A device and method for picking up and placing a reaction cup and equipment containing the device

Abstract

The present invention provides a device for picking up and placing a reaction cup, which includes: a picking mechanism, which contacts the inner wall of the reaction cup for picking up the reaction cup; a moving mechanism, which is fixedly connected to the picking mechanism to drive the movement of the picking mechanism; a cup-removing mechanism, which is sleeved on the outside of the picking mechanism and fixedly installed to the shell, and is used to place the reaction cup when the picking mechanism moves relative to the reaction cup; and a driving mechanism, which is fixedly installed to the shell and connected to the moving mechanism to drive the moving mechanism. The present invention also relates to a method for picking up and placing a reaction cup and a device containing the above-mentioned reaction cup picking and placing device. The device described in the present invention relies on the deformation of the reaction cup to generate friction, and there is no problem of wear and tear of the cup-taking device, which ensures the life of the cup-taking device and reduces the maintenance cost of the equipment; the cup-removing scheme is that the cup-taking rod actively withdraws from the reaction cup, and there is no risk of liquid splashing out of the cup, which ensures the detection accuracy and efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of biochemical analysis devices, and in particular to a device and method for picking up and releasing a reaction cup and equipment containing the device. Background Art

[0002] At present, the automation of biological and chemical analysis devices is becoming more and more common, which can realize continuous automatic detection of multiple reaction cups. During the experimental detection process, the reaction cups need to be transported in different functional areas, which means that the reliable picking and placement of the reaction cups is very important. In current analysis devices, multiple reaction cup grippers are generally required to realize the transportation of reaction cups in different functional areas.

[0003] There are many forms of cuvette grippers in the prior art. For example, European Patent EP2462455A1 discloses a gripper device, which is provided with a first movable jaw and a second movable jaw arranged along the side of the gripper; a first finger-shaped member and a second finger-shaped member respectively coupled to the first movable jaw and the second movable jaw for grasping a sample container. However, the gripper device described in the patent uses a corresponding driving device to continuously open and close the jaws to grasp the sample container. Its structure is very complex, and there are many moving components, which are easy to damage and require frequent maintenance, which will increase the maintenance cost of the equipment and affect the cup grasping efficiency. European Patent EP1355766B1 discloses a gripper for picking up and placing containers. The component includes a gripper arranged at the bottom end of a cylinder, and a piston located inside the cylinder and sliding relative to the cylinder. The gripper grasps the container by elastic deformation and pushes the container out of the gripper through the downward movement of the piston to release the reaction cup. Although the structure of the clamping component is relatively simple, the release position of the container must be higher than the placement position of the container, which will cause the container to fall a certain height, which can easily cause the liquid in the container to splash out, thereby seriously affecting the detection accuracy of the sample. Moreover, the gripper involved in the patent is one of the parts of the clamping component, which may fail due to fatigue due to multiple deformations, thereby causing the failure of the entire component. There are also problems such as easy damage, increased equipment maintenance costs, and reduced detection efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a cuvette picking and placing device that is reliable, simple in structure and can simultaneously ensure efficient and accurate detection. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects in the prior art and provide a device and method for picking up and placing a reaction cup and equipment containing the device. The device described in the present invention has a simple structure, high grasping efficiency and low component wear rate.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A device for picking up and placing a reaction cup, comprising:

[0008] A picking mechanism, which contacts the inner wall of the reaction cup to pick up the reaction cup;

[0009] A motion mechanism, which is fixedly connected to the picking mechanism to drive the movement of the picking mechanism;

[0010] a cup-removing mechanism, which is sleeved on the outside of the picking-up mechanism and fixedly mounted to the housing, and is used to place the reaction cup when the picking-up mechanism moves relative to the reaction cup; and

[0011] The driving mechanism is fixedly mounted to the housing and connected to the motion mechanism to drive the motion mechanism.

[0012] In order to further optimize the above device, the technical measures taken by the present invention also include:

[0013] Furthermore, the driving mechanism is one of a motor driving mechanism, a pneumatic driving mechanism, and an electromagnetic driving mechanism.

[0014] Furthermore, the device is equipped with two detectors, which are used to detect the positions of the motion mechanism and the cup-removing mechanism respectively.

[0015] Furthermore, an air pressure balance opening is provided on the reaction cup and / or the cup taking mechanism, and the air pressure balance opening is at least one of an air vent or an air groove.

