A magnetic bead analysis cup, a cup grasping system, a coagulation analyzer, and a cup grasping method

Abstract

The present invention is applicable to the technical field of medical devices, and provides a magnetic bead analysis cup, a cup grasping system, a coagulation analyzer, and a cup grasping method. The magnetic bead analysis cup is used for a cup grasping system that cooperates with an optical cup, and includes a cup body. An arc-shaped track for allowing magnetically drivable particles to roll back and forth is provided at the bottom of the cup body. A to-be-clamped portion for the cup grasping system to grasp is provided on the cup body. The to-be-clamped portion includes a protruding portion adapted to the grasping portion of the cup grasping system. The magnetic bead analysis cup provided by the present invention can be adapted to the same set of cup grasping system as the optical cup, omits the cup grasping system of the original magnetic bead analysis cup, simplifies the structure of the coagulation analyzer, reduces the control complexity of the cup grasping system, and thus reduces the failure rate. In addition, the magnetic bead analysis cup has a low production cost, is easier to process and produce, and can be mass-produced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly relates to a magnetic bead analysis cup, a cup grasping system, a coagulation analyzer, and a cup grasping method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of medical devices and biotechnology, the basic theory of hemostasis and thrombosis and its applications have made increasing progress, and automated coagulation analyzers have developed rapidly and been applied to the diagnosis and treatment process.

[0003] In the magnetic bead method and optical method of coagulation testing, the optical method is the current market mainstream. However, when testing coagulation items, when there are interfering substances such as hemolysis, jaundice, and blood lipids in the sample, it will affect the measurement results of the optical method. The magnetic bead method uses magnetic force to drive a demagnetized steel bead to move in the sample. When the sample coagulates, the movement of the demagnetized steel bead gradually stops. The coagulation time is calculated by receiving the movement of the demagnetized steel bead through a steel bead particle displacement sensing device, thus avoiding the optical interference of hemolysis, jaundice, and blood lipids on coagulation detection.

[0004] In existing coagulation analyzers with both optical and magnetic bead methods, most tests are completed using the optical method, retaining the characteristics of low cost, high precision, and high reliability of optical method instruments, greatly improving the economy of testing; a small number of interfering samples are tested using the magnetic bead method, taking into account the anti-interference advantage of the magnetic bead method. However, since the bottom of the magnetic bead analysis cup is provided with a slideway with a certain stroke for the magnetic bead to move back and forth, the overall size of the magnetic bead analysis cup varies greatly. The optical analysis cup does not contain particles and only needs to have a light-transmitting function. In the case where the magnetic bead analysis cup needs to have both a slideway function while the optical analysis cup only needs to be light-transmitting, the overall size of the cup bodies of the two is quite different, and they have different geometric structure characteristics. It is necessary to design two independent cup grasping systems in a coagulation analyzer with both optical and magnetic bead methods that respectively match the optical method magnetic bead cup and the magnetic bead analysis cup, greatly increasing the structural complexity of the instrument, and at the same time increasing the complexity of the cup grasping control process of the cup grasping system, with a high failure rate, reducing the practicality of the coagulation analyzer with both optical and magnetic bead methods, and at the same time the two cup grasping systems are prone to interference with each other. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a magnetic bead analysis cup, aiming to solve the technical problems in the related art that a coagulation analyzer with both optical and magnetic bead methods needs to independently set two sets of cup grasping systems, resulting in an increase in the structural complexity of the instrument, complex control, high failure rate, and the two sets of cup grasping systems being prone to interference with each other.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention is implemented as follows. A magnetic bead analysis cup is a cup grasping system for use in conjunction with an optical cup. The magnetic bead analysis cup includes a cup body. The bottom of the cup body is provided with an arc-shaped track for magnetically drivable particles to roll back and forth. The cup body is provided with a to-be-clamped portion for the cup grasping system to grasp. The to-be-clamped portion includes a protruding portion adapted to the grasping portion of the cup grasping system.

[0007] Further, the protruding portion is provided on one side or opposite sides of the cup wall of the cup body and protrudes from the cup wall of the cup body. The protruding portion has an arc-shaped structure.

[0008] Further, the protruding portion is provided at the top of the cup body. The protruding portion is a hollow cylinder. The outer side surface of the cylinder is an arc surface. The bottom of the cylinder is communicated with the cup body.

[0009] Further, the to-be-clamped portion further includes a flange provided on the protruding portion.

[0010] Further, the cup body is in a square flat shape. The cup wall of the cup body and the side surface of the slideway along the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction of the drivable particles are both smoothly transitioned with arc surfaces.

