Liquid transfer method and liquid transfer device

Abstract

The present invention provides a liquid transfer method and a liquid transfer device, belonging to the field of molecular diagnosis technology, a liquid transfer component and a carrier platform are movably arranged on a base, a plurality of liquid storage tanks and a sensing component are arranged on the carrier platform, and the method comprises: moving the sensing component to below the projection of the liquid transfer component, making the contact end of the liquid transfer component inductively contact with the sensing component, and recording the contact position as the initial position; moving the liquid storage tank to below the projection of the liquid transfer component, determining the first height according to the preset height and the preset liquid transfer amount and descending, and the liquid transfer component absorbs the liquid in the liquid storage tank; controlling the liquid transfer component to rise, moving another liquid storage tank to below the projection of the liquid transfer component, releasing the liquid absorbed in the liquid transfer component into the liquid storage tank, and completing the quantitative transfer of liquid between the plurality of liquid storage tanks in sequence. By controlling the first height, the liquid transfer amount of the liquid transfer component can be accurately controlled. The liquid transfer component does not need to be specially made, and will not be disturbed by bubbles on the liquid surface, the liquid transfer error is small, and the cost is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of molecular diagnosis technology, in particular to a liquid transfer method and a liquid transfer device. Background Art

[0002] Nucleic acid is a biological macromolecule composed of many nucleotides and is one of the most basic substances of life. Nucleic acid is widely present in all animal and plant cells and microorganisms. Nucleic acid in organisms often combines with proteins to form nucleoproteins. Different nucleic acids have different chemical compositions and nucleotide arrangement orders.

[0003] Molecular diagnosis based on nucleic acid amplification is to detect the presence or absence of endogenous (genetic or variant) or exogenous (pathogen) target genes by specific amplification mediated by primers, thereby providing information and decision-making basis for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. It is mainly used in the fields of infectious disease diagnosis, blood screening, early auxiliary diagnosis of tumors, genetic disease diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis. The sample pretreatment process in molecular diagnosis is complex, requiring not only a precise temperature cycle control system, but also a precise pipetting system.

[0004] Currently, most molecular diagnostic equipment pipetting systems use a method where the pipette tip measures capacitance. The pipette tip is connected to a capacitance sensor, which measures the position of the liquid surface and calculates the volume of the transferred liquid.

[0005] This method has several disadvantages: the pipette tip needs to be specially made because it is connected to the capacitive sensor, which is costly and easily disturbed by bubbles on the liquid surface, causing errors in the judgment of the liquid level and leading to errors in the experiment; the need to use a capacitive sensor makes the measurement circuit more complicated. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid transfer method and a liquid transfer device, which can accurately control the preset liquid transfer volume of the liquid, and the liquid transfer component does not need to be specially made, and the cost is low.

[0007] The embodiment of the present invention is achieved as follows:

[0008] One aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid transfer method, wherein a liquid transfer component and a carrier are movably arranged on a base, and a plurality of liquid storage tanks and a sensing component are arranged on the carrier. The method comprises: controlling the plane movement of the carrier to move the sensing component below the projection of the liquid transfer component, controlling the liquid transfer component to descend, so that the contact end of the liquid transfer component is in inductive contact with the sensing component, and recording the contact position as the initial position;

[0009] Control the plane movement of the carrier platform to move one of the liquid storage tanks to below the projection of the pipetting component, determine the first height according to the preset height and the preset pipetting volume and descend, and the pipetting component absorbs the liquid in the liquid storage tank; control the pipetting component to rise, control the plane movement of the carrier platform to move another liquid storage tank to below the projection of the pipetting component, and release the liquid absorbed in the pipetting component into the liquid storage tank; control the plane movement of the carrier platform to move the sensing component to below the projection of the pipetting component, control the pipetting component to descend, make the contact end of the pipetting component inductively contact with the sensing component, and record the initial position.

[0010] Optionally, a positioning column is provided at the bottom of the liquid storage tank, and the end of the positioning column extends out of the hatch of the liquid storage tank. A calibration piece is provided on the base, and the calibration piece and the arrangement of the pipetting assembly on the base correspond to each other;

[0011] The method further comprises: controlling the plane movement of the carrier platform to move the sensing component below the projection of the pipetting component, lowering the pipetting component so that the contact end of the pipetting component is inductively contacted with the sensing component, and recording the contact position as the initial position. The method further comprises: obtaining the height of the positioning column extending out of the hatch of the liquid storage tank as the positioning height; controlling the calibration component to descend until the contact end of the calibration component is inductively contacted with the sensing component to obtain the initial height of the calibration component; calculating the difference between the initial height and the positioning height as a fixed value; obtaining the height of the positioning column, and calculating the sum of the positioning column height and the fixed value as the preset height.