[0016] Furthermore, the picking mechanism includes a cup picking rod, and when picking up the reaction cup, the inner wall of the reaction cup contacts the outer wall of the cup picking rod; wherein the movement mechanism includes a nut, and the nut is fixedly connected to the cup picking rod; wherein the cup removal mechanism is a sleeve, and the sleeve is sleeved on the outside of the cup picking rod, and the top end of the sleeve is installed on the bottom of the shell, and the bottom end of the sleeve is used to resist the top of the reaction cup; and wherein the driving mechanism is a motor, and the motor is installed on the top of the shell; the motor has a main shaft and a screw rod, and the screw rod is sleeved inside the nut to drive the nut and the cup picking rod to move up and down.

[0017] Furthermore, the reaction cup is selected from any one of the following forms:

[0018] 1) An outwardly extending annular body is provided at the opening of the reaction cup, and an outwardly extending protrusion is provided at the bottom end of the annular body extending downward along the outer wall of the reaction cup, and the outwardly extending protrusion is distributed in an interval form;

[0019] 2) The reaction cup is in the form of a step with different upper and lower diameters, and the inner diameter and outer diameter of the upper opening of the reaction cup are respectively larger than the inner diameter and outer diameter of the lower part of the reaction cup.

[0020] It is understandable that the reaction cup can be in any suitable form, as long as the inner wall of the upper opening of the reaction cup can be embedded by the cup-taking rod to pick up the reaction cup, and the outer wall of the upper opening can be supported by the sleeve to remove the reaction cup. The main body of the reaction cup can be a cylinder, a cuboid, a cube, an inverted cone, etc., and the shape of the cup-taking rod head of the cup-taking rod matches the opening shape of the reaction cup.

[0021] Furthermore, the upper end of the cup-taking rod is fixedly mounted to the lower end of the cup-taking rod connecting piece, and the nut is fixedly connected to the upper end of the cup-taking rod connecting piece; the top end of the sleeve is fixed to the sleeve mounting plate, and the sleeve mounting plate is mounted on the bottom of the shell; wherein the nut, the screw rod, the cup-taking rod connecting piece and part of the cup-taking rod are all arranged in the inner cavity of the shell, and the cup-taking rod passes through the sleeve, the sleeve mounting plate and the shell in sequence.

[0022] Furthermore, a nut limiting rod is installed at the side end of the nut, a nut limiting groove is provided in the shell, and the nut limiting rod extends through the nut limiting groove.

[0023] Furthermore, a first sensor is installed outside the shell located above the nut limiting groove, which is used to detect the position of the nut to achieve resetting of the motion mechanism.

[0024] Furthermore, a screw rod limiting groove is sleeved on the outside of the screw rod, and the screw rod limiting groove is opened in the cup-taking rod connecting piece.

[0025] Furthermore, the sleeve mounting plate is slidably mounted on the bottom of the shell; wherein, two through holes are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the sleeve mounting plate for placing a sleeve sliding rod, the bottom diameter of the sleeve sliding rod is larger than the diameter of the through hole, and the top of the sleeve sliding rod is fixedly mounted to the bottom of the shell.

[0026] Furthermore, a sleeve mounting plate protrusion is arranged outside the sleeve mounting plate, and a second sensor is installed at the lower part of the shell corresponding to the sleeve mounting plate protrusion for detecting the position of the sleeve.

[0027] Furthermore, the first sensor and the second sensor are both optical coupling sensors, which can also be any suitable sensor in the art for detecting position changes of an object.

[0028] Furthermore, a cup-taking rod sliding sleeve is arranged on the outer side of the top of the cup-taking rod located in the shell, and the bottom end of the cup-taking rod sliding sleeve is fixedly mounted to the inner bottom of the shell.

[0029] Furthermore, the sleeve and the sleeve mounting plate are an integrally formed structure, and the cup taking rod and the cup taking rod connecting piece are an integrally formed structure.

[0030] Furthermore, the sleeve is a cylindrical step structure that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, and a receiving chamber is built into the upper part of the sleeve. A spring that is sleeved on the outside of the cup picking rod is arranged in the receiving chamber, so as to realize the sliding of the sleeve relative to the cup picking rod when the reaction cup is not picked up and when the reaction cup is picked up.

