Multifunctional sample loading mechanism for immunoassay analyzer

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multifunctional loading mechanism for an immunoanalyzer, comprising: a two-dimensional driving mechanism, a clamp, a sample suction needle, a waste liquid suction needle and a discard channel tube; the clamp is used to grab a reaction cup, and the two-dimensional driving mechanism is used to drive the clamp to grab the reaction cup, move the reaction cup to the respective working positions of the sample suction needle and the waste liquid suction needle, and move the reaction cup into the discard channel tube for discarding. The present invention is mainly applied to immunoanalyzers. After a sample reaction is completed, the mechanism of the present invention can complete multiple tasks such as loading, washing needles, sucking waste liquid, and discarding reaction cups in one control process, and realizes the integration of multiple related functions through one mechanism; the present invention can effectively reduce the number of mechanisms in one generation inside the immunoanalyzer, and the present invention adopts a simple serial working mode to avoid the joint control of multiple mechanisms in the instrument, and has the advantages of optimizing the instrument control process and improving work efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of in vitro diagnostic medical devices, and in particular to a multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer. Background Art

[0002] The sample reagent reaction of the immunoassay analyzer (hereinafter referred to as the "instrument") is usually carried out in a disposable reaction cup (hereinafter referred to as the "reaction cup"). After the reaction is completed, the instrument sucks the reaction substance out of the reaction cup for measurement, or measures it directly in the reaction cup. After the measurement is completed, the residual liquid in the reaction cup must be sucked out, and the reaction cup must be discarded into a trash can inside or outside the instrument. If there is residual liquid in the reaction cup, it may cause the liquid to splash when discarded, causing pollution. Therefore, most wet reaction instruments have devices for sucking waste liquid and discarding reaction cups. Some instruments that need to suck the reaction liquid for measurement also have a measurement sample loading device. Existing immunoassay analyzers usually require multiple devices to realize the above-mentioned multiple functions, which will increase the size of the instrument and reduce the working efficiency of the instrument. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer in view of the deficiencies in the above-mentioned prior art.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer, comprising: a two-dimensional driving mechanism, a clamping claw, a sample suction needle, a waste liquid suction needle and a discard channel tube;

[0005] The clamp is used to grab the reaction cup, and the two-dimensional driving mechanism is used to drive the clamp to grab the reaction cup, move the reaction cup to the respective working positions of the sample suction needle and the waste liquid suction needle, and move the reaction cup into the discard channel tube for discarding.

[0006] Preferably, it further comprises a bottom plate, a vertical mounting plate fixedly connected to the bottom plate, and a needle tube mounting plate fixedly connected to the upper end of the vertical mounting plate.

[0007] Preferably, the two-dimensional driving mechanism includes an X-axis driving mechanism and a Z-axis driving mechanism;

[0008] The X-axis driving mechanism includes an X-axis motor fixedly connected to the vertical mounting plate, an X-axis lead screw drivingly connected to the output shaft of the X-axis motor, an X-axis guide rail fixedly connected to the vertical mounting plate, and an X-axis slider slidably arranged on the X-axis guide rail and threadedly matched with the X-axis lead screw;

[0009] The Z-axis driving mechanism includes a Z-axis guide rail fixedly connected to the X-axis slider, a Z-axis motor fixedly connected to the Z-axis guide rail, a Z-axis lead screw drivingly connected to the output shaft of the Z-axis motor, and a Z-axis slider slidably arranged on the Z-axis guide rail and threadedly matched with the Z-axis lead screw.

[0010] Preferably, an X-axis origin position photoelectric sensor and an X-axis limit position photoelectric sensor are sequentially arranged on the vertical mounting plate along the X-axis, and an X-axis baffle for cooperating with the X-axis origin position photoelectric sensor and the X-axis limit position photoelectric sensor is fixedly connected to the X-axis slider.

[0011] Preferably, the Z-axis guide rail is provided with a Z-axis origin position photoelectric sensor and a Z-axis limit position photoelectric sensor in sequence along the Z-axis, and the Z-axis slider is fixedly connected with a Z-axis baffle for cooperating with the Z-axis origin position photoelectric sensor and the Z-axis limit position photoelectric sensor.

[0012] Preferably, the sample suction needle and the waste liquid suction needle are sequentially arranged on the needle tube mounting plate along the X-axis.

