Liquid aspiration device and sample analyzer

By setting up multiple suction mechanisms and a double-waisted curve trajectory design in the suction device, the problem of low efficiency of traditional suction devices is solved, and efficient and stable liquid suction and injection are achieved.

CN114384262BActive Publication Date: 2025-09-26SHENZHEN NEW INDS BIOMEDICAL ENG CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202111650978.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-12-30
Publication Date
2025-09-26
Estimated Expiration
2041-12-30

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional liquid aspirating devices require multiple round trips to aspirate the liquid in the container, resulting in low aspiration efficiency.

Method used

Multiple liquid suction mechanisms are used, each of which revolves along a straight line extending in the direction of gravity to cover all the accommodating cavities on the accommodating box. The revolution trajectories of the two liquid suction mechanisms are combined to form a closed-loop double-waist curve, thereby achieving simultaneous suction of liquid from multiple accommodating cavities.

Benefits of technology

The liquid suction speed and work efficiency are improved, the structure is simplified, the liquid injection interval time is reduced, and the stability and accuracy of liquid suction are improved.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid aspiration device and a sample analyzer. The liquid aspiration device is used to aspirate liquid in a container box having multiple accommodating cavities. The liquid aspiration device comprises: a support member and a plurality of liquid aspiration mechanisms. Each of the liquid aspiration mechanisms comprises a rotating unit, the rotating unit is slidably connected to the support member and comprises a rotating shaft, the central axis of the rotating shaft extends in the direction of gravity, the liquid aspiration mechanism can revolve around the rotating shaft, and the liquid in different accommodating cavities on the container box can be aspirated by the plurality of liquid aspiration mechanisms at the same time. By providing a plurality of liquid aspiration mechanisms, each liquid aspiration mechanism can revolve relative to a straight line extending in the direction of gravity, that is, each liquid aspiration mechanism can aspirate liquid in different accommodating cavities on the container box. This speeds up the liquid aspiration speed and improves work efficiency.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to a liquid aspiration device and a sample analyzer. Background Art

[0002] In the field of medical device technology, the extraction and integration of samples and reagents is a critical step. A common method involves using a pipette to transfer liquids, such as reagents or samples, from a container into a cuvette. However, traditional pipettes can only aspirate one liquid from the container into the cuvette, then return to aspirate the second liquid. This back-and-forth process requires multiple cycles to complete the aspiration process, resulting in low aspiration efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] A technical problem solved by the present invention is how to improve the working efficiency of the liquid suction device.

[0004] A liquid suction device for sucking liquid from a container having a plurality of accommodating cavities, characterized in that the liquid suction device comprises:

[0005] supports; and

[0006] There are multiple liquid suction mechanisms, each of which includes a rotating unit, which is slidably connected to the support member and includes a rotating shaft, the central axis of the rotating shaft extends along the direction of gravity, the liquid suction mechanism can revolve around the rotating shaft, and the liquid in different accommodating chambers on the accommodating box can be sucked up by multiple liquid suction mechanisms at the same time.

[0007] In one embodiment, the liquid suction mechanism further includes a liquid suction unit, the liquid suction unit includes a liquid suction body, the liquid suction body can revolve around the rotation axis, and the sum of the trajectories of different liquid suction bodies revolving around the rotation axis can cover all the accommodating cavities on the same accommodating box.

[0008] In one embodiment, there are two absorbing liquids, and the absorbing liquid on one of the absorbing liquid mechanisms is recorded as the first absorbing liquid, and the absorbing liquid on the other absorbing liquid mechanism is recorded as the second absorbing liquid. The trajectory formed by the rotation of the first absorbing liquid is a first circle, and the trajectory formed by the rotation of the second absorbing liquid is a second circle. The areas where the first circle and the second circle are located can respectively cover the partially connected accommodating cavities on the same accommodating box so that the two absorbing liquids absorb liquid in different accommodating cavities located on the same accommodating box.

[0009] In one embodiment, under the condition that the connecting line of the first circle and the second circle is perpendicular to the direction of gravity, the first circle and the second circle intersect or are tangent to each other.

[0010] In one embodiment,

[0011] When the first circle and the second circle intersect, the arc segment of the first circle that falls within the second circle is recorded as the first arc segment, and the arc segment of the second circle that falls within the first circle is recorded as the second arc segment, and the central angles corresponding to the first arc segment and the second arc segment are both less than 180°.

[0012] In one embodiment, when the first circle and the second circle intersect, the number of accommodating cavities in the same accommodating box that are simultaneously located within the coverage areas of the two circles is no more than two.

[0013] In one embodiment, when the first circle and the second circle simultaneously cover a accommodating cavity in the same accommodating box, and when the first liquid-absorbing device is performing liquid absorbing work in the one accommodating cavity, the second liquid-absorbing device is responsible for liquid absorbing work in other accommodating cavities in the second circle.