[0031] Furthermore, the lower part of the cup picking rod is a hollow structure, and at least one cup picking rod ventilation hole or cup picking rod ventilation groove is opened on the side wall of the hollow structure corresponding to the cup picking rod that does not contact the reaction cup, and the cup picking rod ventilation holes or cup picking rod ventilation grooves are evenly spaced.

[0032] Furthermore, an elastic deformable component is installed at the bottom end of the cup-taking rod, and the elastic deformable component includes an O-ring, or may be any suitable elastically deformable component commonly used in the art.

[0033] Furthermore, the diameter of the bottom of the cup-taking rod is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the opening of the reaction cup, and the end of the bottom of the cup-taking rod is an inverted trapezoidal structure or an inverted arc structure.

[0034] Furthermore, a reaction cup vent hole or a reaction cup vent groove is provided on the cup wall at the upper end opening of the reaction cup.

[0035] Furthermore, the inner cup wall of the step-shaped reaction cup at the upper end opening is recessed inward to form at least one reaction cup ventilation groove, or at least one reaction cup ventilation hole is opened on the cup wall at the upper end opening; wherein the reaction cup ventilation grooves or reaction cup ventilation holes are evenly spaced.

[0036] A second object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus comprising any of the above-mentioned devices for picking up and placing reaction cups.

[0037] Furthermore, the device has an external driving mechanism connected to the device for picking up and placing the reaction cup, which is used to drive the entire device to move, and the movement includes at least one of Z-direction movement, X-direction movement, Y-direction movement, and swing arm rotation movement on the XY plane.

[0038] Furthermore, the device also has a rotating mechanism connected to the device for picking up and placing the reaction cup, which can rotate the reaction cup when the reaction cup is in the picking state.

[0039] Furthermore, the device includes, but is not limited to, a swing arm mechanism containing the device for picking up and placing the reaction cup, a magnetic separation device containing the device for picking up and placing the reaction cup, and a reaction cup unloading device containing the device for picking up and placing the reaction cup.

[0040] The third object of the present invention is to provide an application of any of the above-mentioned devices for picking up and placing cuvettes. The application includes any application requiring the cuvette picking and placing device, for example, the application of the device in a fully automatic chemiluminescence instrument, the application of the device in the field of robotic arms, etc.

[0041] The fourth object of the present invention is to provide a method for picking up and placing a reaction cup using any of the above-mentioned devices, which comprises the following steps: the device moves downward as a whole, and the cup-taking rod enters the upper opening of the reaction cup. Under the action of force, the upper opening of the reaction cup is slightly deformed, tightly wrapping the cup-taking rod to achieve the picking up of the reaction cup; under the drive of the motor screw, the nut moves upward, thereby driving the cup-taking rod to move upward. Due to the limiting effect of the sleeve, the reaction cup cannot move upward with the cup-taking rod, and the reaction cup is separated from the cup-taking rod to achieve the placement of the reaction cup.

[0042] Furthermore, the method further comprises the step of: in the process of picking up the reaction cup, detecting whether the reaction cup has been picked up by a second sensor.

[0043] Furthermore, the detection process of picking up the reaction cup is as follows: when there is no reaction cup, the sleeve will be kept in a lower position under the force of the spring; after the reaction cup is picked up, the reaction cup will hold the sleeve in an upper position; the second sensor indirectly detects whether the reaction cup has been picked up by detecting the position change of the sleeve.

[0044] Furthermore, the method further comprises the step of: before picking up the reaction cup or after placing the reaction cup, resetting the nut and the cup-taking rod through detection by the first sensor.

[0045] Furthermore, the method further comprises the steps of: positioning the whole device to a grasping position and a placing position.

[0046] The fixing and installation forms between the above-mentioned components are screw connection, bolt and nut connection, butt welding connection or adhesive connection, etc., and can also be any suitable connection mode in the art. The material of the above-mentioned components is any suitable material, such as stainless steel, plastic, etc.

[0047] The present invention adopts the above technical solution, and has the following technical effects compared with the prior art:

[0048] The device for picking up and placing a reaction cup of the present invention adopts a screw motor to drive a nut to move so as to realize the movement of a cup picking rod, and has a simple structure, high safety performance, and reliable grasping. At the same time, a sensor is also provided to detect whether a reaction cup is picked up and to realize the resetting of the nut, thereby avoiding the phenomenon of empty grasping and improving the grasping efficiency.

