A kind of well plate sample adding auxiliary device

Abstract

The invention relates to a well plate sample loading auxiliary device, which comprises a base, a positioning cavity for placing and positioning the well plate is formed on the base, and the sample loading auxiliary device also comprises a marking mechanism which is arranged on the base and can mark each well on the well plate after the well plate is placed in the positioning cavity, and the marking mechanism comprises a prompter for prompting an operator and a drive control system for controlling the prompter to generate prompt information; the well plate sample loading auxiliary device of the invention can enable an operator to quickly and accurately add samples to the well plate, improve the sample loading efficiency, and greatly reduce the probability of sample loading errors; when adding samples, wells that do not need to be operated temporarily can be covered by an opaque shielding curtain, so as to reduce the risk of contamination, reduce the light exposure time of reagents in the wells, and improve the success rate of the experiment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a well plate sample adding auxiliary device. Background Art

[0002] In experiments such as biology, medicine, and pharmacy, when it is necessary to process and detect multiple samples or culture multiple cell samples at the same time, various specifications of multi-well plates (referred to as well plates) are often used, such as 6-well plates, 12-well plates, 24-well plates, 48-well plates, 96-well plates, and even 384-well plates. For example, fluorescent quantitative PCR is often used to detect gene expression or mutations. The PCR reaction of this method is usually performed on a 96-well plate or a 384-well plate. When using cells for drug screening or related research, 96-well plates or 384-well plates are often used to increase experimental throughput. When detecting pathogens or disease marker proteins, the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) method, which is often used, also requires the use of 96-well plates. There are many other scenarios for the use of well plates, which are not listed here one by one.

[0003] The overall size of the well plates currently used in the market has a universal specification (about 12.5cm×8.5cm), the difference is that as the number of wells increases, the size of the wells becomes smaller accordingly. Each well on the well plate is independent and different samples and / or cells can be added separately. In this way, multiple samples or cells can be made with one well plate at the same time, without having to use a separate test tube or plate for each sample or cell, which greatly facilitates operation and management. However, when the number of samples or cells is large and a 48-, 96- or even 384-well plate is required, it is difficult for the experimenter to find the well he wants at once when loading the sample due to the large number of wells on the plate, the dense arrangement, and the small size of each well. Especially when several different samples or reagents need to be added to each well, each well needs to be loaded multiple times, all wells are loaded once, and then loaded again, and many samples or reagents are colorless and transparent, which makes it easier to add the wrong well, miss the well, or repeat the well because the correct well cannot be found. In order to solve this problem, the well plates currently on the market are marked with numbers and letters on the edge, and the experimenter can determine the coordinates of the wells by numbers and letters, such as row E, column 8, row D, column 7, etc. However, since the numbers and letters are marked on the edge of the well plate, it is difficult for the experimenter to quickly locate the wells far from the edge of the well plate, and the work efficiency is still limited, and sometimes even irreparable losses may be caused due to sample addition errors.

[0004] In addition, when adding samples, all the wells on the plate are open. If the operation takes a long time, some wells on the plate are easily contaminated and cause the experiment to fail. If the wells that do not need to be operated can be covered at any time during the addition process, the risk of contamination will be greatly reduced. Moreover, the reagents used in some experiments (such as fluorescent quantitative PCR) are light-sensitive. If they are exposed to light for too long, their performance will be reduced. It is required to avoid light as much as possible or shorten the operation time. However, this requirement is difficult to meet under current conditions. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a well plate sample adding auxiliary device.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A well plate loading auxiliary device, the loading auxiliary device comprises a base, a positioning cavity for placing and positioning the well plate is formed on the base, the loading auxiliary device also comprises an identification mechanism arranged on the base and capable of identifying each well on the well plate after the well plate is placed in the positioning cavity, the identification mechanism comprises a prompter for prompting an operator, and a drive control system for controlling the prompter to generate prompt information.

[0008] Preferably, the prompt information of the prompter is light.

[0009] Preferably, the reminder is composed of a light indicator having a plurality of bright light areas spaced in sequence along the length or width direction of the positioning cavity, the light indicator is electrically connected to the drive control system, and the light indicator is movable along the length or width direction of the positioning cavity.

[0010] Preferably, the drive control system includes a control component and a drive component, the drive component is used to drive the light indicator to move along the length or width direction of the positioning cavity, and the control component is used to control the action of the drive component and control each bright light area on the light indicator to light up independently for prompting.

[0011] Preferably, the driving assembly includes a driving motor that provides power for the movement of the light indicator and a driving assembly that drives the light indicator to move.

[0012] Preferably, two drive motors are provided, and the two drive motors are respectively located on both sides of the cover plate in the length direction of the positioning cavity, and the cover plate is provided with a through groove in the area between the two drive motors. The driving component includes a first roller and a second roller respectively connected to the power output shafts of the drive motors on both sides, and a belt-shaped component connected between the first roller and the second roller, and a light indicator is arranged on the belt-shaped component.

