Microcolumn gel card, sample loading mechanism and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a microcolumn gel card, a sample loading mechanism and a method, wherein the microcolumn gel card comprises a fixed plate and a plurality of tube columns arranged and fixed by the fixed plate, the plurality of tube columns being fixed on both sides of the fixed plate respectively, and the tube columns located on both sides of the fixed plate are staggered, and any tube column comprises a sample loading chamber, a reaction chamber and a gel column, the gel column is used to load a gel reagent, and the sample loading chamber and the central axis of the gel column do not coincide with each other. By designing the tube columns with double rows of staggered columns, the double row of tube columns design increases the number of tube columns compared to the same type of single row microcolumn gel card, thereby doubling the detection efficiency. At the same time, the staggered design of the double row of tube columns can ensure that adjacent tube columns do not overlap, thereby reducing mutual interference between the tube columns during the experimental interpretation process. In addition, by designing the eccentricity between the sample loading chamber and the gel column, the debugging of the sample loading position is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical devices, in particular to a microcolumn gel card, a sample adding mechanism and a method. Background Art

[0002] Blood typing technology has a history of more than 100 years. From the initial classic methods such as the slide method, paper method, and test tube method, it has gradually developed to the microtiter plate method, solid phase method, magnetized red blood cell method, and the gel typing detection method that came out in 1990.

[0003] The microcolumn gel method is the recommended method for international safe blood transfusion testing. The microcolumn gel card, as the core of the microcolumn gel method, is mainly used for blood typing before surgery and blood transfusion, and for screening for hemolytic disease of the newborn before and during pregnancy. The current new card-based test method has replaced the traditional blood test method and has become a new, more convenient, more stable and more accurate test method, and has been widely promoted.

[0004] Microcolumn gel cards are typically constructed from multiple specially shaped microtubules connected in parallel. Above the tubules are a sample loading column and a funnel-shaped "reaction pool." Below the reaction pool is a microtubule containing specific antibodies and insoluble gel particles with stable physical and chemical properties, tailored to the specific testing requirements. The added sample and reagents react in the reaction pool before centrifugation and analysis by an instrument.

[0005] Currently, microcolumn gel cards generally have 6 or 8 columns. Due to the limited number of columns, the detection speed is relatively slow when used with automated instruments. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the microcolumn gel cards to improve the detection efficiency of large-scale experiments without affecting the accuracy of the test results. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a microcolumn gel card, a sample loading mechanism and a method.

[0007] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0008] A microcolumn gel card comprises a fixed plate and a plurality of tube columns arranged and fixed by the fixed plate, characterized in that the plurality of tube columns are respectively fixed on both sides of the fixed plate, and the tube columns located on both sides of the fixed plate are arranged in a staggered manner, and any of the tube columns comprises a sample loading chamber, a reaction chamber, and a gel column, the gel column being used to load gel reagents, the sample loading chamber being arranged above the gel column, the reaction chamber being connected between the sample loading chamber and the gel column, and the central axis of the sample loading chamber and the gel column not coinciding. Its function is that: in this technical solution, there is a certain staggered relationship between the tube columns distributed on both sides of the fixed plate, and any two adjacent tube columns do not overlap, ensuring that when the microcolumn gel card is used in a microcolumn gel experiment, the interference between the tube columns when the instrument interprets each gel column is reduced, and the sample loading chamber and the central axis of the gel column do not coincide, which facilitates the debugging of the sample loading position.

[0009] Furthermore, the columns on both sides of the fixing plate are centrally symmetrical, which ensures that the microcolumn gel card can be placed in the automated equipment without distinguishing the direction, thereby reducing the error rate during actual operation.

[0010] Furthermore, the center-to-center distance between any two adjacent columns of the plurality of columns is equal, preferably 9 mm. This serves the purpose of ensuring that the center-to-center distance between any two adjacent columns in this technical feature is equal, i.e., the center-to-center distance between adjacent columns on the same side of the fixed plate and the center-to-center distance between adjacent columns on different sides of the fixed plate are equal, so that the center lines connecting the three adjacent columns on either side of the fixed plate form an equilateral triangle. This ensures that when the microcolumn gel card is placed in an automated instrument for experimentation, the displacement distance of the sample loading device between different columns maintains a specific relationship with the center-to-center distance between adjacent columns, simplifying logical control.

[0011] Furthermore, the gel column is internally tangent to the vertical projection of the sample adding cavity.

[0012] Furthermore, any two gel columns are parallel to each other and their front projections do not overlap. This ensures that any two gel columns do not overlap at all, thus reducing the interference between the gel columns when the instrument interprets them during microcolumn gel experiments.

