Automatic placement device for pipette tips

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic placement device for pipette gun tips, including a material box, a material taking component, a material receiving component and a guide cylinder. A vertical long strip material taking port is provided on one side of the material box, and the material taking component includes a material taking tray, which is embedded in the material taking port, and an L-shaped hooking rod is fixed on the inner circumferential surface of the material taking tray, and a first rotating shaft and a first motor are connected to the outer side of the material taking tray; the material receiving component includes a driving device and a horizontally arranged material receiving tray, and the driving device can drive the material receiving tray to move along the X and Y axis directions in the horizontal plane; the guide cylinder is arranged directly above the material receiving tray, and the guide cylinder can guide the gun tips taken out by the hooking rod into the gun tip box on the material receiving tray. When placing the gun tips, it is only necessary to pour the gun tips into the material box, and the device can accurately place the gun tips in the material bin into the gun tip box, which greatly reduces the labor intensity of workers, improves the placement efficiency, and reduces the risk of contamination.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of medical equipment, and in particular relates to an automatic placement device for pipette tips. Background Art

[0002] A pipette, also called a pipette gun, is a measuring tool that transfers liquid from the original container to another container within a certain range. It is widely used in biology, chemistry and other fields. When performing manual sample addition operations in medical laboratories, pipette tips of different sizes are selected according to the amount of solution required for the experiment. In daily work, the purchased pipette tips are packed in bulk. In order to facilitate use during the experiment, it is necessary to manually place the bulk tips in the corresponding tip boxes according to the specifications in advance. Due to the large number of tips consumed in the experiment, manual placement is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also inefficient. In addition, if the operation is wrong during the manual placement and touches other objects, it is easy to cause cross-contamination of the tip, which may affect the results of the experiment. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention provides an automatic placement device for pipette tips, aiming to solve the problem that the existing placement of pipette tips mostly relies on manual operation, resulting in low efficiency.

[0004] To this end, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A device for automatically placing pipette tips, comprising:

[0006] A material box, one side of which is provided with a vertical long strip opening, and the opening forms a material taking port;

[0007] A material taking component, the material taking component includes a material taking tray, the material taking tray is embedded in the material taking port, a part of the material taking tray is inserted into the material box, and the other part is located outside the material box, an L-shaped hooking rod is fixed to the edge of the inner circumferential surface of the material taking tray, and the outer side of the material taking tray is connected to a first rotating shaft and a first motor; the top and bottom ends of the material box material taking port are also provided with notches for the hooking rod to pass through;

[0008] The guide cylinder is located outside the material box and is arranged just below the outer edge of the material taking plate. When the gun head slides off the hook rod, it can just fall into the guide cylinder. The guide cylinder is a conical cylinder with openings at both ends, and the end with the larger opening faces upwards.

[0009] The material receiving assembly is located below the guide cylinder. The material receiving assembly includes a driving device and a horizontally arranged material receiving tray. A gun head box is placed on the material receiving tray. The driving device can drive the material receiving tray to move along the X and Y axis directions in a horizontal plane.

[0010] Furthermore, the material box is wedge-shaped with a small front end and a large rear end, and the material taking tray is arranged at the front end of the material box.

[0011] Furthermore, the bottom of the material box is inclined with a low front end and a high rear end.

[0012] Furthermore, the material hooking rod is L-shaped, including a connecting portion fixed to the material picking tray and a material hooking portion for hooking the gun head, and the material hooking portion is in an inwardly curved arc.

[0013] Furthermore, the angle between the material taking tray and the side wall of the material box is 15 to 45 degrees.

[0014] Furthermore, a material shifting assembly is provided in the material box, and the material shifting assembly includes a second rotating shaft and a second motor. The second rotating shaft is vertically arranged on the side wall of the material box, and the second rotating shaft extends to one end outside the material box and is connected to the second motor, and one end inside the material box is connected to a material shifting rod, and the angle between the material shifting rod and the second rotating shaft is 120 to 160°.

[0015] Further, the driving device comprises a first guide seat and a first stepper motor arranged horizontally, a first lead screw is mounted on the first guide seat, a first nut is connected to the first lead screw, and a motor shaft of the first stepper motor is drivingly connected to the first lead screw;

[0016] The first nut is fixedly connected to a second guide seat perpendicular to the first guide seat, the second guide seat is equipped with a second lead screw, the second lead screw is connected to a second nut, and one end of the second lead screw is transmission-connected to a second stepping motor, and the second nut is fixedly connected to the receiving tray.