[0012] Optionally, after obtaining the height of the positioning column and calculating the sum of the height of the positioning column and the fixed value as the preset height, the method further includes: removing the positioning column; removing the calibration piece and setting the pipetting assembly.

[0013] Optionally, the control of the plane movement of the carrier platform moves one of the liquid storage tanks to below the projection of the pipetting component, determines a first height according to a preset height and a preset pipetting volume and descends, and the pipetting component absorbs the liquid in the liquid storage tank, including: obtaining the initial height of the liquid level in the liquid storage tank; obtaining the liquid level height difference of the liquid corresponding to the preset pipetting volume; calculating the first height; wherein the first height = the preset height - the initial height of the liquid level + the liquid level height difference.

[0014] One aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a pipetting device, comprising a base, wherein a carrying platform and a pipetting assembly are respectively provided on the base, the carrying platform can move in a plane on the base, the pipetting assembly can move up and down on the base, the carrying platform is provided with a plurality of liquid storage tanks for carrying liquid, and the pipetting assembly is used for quantitative transfer of liquid between the plurality of liquid storage tanks; and further comprising a controller, wherein a sensing assembly is also provided on the carrying platform, the controller is electrically connected to the pipetting assembly and the sensing assembly, respectively, the sensing assembly is used for transmitting a trigger signal of sensing contact with the pipetting assembly to the controller, and the controller drives the pipetting assembly to move up and down and absorb and release the liquid according to a preset height and a preset pipetting volume of the pipetting device; wherein the pipetting assembly descends to a first height to absorb the liquid.

[0015] Optionally, the pipetting assembly includes a lifting slide rail arranged on the base and a first slide seat slidably connected to the lifting slide rail, a robotic arm is provided on the first slide seat, the robotic arm is connected to the first power assembly, the robotic arm also clamps a pipette gun, and the first power assembly and the pipette gun are both electrically connected to the controller.

[0016] Optionally, the sensing component includes a sensing rod disposed on the supporting platform, the sensing rod protruding from the supporting platform, the sensing rod being electrically connected to the controller, and the sensing rod being used to trigger the pipette to feed back a contact position signal of the pipette to the controller.

[0017] Optionally, the base is provided with a Y-axis slide rail, the Y-axis slide rail is provided with a second slide seat slidably connected to the Y-axis slide rail, the second slide seat is provided with an X-axis slide rail, and the support platform is slidably connected to the X-axis slide rail; it also includes a second power assembly connected to the second slide seat, and a third power assembly connected to the support platform, and the second power assembly and the third power assembly are electrically connected to the controller respectively.

[0018] Optionally, a plurality of limiting holes are provided on the supporting platform, and the liquid storage tank is arranged in the corresponding limiting holes.

[0019] Optionally, the first power assembly, the second power assembly and the third power assembly are all linear motors.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention include:

[0021] The pipetting method and the pipetting device provided by the embodiment of the present invention are characterized in that the pipetting component moves up and down along the Z-axis direction on the base to absorb the liquid in a certain liquid storage tank, and transfers the absorbed liquid to another liquid storage tank to complete the liquid transfer. The carrier moves on the base in the plane along the X-axis and Y-axis directions at the same time, so that the liquid storage tank moves to the bottom of the pipetting component, so that the pipetting component can absorb or release the liquid. The contact end of the pipetting component is inductively contacted with the sensing component, and the sensing component transmits the contact signal to the controller. The controller records the contact position as the initial position, and the controller controls the pipetting component to take the initial position as the starting point, and controls the pipetting component to descend to the first height, wherein the first height corresponds to the preset pipetting amount, and by controlling the first height, the pipetting amount of the pipetting component can be accurately controlled. Compared with the prior art, the corresponding relationship between the first height and the preset pipetting amount in this embodiment is achieved by controlling the first height, so that the pipetting component can accurately obtain the preset pipetting amount of liquid, so that the pipetting component does not need to be specially made, and will not be disturbed by bubbles on the liquid surface, the pipetting error is small, and the cost is low. Furthermore, the problem of using a capacitive sensor to obtain the amount of liquid transferred in the prior art, which makes the circuit complicated, is avoided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 One of the structural schematic diagrams of the liquid transfer device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 A second structural schematic diagram of a liquid transfer device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the initial position structure of a pipette gun of a pipetting device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 One of the flow charts of the liquid transfer method provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 The second flow chart of the liquid transfer method provided in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Icons: 11-support plate; 12-mechanical arm; 13-liquid storage tank; 14-carrying platform; 15-second power assembly; 16-base; 17-X-axis slide rail; 18-Y-axis slide rail; 19-sensing assembly; 191-sensing rod; 110-calibration piece; 111-first power assembly; 112-lifting slide rail; 113-photoelectric switch; 21-positioning column; 31-pipette tip; h-first height; h1-positioning column height; h2-reset height; h3-descending height; h4-initial height; h5-positioning height; h6-initial height of liquid level; xh-liquid level height difference; c-fixed value. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0030] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention claimed for protection, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0032] Embodiment 1

