Culture medium dispenser

Abstract

The invention discloses a culture medium dispensing instrument, which solves the problems of low manual dispensing efficiency, high labor intensity, poor consistency of finished products, low dispensing precision and the like. The technical scheme comprises a culture dish storage component, which is provided with N (N≧2) storage spaces, wherein empty culture dishes are stored in one-to-one correspondence in the storage spaces, and at most N-1 (N≧2) storage spaces can be filled with empty culture dishes; a culture dish sorting component, which is used to sort out the empty culture dishes stored in the culture dish storage component; a culture dish dispensing component, which is configured to dispense culture medium into the empty culture dishes sorted out by the culture dish sorting component; the entire dispensing process is completed by the culture dish storage component, the culture dish sorting component and the culture dish dispensing component on the culture medium dispensing instrument, and does not require manual operation, thereby reducing the labor intensity of the operator and improving the dispensing efficiency and dispensing precision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a culture medium dispensing instrument, belonging to the field of culture medium dispensing equipment. Background Art

[0002] The culture medium dispensing instrument is a necessary device in drug screening and microbial culture medium. In order to obtain good drug ingredients and clarify the effects of drugs on microorganisms, it is necessary to carry out high-throughput drug-microorganism interaction experiments. For the culture medium dispensing process, it is mainly divided into three steps, namely, culture dish sorting, culture dish dispensing and finished product collection. First, sort out the empty culture dish, then place the hole culture dish in the culture medium filling place, dispense the culture medium into the empty culture dish, and then collect the culture dish filled with the culture medium. The whole process, the three actions are indispensable. The traditional working method is mainly to manually dispense the culture medium into the culture dish and then collect it, which has a large workload, low work efficiency and high labor intensity. At the same time, due to the low precision of manual control, it often leads to poor consistency of the finished product and insufficient dispensing accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary to use an automated device-the culture medium dispensing instrument to achieve dispensing, and efficiently dispense a large number of culture media into the culture dish, while reducing the labor intensity of the operator, improving the dispensing efficiency and dispensing accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a culture medium dispensing device that can efficiently dispense a large amount of culture medium into culture dishes, reduce labor intensity and improve dispensing efficiency and dispensing accuracy. To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a culture medium dispensing device, comprising:

[0004] The culture dish storage component is provided with N (N≧2) storage spaces, wherein the storage spaces are provided with empty culture dishes in a one-to-one correspondence, and the empty culture dishes can be filled with at most N-1 (N≧2) storage spaces;

[0005] A culture dish sorting component, used for sorting out empty culture dishes stored in the culture dish storage assembly;

[0006] The culture dish dispensing component is configured to dispense culture medium into the empty culture dishes sorted out by the culture dish sorting component.

[0007] Furthermore, the culture dish storage assembly is provided with 9 storage spaces, the empty culture dishes can fill up to 8 storage spaces, and the 9 storage spaces are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction around the vertical center line of the culture dish storage assembly;

[0008] The culture dish storage assembly is connected to a motor, and the motor drives the culture dish storage assembly to rotate freely around the axis of the culture dish storage assembly.

[0009] Furthermore, the culture dish sorting component includes a lifting component and a tray matching the storage space, and the lifting component drives the tray to move up and down;

[0010] The tray corresponds to one of the storage spaces up and down, and the tray is configured to bring the empty culture dish to the culture dish dispensing assembly, or bring the packed culture dish to the storage space;

[0011] A diffuse reflection sensor is arranged on the tray, and the diffuse reflection sensor is configured to monitor whether the empty culture dish is placed in the storage space.

[0012] Furthermore, the culture dish sorting component further comprises a support plate, and a sorting opening matching the empty culture dish is provided on the support plate;

[0013] A baffle is installed on the support plate, and the baffle is configured to seal or open the sorting port. Two baffles are provided, and the two baffles are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the sorting port along the sorting port diameter line;

[0014] A push rod is installed on the support plate, and the push rod is configured to clamp or loosen the empty culture dish. Two push rods are provided, and the two push rods are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the sorting port along the sorting port diameter line;

[0015] The support plate is provided with a brake device for driving the baffle plate and the push rod to move. The brake device comprises a first cylinder and a second cylinder. The first cylinder is connected to the baffle plate, and the second cylinder is connected to the push rod.