[0017] Furthermore, a rotating plugging plate that can block the guide cylinder is provided at the bottom end of the guide cylinder, and a third stepper motor is connected to the rotating plugging plate; an infrared detection sensor is provided at the lower part of the guide cylinder, and the infrared detection sensor can be triggered when the gun head enters the guide cylinder, and the infrared detection sensor is connected to a controller, and the controller is connected to the first stepper motor, the second stepper motor and the third stepper motor signal. The beneficial effect of the present invention is that when placing the pipette gun head, it is only necessary to pour the gun head into the material box, and the device can accurately and automatically place the gun head in the material bin into the gun head box, which greatly reduces the labor intensity of workers, improves the placement efficiency, and reduces the risk of contamination; the device has a high degree of automation and is easy to operate and use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural front view of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a top view of the structure of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a top view of the structure of the material box;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the outer side of the material box;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure on the inner side of the material box;

[0023] Figure 6 This is the structural front view of the feeding tray;

[0024] Figure 7 This is the left view of the structure of the feeding tray;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a bottom view of the structure of the guide cylinder;

[0026] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the rotating blocking plate;

[0027] Fig.10 It is a top view of the structure of the driving device;

[0028] Fig.11 It is the structural front view of the driving device;

[0029] Fig.12 It is the control principle diagram of the present invention;

[0030] In the figure: 1- material box, 2- movable cover, 3- gun head box, 4- material taking port, 5- notch, 6- material taking tray, 7- material hooking rod, 701- connecting part, 702- material hooking part, 8- first rotating shaft, 9- first stepping motor, 10- first guide seat, 11- first lead screw, 12- first nut, 13- second stepping motor, 14- second guide seat, 15- second lead screw, 16- second nut, 17- material receiving tray, 18- guide cylinder, 19- infrared detection sensor, 20- rotating plugging plate, 201- through hole, 21- third stepping motor, 22- second rotating shaft, 23- second motor, 24- material removing rod, 25- controller, 26- bottom plate, 27- support rod, 28- third rotating shaft, 29- gun head. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] A device for automatically placing pipette tips includes a bottom plate 26, a material box 1 and a material receiving assembly arranged on the bottom plate 26, a material taking assembly arranged in the material box 1, and a guide cylinder 18 arranged on one side of the material box 1. The device can automatically place the pipette tips in the material box 1 into the tip box 3 on the material receiving tray 17. The structure of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0032] like Figures 3 to 5As shown, the material box 1 is arranged above the bottom plate 26, and a support rod 27 is connected between the material box 1 and the bottom plate 26. The material box 1 is a wedge-shaped structure with a small front end and a large rear end. The top of the material box 1 is open, and a movable cover plate 2 is hinged on the top. The movable cover plate 2 is lifted to add a gun head to the material box 1. The bottom of the material box 1 is inclined with a low front end and a high rear end. The inclined bottom surface helps the gun head move from the rear end to the front end of the material box 1. A vertical long strip opening is provided on one side of the material box 1, which forms a material taking port 4, and the angle between the opening and the side of the material box 1 is 30°.

[0033] like Figure 1 and 3 As shown, the material taking assembly includes a disc-shaped material taking tray 6, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the length of the material taking port 4, the material taking tray 6 is embedded in the material taking port 4, a part of the material taking tray 6 is inserted into the material box 1, and the other part is located outside the material box 1, and the gap between the two side walls of the material taking tray 6 and the side walls of the material box 1 is about 2mm. The outer side of the material taking tray 6 is connected to a first rotating shaft 8, and the first rotating shaft 8 is connected to a first motor, and the first motor can drive the material taking tray 6 to rotate through the first rotating shaft 8.

[0034] An L-shaped hooking rod 7 is fixed at the edge of the inner circumferential surface of the material taking tray 6. The hooking rod 7 includes a connecting portion 701 fixed to the material taking tray 6 and a hooking portion 702 for hooking the gun head. The hooking portion 702 is in an arc shape that bends inward, and the tail end of the hooking portion 702 gradually tapers toward the front end. In order to prevent the hooking rod 7 from interfering with the material box 1 during the rotation process, notches 5 are further provided at the top and bottom ends of the material taking port 4, and the material box 1 is entered and exited through the notches 5 when the hooking rod 7 rotates.