[0011] Further, the magnetic bead analysis cup further includes magnetically drivable particles.

[0012] Further, the to-be-clamped portion is provided with limit blocks on opposite sides of the protruding portion. The limit blocks are abutted against the grasping portion of the grasping system when the cup grasping system grasps the protruding portion.

[0013] The present invention also provides a cup grasping system, including the aforementioned magnetic bead analysis cup, optical cup, and a gripper mechanism. The gripper mechanism can grasp the magnetic bead analysis cup or the optical cup.

[0014] Further, the gripper mechanism includes a mounting member, grasping fingers movably disposed relative to the mounting member, and an elastic member connecting the grasping fingers. The oppositely arranged grasping fingers form a grasping portion for grasping the protruding portion. The elastic member provides a tightening pre-tension force to the oppositely arranged grasping fingers.

[0015] Further, the to-be-clamped portion includes arc-shaped protruding portions provided on one side or opposite sides of the cup wall of the cup body. A flange is provided outside the protruding portion. The grasping fingers are provided with slots matching the flange;

[0016] Alternatively, the to-be-clamped portion includes a hollow cylinder provided at the top of the cup body. The outer side surface of the cylinder is an arc surface. The bottom of the cylinder is integrally connected to the cup mouth of the cup body. A flange is provided outside the cylinder. The grasping fingers are provided with slots matching the flange.

[0017] The present invention also provides a coagulation analyzer, including the aforementioned cup grasping system.

[0018] The present invention also provides a cup grasping method, applied to the aforementioned cup grasping system, which is characterized by including the following steps:

[0019] S1: The gripper mechanism grabs the magnetic bead analysis cup / optical cup.

[0020] S2: The driving device drives the gripper mechanism to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup / optical cup to move to the incubation position of the coagulation analyzer to incubate the sample in the magnetic bead analysis cup / optical cup.

[0021] S3: The driving device of the cup gripper system drives the gripper mechanism to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup / optical cup to move from the incubation position to the test reagent loading position of the coagulation analyzer, and the reagent loading module of the coagulation analyzer loads the test reagent into the magnetic bead analysis cup / optical cup.

[0022] S4: The mixing mechanism of the cup gripper system mixes the liquid in the magnetic bead analysis cup or the optical cup.

[0023] S5: The driving device drives the gripper mechanism to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup / optical cup to move from the incubation position to the measurement position of the coagulation analyzer to measure the liquid in the analysis cup.

[0024] S6: The driving device drives the gripper mechanism to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup / optical cup to move from the measurement position to the waste cup position to discard the magnetic bead analysis cup / optical cup.

[0025] The beneficial effects achieved by the present invention: By providing a to-be-clamped part on the cup body of the magnetic bead analysis cup that is adapted to the cup gripper system of the optical cup, the purpose of being able to adapt to the same set of cup gripper system as the optical cup is achieved, the cup gripper system of the original magnetic bead analysis cup is omitted, the structure of the coagulation analyzer is simplified, the control complexity of the cup gripper system is reduced, and thus the failure rate is reduced; in addition, the magnetic bead analysis cup has a low production cost, is easier to process and produce, and can be mass-produced. Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the magnetic bead analysis cup provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the magnetic bead analysis cup provided by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the magnetic bead analysis cup provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the cup gripper system of the coagulation analyzer provided by the present invention when grabbing the magnetic bead analysis cup;

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the cup gripper system of the coagulation analyzer provided by the present invention when grabbing the optical cup;

[0031] Figure 6It is a schematic structural diagram of the gripper mechanism of the cup-gripping system of the coagulation analyzer provided by the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0032] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0033] For existing magnetic bead analysis cups, since arc tracks for driving particles to roll back and forth by magnetic force need to be provided, the size and structure of magnetic bead analysis cups are set to be larger and more complex compared with optical cups. For optical cups, since only the light-transmitting function needs to be satisfied, the size and shape are set to be small and simple. Existing coagulation analyzers have both magnetic bead method and optical method analysis functions, so two sets of independent cup-gripping systems are set up to adapt to optical cups and magnetic bead analysis cups respectively. However, setting two sets of cup-gripping systems greatly increases the structural complexity of the instrument, and at the same time increases the complexity of the cup-gripping control process of the cup-gripping system, with a high failure rate, reducing the practicability of the coagulation analyzer with both optical method and magnetic bead method. At the same time, the two sets of cup-gripping systems are prone to interference with each other. The present invention provides a magnetic bead analysis cup, which can adapt to the same set of cup-gripping systems as optical cups by improving the structure of the magnetic bead analysis cup, omitting the cup-gripping system of the original magnetic bead analysis cup, simplifying the structure of the coagulation analyzer, and reducing the control complexity of the cup-gripping system, thereby reducing the failure rate.