[0049] The cup-taking scheme adopted by the present invention generates friction force by deformation of the reaction cup. Since the reaction cup itself is a disposable consumable and is replaced for each experiment, there is no problem of wear and tear of the cup-taking device, thereby ensuring the life of the cup-taking device and reducing the maintenance cost of the equipment.

[0050] The cup removal scheme adopted by the present invention is that the cup removal rod actively withdraws from the reaction cup, and the reaction cup can be placed in a specified position before the cup is removed, without the risk of liquid splashing out of the cup, thereby preventing loss of the sample and ensuring detection accuracy and efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a device for picking up a reaction cup in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 2 and Figure 3 They are schematic structural diagrams of a device for not picking up a reaction cup and a device for picking up a reaction cup in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 4 for Figure 3 a front view of the device shown;

[0054] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the device at plane AA;

[0055] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B They are respectively a structural schematic diagram and a front view of a reaction cup in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B They are respectively a structural schematic diagram and a front view of a reaction cup in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B They are respectively a structural schematic diagram and a front view of a reaction cup in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B They are respectively a structural schematic diagram and a front view of a reaction cup in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] The reference numerals in the figure are:

[0060] 1. Motor; 11. Screw rod; 12. Screw rod limiting groove; 15. Cylinder; 16. Piston; 2. Shell; 3. Sleeve; 31. Sleeve mounting plate; 32. Sleeve sliding rod; 33. Sleeve mounting plate protrusion; 4. Cup taking rod; 41. Cup taking rod connecting piece; 42. Cup taking rod sliding sleeve; 43. Cup taking rod vent; 44. Elastic deformation part; 5. First sensor; 6. Second sensor; 7. Nut; 71. Nut limiting rod; 72. Nut limiting groove; 8. Spring; 9. Reaction cup; 91. Flange body; 92. Outward protrusion; 93. Boss; 94. Reaction cup vent groove; 95. Reaction cup vent. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The present invention provides a device for picking up and placing a reaction cup, which includes: a picking mechanism, which contacts the inner wall of the reaction cup for picking up the reaction cup; a moving mechanism, which is fixedly connected to the picking mechanism to drive the movement of the picking mechanism; a cup-removing mechanism, which is sleeved on the outside of the picking mechanism and fixedly installed to a shell, and is used to place the reaction cup when the picking mechanism moves relative to the reaction cup; and a driving mechanism, which is fixedly installed to the shell and connected to the moving mechanism to drive the moving mechanism. The present invention also provides an apparatus containing the above-mentioned apparatus and a method for picking up and placing reaction cups using the apparatus

[0062] The specific implementation of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the examples and drawings. The following examples are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0063] Embodiment 1

[0064] This embodiment is a preferred device for picking up and placing reaction cups.

[0065] like Figure 1 As shown, the device for picking up and placing a reaction cup described in this embodiment includes a picking mechanism, a motion mechanism, a cup removal mechanism, a driving mechanism and a shell, wherein the picking mechanism includes a cup removal rod 4, the motion mechanism includes a piston 16, the cup removal mechanism includes a sleeve 3, and the driving mechanism includes a cylinder 15.

[0066] In this embodiment, when picking up the reaction cup 9, the inner wall of the reaction cup 9 contacts the outer wall of the cup-taking rod 4, and the friction between the two is used to maintain the inner diameter of the reaction cup slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the end of the cup-taking rod (such as 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.25mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, etc.), and the bottom of the cup-taking rod 4 is an inverted arc structure, so as to facilitate the insertion into the upper end opening of the reaction cup 9; the cup-taking rod 4 is a cylindrical rod-shaped object, and its material is not easy to wear and is not easy for the reagent to react (such as stainless steel, etc.), and the cup-taking rod 4 is a screw The sleeve 3 is sleeved on the outside of the cup-taking rod 4, and the sleeve 3 is a cylindrical ring-shaped body. The cup-taking rod 4 can slide relative to the sleeve 3. The top of the sleeve 3 is fixed to the bottom of the shell 2 by welding, and the bottom end of the sleeve 3 is used to resist the top of the reaction cup 9 when picking up the reaction cup; the side wall of the cylinder 15 is fixedly connected to the top of the shell 2 by welding, and the piston 16 is arranged inside the cylinder 15 and can move up and down. The movement of the piston 15 is driven by ventilation from the outside to the inside of the cylinder 15.