[0016] Furthermore, a groove is provided on the support plate, the first cylinder and the baffle are both arranged in the groove, and the top surface of the baffle and the highest point of the first cylinder are coplanar with the top surface of the support plate.

[0017] Furthermore, the culture dish packaging assembly comprises:

[0018] A dispensing turntable, the dispensing turntable is provided with a plurality of empty slots matching the empty culture dishes, the plurality of empty slots being evenly arranged in a circumferential direction around an axis of the dispensing turntable;

[0019] A motor, wherein the motor can drive the dispensing turntable to rotate around the axis of the dispensing turntable;

[0020] A cover-lifting assembly, used to connect with the cover of the empty culture dish and the cover of the packed culture dish, and configured to drive the cover to open the empty culture dish or close the packed culture dish;

[0021] The filling component is used to add culture medium into the empty culture dish.

[0022] Furthermore, the cover-opening assembly includes a third cylinder, and the third cylinder is cooperatively connected with a vacuum suction cup for sucking the dish cover;

[0023] The third cylinder is installed in a vertical direction and is configured to drive the vacuum suction cup to move up and down.

[0024] Further, the filling assembly includes a filling rod, the filling rod is connected to a peristaltic pump through a silicone tube, and the peristaltic pump is configured to inject the culture medium into the empty culture dish;

[0025] The filling rod is connected to a swing cylinder, and the swing cylinder is configured to drive the filling rod to extend directly above the empty culture dish.

[0026] Furthermore, the number of empty slots on the dispensing tray is set to 3;

[0027] After the empty culture dish is filled with culture medium at the culture medium filling assembly, the workstation it is in is the filling workstation. At this time, another empty slot on the filling plate is located directly below the sorting port.

[0028] Furthermore, a mounting hole is provided on the support plate, and the filling assembly is detachably fixedly mounted on the support plate through the mounting hole;

[0029] The mounting hole is designed to be elliptical or track-shaped, and the filling assembly can adjust the installation position of the filling assembly along the length direction of the mounting hole.

[0030] The culture medium filling instrument described in the present invention can place empty culture dishes on the culture dish storage component, and then sort out the empty culture dishes through the culture dish sorting component and transfer them to the filling plate, the filling plate rotates to transfer the empty culture dishes to the filling station, the culture dish filling component fills the culture medium into the empty culture dishes, and then the filling turntable rotates to transfer the culture dishes filled with culture medium to the tray, and the tray transfers the culture dishes filled with culture medium to the culture dish storage component. The whole action does not require manual operation, reduces labor intensity and improves the work efficiency of culture medium filling, and avoids the problem of low culture medium filling accuracy due to manual operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Hereinafter, some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments in a non-limiting manner. The same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0032] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the culture medium dispensing instrument of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the lifting component and the tray in the culture medium dispensing instrument of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of a support plate in the culture medium dispensing instrument of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a cover-lifting component of a culture medium dispensing device of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 A is a partial enlarged view of the culture medium dispensing device of the present invention.

[0037] Among them, 1. Culture dish storage component; 1a. Storage space; 2. Tray; 3. Diffuse reflection sensor; 4. Lifting component; 5. Support plate; 5a. Groove; 5b. Mounting hole; 6. Sorting port; 7. Baffle; 8. Push rod; 9. First cylinder; 10. Second cylinder; 11. Packing turntable; 11a. Empty slot; 12. Third cylinder; 13. Vacuum suction cup; 14. Filling rod; 15. Peristaltic pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the following will refer to Figures 1 to 5 The culture medium dispensing instrument of the present invention is specifically described.