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 The present embodiment provides a pipetting device, including a base 16, on which a carrier platform 14 and a pipetting assembly are respectively provided, the carrier platform 14 can move in a plane on the base 16, the pipetting assembly can move up and down on the base 16, a plurality of liquid storage tanks 13 for carrying liquid are provided on the carrier platform 14, and the pipetting assembly is used for quantitative transfer of liquid between the plurality of liquid storage tanks 13; it also includes a controller (not shown in the figure), the controller is electrically connected to the pipetting assembly, a sensing assembly 19 is also provided on the carrier platform 14, the sensing assembly 19 is electrically connected to the controller, and is used to transmit a trigger signal of inductive contact with the pipetting assembly to the controller, and the controller drives the pipetting assembly to move up and down and absorb and release liquid through a preset height and a preset pipetting amount of the pipetting device, wherein the pipetting assembly descends to a first height h to absorb liquid.

[0034] The carrying platform 14 can move simultaneously along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction on the base 16. A support plate 11 is provided on the base 16. A pipetting component is provided on the support plate 11. The pipetting component can be lifted and moved along the Z-axis direction of the support plate 11 on the base 16. The controller is electrically connected to the power component and the pipetting component of the carrying platform 14 respectively, and is used to drive the carrying platform 14 to move on the base 16 and drive the pipetting component to lift and lower on the base 16.

[0035] The sensing component 19 is electrically connected to the controller. The sensing component 19 is used to trigger the pipetting component and transmit the trigger signal to the controller so that the controller records the initial position of the pipetting component. The controller drives the pipetting component to descend a first height h along the Z-axis direction to the liquid storage tank 13 to absorb liquid based on the preset height and preset pipetting volume of the pipetting device, starting from the initial position, to control the pipetting volume of the pipetting component.

[0036] In the liquid transfer device provided in this embodiment, the liquid transfer component moves up and down along the Z-axis direction on the base 16 to absorb the liquid in the liquid storage tank 13, and transfers the absorbed liquid to another liquid storage tank 13 to complete the liquid transfer. The carrier 14 moves on the base 16 along the X-axis and Y-axis directions at the same time, so that the liquid storage tank 13 moves to the bottom of the liquid transfer component, so that the liquid transfer component can absorb or release the liquid. The contact end of the liquid transfer component is inductively contacted with the sensing component 19, and the sensing component 19 transmits the contact signal to the controller. The controller records the contact position as the initial position, and the controller controls the liquid transfer component to take the initial position as the starting point, and controls the liquid transfer component to descend to the first height h, wherein the first height h corresponds to the preset liquid transfer amount, and by controlling the first height h, the liquid transfer amount of the liquid transfer component can be accurately controlled. Compared with the prior art, the corresponding relationship between the first height h and the preset liquid transfer amount in this embodiment is achieved by controlling the first height h, so that the liquid transfer component can accurately obtain the preset liquid transfer amount. In this way, the liquid transfer component does not need to be specially made, and will not be disturbed by bubbles on the liquid surface, the liquid transfer error is small, and the cost is low. Furthermore, the problem of using a capacitive sensor to obtain the amount of liquid transferred in the prior art, which makes the circuit complicated, is avoided.

[0037] Specifically, the liquid transfer assembly includes a lifting rail 112 disposed on the base 16 and a first slide seat slidably connected to the lifting rail 112. The first slide seat is provided with a mechanical arm 12, which is connected to the first power assembly 111. The mechanical arm 12 also holds a liquid transfer gun, and the end of the liquid transfer gun is provided with a Figure 3 The pipette tip 31, the first power assembly 111 and the pipette are all electrically connected to the controller.