[0067] In this embodiment, if Fig. 6A and Figure 6B As shown, the reaction cup 9 is in the form of: the reaction cup 9 is a cylinder with an opening at its upper end and a circular sealed end at its lower end; a flange body 91 extending outward is provided at the opening of the reaction cup 9, and an outward protrusion 92 is provided at the bottom end of the flange body 91 extending downward along the outer wall of the reaction cup 9, and the outward protrusion 92 is distributed in an interval form on the outer wall of the reaction cup 9, and the length of the outward protrusion 91 can be 1 / 5 to 1 / 2 of the length of the reaction cup 9. The reaction cup 9 and the flange body 91 and the outward protrusion 92 provided thereon are an integrally formed structure, and the material thereof is plastic.

[0068] The operation steps of the device described in this embodiment for picking up and placing a reaction cup are as follows:

[0069] The device is positioned as a whole to the pickup position of the reaction cup; the device is moved downward as a whole through an external driving mechanism, and the cup picking rod enters the upper opening of the reaction cup. Under the action of force, the upper opening of the reaction cup is slightly deformed, tightly wrapping the cup picking rod and maintaining it by friction, thereby realizing the picking up of the reaction cup; the device for picking up the reaction cup is positioned as a whole to the placement position of the reaction cup, and then driven by an external air source, the piston moves upward, thereby driving the cup picking rod to move upward. Due to the limiting effect of the sleeve supporting the top of the reaction cup, the reaction cup cannot move upward with the cup picking rod, and the reaction cup is separated from the cup picking rod, thereby realizing the placement of the reaction cup.

[0070] Embodiment 2

[0071] This embodiment is an optimized implementation of the device for picking up and placing a reaction cup described in the first embodiment. The main optimization points are the provision of different driving mechanisms and motion mechanisms, the connection mode of the cup-taking rod and the connection mode of the sleeve, the use of different shell forms, and the addition of a vent hole for the cup-taking rod. The specific improvements are as follows:

[0072] like Figure 2 to Figure 5 As shown, the motion mechanism in the device for picking up and placing a reaction cup described in this embodiment includes a nut 7 and the driving mechanism includes a motor 1.

[0073] In this embodiment, the cup picking rod 4 is fixed to the bottom of the cup picking rod connecting member 41 in an integral manner; the nut 7 is fixed to the top of the cup picking rod connecting member 41 by screw connection; the top of the sleeve 3 is fixed to the bottom of the sleeve mounting plate 31 in an integral manner, and the bottom end of the sleeve 3 is used to resist the top of the reaction cup 9 when picking up the reaction cup. The sleeve mounting plate 31 is a disc-shaped structure with a middle opening for passing the cup picking rod 4, and is installed at the bottom of the shell 2 by screw connection; the bottom of the motor 1 is installed at the top of the shell 2 by screw connection, and the motor 1 has a main shaft and a screw 11, and the screw 11 is sleeved inside the nut 7 to drive the nut 7 and the cup picking rod 4 to move up and down. In this embodiment, the lower part of the cup picking rod 4 is a hollow structure (for example, the hollow structure is in the form of a cylinder), and two cup picking rod air holes 43 are opened on the side wall of the hollow structure corresponding to the cup picking rod 4 that does not contact the reaction cup 9. The cup picking rod air holes 43 are arranged at the same height and are symmetrically distributed to make the reaction cup 9 consistent with the external air pressure, thereby ensuring that the cup picking effect is not affected by different air pressures.

[0074] In this embodiment, the nut 7, the screw rod 11, the cup-taking rod connecting piece 41 and part of the cup-taking rod 4 are all arranged in the inner cavity of the shell 2. The cup-taking rod 4 passes through the sleeve 3, the sleeve mounting plate 31 and the shell 2 in sequence, and the reaction cup 9, the cup-taking rod 4, the cup-taking rod connecting piece 41 and the screw rod 11 are coaxially arranged to facilitate better movement of each component and better grasping effect.

[0075] The operation steps of the device described in this embodiment for picking up and placing a reaction cup are as follows:

[0076] The device is positioned as a whole to the pickup position of the reaction cup; the device is moved downward as a whole through an external driving mechanism, and the cup picking rod enters the upper opening of the reaction cup. Under the action of force, the upper opening of the reaction cup is slightly deformed, tightly wrapping the cup picking rod and maintaining it by friction, thereby realizing the picking up of the reaction cup; the device for picking up the reaction cup is positioned as a whole to the placement position of the reaction cup, and then under the drive of the motor lead screw, the nut moves upward, thereby driving the cup picking rod to move upward. Due to the limiting effect of the sleeve supporting the top of the reaction cup, the reaction cup cannot move upward with the cup picking rod, and the reaction cup is separated from the cup picking rod, thereby realizing the placement of the reaction cup.