[0013] Preferably, the sample aspiration needle comprises an inner needle tube, an outer needle tube sleeved outside the inner needle tube, an inner interface tube communicating with the inner needle tube, and an outer interface tube communicating with the outer needle tube.

[0014] Preferably, the clamp is fixedly connected to the Z-axis slider and is located below the sample suction needle and the waste liquid suction needle.

[0015] Preferably, the clamp includes a connecting block fixedly connected to the Z-axis slider and two clamping blocks rotatably and symmetrically arranged on the connecting block, the front ends of the two clamping blocks are provided with two symmetrical clamping parts, and the rear ends of the two clamping blocks are connected with a compression spring.

[0016] Preferably, the discard channel tube is fixedly connected to the bottom plate, and a discard hole for inserting a reaction cup is provided at the top of the discard channel tube.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention is mainly applied to immunoassay analyzers. After a sample reaction is completed, the mechanism of the present invention can complete multiple tasks such as sample loading, needle washing, waste liquid aspiration, and reaction cup discarding in one control process, and realizes the integration of multiple related functions through one mechanism; the present invention can effectively reduce the number of mechanisms in the immunoassay analyzer by one generation, and the present invention adopts a simple serial working mode to avoid the joint control of multiple mechanisms in the instrument, and has the advantages of optimizing the instrument control process and improving work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of another perspective of the multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the sample aspiration needle of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the sample aspiration needle of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 For the present invention Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the local enlarged structure at point A in the middle;

[0023] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a clamping jaw in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cooperation between the clamp and the reaction cup in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8-14 The figure is a schematic diagram of the working process of the multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Description of reference numerals:

[0027] 1—two-dimensional driving mechanism; 2—gripping jaw; 3—sampling needle; 4—waste liquid suction needle; 5—discarding channel tube; 6—bottom plate; 7—vertical mounting plate; 8—needle tube mounting plate; 9—reaction cup; 11—X-axis driving mechanism; 12—Z-axis driving mechanism; 21—connecting block; 22—clamping block; 23—clamping part; 24—compression spring; 25—clamping port; 31—inner needle tube; 32—outer needle tube; 33—inner interface tube; 34—outer interface tube; 35—card ball; 51—discarding hole; 8 1—needle tube mounting block; 111—X-axis motor; 112—X-axis screw rod; 113—X-axis guide rail; 114—X-axis slider; 115—X-axis origin position photoelectric sensor; 116—X-axis limit position photoelectric sensor; 117—X-axis baffle; 121—Z-axis motor; 122—Z-axis guide rail; 123—Z-axis screw rod; 124—Z-axis slider; 125—Z-axis origin position photoelectric sensor; 126—Z-axis limit position photoelectric sensor; 127—Z-axis baffle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments so that those skilled in the art can implement the invention with reference to the description.

[0029] It should be understood that terms such as “having”, “including” and “comprising” used herein do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other elements or combinations thereof.

[0030] like Figure 1-7 As shown, a multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer in this embodiment includes: a two-dimensional driving mechanism 1, a clamping claw 2, a sample suction needle 3, a waste liquid suction needle 4 and a discard channel tube 5;

[0031] The clamp 2 is used to grab the reaction cup 9, and the two-dimensional driving mechanism 1 is used to drive the clamp 2 to grab the reaction cup 9, move the reaction cup 9 to the respective working positions of the sample suction needle 3 and the waste liquid suction needle 4, and move the reaction cup 9 into the discard channel tube 5 for discarding.

[0032] The multifunctional sample loading mechanism of the present invention is mainly used in immunoassay analyzers, and the main functions realized are: 1. Grab the reaction cup 9 after the reaction is completed from the reaction chamber; 2. Move and lift the reaction cup 9 to the bottom of the sample suction needle 3 to suck the sample for detection; and clean the sample suction needle 3; 3. Move and lift the reaction cup 9 to the bottom of the waste liquid suction needle 4 to suck out the waste liquid; 4. Move the reaction cup 9 to the discard channel tube 5 and discard it. The mechanism can realize multiple operation functions, and can improve the overall working efficiency of the immunoassay analyzer.

[0033] In this embodiment, the multifunctional sample loading mechanism further includes a bottom plate 6 , a vertical mounting plate 7 fixedly connected to the bottom plate 6 , and a needle tube mounting plate 8 fixedly connected to the upper end of the vertical mounting plate 7 .