[0013] Furthermore, the device further comprises a sealing layer. A membrane column is provided at the opening of the sample loading chamber. The membrane column is an annular raised structure. An inner step is provided on the inner sidewall of the membrane column. The sealing layer is sealed to the membrane column. This serves the purpose of: the sealing material (such as environmentally friendly glue) typically used for sealing has a certain degree of fluidity. By providing the inner step on the inner sidewall of the membrane column, the sealing material has a certain amount of flow space, flowing toward the inner step without overflowing outside the sample loading chamber, thereby ensuring sufficient sealing material between the sealing layer and the membrane column for good adhesion.

[0014] Furthermore, a first reinforcing rib is provided on the outside of the sample loading cavity of each column, and a second reinforcing rib is provided on the outside of the gel column of each column. The purpose of the first and second reinforcing ribs is to make the microcolumn gel card structure more stable and less prone to deformation.

[0015] Furthermore, the outer diameter of the sample loading chamber is 8-10 mm, the outer diameter of the gel column is 2-4 mm, the inner diameter of the gel column is 1-1.5 mm, the depth of the reaction chamber is 3-6 mm, and the depth of the gel column is 15-20 mm. This function is to effectively improve the reaction effect of the sample / reagent in the reaction chamber by controlling the aperture ratio of the sample loading chamber and the gel column and the depth of the reaction chamber. When the aperture ratio of the sample loading chamber and the gel column is large or the depth of the reaction chamber is small, the conical surface of the reaction chamber is less inclined, making it difficult for the sample / reagent to spread and disperse, affecting the reaction effect.

[0016] Furthermore, the number of columns on both sides of the fixed plate is equal. The columns on one side of the fixed plate are designated as the first column group, and the columns on the other side are designated as the second column group. The offset spacing between the first and second column groups is half the center-to-center distance between adjacent columns. This arrangement allows the columns on both sides to be offset by half the outer diameter of the sample loading chamber, ensuring no overlap between adjacent gel columns. This significantly reduces the lateral dimensions of the entire microcolumn gel card, improving space utilization.

[0017] Furthermore, the fixed plate includes a lower card body and an upper card body, and the closest distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the columns on both sides of the first and second column groups and the edge of the upper card body is 1-3 mm. This serves the purpose of limiting the distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the columns on both sides and the edge of the fixed plate, thereby improving space utilization while facilitating the gripper device of the automated equipment to grasp the microcolumn gel card. If the distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the columns on both sides and the edge of the fixed plate is too large, the entire microcolumn gel card will be larger and space utilization will be lower. If the distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the columns on both sides and the edge of the fixed plate is too small, the gripper device of the automated equipment may experience unstable grasping of the microcolumn gel card, causing it to drop.

[0018] Furthermore, the first tubing string group and the second tubing string group each include N tubing strings, wherein N is a natural number not less than 4, and N is an even number.

[0019] Furthermore, a loading mechanism is provided for loading samples onto the microcolumn gel card. The loading mechanism comprises N / 2 loading devices, and the distance between any two adjacent loading devices is twice the center distance between adjacent columns. The loading mechanism has the freedom of movement in the X, Y, and Z directions.

[0020] Furthermore, the method of adding samples to the microcolumn gel card by the sample adding mechanism includes:

[0021] The sample loading mechanism moves to the top of the microcolumn gel card;

[0022] Setting one side of the edge of the fixing plate as a first direction and the other side as a second direction;

[0023] The loading mechanism moves to any one of the loading devices on both sides and is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the tube column in the first tube column group or the second tube column group close to the edge of the fixed plate in the first direction or the second direction;

[0024] The sample loading mechanism completes the loading of samples on N / 2 columns in the first column group or the second column group through N / 2 sample loading devices;

[0025] The loading mechanism moves horizontally in a first set direction by a distance equal to the center distance of adjacent tubing strings to complete loading of the remaining N / 2 tubing strings in the first tubing string group or the second tubing string group;

[0026] The first set direction is selected as follows: when the tubes in the first tube column group or the second tube column group that have completed sample loading and are close to the edge of the fixed plate are located in the first direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the second direction; when the tubes in the first tube column group or the second tube column group that have completed sample loading and are close to the edge of the fixed plate are located in the second direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the first direction;

[0027] The loading mechanism selectively moves horizontally in a second set direction by one-half or one-third of the distance between the centers of adjacent columns. Then, the loading mechanism moves a set distance in the Y direction toward the second column group or the first column group, so that the loading device in the loading mechanism near the edge of the fixed plate is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the corresponding column. The loading mechanism completes the loading of N / 2 columns in the second column group or the first column group.