[0035] A material shifting assembly is also provided in the material box 1, and the material shifting assembly includes a second rotating shaft 22 and a second motor 23. The second rotating shaft 22 is provided on the side wall of the material box 1 opposite to the material taking port 4. The second rotating shaft 22 is connected to the second motor 23 at one end extending outside the material box 1, and is connected to a material shifting rod 24 at one end inside the material box 1, and the included angle between the material shifting rod 24 and the second rotating shaft 22 is 140°. When the second motor 23 drives the material shifting rod 24 to rotate, the material shifting rod 24 can shift the gun head behind the material box 1 forward.

[0036] The guide cylinder 18 is located outside the material box 1 and is arranged just below the outer edge of the material taking plate 6. When the gun head slides off the hook rod 7, it can just fall into the guide cylinder 18. The guide cylinder 18 is a conical cylinder with two ends open, and the end with the larger opening faces upward. A rotating plugging plate 20 that can block the guide cylinder 18 is provided at the bottom end of the guide cylinder 18. The rotating plugging plate 20 is an elliptical plate. A through hole 201 is provided on one end of the rotating plugging plate 20 and the other end is closed. The diameter of the through hole 201 is not less than the diameter of the lower end of the guide cylinder 18. The rotating plugging plate 20 is connected to the third rotating shaft 28, and the third rotating shaft 28 is connected to the third stepping motor 21. The third stepping motor 21 is fixedly connected to the side wall of the guide cylinder 18. When the rotating plugging plate 20 rotates until the through hole 201 thereon is directly opposite to the lower end of the guide cylinder 18, the guide cylinder 18 is in an open state, and at this time, the gun head can fall through the guide cylinder 18. When the rotary blocking plate 20 rotates until the through hole 201 thereon is offset from the lower end of the guide cylinder 18 , the guide cylinder 18 is in a closed state. At this time, the gun head cannot pass through the guide cylinder 18 .

[0037] An infrared detection sensor 19 is provided at the lower part of the guide cylinder 18 . When the gun head enters the guide cylinder 18 , the infrared detection sensor 19 can be triggered. The infrared detection sensor 19 is connected to a controller 25 , and the controller 25 is signal-connected to the third stepping motor 21 .

[0038] The material receiving assembly includes a driving device and a horizontally arranged material receiving plate 17. The driving device is arranged on the bottom plate 26. The driving device can drive the material receiving plate 17 to move in the horizontal plane along the X and Y axis directions. The driving device includes a horizontally arranged first guide seat 10 and a first stepper motor 9. The first guide seat 10 is fixed on the bottom plate 26. A first lead screw 11 is installed on the first guide seat 10. A first nut 12 is connected to the first lead screw 11. The motor shaft of the first stepper motor 9 is drivingly connected to the first lead screw 11.

[0039] The first nut 12 is fixedly connected to a second guide seat 14 which is perpendicular to the first guide seat 10. A second lead screw 15 is mounted on the second guide seat 14. A second nut 16 is disposed on the second lead screw 15. One end of the second lead screw 15 is drivingly connected to a second stepping motor 13. A receiving tray 17 is fixedly connected to the second nut 16. The upper surface of the receiving tray 17 is provided with 9 evenly distributed grooves for preventing the gun tip box 3. A gun tip box 3 is placed in each groove.

[0040] The controller 25 of the present invention can use a common single chip microcomputer. The controller 25 is connected to the first stepper motor 9, the second stepper motor 13, the third stepper motor 21 and the infrared detection sensor 19 by signals. The pre-command for controlling the operation of the first stepper motor 9 and the second stepper motor 13 is input into the controller 25. Each time the first stepper motor 9 moves, the distance moved by the material receiving plate 17 is equal to the distance between the two adjacent holes of the gun tip box in the X-axis direction. Each time the second stepper motor 13 moves, the distance moved by the material receiving plate 17 is equal to the distance between the two adjacent holes of the gun tip box 3 in the Y-axis direction. After each movement, the guide cylinder 18 will be aligned with a hole of the gun tip box 3, so that the gun tip can fall into the gun tip box 3 accurately. Each time the infrared detection sensor 19 is triggered, the controller 25 can control the third stepper motor 21 to rotate 180°.

[0041] In addition, 9 initial positions need to be set on the first stepper motor 9 and the second stepper motor 13, each initial position corresponds to a gun tip box 3. After a gun tip box 3 is full, the first stepper motor 9 and the second stepper motor 13 control the receiving tray 17 to move to the next gun tip box 3. When all the gun tip boxes 3 are full, new gun tip boxes 3 need to be replaced.