[0038] The controller controls the pipette tip 31 to absorb and release liquid, the first power assembly 111 provides power for the robotic arm 12, the first power assembly 111 drives the robotic arm 12 to move, the robotic arm 12 drives the slide rail to move along the first slide seat, and the robotic arm 12 clamps the pipette so that the pipette tip 31 can move up and down along the Z-axis direction.

[0039] The sensing assembly 19 includes a sensing rod 191 disposed on the carrier 14 . The sensing rod 191 protrudes from the carrier 14 . The sensing rod 191 is electrically connected to the controller. The sensing rod 191 triggers the pipette tip 31 and feeds back a contact position signal of the pipette tip 31 to the controller.

[0040] The contact position is the initial position of the pipette tip 31. The controller controls the first power assembly 111 to drive the pipette tip 31 to descend a first height h along the Z-axis direction from the initial position to absorb liquid, so as to control the liquid transfer volume of the pipette assembly.

[0041] A Y-axis slide rail 18 is provided on the base 16, a second slide seat slidably connected to the Y-axis slide rail 18 is provided on the Y-axis slide rail 18, an X-axis slide rail 17 is provided on the second slide seat, and the support platform 14 is slidably connected to the X-axis slide rail 17; it also includes a second power assembly 15 connected to the second slide seat, and a third power assembly (not shown in the figure) connected to the support platform 14, and the second power assembly 15 and the third power assembly are electrically connected to the controller respectively.

[0042] The second power assembly 15 drives the second slide to move on the Y-axis slide rail 18 , and the third power assembly drives the carrier 14 to move on the X-axis slide rail 17 .

[0043] The controller controls the second power assembly 15 and the third power assembly to work in coordination with the first power assembly 111. The controller controls the carrier 14 to move to a corresponding position on the base 16, so that the liquid storage tank 13 moves to the bottom of the pipette tip 31 accordingly, and at the same time cooperates with the rise or fall of the pipette tip 31 to make the pipette tip 31 absorb liquid from the liquid storage tank 13 and transfer it to another liquid storage tank 13.

[0044] For example, the first power assembly 111, the second power assembly 15 and the third power assembly may all be cylinders, which are driven by the cylinders; the first power assembly 111, the second power assembly 15 and the third power assembly may all be linear motors, which drive the corresponding parts to move linearly.

[0045] In order to prevent the liquid storage tank 13 from shifting relative to the carrying platform 14 when the carrying platform 14 moves, and to prevent the liquid storage tank 13 from tipping over and causing the liquid inside to leak out, it is necessary to limit the liquid storage tank 13. A plurality of limiting holes are provided on the carrying platform 14, and the liquid storage tanks 13 are respectively arranged in the corresponding limiting holes to limit the liquid storage tank 13.

[0046] Each time the pipette tip 31 absorbs liquid, the controller controls it to descend a first height h from the initial position as the starting point, so that it can absorb a preset amount of liquid.

[0047] Among them, the first height h=preset height-initial liquid level height h6+liquid level height difference xh; the preset height is an inherent parameter of the pipetting device, and the initial liquid level height h6 and the liquid level height difference xh both correspond to the liquid volume.

[0048] Specifically, once the liquid storage tank 13 is manufactured, the volume of liquid in the liquid storage tank 13 corresponds to the height of the liquid storage tank 13. Each time the liquid is sucked, the user will predetermine the preset transfer volume, that is, the liquid volume, and each time the liquid is released, the amount of liquid released is equal to the amount of liquid sucked, that is, each time it is quantitative suction and quantitative release; in this way, after releasing liquid into a certain liquid storage tank 13, the liquid level height of the total amount of liquid in the liquid storage tank 13 and the liquid level height difference xh before and after the liquid is transferred can be known; after sucking liquid from a certain liquid storage tank 13, the liquid level height of the total amount of liquid in the liquid storage tank 13 and the liquid level height difference xh before and after the liquid is transferred can also be known.

[0049] The initial height h6 of the liquid level and the height difference xh of the liquid level can be obtained by the correspondence between the liquid volume and the height of the liquid storage tank 13. In this way, the first height h of the pipette tip 31 each descent is controlled.