[0028] The loading mechanism moves horizontally along a third set direction toward the edge of the fixed plate by the distance between the centers of adjacent tubing strings to complete loading of the remaining N / 2 tubing strings in the second tubing string group or the first tubing string group;

[0029] The third set direction is selected as follows: when the second tube column group or the tube column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the first tube column group that has completed sample loading is located in the first direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the second direction; when the second tube column group or the tube column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the first tube column group that has completed sample loading is located in the second direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the first direction.

[0030] Its function is that the sample loading mechanism loads the microcolumn gel card in a staggered manner, which can greatly avoid interference or possible cross contamination problems caused by simultaneous loading of samples between adjacent columns.

[0031] Furthermore, a loading mechanism is provided for loading samples onto the microcolumn gel card. The loading mechanism comprises a plurality of loading devices whose arrangement matches the arrangement of the columns on the microcolumn gel card. The loading mechanism has X, Y, and Z degrees of freedom. This mechanism can load samples onto each column on the microcolumn gel card simultaneously, greatly improving work efficiency.

[0032] In combination with the structural features of the present invention, compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a microcolumn gel card, a sample loading mechanism and a method, wherein the microcolumn gel card includes a fixed plate and a plurality of tube columns arranged and fixed by the fixed plate, wherein the plurality of tube columns are respectively fixed on both sides of the fixed plate, and the tube columns located on both sides of the fixed plate are staggered. Any of the tube columns includes a sample loading chamber, a reaction chamber and a gel column, wherein the gel column is used to load a gel reagent, the sample loading chamber is arranged above the gel column, the reaction chamber is connected between the sample loading chamber and the gel column, and the sample loading chamber is aligned with the central axis of the gel column. No overlap, by designing the columns into double rows and staggering them, the double row column design increases the number of columns compared to the same type of single row microcolumn gel card to multiply the detection efficiency. At the same time, the staggered design of the double row columns can ensure that adjacent columns do not overlap, reducing the mutual interference of the columns during the experimental interpretation process. In addition, by the eccentric design between the sample loading chamber and the gel column, the operator only needs to use the center position of the sample loading chamber as the reference for sample loading position adjustment when adjusting the sample loading position of the sample loading mechanism, which can ensure the consistency of the sample loading position adjusted by different operators to a certain extent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments described in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the microcolumn gel card of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a front view of the microcolumn gel card of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a left view of the microcolumn gel card of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the microcolumn gel card of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing that the center distances between adjacent pipe columns are equal according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the sample loading mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a flow chart of the sample adding method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a flow chart of the sample adding method according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Among them, 1-lower card body, 2-upper card body, 3-tube column, 301-sample loading chamber, 302-reaction chamber, 303-gel column, 4-membrane column, 5-sample loading mechanism, 501-first sample loading device, 502-second sample loading device, 503-third sample loading device, 504-fourth sample loading device, 6-first reinforcing rib, 7-second reinforcing rib. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the various components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a microcolumn gel card includes a fixing plate and a plurality of tube columns 3 arranged and fixed by the fixing plate. The plurality of tube columns are respectively fixed on both sides of the fixing plate, and the tube columns located on both sides of the fixing plate are staggered. Any tube column 3 includes a sample loading chamber 301, a reaction chamber 302 and a gel column 303. The gel column 303 is used to load a gel reagent. The sample loading chamber 301 is arranged above the gel column 303, and the reaction chamber 302 is connected between the sample loading chamber 301 and the gel column 303. The central axis of the sample loading chamber 301 and the gel column 303 do not coincide.