[0077] Embodiment 3

[0078] This embodiment is an optimized implementation of the device for picking up and placing a reaction cup described in the second embodiment. The main optimization points are that a detector for detecting the position of the sleeve and the position of the nut is provided, and different forms of reaction cups and driving mechanisms are used, and the installation form of the sleeve is optimized. The specific improvements are as follows:

[0079] In this embodiment, if Figure 2 to Figure 5 As shown, the screw rod 11 is sleeved with a screw rod limiting groove 12, which is opened in the cup-taking rod connecting piece 41 to prevent the screw rod 11 from driving the nut 7 to move downward excessively and damage the device; and the nut limiting rod 71 is installed on the side end of the nut 7, and the housing 2 is provided with a nut limiting groove 72, and the nut limiting rod 71 extends through the nut limiting groove 72. The first sensor 5 is installed on the outside of the housing 2 located above the nut limiting groove 72, which is used to detect the position of the nut 7 to achieve the reset of the nut 7 and the cup-taking rod 4. The reset process of the above-mentioned motion mechanism is as follows: in the initial stage, the nut should be at the lowest end or the lower end, and if it is not, the motor is driven to reset; when picking up the reaction cup, the motor is not driven; when placing the reaction cup, the motor screw drives the nut and the cup-taking rod to move upward, and the reaction cup is released through the limiting effect of the sleeve; after the reaction cup is released, the nut is reset to the lowest end or the lower end.

[0080] In this embodiment, if Figure 2 to Figure 5As shown, two through holes are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the sleeve mounting plate 31 for placing the sleeve sliding rod 32; the bottom diameter of the sleeve sliding rod 32 is larger than the diameter of the through hole, so as to limit the sleeve 3 and prevent it from falling off; the top of the sleeve sliding rod 32 is fixedly mounted to the bottom of the shell 2 by screw connection; a sleeve mounting plate protrusion 33 is arranged on one side of the sleeve mounting plate 31, and a second sensor 6 is installed at the lower part of the shell 2 corresponding to the sleeve mounting plate protrusion 33 for detecting the position of the sleeve 3; the sleeve 3 is a cylindrical step structure with a wide upper part and a narrow lower part, and an accommodating cavity is built in the upper part of the sleeve 3, and a spring 8 is arranged in the accommodating cavity and is sleeved on the outside of the cup picking rod 4. The sleeve 3, the sleeve mounting plate 31 and the sleeve mounting plate protrusion 33 are an integrally formed structure, and the above arrangement can realize the sliding of the sleeve 3 relative to the cup picking rod 4, thereby realizing the detection of whether the reaction cup is picked up. After optimizing the above structure, when there is no reaction cup, the sleeve will remain in a lower position under the force of the spring; when there is a reaction cup, the reaction cup will hold the sleeve in an upper position; the second sensor can indirectly detect whether the reaction cup has been picked up by detecting the position change of the sleeve, thereby improving the cup grabbing efficiency.

[0081] In this embodiment, if Fig. 7A and Figure 7B As shown, the reaction cup 9 is in the form of steps with different upper and lower diameters. The upper opening of the reaction cup 9 is a boss 93. The inner diameter and outer diameter of the boss 93 are respectively larger than the inner diameter and outer diameter of the lower part of the reaction cup 9. The boss 93 is a hollow cylinder. The lower part of the reaction cup 9 is also a hollow cylinder with a circular closed bottom. The hollow cylinder of the boss 93 is connected to the hollow cylinder at the lower part of the reaction cup 9 through a horizontal ring. In the embodiment, the sample loading position of the reaction cup 9 is located at the lower part of the horizontal ring. This makes it possible that when the cup-taking rod is inserted into the upper opening of the reaction cup, it will not contact the cup wall that may contain the sample or reagent. At the same time, trace foreign matter will also accumulate on the step at the horizontal ring, so as not to contaminate the sample or reagent in the reaction cup. In this embodiment, the lower part of the cup-taking rod 4 is a hollow structure (for example, the hollow structure is in the form of a rectangular body), and a cup-taking rod ventilation groove (not shown in the figure) is opened on the side wall of the hollow structure corresponding to the cup-taking rod 4 that does not contact the reaction cup 9.