[0013] Preferably, the sample loading auxiliary device further comprises a shielding curtain for shielding the holes on the well plate.

[0014] Preferably, the strip-shaped component is formed by a shielding curtain, the light indicator is arranged on the shielding curtain, and a hollow area is provided in a region of the shielding curtain located on one side of the light indicator.

[0015] Preferably, the control component includes a control box, a controller arranged in the control box, and control buttons arranged on the panel of the control box, and the control buttons include a first button and a second button for controlling a drive motor to move the light indicator left and right, and a third button and a fourth button for controlling and lighting up each bright light area on the light indicator in sequence.

[0016] Preferably, the sample loading auxiliary device further comprises a cover plate rotatably connected to the base.

[0017] Due to the implementation of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0018] The well plate sample loading auxiliary device of the present invention can enable operators to quickly and accurately load samples into the well plate, thereby improving the loading efficiency and greatly reducing the probability of loading errors; when loading samples, wells that do not need to be operated temporarily can be covered by an opaque shielding curtain, thereby reducing the risk of contamination, reducing the exposure time of reagents in the wells to light, and improving the success rate of the experiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the top view of the sample adding auxiliary device of the present invention after the orifice plate is installed (the cover plate is covered on the base):

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the top view of the sample loading auxiliary device of the present invention after the orifice plate is installed (the cover is open);

[0021] Among them: 10, base; 20, cover plate; 300, drive motor; 301, first roller; 302, second roller; 31, shielding curtain; 310, hollow area; 32, light indicator; 331, first button; 332, second button; 333, third button; 334, fourth button; 40, well plate; 400, sample adding hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, a sample loading auxiliary device for a well plate 40 includes a base 10 and a cover plate 20 rotatably connected to the base 10. A positioning cavity for placing and positioning the well plate 40 is formed on the base 10. The sample loading auxiliary device also includes an identification mechanism arranged on the base 10 and capable of identifying each hole on the well plate 40 after the well plate 40 is placed in the positioning cavity. The identification mechanism includes a prompter for prompting an operator (the prompter's prompt information is light) and a drive control system for controlling the prompter to generate prompt information.

[0024] Specifically, the indicator is composed of a light indicator 32, which has a plurality of light areas spaced in sequence along the width direction of the positioning cavity (each light area corresponds to each hole in a row of holes on the orifice plate 40), the light indicator 32 is electrically connected to the drive control system, and the light indicator 32 is movable along the length direction of the positioning cavity. The light indicator 32 is composed of an indicator screen, and each light area can be set in the shape of letters, numbers or arrows. Of course, the light indicator 32 can also be composed of a plurality of light bulbs spaced in sequence, or other devices that can emit light.

[0025] In this example, the drive control system includes a control component and a drive component. The drive component is used to drive the light indicator 32 to move along the length direction of the positioning cavity. The control component is used to control the action of the drive component and control each bright area on the light indicator 32 to light up independently for prompting.

[0026] The driving assembly includes a driving motor 300 that provides power for the movement of the light indicator 32 and a driving assembly that drives the movement of the light indicator 32. Two driving motors 300 are provided, and the two driving motors 300 are respectively located on both sides of the cover plate 20 in the length direction of the positioning cavity (the two driving motors 300 can be the two sides of the inner surface of the cover plate 20, or the two sides of the outer surface of the cover plate 20), and the cover plate 20 is provided with a through groove in the area between the two driving motors 300, and the through groove avoids the entire covering area of ​​the shade curtain. The motor, the shade curtain, the light indicator, etc. are arranged on the cover plate 20, so that after opening the cover plate 20, the positioning cavity on the base is completely exposed to the operator's field of vision, so that the orifice plate 40 can be directly placed in the positioning cavity, and the cover plate 20 can be closed again to perform related operations. The driving assembly includes a first roller 301 and a second roller 302 connected to the power output shafts of the driving motor 300 on both sides, a belt-shaped component connected between the first roller 301 and the second roller 302, a light indicator 32 is arranged on the belt-shaped component, and the belt-shaped component is composed of a shielding curtain 31, and the shielding curtain 31 is used to shield the holes on the orifice plate 40. The light indicator 32 is arranged on the shielding curtain 31, and a hollow area 310 is opened on the side area of ​​the shielding curtain 31 located on the light indicator 32. The first roller 301 and the second roller 302 realize the left and right movement of the light indicator 32 and the hollow area 310 on the shielding curtain 31 by one winding up the shielding curtain 31 and the other unwinding the shielding curtain 31. The hollow area 310 is located on the side of the light indicator 32, so when the shielding curtain 31 moves and drives the hollow area 310 and the light indicator 32 to move, the light indicator 32 can prompt at the nearest position of any column of sample wells 400 exposed from the hollow area 310.