[0047] There is a certain misalignment relationship between the columns distributed on both sides of the fixed plate, and any two adjacent columns do not overlap, ensuring that when the microcolumn gel card is used for microcolumn gel experiments, the interference between the columns when the instrument interprets each gel column is reduced. In addition, when conducting a microcolumn gel experiment, the sample / reagent must first be added for sufficient reaction. To avoid directly injecting the sample / reagent into the gel column, it is usually necessary to inject the sample / reagent into the reaction chamber for sufficient reaction, and then under the action of centrifugal force, it is settled into the gel column through the tube wall, and then the result is interpreted. However, in existing microcolumn gel cards, the sample chamber and the gel column are usually concentrically designed, and the operator is not sure when debugging the sample addition position. The center of the sample loading chamber needs to be used as a reference and then an appropriate number of offset steps need to be made so that the sample / reagent can be added to the reaction chamber. The specific offset amount can only be adjusted based on the operator's experience. Different operators cannot maintain consistent preset offset amounts, resulting in uneven and poor consistency in the sample loading positions debugged by different operators. In this technical solution, the sample loading chamber and the central axis of the gel column do not coincide, that is, the sample loading chamber of each column and the gel column are eccentrically designed. When debugging the sample loading position, the operator only needs to use the center position of the sample loading chamber (that is, the central axis of the sample loading chamber) as a reference to debug the sample loading position, which can ensure the consistency of the sample loading positions debugged by different operators to a certain extent.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment, the number of columns on both sides of the fixed plate is equal and eight, forming a double-row sixteen-well micro-column gel card. The columns on both sides of the fixed plate are centrally symmetrical, the gel columns are inwardly tangent to the vertical projection of the sample loading chamber, and any two gel columns are parallel to each other and have no overlap in the front projection. The columns on one side of the fixed plate are set as the first column group ( Figure 4 The string on the upper row is the first string group), and the string on the other side is the second string group ( Figure 4 The first string group is shown in the lower row). Figure 4 As shown, the eight columns of the first column group are set to be H1 to H8 in sequence, and the eight columns of the second column group are set to be M1 to M8 in sequence. The center distances between any two adjacent columns are equal, and the offset spacing between the first column group and the second column group is half of the center distance between adjacent columns. In addition to ensuring that there is no overlap between adjacent gel columns, the lateral size of the entire microcolumn gel card can be greatly reduced, thereby improving space utilization. The two groups of columns are centrally symmetrical, ensuring that the microcolumn gel card can be placed in the automated equipment without distinguishing directions, thereby reducing the error rate in the actual operation process. The center distance between adjacent columns is set to d, as shown in FIG. Figure 4As shown, the offset distances between H1 and M1, H2 and M2, H3 and M3, H4 and M4, H5 and M5, H6 and M6, H7 and M7, and H8 and M8 are all half of the center distance between adjacent pipe strings, that is, d / 2.

[0050] In this embodiment, the loading mechanism 5 has the freedom of movement in the X, Y, and Z directions, and includes four loading devices (such as Figure 6 The corresponding schematic diagram is shown. It should be noted that: Figure 6 The schematic diagram is drawn to illustrate the technical effect of this embodiment and does not represent the actual structural relationship), which are respectively the first loading device 501, the second loading device 502, the third loading device 503 and the fourth loading device 504. The distance between any two adjacent loading devices is twice the center distance between adjacent columns, that is, 2d. The loading mechanism is similar to the loading method of the double-row sixteen-well microcolumn gel card in this embodiment. Figure 7 As shown:

[0051] S1: The sample loading mechanism moves to the top of the microcolumn gel card;

[0052] S2: setting one side of the edge of the fixing plate to be the first direction and the other side to be the second direction;

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, the left side of the fixed plate is set as the first direction, and the right side of the fixed plate is set as the second direction;

[0054] S3: the loading mechanism moves to a position above the central axis of the loading chamber of any one of the loading devices on both sides, which is located in the first column group or the second column group and is close to the edge of the fixing plate along the first direction or the second direction;

[0055] like Figure 4 As shown, for example, in one embodiment, the sample loading mechanism moves to a position where the first sample loading device 501 is located above the central axis of the sample loading cavity of the H1 column of the first column group;

[0056] S4: The sample loading mechanism completes the loading of samples on the four columns H1, H3, H5 and H7 in the first column group through the first to fourth sample loading devices;

[0057] S5: the sample loading mechanism moves horizontally in the first set direction by a distance d to complete the loading of samples into the remaining four columns of the first column group (i.e., columns H2, H4, H6, and H8);

[0058] The first set direction is selected as follows: when the tubes in the first tube column group or the second tube column group that have completed sample loading and are close to the edge of the fixed plate are located in the first direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the second direction; when the tubes in the first tube column group or the second tube column group that have completed sample loading and are close to the edge of the fixed plate are located in the second direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the first direction;

[0059] In this embodiment, the first direction is the left side of the fixed plate, and the second direction is the right side of the fixed plate (of course, the right side of the fixed plate can also be set as the first direction, and the left side of the fixed plate as the second direction, both of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention). The column in the first column group that has completed sample loading and is close to the edge of the fixed plate is the H1 column. The H1 column is located on the left side of the fixed plate, which is the first direction. Therefore, the first set direction is the opposite direction. The first set direction is the second direction, which is the right side of the fixed plate. Then, the sample loading mechanism moves horizontally to the right side of the fixed plate / the second direction by a distance d to complete the sample loading of the remaining four columns of the first column group (i.e., the H2, H4, H6, and H8 columns).