[0039] A culture medium dispensing device comprises a culture dish storage component 1, a culture dish sorting component and a culture dish dispensing component. The culture dish storage component 1 is used to store empty culture dishes and / or culture dishes filled with culture dishes; the culture dish sorting component is used to sort out the empty culture dishes in the culture dish storage component 1 and then transfer them to the culture dish dispensing component; the culture dish dispensing component fills the culture dishes into the empty culture dishes, thereby completing the dispensing of the empty culture dishes.

[0040] The culture dish storage assembly 1 includes N storage spaces 1a (N≧2), wherein each of N-1 storage spaces 1a contains an empty culture dish, and the remaining storage space 1a is empty without a culture dish. The preferred embodiment of the present invention is N=9, that is, a maximum of 8 storage spaces 1a can be filled with empty culture dishes. The 9 storage spaces 1a are evenly arranged circumferentially around the vertical center line of the culture dish storage assembly 1, and the 9 storage spaces 1a are all circular, and the 9 storage spaces 1a are evenly arranged circumferentially to form a circle. The culture dish storage assembly 1 is connected to a motor (not shown in the figure), which can drive the culture dish storage assembly 1 to rotate around its own axis, thereby changing the position of each storage space 1a.

[0041] The culture dish sorting component includes a lifting component 4 and a tray 2. The lifting component 4 includes a bracket and a lifting cylinder installed on the bracket. The tray 2 is connected to the lifting cylinder, and the lifting cylinder can drive the tray 2 to move up and down. The tray 2 is set to be circular, and the diameter of the tray 2 matches the diameter of the storage space 1a, and the tray 2 always corresponds to one of the storage spaces 1a coaxially up and down. A diffuse reflection sensor 3 is installed on the top of the tray 2 to detect whether there is a culture dish in the storage space 1a corresponding to the tray 2. If there is no culture dish in the storage space 1a above the detection tray 2, the motor drives the culture dish storage component 1 to continue to rotate, so that another storage space 1a in the culture dish storage component 1 is opposite to the tray 2. If there is a culture dish in the storage space 1a above the detection tray 2, the culture dish storage component 1 stops rotating, and the culture dish sorting component transmits the culture dish to the culture dish subassembly component.

[0042] Furthermore, the culture dish sorting component also includes a support plate 5, on which a sorting port 6 is provided. When the tray 2 moves up and down, it passes through the sorting port 6 without being blocked by the support plate 5. A baffle 7 is installed on the support plate 5. When the tray 2 is located below the support plate 5, the baffle 7 blocks the sorting port 6. When the tray 2 rises to hold the culture dish, the baffle 7 opens the sorting port 6. Two baffles 7 are provided, which are symmetrically installed on both sides of the sorting port 6 along the diameter of the sorting port 6. In order to facilitate the movement of the baffles 7, each baffle 7 is connected to a first cylinder 9, which drives the two baffles 7 to open or close the sorting port 6.

[0043] When the tray 2 holds the culture dish in the culture dish storage assembly 1, the culture dish needs to be clamped and transferred to the culture dish dispensing assembly. A further embodiment of the present invention is that a push rod 8 is provided on the support plate 5, and two push rods 8 are provided. The two push rods 8 are used to clamp the culture dish. Each push rod 8 is controlled by a cylinder and connected to the second cylinder 10. The second cylinder 10 controls the two push rods 8 to clamp or release the culture dish. The baffle 7, the push rod 8, the first cylinder 9 and the second cylinder 10 can be directly installed on the support plate 5. The present invention is preferably provided with a groove 5a on the support plate 5, and the baffle 7, the push rod 8, the first cylinder 9 and the second cylinder 10 are all arranged in the groove 5a, and will not protrude from the upper surface of the support plate 5 to affect the rotation of the culture dish storage assembly 1 above the support plate 5.