[0042] When the gun tip falls into the guide cylinder 18, the controller 25 first controls the first stepper motor 9 or the second stepper motor 13 to rotate, and then controls the third stepper motor 21 to rotate after the first stepper motor 9 or the second stepper motor 13 finishes rotating. The third stepper motor 21 rotates 180° and pauses for 1 to 2 seconds, and then rotates 180° again. The gun tip falls from the guide cylinder 18 into the gun tip box within the 1 to 2 seconds of the pause.

[0043] The working principle of the present invention is as follows

[0044] When in use, first open the movable cover 2 to pour the gun tips into the material box 1, and then place the gun tip box 3 on the receiving tray 17. After the settings are completed, the first motor and the second motor 23 can be controlled to start and start the operation.

[0045] Since the gun head is in a conical cylindrical shape, when the material taking tray 6 rotates, the hook rod 7 on the material taking tray 6 can be randomly inserted into a gun head and drive the gun head to rotate accordingly. When the hook rod 7 rotates from the highest point of the material taking tray 6, the gun head also rotates out of the material box 1 to the outside of the material box 1. When the material taking tray 6 continues to rotate, under the action of gravity, the gun head slowly slides off the hook rod 7 and falls into the guide cylinder 18. The infrared detection sensor 19 in the guide cylinder 18 is triggered, and the controller 25 can control the first stepper motor 9, the second stepper motor 13 and the third stepper motor 21 to move in sequence according to the above steps, and the gun head can fall into the predetermined hole position on the gun head box 3. Then the hook rod 7 is transferred back to the material box 1 to insert the next gun head, and the gun heads in the material box 1 can be placed in the gun head box 3 in order by reciprocating in sequence.

[0046] It should be noted that the above are only some embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention. These improvements and substitutions should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for automatically placing pipette tips, characterized in that: include: A material box, one side of which is provided with a vertical long strip opening, and the opening forms a material taking port; A material taking component, the material taking component includes a material taking tray, the material taking tray is embedded in the material taking port, a part of the material taking tray is inserted into the material box, and the other part is located outside the material box, an L-shaped hooking rod is fixed to the edge of the inner circumferential surface of the material taking tray, and the outer side of the material taking tray is connected to a first rotating shaft and a first motor; the top and bottom ends of the material box material taking port are also provided with notches for passing the hooking rod; The guide cylinder is located outside the material box and is arranged just below the outer edge of the material taking plate. When the gun head slides off the hook rod, it can just fall into the guide cylinder. The guide cylinder is a conical cylinder with openings at both ends, and the end with the larger opening faces upwards. A material receiving assembly, the material receiving assembly is located below the guide cylinder, and the material receiving assembly includes a driving device and a horizontally arranged material receiving tray, a gun head box is placed on the material receiving tray, and the driving device can drive the material receiving tray to move along the X and Y axis directions in a horizontal plane; The material box is wedge-shaped with a small front end and a large rear end, and the material taking tray is arranged at the front end of the material box; the bottom of the material box is arranged obliquely with a low front end and a high rear end; a material picking assembly is arranged in the material box; The hooking rod is L-shaped, including a connecting portion fixed to the material taking tray and a hooking portion for hooking the gun head, and the hooking portion is in an arc shape bending inwards; The angle between the material taking tray and the side wall of the material box is 15-45 degrees.

2. The automatic placement device for pipette tips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material shifting assembly includes a second rotating shaft and a second motor. The second rotating shaft is vertically arranged on the side wall of the material box. The second rotating shaft extends to the outside of the material box and is connected to the second motor. The end of the second rotating shaft extending into the material box is connected to a material shifting rod. The angle between the material shifting rod and the second rotating shaft is 120 to 160 degrees.

3. The automatic placement device for pipette tips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving device comprises a first guide seat and a first stepper motor arranged horizontally, a first lead screw is mounted on the first guide seat, a first nut is connected to the first lead screw, and a motor shaft of the first stepper motor is drivingly connected to the first lead screw; The first nut is fixedly connected to a second guide seat perpendicular to the first guide seat, the second guide seat is equipped with a second lead screw, the second lead screw is connected to a second nut, and one end of the second lead screw is transmission-connected to a second stepping motor, and the second nut is fixedly connected to the receiving tray.

4. The automatic placement device for pipette tips according to claim 1, characterized in that: A rotating blocking plate which can block the guide cylinder is provided at the bottom end of the guide cylinder, and a third stepper motor is connected to the rotating blocking plate; an infrared detection sensor is provided at the lower part of the guide cylinder, and the infrared detection sensor can be triggered when the gun head enters the guide cylinder, and the infrared detection sensor is connected to a controller, and the controller is connected to the first stepper motor, the second stepper motor and the third stepper motor signals.

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