[0060] S6: The loading mechanism selectively moves horizontally in a second set direction by one-half or three-half distance d. Then, the loading mechanism moves in the Y direction toward the second column group by a set distance, so that the loading device in the loading mechanism near the edge of the fixed plate is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the corresponding column. The loading mechanism completes loading of N / 2 columns in the second column group or the first column group.

[0061] In this embodiment, after the eight columns of the first column group have been loaded, the first to fourth loading devices are respectively located above the four columns H2, H4, H6, and H8 in the first column group. Next, when the second column group needs to be loaded, the loading mechanism moves horizontally by a distance of two-thirds d in the second set direction, where the second set direction is the left side of the fixed plate. Then, the loading mechanism moves a set distance in the Y direction toward the second column group. The set distance in this embodiment is the distance between the centers of the H1 and M1 columns in the Y direction, so that the loading device in the loading mechanism near the edge of the fixed plate is located above the central axis position of the loading chamber of the corresponding column, that is, the first loading device 501 is located above the central axis position of the loading chamber of the M1 column of the second column group. Then, the loading mechanism completes the loading of the four columns M1, M3, M5, and M7 in the second column group.

[0062] S7: the sample loading mechanism moves horizontally along a third set direction toward the edge of the fixed plate by a distance d to complete the loading of samples into the four tubing columns M2, M4, M6, and M8 of the second tubing column group;

[0063] The third set direction is selected as follows: when the tube column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the second tube column group that has completed sample loading is located in the first direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the second direction; when the tube column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the second tube column group or the first tube column group that has completed sample loading is located in the second direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the first direction.

[0064] In this embodiment, the column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the second column group that has completed sample loading is the M1 column. The M1 column is located on the left side of the fixed plate, which is the first direction. Therefore, the third set direction is the opposite direction. The third set direction is the second direction, which is the right side of the fixed plate. The loading mechanism moves horizontally a distance d to the right side of the fixed plate / the second direction to complete the loading of the remaining four columns of the second column group (i.e., the M2, M4, M6, and M8 columns).

[0065] In this embodiment, the sample loading mechanism loads the microcolumn gel card in a staggered manner, which can greatly avoid interference or possible cross contamination caused by simultaneous loading of samples between adjacent columns.

[0066] In addition, in this embodiment, the center distances between any two adjacent pipe strings are equal, that is, the center distances between adjacent pipe strings on the same side of the fixing plate and the center distances between adjacent pipe strings on different sides of the fixing plate are equal, and the center lines connecting the three adjacent pipe strings on both sides of the fixing plate form an equilateral triangle (such as Figure 5 The corresponding schematic diagram is shown. It should be noted that: Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram drawn to illustrate the technical effect of this embodiment and does not represent the actual structural relationship). Figure 4 As shown, the center distances between H1, M1 and M2 are equal, and the center distances between H1, H2 and M2 are also equal, and so on. No further details will be given here. When the microcolumn gel card is placed in an automated instrument for experiment, the displacement distance of the sample loading device between different columns maintains a specific relationship with the outer diameter of the column sample loading cavity, which can simplify the logic control. That is, when the placement position of the microcolumn gel card is offset or when the sample loading device is out of step, the offset of all well positions is consistent, and the relative offset and offset range of the sample loading position are also consistent, that is, If the sample loading position is not readjusted, the sample injection points on the reaction chamber of each column remain consistent relative to the position range of the reaction chamber under the originally set displacement distance. When the placement position of the microcolumn gel card shifts, if the sample injection point of the sample loading device on the reaction chamber of a certain column is still within the reaction chamber range, it can be inferred that the sample injection points of all columns are within the reaction chamber range, and it is appropriate to consider not to readjust the sample loading position. When the sample loading position needs to be adjusted, only a certain column needs to be used as the sample loading position adjustment object. Specifically, Figure 5As shown in the schematic diagram, the injection points of the three columns should be A1, B1 and C1. When the injection points are shifted to A2, B2 and C2, the positions of A2, B2 and C2 relative to the reaction chambers of their respective columns are consistent, as shown in the figure. Figure 5 As shown, the offset points A2, B2 and C2 are approximately 15° horizontally relative to the reaction chamber position range of their respective tubing columns and are at the same distance from the outer wall of the reaction chamber. They all fall within the reaction chamber position range of their respective tubing columns and do not exceed it.