[0050] Embodiment 2

[0051] Please refer to Figure 4 This embodiment provides a liquid transfer method, wherein a liquid transfer component and a carrier 14 are movably arranged on a base 16, and a plurality of liquid storage tanks 13 and a sensing component 19 are arranged on the carrier 14, and the method comprises:

[0052] S100: Control the plane movement of the carrier 14 to move the sensing component 19 below the projection of the pipetting component, control the pipetting component to descend, make the contact end of the pipetting component contact with the sensing component 19 by induction, and record the contact position as the initial position.

[0053] Specifically, the carrier platform 14 can move in a plane along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction on the base 16 at the same time, and the pipetting component can rise or fall along the Z-axis direction on the base 16 .

[0054] The supporting platform 14 is controlled to move in a plane on the base 16 so that the sensing component 19 on the supporting platform 14 is located below the projection of the pipetting component. The pipetting component is then controlled to descend so that the contact end of the pipetting component is inductively contacted with the sensing component 19. The sensing component 19 transmits a contact signal to the controller, and the controller records the contact position as the initial position.

[0055] S110: Control the plane movement of the carrier 14 to move a liquid storage tank 13 below the projection of the pipetting component, determine a first height h according to a preset height and a preset pipetting volume and descend, and the pipetting component absorbs the liquid in the liquid storage tank 13.

[0056] The height to which the pipetting component descends is a first height h, wherein the first height h is determined according to a preset height and a preset pipetting volume.

[0057] The preset pipetting volume is set according to demand, and then the preset pipetting volume is manually entered on the display screen of the controller. The controller will obtain the value of the preset pipetting volume. The preset pipetting volume corresponds to the liquid level difference before and after the liquid transfer in the liquid storage tank. The controller automatically calculates the liquid level difference corresponding to the preset pipetting volume based on the relationship between the liquid volume and the height of the liquid storage tank.

[0058] The preset height has been determined during system design and calibration and is recorded in the controller. It is an inherent parameter of the system and does not require manual input.

[0059] The controller calculates a first height h according to a preset height and a preset transfer volume, and controls the transfer component to descend to the first height h.

[0060] Furthermore, when the liquid transfer component descends to the first height h, it takes the initial position as a starting point and descends to the first height h along the Z-axis direction.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 2 , the first height h=preset height (positioning column height h1+fixed value c)-initial liquid level height h6+liquid level height difference xh.

[0062] S111: Obtaining the initial height h6 of the liquid level in the liquid storage tank 13.

[0063] Assume that the initial liquid level height of the liquid in the liquid storage tank 13 is at position A1, and the initial liquid level height h6 is the vertical distance between the bottom of the liquid storage tank 13 and the liquid surface.

[0064] The controller will automatically record the initial height h6 of the liquid level according to the preset pipetting volume of the liquid sucked into the liquid storage tank 13 each time and the corresponding preset pipetting volume of the liquid released into the liquid storage tank 13 each time to obtain the real-time initial height h6 of the liquid level in the liquid storage tank 13.

[0065] The liquid storage tank 13 of the present embodiment is irregular in shape, and the liquid level height corresponds to the liquid holding volume of the liquid storage tank 13. Of course, the liquid storage tank 13 can also be regular in shape, and its liquid level height corresponds to the liquid holding volume of the liquid storage tank 13.

[0066] S112: Obtain the liquid level height difference xh of the liquid corresponding to the preset pipetting volume.

[0067] The preset transfer volume is manually input into the controller as required, and the controller automatically calculates the liquid level height difference xh according to the preset transfer volume.

[0068] Assume that after the liquid transfer component absorbs the liquid in the liquid storage tank 13, the liquid level drops from position A1 to position A2, and the difference between the liquid level height at position A1 and the liquid level height at position A2 is the liquid level height difference xh.

[0069] The liquid level height difference xh can correspond to the liquid volume, that is, the amount of liquid absorbed or released by the pipetting component, which is also the corresponding preset pipetting volume. The controller automatically calculates the liquid level height difference xh based on the corresponding relationship between the preset pipetting volume and the liquid level height.

[0070] S113: Calculate the first height h; wherein, the first height h=preset height-initial height of liquid level h6+liquid level height difference xh.

[0071] According to the calculated first height h, the controller controls the pipetting component to descend the first height h, and the pipetting component can accurately absorb a preset pipetting volume corresponding to the first height h.

[0072] S120: Control the pipetting component to rise, control the carrier platform 14 to move in a plane, move another liquid storage tank to below the projection of the pipetting component, and release the liquid absorbed in the pipetting component into the liquid storage tank.