[0044] When sorting the culture dishes, the first cylinder 9 drives the baffle plate 7 to open the sorting port 6 on the support plate 5, and the lifting assembly 4 drives the tray 2 to rise and seal the sorting port 6. When the diffuse reflection sensor 3 on the tray 2 detects that there is no culture dish in the storage space 1a, the culture dish storage assembly 1 continues to rotate to the next storage space 1a and aligns with the tray 2 under the drive of the motor. When the diffuse reflection sensor 3 on the tray 2 detects that there is an empty culture dish in the storage space 1a, the culture dish storage assembly 1 stops rotating. At this time, the empty culture dish is facing the sorting port 6, and then the lifting assembly 4 drives the tray 2 to descend to the height of a culture dish. At this time, the empty culture dish descends together with the tray 2. After descending to the height of a culture dish, the second cylinder 10 works to drive the push rod 8 to be pushed out. The two push rods 8 clamp the culture dish above the empty culture dish. Then the tray 2 drives the empty culture dish to descend to the bottom. The empty culture dish falls into one of the empty slots 11a on the dispensing turntable 11. Then the baffle 7 is closed under the drive of the first cylinder 9 to seal the sorting port 6. The push rod 8 is retracted. At this time, the culture dish storage assembly 1 continues to rotate freely, and the sorting work of the culture dishes is completed.

[0045] The empty culture dish that enters the empty slot 11a rotates to the packaging station with the packaging turntable 11. At this time, it is necessary to ensure that another empty slot 11a on the packaging turntable 11 is aligned with the sorting port 6. Therefore, the present invention preferably has three empty slots 11a on the packaging turntable 11. When the empty culture dish falls into one of the empty slots 11a, the packaging turntable 11 rotates 120 degrees clockwise to the packaging station. At this time, another empty slot 11a on the packaging turntable 11 is aligned with the sorting port 6, so as to prepare for the sorting of the second empty culture dish. In order to save working time and improve working efficiency, the present invention is further configured so that the packaging of the first empty culture dish and the sorting of the second culture dish are carried out simultaneously. For the empty culture dish at the filling station, the culture dish filling assembly of the invention includes a motor, a cover assembly and a filling assembly. The cover assembly includes a third cylinder 12, which is installed in a vertical direction and is connected to a vacuum suction cup 13. The third cylinder 12 drives the vacuum suction cup 13 to move downward, and the vacuum suction cup 13 sucks the dish cover of the empty culture dish and then moves upward, thereby realizing the filling of the culture dish; the filling assembly includes a filling rod 14, and the filling rod 14 is connected to a swing cylinder (not shown in the figure), and the filling rod 14 is connected to a peristaltic pump 15 through a silicone tube. The specific implementation method of culture medium filling is: after the cover assembly realizes the cover-lifting action, the swing cylinder drives the filling rod 14 to extend directly above the culture dish, and the filling head is connected to the peristaltic pump 15. The peristaltic pump 15 starts to work and pumps a certain amount of culture medium into the culture dish, and then the swing cylinder returns to its position, and the culture dish is covered with a lid. At this time, the filling of the culture medium is completed.

[0046] When the packaging of the culture medium is completed, the culture dishes filled with the culture medium need to be collected in the culture dish storage component 1. At this time, the packaging turntable 11 continues to rotate clockwise until the culture dishes filled with the culture medium are aligned with the sorting port 6. At this time, the baffle 7 is in a closed state to block the sorting port 6. The culture dish storage component 1 is rotated until the storage space 1a where no empty culture dishes are stored is aligned with the sorting port 6. Then the culture dish storage component 1 stops rotating, the lifting component 4 rises, and the tray 2 drives the culture dish filled with the culture medium to move upward. It stops moving when the top of the culture dish just touches the bottom of the baffle 7. Then the baffle 7 is opened, and the tray 2 continues to drive the culture dish to rise to the storage height of the culture dish. Then the culture dish storage component 1 rotates to align the next empty culture dish that needs to be sorted with the sorting port 6 for sorting.

[0047] After the above work is completed, the whole machine completes a cycle, and the cycle is repeated in sequence. The spaces for storing finished products are gradually filled, and all empty culture dishes are sorted out and can be used to store finished products. When all empty culture dishes are filled with culture media and collected in the culture dish storage component 1, all the packaging work is completed.