[0034] Among them, refer to Figure 1-2 , the two-dimensional driving mechanism 1 is two sets of screw motor slides, which are used to realize the driving in the X-axis and Z-axis directions; including an X-axis driving mechanism 11 and a Z-axis driving mechanism 12;

[0035] The X-axis driving mechanism 11 includes an X-axis motor 111 fixedly connected to the vertical mounting plate 7, an X-axis lead screw 112 drivingly connected to the output shaft of the X-axis motor 111, an X-axis guide rail 113 fixedly connected to the vertical mounting plate 7, and an X-axis slider 114 (a threaded hole is provided in the slider, and the lead screw is inserted therein) which is slidably arranged on the X-axis guide rail 113 and threadedly matched with the X-axis lead screw 112; the Z-axis driving mechanism 12 includes a Z-axis guide rail 122 fixedly connected to the X-axis slider 114, a Z-axis motor 121 fixedly connected to the Z-axis guide rail 122, a Z-axis lead screw 123 drivingly connected to the output shaft of the Z-axis motor 121, and a Z-axis slider 124 slidably arranged on the Z-axis guide rail 122 and threadedly matched with the Z-axis lead screw 123. The lead screw is driven to rotate by the motor, so that the slider threadedly matched with the lead screw moves linearly to realize the driving in the X-axis and axial directions.

[0036] Among them, an X-axis origin position photoelectric sensor 115 and an X-axis limit position photoelectric sensor 116 are sequentially arranged on the vertical mounting plate 7 along the X-axis, and an X-axis baffle 117 for cooperating with the X-axis origin position photoelectric sensor 115 and the X-axis limit position photoelectric sensor 116 is fixedly connected to the X-axis slider 114. A Z-axis origin position photoelectric sensor 125 and a Z-axis limit position photoelectric sensor 126 are sequentially arranged on the Z-axis on the Z-axis guide rail 122 along the Z-axis, and a Z-axis baffle 127 for cooperating with the Z-axis origin position photoelectric sensor 125 and the Z-axis limit position photoelectric sensor 126 is fixedly connected to the Z-axis slider 124. The above-mentioned photoelectric sensors are all slot-type photoelectric sensors, which are used to cooperate with the baffle to determine the position of the mechanism. When the position baffle blocks the detection slot of the photoelectric sensor, it indicates that the mechanism has reached the origin or limit position. Since the diameter of the 9 mouths of the reaction cup is significantly larger than the diameter of the needle, the position between the origin and the limit photoelectric sensors is open-loop controlled to meet the accuracy requirements. For example, referring to Figure 1 When the X-axis slider 114 slides and causes the X-axis baffle 117 to block the detection slot of the X-axis origin position photoelectric sensor 115, it indicates that the X-axis slider 114 has reached the origin; as the X-axis slider 114 slides, when the X-axis baffle 117 moves to block the detection slot of the X-axis limit position photoelectric sensor 116, it indicates that the X-axis slider 114 has reached the limit position and movement in this direction needs to be stopped.

[0037] Among them, refer to Figure 3-5 The sample suction needle 3 and the waste liquid suction needle 4 are sequentially arranged on the needle tube mounting plate 8 along the X axis. The sample suction needle 3 includes an inner needle tube 31, an outer needle tube 32 sleeved outside the inner needle tube 31, an inner interface tube 33 communicating with the inner needle tube 31, and an outer interface tube 34 communicating with the outer needle tube 32. The discard channel tube 5 is fixedly connected to the bottom plate 6, and a discard hole 51 is opened at its top for the reaction cup 9 to be inserted.

[0038] The outer needle tube 32 is fixedly connected to the needle tube mounting plate 8 through the needle tube mounting block 81, and the outer port tube 34 is connected to and communicated with the side of the outer needle tube 32; the inner port tube 33 is fixedly connected to the top of the outer needle tube 32, but is not communicated with the outer needle tube 32; the inner needle tube 31 is fixedly connected to the top of the inner port tube 33 and communicated with it, so that the inner needle tube 31 can be fixedly set inside the outer needle tube 32. In a further preferred embodiment, a ball 35 is provided at the bottom between the inner needle tube 31 and the outer needle tube 32 to prevent the lower end of the inner needle tube 31 from swinging relative to the outer needle tube 32, which can enhance the stability of the inner needle tube 31 being coaxially fixed inside the outer needle tube 32.