[0073] After the pipetting assembly absorbs the liquid in the liquid storage tank 13, the controller controls the pipetting assembly to rise and move out of the liquid storage tank 13. Then the carrier 14 is controlled to move in a plane so that another liquid storage tank on the carrier 14 is located below the projection of the pipetting assembly, and then the liquid absorbed by the pipetting assembly is released into the liquid storage tank 13.

[0074] The preset transfer volume corresponds to the first height h, so when the transfer assembly descends the first height h, the preset transfer volume of liquid is correspondingly absorbed. By controlling the first height h, the amount of liquid absorbed by the transfer assembly can be accurately controlled, that is, the transfer volume is controlled.

[0075] S130: Control the plane movement of the carrier platform to move the sensing component to below the projection of the pipetting component, control the pipetting component to descend, make the contact end of the pipetting component inductively contact with the sensing component, and record the initial position.

[0076] Return to step S100, repeat the cycle repeatedly to complete the quantitative transfer of liquid between the multiple liquid storage tanks in sequence.

[0077] When it is necessary to absorb the liquid in a certain liquid storage tank again, the contact end of the pipetting component must first be brought into contact with the sensing component, the initial position must be recorded, and the initial position must be used as the starting point. According to the preset height and the preset pipetting volume, the pipetting component must be lowered to the corresponding first height to absorb the preset pipetting volume of liquid. This cycle is repeated to complete the quantitative transfer of liquid between multiple liquid storage tanks in turn.

[0078] The present embodiment provides a pipetting method in which the pipetting component absorbs the liquid in a liquid storage tank 13 and transfers the absorbed liquid to another liquid storage tank 13 to complete the sampling and transfer of the liquid. The contact end of the pipetting component is inductively contacted with the sensing component 19, and the contact position is recorded as the initial position. With the initial position as the starting point, the pipetting component is controlled to descend to a first height h, and the first height h corresponds to a preset pipetting volume. By controlling the first height h, the pipetting volume of the pipetting component can be accurately controlled. Compared with the prior art, the present embodiment uses the correspondence between the first height h and the pipetting volume, and by controlling the first height h, the pipetting component can accurately obtain the pipetting volume. In this way, the pipetting component does not need to be specially made, and is not disturbed by bubbles on the liquid surface, with small errors and low costs. In addition, the problem of using a capacitive sensor to obtain the pipetting volume in the prior art, which makes the circuit complicated, is avoided.

[0079] It should be noted that before the above-mentioned step S100, the method of this embodiment also includes calibration. This embodiment uses the calibration component 110 to pre-calibrate the device before the device leaves the factory, obtains the preset height and records it in the controller, so that the preset height becomes a system-specific parameter, and then leaves the factory for customer use.

[0080] The preset height of each device is different. The preset height detection and calibration must be carried out before the device leaves the factory. Each device only needs to be tested before leaving the factory. Customers do not need to measure the preset height again after leaving the factory.

[0081] Specifically, the calibration requires the use of a calibration piece 110 and a positioning column 21. The calibration piece 110 and the pipette gun of the pipetting assembly are arranged on the base 16 in a corresponding manner. The pipette gun and the calibration piece 110 are arranged at corresponding positions on the base 16, and the two can be replaced with each other in different testing and working periods. That is, in the calibration stage, the pipette gun is replaced with the calibration piece 110, and the preset height of the device is calibrated by the calibration piece 110; in the finished product use stage, the calibration piece 110 is replaced with the pipette gun, and the liquid is sucked and transferred by the pipette gun head 31.

[0082] In fact, before the device leaves the factory, after the device is calibrated by the calibration piece 110, the calibration piece 110 has been replaced by the liquid transfer assembly, and the customer can directly use the liquid transfer assembly.

[0083] The calibration process is as follows: a positioning column 21 is provided at the bottom of the liquid storage tank 13, the end of the positioning column 21 extends out of the hatch of the liquid storage tank 13, a calibration piece 110 is provided on the base 16, and the calibration piece 110 and the arrangement of the pipetting assembly on the base 16 correspond to each other.

[0084] Please refer to Figure 5 , S100-1: Obtain the height of the positioning column 21 extending out of the hatch of the liquid storage tank 13 as the positioning height h5.

[0085] The positioning height h5 can be measured by measuring the vertical distance between the end of the positioning column 21 extending out of the hatch of the liquid storage tank 13 and the hatch of the liquid storage tank 13 to obtain the positioning height h5.

[0086] S100 - 2 : Control the calibration piece 110 to descend until the contact end of the calibration piece 110 makes inductive contact with the sensing component 19 , and obtain an initial height h4 of the calibration piece 110 .