[0048] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, any improvements and modifications made without departing from the principle of the present invention should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A culture medium dispensing device, characterized in that: include: The culture dish storage component is provided with N storage spaces, N≧2, the storage spaces are one-to-one correspondingly stored with empty culture dishes, and the empty culture dishes can be filled with N-1 storage spaces at most, wherein N≧2; A culture dish sorting component, used for sorting out empty culture dishes stored in the culture dish storage assembly; a culture dish dispensing component configured to dispense culture medium into the empty culture dishes sorted out by the culture dish sorting component; The culture dish sorting component includes a lifting component and a tray matching the storage space, and the lifting component drives the tray to move up and down; The tray corresponds to one of the storage spaces up and down, and the tray is configured to bring the empty culture dish to the culture dish dispensing assembly, or bring the packed culture dish to the storage space; A diffuse reflection sensor is provided on the tray, and the diffuse reflection sensor is configured to monitor whether the empty culture dish is placed in the storage space; The culture dish sorting component also includes a support plate, and a sorting port matching the empty culture dish is provided on the support plate; A baffle is installed on the support plate, and the baffle is configured to seal or open the sorting port. Two baffles are provided, and the two baffles are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the sorting port along the sorting port diameter line; A push rod is installed on the support plate, and the push rod is configured to clamp or loosen the empty culture dish. Two push rods are provided, and the two push rods are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the sorting port along the sorting port diameter line; The support plate is provided with a brake device for driving the baffle plate and the push rod to move, the brake device comprising a first cylinder and a second cylinder, the first cylinder is cooperatively connected with the baffle plate, and the second cylinder is cooperatively connected with the push rod; The support plate is provided with a groove, the first cylinder and the baffle are both arranged in the groove, and the top surface of the baffle and the highest point of the first cylinder are coplanar with the top surface of the support plate; The culture dish subassembly assembly comprises: A dispensing turntable, the dispensing turntable is provided with a plurality of empty slots matching the empty culture dishes, the plurality of empty slots being evenly arranged in a circumferential direction around an axis of the dispensing turntable; A motor, wherein the motor can drive the dispensing turntable to rotate around the axis of the dispensing turntable; A cover-lifting assembly, used to connect with the cover of the empty culture dish and the cover of the packed culture dish, and configured to drive the cover to open the empty culture dish or close the packed culture dish; The filling component is used to add culture medium into the empty culture dish.

2. The culture medium dispensing instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The culture dish storage assembly is provided with 9 storage spaces, and the empty culture dishes can be filled with a maximum of 8 storage spaces, and the 9 storage spaces are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction around the vertical center line of the culture dish storage assembly; The culture dish storage assembly is connected to a motor, and the motor drives the culture dish storage assembly to rotate freely around the axis of the culture dish storage assembly.

3. The culture medium dispensing instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lid-lifting assembly comprises a third cylinder, and the third cylinder is connected with a vacuum suction cup for sucking the dish cover; The third cylinder is installed in a vertical direction and is configured to drive the vacuum suction cup to move up and down.

4. The culture medium dispensing instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The filling assembly includes a filling rod, the filling rod is connected to a peristaltic pump through a silicone tube, and the peristaltic pump is configured to inject culture medium into the empty culture dish; The filling rod is connected to a swing cylinder, and the swing cylinder is configured to drive the filling rod to extend directly above the empty culture dish.

5. The culture medium dispensing instrument according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of empty slots on the dispensing turntable is set to 3; After the empty culture dish is filled with culture medium at the culture medium filling assembly, the workstation it is located at is the filling workstation. At this time, another empty slot on the filling turntable is located directly below the sorting port.

6. The culture medium dispensing instrument according to claim 4, characterized in that: The support plate is provided with a mounting hole, and the filling assembly is detachably fixedly mounted on the support plate through the mounting hole; The mounting hole is designed to be elliptical or track-shaped, and the filling assembly can adjust the installation position of the filling assembly along the length direction of the mounting hole.

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