[0039] The inner needle tube 31 is a channel for sucking the reactants in the reaction cup 9, and a channel for filling the needle washing liquid is formed between the inner needle tube 31 and the outer needle tube 32. During the test, the sample suction needle 3 is inserted into the reaction cup 9, and the reactants (samples) are sucked and transported upward by the inner needle tube 31, and transported away through the inner interface tube 33 for testing. After that, in order to avoid the reactants remaining on the outer wall of the inner needle tube 31 affecting the measurement of the next sample, the inner and outer walls of the sample suction needle 3 must be washed. The needle washing liquid is injected from the outer interface tube 34, enters between the outer needle tube 32 and the inner needle tube 31, and washes the outer wall of the inner needle tube 31; when sucking the next sample, the residue on the inner wall of the inner needle tube 31 is washed by the previous small section of the sample. The instrument will ignore the front section of each sample and only measure the rear section, thereby achieving the cleaning of the inner and outer walls of the inner needle tube 31. After the outer needle tube 32 of the sample suction needle 3 is washed, there is a certain amount of liquid in the reaction cup 9, which is usually called waste liquid. The two-dimensional driving mechanism 1 moves the reaction cup 9 to the bottom of the waste liquid needle. After the waste liquid needle is inserted into the reaction cup 9, the waste liquid is extracted. Then the reaction cup 9 is discarded into the discard channel tube 5 through the two-dimensional driving mechanism 1. The clamp 2 is a spring clamp 2 without a driving force device. When the X-axis driving mechanism 11 drives the clamp 2 to the top of the discard channel tube 5, the reaction cup 9 on the clamp 2 is inserted into the discard hole 51 of the discard channel tube 5 through the Z-axis driving mechanism 12, and then the X-axis driving mechanism 11 drives the clamp 2 to continue to move to the right, the reaction cup 9 on the clamp 2 automatically falls off and falls into the discard channel tube 5.

[0040] In a further preferred embodiment, referring to Figure 6-7 The clamping jaw 2 is fixedly connected to the Z-axis slider 124 and is located below the sample suction needle 3 and the waste liquid suction needle 4. The clamping jaw 2 includes a connecting block 21 fixedly connected to the Z-axis slider 124 and two clamping blocks 22 that are rotatable (such as connected by pins) and symmetrically arranged on the connecting block 21. The front ends of the two clamping blocks 22 are provided with two symmetrical clamping parts 23, and the rear ends of the two clamping blocks 22 are connected with a compression spring 24. A clamping opening 25 is formed between the outer ends of the two clamping parts 23, and the reaction cup 9 is clamped in the clamping opening 25. Through the elastic force of the compression spring 24, the clamping parts 23 of the two clamping blocks 22 generate a force to expand and contract toward the middle, thereby fixing the reaction cup 9.

[0041] The process of the clamp 2 grabbing the reaction cup 9 is as follows: through the X-axis driving mechanism 11, the Z-axis slider 124 drives the clamp 2 to move to the left. When it reaches the reaction cup 9 in the reaction chamber of the instrument, the clamp 2 moves to the left, and the two clamping parts 23 contact the outer periphery of the reaction cup 9 and expand outward until the reaction cup 9 is accommodated in the clamping opening 25 between the two clamping parts 23 and is relatively fixed, and the reaction cup 9 is grabbed; then the Z-axis slider 124 drives the clamp 2 and the reaction cup 9 thereon to move to the right to other working positions.

[0042] The process of discarding the reaction cup 9 from the clamp 2 is as follows: the Z-axis slider 124 drives the clamp 2 to move above the discard hole 51 through the X-axis driving mechanism 11, and then the Z-axis slider 124 drives the clamp 2 to move downward through the Z-axis driving mechanism 12, so that the reaction cup 9 is inserted into the discard hole 51, and then the Z-axis slider 124 drives the clamp 2 to move rightward. Under the action of the blocking force of the inner wall of the discard hole 51, the reaction cup 9 falls from the desulfurization clamp 2 on the left side of the clamping port 25 into the discard channel tube 5 to complete the discarding.