[0082] At the same time, in this embodiment, a cup-taking rod sliding sleeve 42 is provided on the outer side of the top of the cup-taking rod 4 located in the shell 2, and the bottom end of the cup-taking rod sliding sleeve 42 is fixedly installed to the inner bottom of the shell 2 in the form of a screw connection to achieve a better sliding effect of the cup-taking rod; and an elastic deformation member 44 (such as an O-ring) is installed at the bottom end of the cup-taking rod 4 to make the cup-taking rod better adaptable to the reaction cup.

[0083] Embodiment 4

[0084] This embodiment is an alternative embodiment of the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the balanced air pressure opening is not provided at the cup-taking rod, that is, the cup-taking rod is not provided with a hollow structure, and no vent holes or vent grooves are provided on the side wall of the cup-taking rod. Figures 8A-8B As shown in 9A-9B, the reaction cup 9 of this embodiment is in the form of a step, and its main structure is the same as the reaction cup structure adopted in the third embodiment, but the inner arm at the upper end opening is recessed inward to form at least one reaction cup ventilation groove 94, or at least one reaction cup ventilation hole 95 is opened on the cup wall at the upper end opening; wherein the reaction cup ventilation grooves 94 or reaction cup ventilation holes 95 are evenly spaced.

[0085] Embodiment 5

[0086] This embodiment is a swing arm mechanism of the device for picking up and placing reaction cups as described in any one of Embodiments 1 to 4. The swing arm mechanism is horizontally installed on the shell of the reaction cup picking and placing device through a connecting rod. The connecting rod is connected to a main shaft. The main shaft can realize Z-direction movement through a motor drive. The main shaft is also connected to a rotating mechanism through a belt connection to realize the swing arm movement in the XY plane.

[0087] Embodiment 6

[0088] The present embodiment is a cuvette loading and unloading device comprising the device for picking up and placing a cuvette as described in any one of the first to fourth embodiments. The cuvette loading and unloading device is longitudinally mounted on the housing of the cuvette picking and placing device via a connecting rod, and the connecting rod is connected to a mechanism having an X-axis moving device, a Y-axis moving device, and a Z-axis moving device, which are respectively provided with an X-axis slide rail and a drive motor, a Y-axis slide rail and a drive motor, and a Z-axis drive motor to realize three-axis linear motion of the cuvette, thereby transferring the cuvette from the cuvette storage area to other functional areas.

[0089] Embodiment 7

[0090] This embodiment is a magnetic separation device having a reaction cup pick-up and placement device with the motor, screw and nut in the device described in Embodiments 1 to 4 externally arranged, wherein a rotating mechanism is arranged outside the shell of the reaction cup pick-up and placement device, and the rotating mechanism is connected to a rotating mechanism mounting plate, and a nut hole is provided on the mounting plate, which is connected to an external screw, and the screw is connected to an external motor. The magnetic separation device can realize the rotation of the reaction cup when the reaction cup is in the picking state.

[0091] It can be seen from the above embodiments that the device for picking up and placing a reaction cup described in the present invention has a simple structure, high safety performance, and can reliably pick up and place the reaction cup; at the same time, a sensor is also provided to detect whether the reaction cup is picked up and to achieve the resetting of the nut, thereby avoiding the empty claw phenomenon and improving the grasping efficiency; and there is no problem of wear and tear of the cup picking device, thereby ensuring the life of the cup picking device and reducing the maintenance cost of the equipment. At the same time, there is no risk of liquid splashing out of the cup, thereby not causing loss of the sample, and ensuring the detection accuracy and efficiency.