[0034] Embodiment 1

[0035] See Figure 4-5 , the present invention provides a coagulation analyzer, including a cup-gripping system 100. Among them, the cup-gripping system 100 includes a magnetic bead analysis cup 10, an optical cup 20, and a gripper mechanism 30. The gripper mechanism 30 can grip the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20.

[0036] The coagulation analyzer provided by the present invention has both magnetic bead method and optical method analysis. This coagulation analyzer only needs to set up a set of cup-gripping system 100 to achieve gripping the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20. The control process of the cup-gripping system 100 is simple, the overall structure of the instrument is simple, and the volume is small and compact.

[0037] Embodiment 2

[0038] See Figure 6The gripping mechanism 30 includes a mounting member 301, a gripping finger 302 movably arranged relative to the mounting member 301, and an elastic member 303 connecting the gripping finger 302. The gripping fingers 302 arranged relatively to each other form a gripping portion for gripping the following protrusion, and the elastic member 303 provides a tightening pre-tightening force to the gripping fingers 302 arranged relatively to each other. Two gripping fingers 302 are arranged opposite to each other to form a gripping part to grip the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20. The gripping fingers 302 are connected to each other through an elastic member 303, so that the gripping fingers 302 are in a tightened state before the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20 is not gripped. When the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20 needs to be gripped, the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20 is inserted between the gripping fingers 302 arranged opposite to each other to stretch the gripping fingers 302. Under the action of the elastic member 303, the gripping fingers 302 are retracted to grip the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20. With this design of the gripping mechanism 30, it is extremely convenient for the gripping mechanism 30 to grip the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20 or take out the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20. The rotatable connection between the gripping fingers 302 and the mounting member 301 can be hinged, and the elastic member 303 can be a coil spring.

[0039] Furthermore, the gripping finger 302 is provided with a slot 3021 matching the flange 122 described below. The gripping finger 302 is provided with a slot 3021 matching the flange 122 described below. When the gripping finger 302 grabs the magnetic bead analysis cup 10, the flange 122 can be snapped into the slot 3021, thus ensuring that the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 will not fall off during the movement of the gripping mechanism 30 while grabbing the magnetic bead analysis cup 10.

[0040] Embodiment 3

[0041] See also Figure 1-3 The magnetic bead analysis cup 10 includes a cup body 1, the bottom of the cup body 1 is provided with an arc path 11 for magnetic force to drive particles to roll back and forth, the cup body 1 is provided with a to-be-clamped portion 12 for being grasped by a gripper mechanism 30 of a gripping cup system 100, and the to-be-clamped portion 12 includes a protrusion 121 adapted to the gripping portion of the above-mentioned gripping cup system.

[0042] An arc channel 11 is provided at the bottom of the cup body 1 for magnetic beads to drive particles to roll within the arc channel 11 during the use of the magnetic bead analysis cup 10, so as to realize the analysis of the sample. A portion 12 to be clamped is provided on the cup body 1 for the gripper mechanism 30 of the cup gripping system 100 to grip. The portion 12 to be clamped can be independently provided and is not limited to the cup body of the magnetic bead analysis cup. Further, the portion 12 to be clamped is provided with a protruding portion 121 adapted to the gripping portion of the cup gripping system. Since the portion 12 to be clamped is independently provided with respect to the cup body of the magnetic bead analysis cup 10, the size and shape of the protruding portion 121 can be made similar to or the same as the size and shape of the optical cup, so that the cup gripping system 100 for gripping the optical cup 20 can grip both the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 and the optical cup 20, eliminating the original cup gripping system of the magnetic bead analysis cup 10, simplifying the structure of the coagulation analyzer, reducing the control complexity of the cup gripping system, and thus reducing the failure rate.

[0043] A magnetic bead analysis cup provided by the present invention. For the technical problem to be solved, the technical solution provided by the present invention improves the structure of the magnetic bead analysis cup 10. Compared with the way of improving the structure of the cup gripping system to adapt to the optical cup 20 and the magnetic bead analysis cup 10, the solution adopted by the present invention has a low production cost of the magnetic bead analysis cup, is easier to process and produce, and can be mass-produced. However, improving the cup gripping system is more likely to lead to a more complex structure, a low matching degree, and is more likely to cause problems such as poor cup gripping stability and easy cup dropping during the cup gripping movement.