[0043] Reference Figure 8-14 (The arrow in the figure indicates the direction of movement). In one embodiment, the workflow of the multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer of the present invention is as follows:

[0044] 1) The two-dimensional mechanism grabs the reaction cup 9 after the reaction is completed from the reaction chamber;

[0045] 2) The two-dimensional mechanism carries the reaction cup 9 up and moves horizontally to the right to below the sample suction needle 3;

[0046] 3) The two-dimensional mechanism lifts the reaction cup 9, inserts the sample suction needle 3 into the reaction cup 9, and the instrument detects the sample accordingly and injects the needle washing solution;

[0047] 4) The two-dimensional mechanism carries the reaction cup 9 downward, the sample suction needle 3 withdraws from the reaction cup 9, and the reaction cup 9 moves horizontally to the right to below the waste liquid suction needle 4;

[0048] 5) The two-dimensional mechanism lifts the reaction cup 9, so that the waste liquid suction needle 4 is inserted into the cup, and the corresponding module of the instrument sucks the waste liquid;

[0049] 6) The two-dimensional mechanism carries the cuvette 9 downward and inserts the cuvette 9 into the discard channel;

[0050] 7) The two-dimensional mechanism moves to the right, and the reaction cup 9 escapes from the clamp 2 and falls into the discard channel.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed as above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and the implementation modes. They can be fully applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. For those familiar with the art, additional modifications can be easily implemented. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and the scope of equivalents, the present invention is not limited to specific details.

Claims

1. A multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer, characterized in that: include: A two-dimensional driving mechanism, a clamping claw, a sample suction needle, a waste liquid suction needle and a discard channel tube; The clamp is used to grab the reaction cup, and the two-dimensional driving mechanism is used to drive the clamp to grab the reaction cup, move the reaction cup to the respective working positions of the sample suction needle and the waste liquid suction needle, and move the reaction cup into the discard channel tube for discarding; The multifunctional sample loading mechanism for the immunoassay analyzer further comprises a bottom plate, a vertical mounting plate fixedly connected to the bottom plate, and a needle tube mounting plate fixedly connected to the upper end of the vertical mounting plate; The two-dimensional driving mechanism includes an X-axis driving mechanism and a Z-axis driving mechanism; The X-axis driving mechanism includes an X-axis motor fixedly connected to the vertical mounting plate, an X-axis lead screw drivingly connected to the output shaft of the X-axis motor, an X-axis guide rail fixedly connected to the vertical mounting plate, and an X-axis slider slidably arranged on the X-axis guide rail and threadedly matched with the X-axis lead screw; The Z-axis driving mechanism includes a Z-axis guide rail fixedly connected to the X-axis slider, a Z-axis motor fixedly connected to the Z-axis guide rail, a Z-axis lead screw drivingly connected to the output shaft of the Z-axis motor, and a Z-axis slider slidably arranged on the Z-axis guide rail and threadedly matched with the Z-axis lead screw; The vertical mounting plate is provided with an X-axis origin position photoelectric sensor and an X-axis limit position photoelectric sensor in sequence along the X-axis, and the X-axis slider is fixedly connected with an X-axis baffle for cooperating with the X-axis origin position photoelectric sensor and the X-axis limit position photoelectric sensor; The Z-axis guide rail is provided with a Z-axis origin position photoelectric sensor and a Z-axis limit position photoelectric sensor in sequence along the Z-axis, and the Z-axis slider is fixedly connected with a Z-axis baffle for cooperating with the Z-axis origin position photoelectric sensor and the Z-axis limit position photoelectric sensor; The sample aspiration needle comprises an inner needle tube, an outer needle tube sleeved outside the inner needle tube, an inner interface tube communicated with the inner needle tube, and an outer interface tube communicated with the outer needle tube.

2. The multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample suction needle and the waste liquid suction needle are sequentially arranged on the needle tube mounting plate along the X-axis.

3. The multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping claw is fixedly connected to the Z-axis slider and is located below the sample suction needle and the waste liquid suction needle.

4. The multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The clamping jaw comprises a connecting block fixedly connected to the Z-axis slider and two clamping blocks rotatably and symmetrically arranged on the connecting block, the front ends of the two clamping blocks are provided with two symmetrical clamping parts, and the rear ends of the two clamping blocks are connected with a compression spring.

5. The multifunctional sample loading mechanism for an immunoassay analyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The discard channel tube is fixedly connected to the bottom plate, and a discard hole for inserting a reaction cup is provided at the top of the discard channel tube.

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