[0067] Example 3

[0068] In this embodiment, the loading mechanism 5 has the freedom of movement in the X, Y, and Z directions, and includes four loading devices (such as Figure 6 The corresponding schematic diagram is shown. It should be noted that: Figure 6 The schematic diagram is drawn to illustrate the technical effect of this embodiment and does not represent the actual structural relationship), which are respectively the first loading device 501, the second loading device 502, the third loading device 503 and the fourth loading device 504. The distance between any two adjacent loading devices is twice the center distance between adjacent columns, that is, 2d. The loading mechanism is similar to the loading method of the double-row sixteen-well microcolumn gel card in this embodiment. Figure 8 As shown:

[0069] S8: The sample loading mechanism moves to the top of the microcolumn gel card;

[0070] S9: setting one side of the edge of the fixing plate to be the first direction and the other side to be the second direction;

[0071] like Figure 4 As shown, the left side of the fixed plate is set as the first direction, and the right side of the fixed plate is set as the second direction;

[0072] S10: The loading mechanism moves to a position above the central axis of the loading chamber of any one of the loading devices on both sides, wherein the loading device is located in the first column group or the second column group and is close to the edge of the fixing plate along the first direction or the second direction;

[0073] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the sample loading mechanism moves until the fourth sample loading device 504 is located above the central axis of the sample loading cavity of the H8 column of the first column group;

[0074] S11: The sample loading mechanism completes the loading of samples on the four columns H2, H4, H6 and H8 in the first column group through the first to fourth sample loading devices;

[0075] S12: the sample loading mechanism moves horizontally in the first set direction by a distance d to complete the loading of samples on the remaining four columns of the first column group (i.e., columns H1, H3, H5, and H7);

[0076] The first set direction is selected as follows: when the tubes in the first tube column group or the second tube column group that have completed sample loading and are close to the edge of the fixed plate are located in the first direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the second direction; when the tubes in the first tube column group or the second tube column group that have completed sample loading and are close to the edge of the fixed plate are located in the second direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the first direction;

[0077] In this embodiment, the first direction is the left side of the fixed plate, and the second direction is the right side of the fixed plate (of course, the right side of the fixed plate can also be set as the first direction, and the left side of the fixed plate as the second direction, both of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention). The column in the first column group that has completed sample loading and is close to the edge of the fixed plate is the H8 column. The H8 column is located on the right side of the fixed plate, which is the second direction. Therefore, the first set direction is the opposite direction. The first set direction is the first direction, which is the left side of the fixed plate. Then, the sample loading mechanism moves horizontally to the left side of the fixed plate / the first direction by a distance d to complete the sample loading of the remaining four columns of the first column group (i.e., the H1, H3, H5, and H7 columns);

[0078] S13: The loading mechanism selectively moves horizontally in a second set direction by one-half or three-half distance d. Then, the loading mechanism moves in the Y direction toward the second column group by a set distance, so that the loading device in the loading mechanism near the edge of the fixed plate is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the corresponding column. The loading mechanism completes loading of N / 2 columns in the second column group or the first column group.

[0079] In this embodiment, after the eight columns of the first column group have been loaded, the first to fourth loading devices are respectively located above the four columns H1, H3, H5, and H7 of the first column group. Next, when the second column group needs to be loaded, the loading mechanism moves horizontally by a distance of half d in a second set direction, where the second set direction is the left side of the fixed plate. Then, the loading mechanism moves a set distance in the Y direction toward the second column group. In this embodiment, the set distance is the distance between the centers of the H1 and M1 columns in the Y direction, so that the loading device in the loading mechanism near the edge of the fixed plate is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the corresponding column, that is, the first loading device 501 is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the M1 column of the second column group. Then, the loading mechanism completes the loading of the four columns M1, M3, M5, and M7 of the second column group.

[0080] S14: the sample loading mechanism moves horizontally along a third set direction toward the edge of the fixed plate by a distance d to complete the loading of samples into the four tubing strings M2, M4, M6, and M8 of the second tubing string group;

[0081] The third set direction is selected as follows: when the tube column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the second tube column group that has completed sample loading is located in the first direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the second direction; when the tube column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the second tube column group or the first tube column group that has completed sample loading is located in the second direction of the fixed plate, the set direction is the first direction.