[0044] Embodiment 4

[0045] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the protruding portion 121 is provided on one side or opposite sides of the cup wall of the cup body 1, and the protruding portion 121 is an arc surface structure. Further, the protruding portion 121 is provided in the middle of the cup wall of the cup body (such as Figure 2 ), or can be provided at the upper part of the cup body 1 and extend to the cup mouth of the cup body (such as Figure 1 ). The protruding portion 121 is provided on opposite sides of the cup body 1, which is convenient for the cup gripping system 100 to grip in actual production, and reduces the positioning difficulty of the cup gripping system 100 when gripping the magnetic bead analysis cup 10.

[0046] Embodiment 5

[0047] See Figure 3 , as an alternative embodiment of Embodiment 4, the protruding portion 121 can be provided on the top of the cup body 1. The protruding portion 121 is a hollow cylinder, the outer side surface of the cylinder is an arc surface, and the bottom of the cylinder is connected to the cup body 1.

[0048] In Embodiment 4 and Embodiment 5, the side surfaces of the protruding parts are both arc-shaped structures. Correspondingly, the cup wall of the optical cup 20 can also adopt an arc-shaped structure. In this way, when the protruding part 112 or the optical cup 20 is snapped into the grasping part formed by the above-mentioned grasping fingers 302, it is ensured that the grasping fingers 302 can firmly grasp the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20. In addition, the arc-shaped structure is the most concise in geometric shape, which is convenient for production and mass production.

[0049] Embodiment 6

[0050] Furthermore, the part to be clamped 12 further includes a flange 122 disposed outside the protruding part 121. By providing the flange 122, when the cup grasping system 100 grasps the magnetic bead analysis cup 10, the flange 122 cooperates with the above-mentioned card slot 3021, so that the cup grasping system 100 can grasp the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 more firmly.

[0051] It should be noted that the cup body of the optical cup 20 is also provided with a cup rim that matches the card slot 3021 of the grasping fingers 302.

[0052] Embodiment 7

[0053] Furthermore, the cup body 1 is in a square flat shape, and the cup wall of the cup body 1 and the side surfaces of the arc channels 11 along the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction of the drivable particles are both smoothly transitioned with arc surfaces. The cup body 1 is in a square flat shape, so that during the use of the magnetic bead analysis cup, the use of reagents can be reduced, the waste of reagents can be avoided, and the cost can be saved. The cup wall of the cup body 1 and the opposite sides of the arc channels 11 along the direction of the rolling of the magnetically drivable particles are both smoothly transitioned with arc surfaces, which further saves the internal space of the magnetic bead analysis cup 10, thereby further saving the reagent dosage.

[0054] In this embodiment, the magnetic bead analysis cups 10 are all made of solid materials, including but not limited to plastics, glass, quartz, metals, etc.

[0055] Embodiment 8

[0056] Furthermore, the magnetic bead analysis cup provided by the present invention may further include magnetically drivable particles. During use, magnetic rods are arranged on both sides corresponding to the two ends of the arc channel 11 of the magnetic bead analysis cup. The magnetically drivable particles are placed in the magnetic bead analysis cup 10, and under the action of the magnetic rods, the magnetically drivable particles roll back and forth in the arc channel 11, so as to obtain the movement trend of the magnetically drivable particles to analyze the concentration of the sample.

[0057] Embodiment 9

[0058] See Figure 1, on the basis of Embodiment 4 and Embodiment 5, further, the to-be-clamped part 12 is provided with limiting blocks 123 on opposite sides of the protruding part 121, and the limiting blocks 123 are abutted against the grasping part of the grasping system when the cup grasping system grasps the protruding part 121. Since the protruding part 121 is an arc surface, when the grasping part of the gripper system grasps the protruding part 121, the rotation and sliding along the outer wall affect the grasping stability. Therefore, limiting blocks 123 are arranged at both ends of the gripper rotation direction of the protruding part 121 to block the rotational movement of the grasping part (i.e., the above-mentioned grasping finger 302), and improve the firmness of the grasping part for grasping the magnetic bead analysis cup 10.

[0059] Embodiment 10

[0060] The present invention also provides a cup grasping method, which is applied to the aforementioned cup grasping system, and includes the following steps:

[0061] S1: The gripper mechanism 30 of the cup grasping system 100 grasps the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20;

[0062] S2: The driving device 40 drives the gripper mechanism 30 to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20 to move to the incubation position of the coagulation analyzer to incubate the sample in the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20;

[0063] S3: The driving device 40 of the cup grasping system 100 drives the gripper mechanism 30 to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20 to move from the incubation position to the test reagent loading position of the coagulation analyzer, and the reagent loading module of the coagulation analyzer loads the test reagent into the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20;

[0064] S4: The mixing mechanism 50 of the cup grasping system 100 mixes the liquid in the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20;

[0065] S5: The driving device 40 drives the gripper mechanism 30 to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20 to move from the incubation position to the measurement position of the coagulation analyzer to measure the liquid in the analysis cup;

[0066] S6: The driving device 40 drives the gripper mechanism 30 to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20 to move from the measurement position to the waste cup position to discard the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20.