[0092] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above, but they are only examples, and the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. For those skilled in the art, any equivalent modification and substitution of the practical is also within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the equalization transformation and modification made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for picking up and placing a reaction cup, characterized in that: include: A picking mechanism, which contacts the inner wall of the reaction cup to pick up the reaction cup; A motion mechanism, which is fixedly connected to the picking mechanism to drive the movement of the picking mechanism; A cup removal mechanism, which is sleeved on the outside of the pickup mechanism and fixedly mounted to the housing, and is used to place the reaction cup when the pickup mechanism moves relative to the reaction cup; as well as A driving mechanism, which is fixedly mounted to the housing and connected to the motion mechanism to drive the motion mechanism; Wherein, the device is equipped with two detectors, which are used to detect the positions of the motion mechanism and the cup removal mechanism respectively; The picking mechanism comprises a cup picking rod (4), and when picking up the reaction cup (9), the inner wall of the reaction cup (9) contacts the outer wall of the cup picking rod (4); the moving mechanism comprises a nut (7), and the nut (7) is fixedly connected to the cup picking rod (4); the cup removing mechanism is a sleeve (3), and the sleeve (3) is sleeved on the outside of the cup picking rod (4), and the top end of the sleeve is installed on the bottom of the shell (2), and the bottom end of the sleeve (3) is used to abut against the top of the reaction cup (9); and the driving mechanism comprises a motor (1), and the motor (1) is installed on the top of the shell (2); the motor (1) has a main shaft and a screw rod (11), and the screw rod (11) is sleeved inside the nut (7) to drive the nut (7) and the cup picking rod (4) to move up and down; The top end of the sleeve (3) is fixed to a sleeve mounting plate (31); a sleeve mounting plate protrusion (33) is provided outside the sleeve mounting plate (31); and a second sensor (6) is installed at the bottom of the housing (2) corresponding to the sleeve mounting plate protrusion (33) for detecting the position of the sleeve (3).

2. The device for picking up and placing a reaction cup according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism is one of a motor driving mechanism, a pneumatic driving mechanism and an electromagnetic driving mechanism.

3. The device for picking up and placing a reaction cup according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air pressure balance opening is arranged on the reaction cup and / or the cup taking mechanism, and the air pressure balance opening is at least one of a vent hole and a vent groove.

4. The device for picking up and placing a reaction cup according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reaction cup (9) is selected from any one of the following forms: 1) a flange body (91) extending outward is provided at the opening of the reaction cup (9), and an outward protrusion (92) is provided at the bottom end of the flange body (91) extending downward along the outer wall of the reaction cup (9), and the outward protrusions (92) are distributed at intervals around the wall of the reaction cup (9); 2) The reaction cup (9) is in the form of a step with different diameters at the top and bottom. The upper opening of the reaction cup (9) is a boss (93). The inner diameter and outer diameter of the boss (93) are respectively larger than the inner diameter and outer diameter of the lower part of the reaction cup (9).

5. The device for picking up and placing a reaction cup according to claim 1, characterized in that: A nut limiting rod (71) is installed at the side end of the nut (7), a nut limiting groove (72) is provided in the housing (2), and the nut limiting rod (71) extends through the nut limiting groove (72); a first sensor (5) is installed outside the housing (2) located above the nut limiting groove (72) for detecting the position of the nut (7) to achieve resetting of the motion mechanism.

6. The device for picking up and placing a reaction cup according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the cup-taking rod (4) is fixedly mounted to the lower end of the cup-taking rod connecting piece (41), and the nut (7) is fixedly connected to the upper end of the cup-taking rod connecting piece (41); the sleeve mounting plate (31) is mounted on the bottom of the housing (2); The nut (7), the screw rod (11), the cup-taking rod connecting piece (41) and part of the cup-taking rod (4) are all arranged in the inner cavity of the shell (2), and the cup-taking rod (4) passes through the sleeve (3), the sleeve mounting plate (31) and the shell (2) in sequence.

7. An apparatus comprising the device for picking up and placing a cuvette according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Use of the device for picking up and placing a reaction cup according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A method for picking up and placing a reaction cup using the device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The steps include: The device as a whole moves downward, and the cup-taking rod (4) enters the upper opening of the reaction cup (9). Under the action of the force, the upper opening of the reaction cup (9) is slightly deformed, and the cup-taking rod (4) is tightly wrapped, so that the reaction cup (9) is picked up; Driven by the motor (1), the screw rod (11) drives the nut (7) to move upward, thereby driving the cup-taking rod (4) to move upward. Due to the limiting effect of the sleeve (3), the reaction cup (9) cannot move upward with the cup-taking rod (4), and the reaction cup (9) is separated from the cup-taking rod (4), thereby achieving the placement of the reaction cup (9).

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises the step of: in the process of picking up the reaction cup (9), detecting whether the reaction cup has been picked up by means of a second sensor (6).

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises the following steps: The method further comprises the following steps: before picking up the reaction cup (9) or after placing the reaction cup (9), resetting the nut through detection by the first sensor (5).

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