[0087] S100-3: Calculate the difference between the initial height h4 and the positioning height h5 as the fixed value c.

[0088] The initial height h4 is the distance between the hatch of the liquid storage tank 13 and the sensing end of the sensing rod 191 of the sensing component 19, and the initial height h4 is a certain value.

[0089] The calculation process of the initial height h4 is as follows: measure the vertical distance between the port of the hatch of the liquid storage tank 13 and the contact end of the calibration piece 110, that is, the reset height h2. A photoelectric switch 113 is provided on the base 16, and the calibration piece 110 can move up and down along the Z-axis direction on the base 16. When the calibration piece 110 rises to the reset position, it triggers the photoelectric switch 113, and the photoelectric switch 113 transmits the signal of the position to the controller. The controller records the position and controls the calibration piece 110 to stop moving at this position, which is called reset. That is, the calibration piece 110 stops rising when it rises to the reset position. Then the calibration piece 110 drops from this position until it triggers the sensing component 19, so that the sensing component 19 generates a sensing signal and sends it to the controller. The controller obtains the sensing signal, and the controller obtains the distance between the calibration piece 110 dropping from the reset position to the contact end of the sensing component 19, that is, the drop height h3. By calculating the reset height h2-drop height h3, the initial height h4 can be obtained. Thus, the fixed value c is calculated.

[0090] S100-4: Obtain the height h1 of the positioning column, and calculate the sum of the fixed value c and the height h1 of the positioning column as the preset height.

[0091] It can be seen that once the device is finalized, the preset height is a fixed value, and the preset height is recorded in the controller as an inherent parameter of the device. Then the positioning column 21 is removed, the calibration piece 110 is removed and the position of the calibration piece 110 is replaced by the pipette tip 31, and then shipped out of the factory for customer use.

[0092] It should be noted that the ports of the multiple liquid storage tanks are all located in the same plane, so the parameters of the multiple liquid storage tanks are the same, and it is only necessary to set the positioning column in one of the liquid storage tanks for calibration. When taking liquid from other liquid storage tanks, the first height corresponding to the preset transfer volume is descended from the initial position to obtain the preset transfer volume of liquid, thereby achieving quantitative transfer.

[0093] Meanwhile, the preset movement amount for sucking the liquid each time may not be equal, but each preset movement amount corresponds to a first height.

[0094] The following uses nucleic acid samples as an example to illustrate the use of the present pipetting device:

[0095] The carrier 14 is provided with a plurality of liquid storage chambers 13, which are respectively a reagent chamber for storing nucleic acid samples, a reaction chamber for reacting with nucleic acid samples, and a waste liquid chamber for storing reaction waste liquid. Granular magnetic beads are provided in the reaction chamber for reacting with liquid nucleic acid samples.

[0096] First, the pipette tip 31 contacts the sensing component 19, and the controller records the contact position as the initial position.

[0097] The reagent chamber moves to below the pipette tip 31, and the pipette tip 31 descends to a first height h from the initial position. The first height h is determined according to a preset height and a preset pipetting volume of the nucleic acid sample to be drawn from the reagent chamber.

[0098] After suction, the pipette tip 31 rises and moves out of the reagent chamber, and then the reaction chamber is moved to the bottom of the pipette tip 31. The pipette tip 31 releases the sucked nucleic acid sample into the reaction chamber, and the nucleic acid sample reacts with the magnetic beads in the reaction chamber, generating waste liquid after the reaction.

[0099] The reaction time is preset. After the reaction is completed, the controller controls the pipette tip 31 to re-contact the sensing component 19 according to the reaction time, calibrates the initial position again, and then moves the reaction chamber to the bottom of the pipette tip 31. The pipette tip 31 descends to the corresponding first height h according to the preset pipetting volume of the waste liquid, and absorbs a certain amount of waste liquid in the reaction chamber.

[0100] After the absorption, the pipette tip 31 rises and moves out of the reaction chamber, and then the waste liquid chamber moves to the bottom of the pipette tip 31, and the pipette tip 31 releases the absorbed waste liquid into the waste liquid chamber.