[0067] Among them, in step S1, the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20 grasped by the gripper mechanism 30 may be pre-loaded with a sample; or, after the gripper mechanism 30 grasps an empty magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20, a sample is loaded into the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20.

[0068] After step S1, before the sample is moved to the incubation position for incubation, if other reagents, such as diluents, need to be added to the sample in the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 / optical cup 20, then step S3 is also executed after step S1, and then steps S2 - S6 are executed.

[0069] When the cup-grabbing method provided by the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned cup-grabbing system 100, the control of the cup-grabbing system 100 is extremely simple. Only by means of a set of cup-grabbing system 100 can the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20 be grabbed, simplifying the structure of the coagulation analyzer and reducing the control failure rate of the cup-grabbing system 100.

[0070] It should be noted that the driving device 40 includes driving components such as electric, pneumatic, and hydraulic ones. The driving device 40 is used to drive the gripper mechanism 30 to drive the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20 to move to the designated position of the coagulation analyzer. The designated position includes but is not limited to the grasping position, incubation position, measurement position, reagent loading position, and cup-discarding position of the magnetic bead analysis cup 10 or the optical cup 20 mentioned in the above method. The way the driving device 40 drives the gripper mechanism 30 to move is selected from including but not limited to planar motion, vertical motion, three-dimensional motion, rotational motion, etc.; the mixing mechanism 50 includes but is not limited to mixing methods such as bubbling, stirring, ultrasonic, and vibration that have been publicly used in the industry. In addition, the gripper mechanism 30, the driving device 40, and the mixing mechanism 50 are all automatically controlled by the control device of the coagulation analyzer. The control device includes a combinational logic controller or a microprogram controller that controls the gripper mechanism 30, the driving device 40, and the mixing mechanism 50 to execute actions according to instructions.

[0071] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A magnetic bead analysis cup, adapted to be compatible with the cup-gripping system of an optical cup, characterized in that, The magnetic bead analysis cup includes a cup body. An arc-shaped track for magnetically driven particles to roll back and forth is provided at the bottom of the cup body. A clamping portion to be grabbed by the cup-grabbing system is provided on the cup body. The clamping portion includes a protruding portion adapted to the grabbing portion of the cup-grabbing system. The protruding portion is provided on one side of the cup wall of the cup body or on opposite sides of the cup wall. The protruding portion has an arc-shaped structure. The protruding portion is a hollow cylinder. The outer side surface of the cylinder is an arc surface. The bottom of the cylinder is integrally connected and communicated with the cup mouth of the cup body. The protruding portion is provided in the middle of the cup wall of the cup body or is provided at the upper part of the cup body and extends to the cup mouth of the cup body. The cup body is in a square and flat shape. The cup wall of the cup body and the side surface of the slideway perpendicular to the rolling direction of the drivable particles are both smoothly transitioned with arc surfaces.

2. The magnetic bead analysis cup according to claim 1, wherein, The clamping portion further includes a flange provided on the protruding portion.

3. The magnetic bead analysis cup according to claim 1, wherein The magnetic bead analysis cup further includes magnetically drivable particles.

4. The magnetic bead analysis cup according to claim 1, characterized in that, Limit blocks are provided on opposite sides of the protruding portion of the clamping portion. The limit blocks are in contact with the grabbing portion of the cup-grabbing system when the cup-grabbing system grabs the protruding portion.

5. A cup-gripping system of a coagulation analyzer, characterized in that, It includes the magnetic bead analysis cup according to any one of claims 1-4, an optical cup, and a gripper mechanism. The gripper mechanism can grab both the magnetic bead analysis cup and the optical cup.

6. The coagulation analyzer according to claim 5, wherein, The gripper mechanism includes a mounting member, grabbing fingers movably provided relative to the mounting member, and an elastic member connecting the grabbing fingers. The relatively arranged grabbing fingers form a grabbing portion for grabbing the protruding portion. The elastic member provides a tightening pre-tension force to the relatively arranged grabbing fingers.

7. The coagulation analyzer according to claim 6, wherein A flange is provided outside the protruding portion. The grabbing fingers are provided with clamping grooves matching the flange.

8. A coagulation analyzer, characterized in that, It includes the cup-grabbing system according to any one of claims 5-7.

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