should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, the terms “first”, “second”, and “third” are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms “link” and “connect” should be interpreted in their broad sense. For example, the connection may be a fixed connection, detachable connection, or integral connection; a mechanical connection or electric connection; or a direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the terms described above in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be interpreted according to specific conditions.
In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, a first feature being “above” or “under” a second feature may refer to that the first feature and the second feature are in direct contact, or the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate. Also, a first feature being “on”, “over”, and “above” a second feature may refer to that the first feature is right above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply mean that the first feature is at a higher vertical position than the second feature. A first feature being “under”, “beneath”, and “below” a second feature may refer to that the first feature is right below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply mean that the first feature is at a lower vertical position than the second feature.
Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment”, “one embodiment”, “another embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “an example”, “a specific example”, “another example”, or “some examples”, means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In the specification, the schematic expression of the terms described above does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, in the absence of contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification or combine the features of different embodiments or examples.
Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only intended to describe, rather than limit, the technical solutions of the present disclosure. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or some of the technical features can be equivalently substituted; and these modifications or substitutions do not depart the nature of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202311657526.2 | Dec 2023 | CN | national |
| 202323276402.8 | Dec 2023 | CN | national |
| 202323288757.9 | Dec 2023 | CN | national |