[0101] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid transfer method, characterized in that: The liquid transfer component and the carrier are movably arranged on the base, and the carrier is provided with a plurality of liquid storage tanks and a sensing component. The method comprises: Control the plane movement of the carrier platform to move the sensing component below the projection of the pipetting component, control the pipetting component to descend, make the contact end of the pipetting component inductively contact with the sensing component, and record the contact position as the initial position; Control the plane movement of the carrier platform to move one of the liquid storage tanks to below the projection of the pipetting assembly, determine a first height according to a preset height and a preset pipetting volume and then descend, and the pipetting assembly absorbs the liquid in the liquid storage tank; Control the pipetting assembly to rise, control the plane movement of the carrier platform, move another liquid storage tank to below the projection of the pipetting assembly, and release the liquid absorbed in the pipetting assembly into the liquid storage tank; Control the plane movement of the carrier platform to move the sensing component below the projection of the pipetting component, control the pipetting component to descend, make the contact end of the pipetting component inductively contact with the sensing component, and record the initial position; A positioning column is arranged at the bottom of the liquid storage tank, and the end of the positioning column extends out of the hatch of the liquid storage tank. A calibration piece is arranged on the base, and the calibration piece and the arrangement of the pipetting assembly on the base correspond to each other; Before controlling the plane movement of the carrier platform to move the sensing component below the projection of the pipetting component, lowering the pipetting component so that the contact end of the pipetting component is inductively contacted with the sensing component, and recording the contact position as the initial position, the method further includes: Obtaining the height of the positioning column extending out of the hatch of the liquid storage tank as the positioning height; Controlling the calibration piece to descend until the contact end of the calibration piece is in inductive contact with the sensing component to obtain an initial height of the calibration piece; Calculate the difference between the initial height and the positioning height as a fixed value; The height of the positioning column is obtained, and the sum of the height of the positioning column and the fixed value is calculated as the preset height.

2. The liquid transfer method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After obtaining the height of the positioning column and calculating the sum of the height of the positioning column and the fixed value as the preset height, the method further includes: removing the positioning column; Remove the calibration piece and set up the pipetting assembly.

3. The liquid transfer method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controlling the plane movement of the carrier platform to move one of the liquid storage tanks to below the projection of the pipetting assembly, determining a first height according to a preset height and a preset pipetting amount and descending, and the pipetting assembly absorbing the liquid in the liquid storage tank comprises: Obtaining an initial height of the liquid level in the liquid storage tank; Obtaining a liquid level height difference of the liquid corresponding to the preset pipetting amount; Calculate the first height; wherein, the first height = the preset height - the initial height of the liquid level + the liquid level height difference.

4. A liquid transfer device, applied to the liquid transfer method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It comprises a base, on which a carrying platform and a liquid transfer assembly are respectively provided, the carrying platform can move in a plane on the base, the liquid transfer assembly can move up and down on the base, the carrying platform is provided with a plurality of liquid storage tanks for carrying liquid, and the liquid transfer assembly is used for quantitative transfer of liquid between the plurality of liquid storage tanks; It also includes a controller, and the support platform is also provided with a sensing component. The controller is electrically connected to the pipetting component and the sensing component respectively. The sensing component is used to transmit a trigger signal of inductive contact with the pipetting component to the controller. The controller drives the pipetting component to move up and down and absorb and release the liquid through a preset height and a preset pipetting volume of the pipetting device; wherein the pipetting component descends to a first height to absorb the liquid.

5. The liquid transfer device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pipetting assembly includes a lifting slide rail arranged on the base and a first slide seat slidably connected to the lifting slide rail. A mechanical arm is provided on the first slide seat. The mechanical arm is connected to the first power assembly. The mechanical arm also clamps a pipette gun. The first power assembly and the pipette gun are both electrically connected to the controller.

6. The liquid transfer device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sensing component includes a sensing rod disposed on the supporting platform, the sensing rod protrudes from the supporting platform, the sensing rod is electrically connected to the controller, and the sensing rod is used to trigger the pipette to feed back a contact position signal of the pipette to the controller.

7. The liquid transfer device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The base is provided with a Y-axis slide rail, the Y-axis slide rail is provided with a second slide seat slidably connected to the Y-axis slide rail, the second slide seat is provided with an X-axis slide rail, and the bearing platform is slidably connected to the X-axis slide rail; It also includes a second power assembly connected to the second slide seat, and a third power assembly connected to the support platform, and the second power assembly and the third power assembly are electrically connected to the controller respectively.

8. The liquid transfer device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bearing platform is provided with a plurality of limiting holes, and the liquid storage tank is arranged in the corresponding limiting holes.

9. The liquid transfer device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first power assembly, the second power assembly and the third power assembly are all linear motors.

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