[0082] In this embodiment, the column in the second column group that has completed sample loading and is close to the edge of the fixed plate is the M1 column. The M1 column is located on the left side of the fixed plate, which is the first direction. Therefore, the third set direction is the opposite direction. The third set direction is the second direction, which is the right side of the fixed plate. The loading mechanism then moves horizontally a distance d toward the right side of the fixed plate / the second direction to complete sample loading on the remaining four columns of the second column group (i.e., the M2, M4, M6, and M8 columns).

[0083] In other embodiments of S10, the loading mechanism may also first move to a position where the first loading device 501 is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the M1 column or the M8 column of the second column group. The loading method is analogous to that of the second and third embodiments, and all fall within the protection scope of the present invention, and will not be elaborated here.

[0084] Example 4

[0085] As described in Example 2, the eight tubing strings of the first tubing string group are set to be H1 to H8 in sequence, and the eight tubing strings of the second tubing string group are set to be M1 to M8 in sequence. In this embodiment, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the fixed plate includes a lower card body 1 and an upper card body 2. The closest distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the columns on both sides of the first column group and the second column group and the edge of the upper card body is 1-3 mm, that is, the closest distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the M1, H1, M8, and H8 columns and the edge of the upper card body 2 is 1-3 mm. By limiting the distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the columns on both sides and the edge of the fixed plate, while improving space utilization, it is convenient for the gripper device of the automated equipment to grasp the microcolumn gel card. If the distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the columns on both sides and the edge of the fixed plate is too large, the entire microcolumn gel card will be larger in size and have low space utilization. If the distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the columns on both sides and the edge of the fixed plate is too small, the gripper device of the automated equipment may experience problems such as unstable grasping and dropping when grasping the microcolumn gel card.

[0086] Example 5

[0087] In this embodiment, the loading mechanism includes sixteen loading devices (not shown). The arrangement of these sixteen loading devices matches the double-row arrangement of sixteen columns on the microcolumn gel card. The loading mechanism has freedom of movement in the X, Y, and Z directions. This loading mechanism can complete the loading process for each column on the microcolumn gel card in one go, greatly improving work efficiency.

[0088] Example 6

[0089] In one embodiment, a sealing layer is further included. A membrane column 4 is provided at the opening of the sample loading chamber. The membrane column is an annular protrusion. An inner ring step (not shown) is provided on the inner side wall of the membrane column. The sealing layer is sealed to the membrane column. The sealing material (such as environmentally friendly glue) used for sealing generally has a certain degree of fluidity. By providing an inner ring step on the inner side wall of the membrane column, it is possible to ensure that the sealing material has a certain flow space, flowing toward the inner ring step without overflowing outside the sample loading chamber, thereby ensuring that the sealing material between the sealing layer and the membrane column is sufficient for good adhesion.

[0090] Example 7

[0091] In one embodiment, the outer side of the sample loading cavity of each column is provided with a first reinforcing rib 6, and the outer side of the gel column of each column is provided with a second reinforcing rib 7. The provision of the first and second reinforcing ribs makes the microcolumn gel card structure more stable and less prone to deformation.

[0092] Example 8

[0093] In one embodiment, the outer diameter of the sample loading chamber 301 is 8-10 mm, the outer diameter of the gel column 303 is 2-4 mm, the inner diameter of the gel column is 1-1.5 mm, and the depth of the reaction chamber 302 is 3-6 mm, with the depth of the gel column being 15-20 mm. By controlling the aperture ratio of the sample loading chamber and the gel column, as well as the depth of the reaction chamber, the reaction efficiency of the sample / reagent in the reaction chamber is effectively improved. When the aperture ratio of the sample loading chamber and the gel column is large or the depth of the reaction chamber is small, the conical surface of the reaction chamber is less inclined, making it difficult for the sample / reagent to spread and disperse, thus affecting the reaction efficiency.

[0094] Applicant declares that the above-described embodiments merely illustrate the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The above-described embodiments and the specification merely illustrate the principles of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

[0095] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. All embodiments that use structures and methods similar to those of the present invention to achieve the purpose of the present invention are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A microcolumn gel card comprising a fixing plate and a plurality of columns arranged and fixed by the fixing plate, characterized in that: The several tube columns are respectively fixed on both sides of the fixed plate, and the tube columns located on both sides of the fixed plate are staggered. Any one of the tube columns includes a sample loading chamber, a reaction chamber and a gel column. The gel column is used to load gel reagents. The sample loading chamber is arranged above the gel column. The reaction chamber is connected between the sample loading chamber and the gel column. The sample loading chamber does not coincide with the central axis of the gel column.

2. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipe columns on both sides of the fixing plate are in a centrally symmetrical form.

3. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 2, characterized in that: The center distances between any two adjacent pipe strings of the plurality of pipe strings are equal.

4. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 3, characterized in that: The center distance between any two adjacent tube columns of the plurality of tube columns is 9 mm.

5. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gel column is internally tangent to the vertical projection of the sample adding cavity.

6. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 5, characterized in that: Any two gel columns are parallel to each other and their front projections do not overlap.

7. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a sealing layer. A membrane column is provided at the opening of the sample adding cavity. The membrane column is an annular protrusion structure. An inner circle step is provided on the inner side wall of the membrane column. The sealing layer is sealed and connected to the membrane column.

8. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer side of the sample loading cavity of each of the plurality of tube columns is provided with a first reinforcing rib, and the outer side of the gel column of each of the tube columns is provided with a second reinforcing rib.

9. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer diameter of the sample adding cavity is 8-10 mm, the outer diameter of the gel column is 2-4 mm, the inner diameter of the gel column is 1-1.5 mm, the depth of the reaction cavity is 3-6 mm, and the depth of the gel column is 15-20 mm.

10. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 6, characterized in that: The number of pipe strings on both sides of the fixed plate is equal. The pipe strings on one side of the fixed plate are set as the first pipe string group, and the pipe strings on the other side are set as the second pipe string group. The offset spacing between the first pipe string group and the second pipe string group is half of the center distance between adjacent pipe strings.

11. The microcolumn gel card according to claim 10, characterized in that: The fixing plate includes a lower card body and an upper card body. The closest distance between the edges of the sample loading cavities of the tubes on both sides of the first tube group and the second tube group and the edge of the upper card body is 1-3 mm.

12. A microcolumn gel card according to any one of claims 10 or 11, characterized in that: The first tubing string group and the second tubing string group each include N tubing strings, wherein N is a natural number not less than 4, and N is an even number.

13. A sample adding mechanism, characterized in that: Used to load samples onto the microcolumn gel card according to claim 12, the loading mechanism comprises N / 2 loading devices, the distance between any two adjacent loading devices is twice the center distance between adjacent columns, and the loading mechanism has X, Y, and Z degrees of freedom of movement.

14. A sample addition method, characterized in that: The sample loading mechanism according to claim 13 comprises: The sample loading mechanism moves to the top of the microcolumn gel card; Setting one side of the edge of the fixing plate as a first direction and the other side as a second direction; The loading mechanism moves to any one of the loading devices on both sides and is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the tube column in the first tube column group or the second tube column group close to the edge of the fixed plate in the first direction or the second direction; The sample loading mechanism completes the loading of samples on N / 2 columns in the first column group or the second column group through N / 2 sample loading devices; The loading mechanism moves horizontally in a first set direction by a distance equal to the center distance of adjacent tubing strings to complete loading of the remaining N / 2 tubing strings in the first tubing string group or the second tubing string group; The first set direction is selected as follows: when the tubes in the first tube column group or the second tube column group that have completed sample loading and are close to the edge of the fixed plate are located in the first direction of the fixed plate, the first set direction is the second direction; when the tubes in the first tube column group or the second tube column group that have completed sample loading and are close to the edge of the fixed plate are located in the second direction of the fixed plate, the first set direction is the first direction; The loading mechanism selectively moves horizontally in a second set direction by one-half or one-third of the distance between the centers of adjacent columns. Then, the loading mechanism moves a set distance in the Y direction toward the second column group or the first column group, so that the loading device in the loading mechanism near the edge of the fixed plate is located above the central axis of the loading chamber of the corresponding column. The loading mechanism completes the loading of N / 2 columns in the second column group or the first column group. The loading mechanism moves horizontally along a third set direction toward the edge of the fixed plate by the distance between the centers of adjacent tubing strings to complete loading of the remaining N / 2 tubing strings in the second tubing string group or the first tubing string group; The third set direction is selected as follows: when the second tube column group or the tube column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the first tube column group that has completed sample loading is located in the first direction of the fixed plate, the third set direction is the second direction; when the second tube column group or the tube column close to the edge of the fixed plate in the first tube column group that has completed sample loading is located in the second direction of the fixed plate, the third set direction is the first direction.

15. A sample adding mechanism, characterized in that: Used for loading samples onto a microcolumn gel card according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the loading mechanism comprises a plurality of loading devices, the distribution and arrangement of the plurality of loading devices is adapted to the distribution and arrangement of the columns on the microcolumn gel card, and the loading mechanism has the degrees of freedom of movement in the X, Y, and Z directions.

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