[0027] The control component includes a control box arranged on the outer surface of the cover, a controller arranged in the control box, and control buttons arranged on the panel of the control box. The control buttons include a first button 331 and a second button 332 for controlling the drive motor 300 to move the light indicator 32 left and right, and a third button 333 and a fourth button 334 for controlling and lighting up the bright light areas on the light indicator 32 in sequence.

[0028] By pressing the first button 331 or the second button 332 once, the driving motor 300 drives the light indicator 32 and the hollow area 310 on the shielding curtain 31 to move one grid to the left or right, that is, to switch to the sample loading hole 400 in another column of the well plate 40. By pressing the third button 333 or the fourth button 334 once, the bright light areas on the light indicator 32 can be lit up in turn. When one bright light area is lit up, the previous bright light area will be extinguished.

[0029] The method of using the well plate 40 sample loading auxiliary device provided by the present invention in conjunction with the well plate 40 in experiments such as biology, medicine and pharmacy is briefly described as follows (taking a 96-well plate 40 as an example):

[0030] First, open the cover plate 20 of the sample loading auxiliary device, put the 96-well plate 40 (with 8 rows and 12 columns for a total of 96 wells) into the base 10, and then close the cover plate 20. At this time, the shielding curtain 31 and the light indicator 32 on the cover plate 20 are located above the well plate, and then turn on the power switch to set the working mode of the controller to the 96-well plate 40. At this time, the driving motor 300 runs, driving the shielding curtain 31 to move, so that the hollow area 310 on the shielding curtain 31 is located above the first column of wells. At this time, the position corresponding to the first row of holes on the light indicator 32 lights up, indicating the position of the first row and first column of holes, and the sample can be added to the first row and first column of holes. After the sample is added, press the downward direction key (fourth button 334) to make the bright light area on the side of the position corresponding to the second row of holes on the light indicator 32 light up, and then the second hole can be added, and repeat until all the holes in the first column are added; press the right direction key (second button 332) to make the motor work, so that the hollow area 310 on the shielding curtain 31 moves to the top of the second column of holes, so that the sample can be added to the second column of holes, and the above operation is repeated until the sample is added to the entire well plate 40. If a key press error is encountered during the operation, the error operation can be restored by pressing the upward direction key (third button 333) and the left direction key (first button 331).

[0031] In summary, the orifice plate sample loading auxiliary device of the present invention can enable operators to quickly and accurately load samples into the orifice plate with its assistance, improve the loading efficiency, and greatly reduce the probability of loading errors; when loading samples, only the column of holes being operated is open, and other holes that do not need to be operated temporarily can be covered by opaque shielding curtains, which reduces the possibility of pollutants falling into, reduces the risk of contamination, reduces the exposure time of samples and reagents in the holes, improves the success rate of experiments, and helps to obtain reliable experimental results more quickly. Since orifice plates are widely used in experiments in biology, medicine, pharmacy, etc., the present invention has high use value and economic value.

[0032] The above detailed description of the present invention is intended to enable persons familiar with the art to understand the contents of the present invention and implement them. It does not limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sample loading auxiliary device for a well plate, characterized in that: The sample adding auxiliary device comprises: A base, wherein a positioning cavity for placing and positioning the orifice plate is formed on the base; A cover plate, the cover plate being rotatably connected to the base; A driving assembly, the driving assembly comprising a driving motor and a driving assembly, the number of the driving motors being two, the two driving motors being respectively located on both sides of the cover plate in the length direction of the positioning cavity, and the cover plate being provided with a through slot in the area between the two driving motors, the driving assembly comprising a first roller and a second roller respectively connected to the power output shafts of the driving motors on both sides, and a shielding curtain connected between the first roller and the second roller for shielding the sample loading holes on the orifice plate, one of the first roller and the second roller being used for winding up the shielding curtain, and the other being used for unwinding the shielding curtain, the through slot avoiding the entire shielding curtain coverage area, the shielding curtain being provided with a hollow area for exposing a column of sample loading holes, and the hollow area extending along the width direction of the positioning cavity; A light indicator, the light indicator is arranged on the shielding curtain, the hollow area is located on the side of the light indicator, the light indicator extends along the width direction of the positioning cavity, and the light indicator has a plurality of bright light areas distributed in sequence along the width direction of the positioning cavity; A control component, the control component includes a control box arranged on the outer surface of the cover plate, a controller arranged in the control box, and control buttons arranged on the panel of the control box, the control buttons include a first button and a second button for controlling the drive motor to drive the blackout curtain to move left and right and thus move the hollow area and the light indicator left and right, and a third button and a fourth button for controlling and lighting up the bright light areas on the light indicator in sequence.

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