[0014] In one embodiment, seven accommodating chambers are provided on the same accommodating box, each accommodating chamber contains liquids of different components, and the seven accommodating chambers are sequentially recorded as chamber No. 1, chamber No. 2, chamber No. 3, chamber No. 4, chamber No. 5, chamber No. 6 and chamber No. 7 from one end of the accommodating box to the other end, and the chamber No. 5 is located within the common coverage area of ​​the first circle and the second circle.

[0015] In one embodiment, the boundary formed by the motion trajectories of the plurality of liquid suction mechanisms is a closed-loop double-waist curve.

[0016] In one embodiment, the diameters of the first circle and the second circle are equal, and the central angles of the first arc segment and the second arc segment are equal.

[0017] In one embodiment, there are two liquid suction mechanisms, and the two liquid suction mechanisms can slide along two straight lines extending perpendicular to the direction of gravity and parallel to each other relative to the support member. The support member includes guide rails, and the number of the guide rails is consistent with the number of the liquid suction mechanisms. The two liquid suction mechanisms slide linearly on the corresponding guide rails, and the two guide rails are on the same support member.

[0018] In one embodiment, the support member is a plate-shaped structure, and the two liquid suction mechanisms are located on the same side of the support member in the thickness direction.

[0019] In one embodiment, the central axis of the liquid suction device and the central axis of the rotating shaft are parallel to each other and spaced a certain distance apart from each other.

[0020] In one embodiment, the liquid suction unit further includes a support arm, the support arm is connected to the rotating shaft, and the liquid suction body is slidably connected to the support arm.

[0021] In one embodiment, the liquid suction unit further includes a power assembly, which is connected to the support arm and drives the liquid suction unit to slide.

[0022] A sample analyzer comprises any one of the above-mentioned liquid aspiration devices.

[0023] A technical effect of one embodiment of the present invention is that by providing multiple liquid aspiration mechanisms, each liquid aspiration mechanism can perform orbital motion relative to a line extending in the direction of gravity, that is, each liquid aspiration mechanism can aspirate liquid from different accommodating cavities on the accommodating box. This accelerates the liquid aspiration speed and improves work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a liquid aspiration device provided in one embodiment;

[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the liquid aspiration device shown;

[0026] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the support member and the driving assembly in the liquid suction device shown;

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the rotating unit in the liquid suction device shown;

[0028] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the rotating unit shown;

[0029] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the liquid suction unit in the liquid suction device shown;

[0030] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the motion trajectories formed by two liquid-absorbing bodies relative to the accommodating box in the liquid-absorbing device shown;

[0031] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the planar structure of the accommodating box;

[0032] Figure 9 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the three positions of the first circle during its movement in the direction of the arrow;

[0033] Figure 10 This is a process flow chart of the liquid absorption method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of the present disclosure.

[0035] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it may be directly attached to the other element or there may be an intermediate element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element. The terms "inner," "outer," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation methods.

[0036] See Figure 1 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 An embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid aspiration device 10 for aspirating liquid from a container 20. The container 20 is located below the liquid aspiration device 10. A plurality of cavities 21 are provided on the container 20. The cavities 21 can be used to hold reagents and samples. Different cavities 21 in the same container 20 can hold liquids of different components. There can be multiple containers 20. For example, multiple containers 20 are arranged side by side along the X-axis direction. For multiple cavities 21 on the same container 20, the multiple cavities 21 can be arranged at intervals along the Y-axis direction. The liquid aspiration device 10 is used to aspirate liquid from the cavities 21 of each container 20 and inject the aspirated liquid into a reaction cup. The liquid aspiration device 10 includes a support 100, a liquid aspiration mechanism 200, and a drive assembly 300. Both the liquid aspiration mechanism 200 and the drive assembly 300 are arranged on the support 100. There are multiple liquid suction mechanisms 200, and there are also multiple drive assemblies 300. The liquid suction mechanisms 200 and the drive assemblies 300 form a one-to-one correspondence, so that the movement of each liquid suction mechanism 200 is powered by a drive assembly 300. For example, the number of liquid suction mechanisms 200 and the number of drive assemblies 300 are two respectively. Each liquid suction mechanism 200 includes a rotating unit 210, which is slidably connected to the support member 100 and includes a rotating shaft 212. The central axis of the rotating shaft 212 extends in the direction of gravity. The liquid suction mechanism 200 can revolve around the rotating shaft 212, and the liquid in different accommodating cavities 21 on the accommodating box 20 can be sucked by multiple liquid suction mechanisms 200 at the same time. All liquid suction requirements of the same reaction container can be completed without the liquid suction mechanism 200 moving back and forth to suck and discharge liquid, thereby greatly improving the liquid suction efficiency.

[0037] See also Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 6Each liquid suction mechanism 200 includes a liquid suction unit 220, and the liquid suction unit 220 includes a support arm 221, a suction body 222 and a power assembly. The support arm 221 includes a transverse arm 221a and a longitudinal arm 221b. The transverse arm 221a and the longitudinal arm 221b can be fixedly connected, for example, the two can be integrally formed. By fixedly connecting the transverse arm 221a and the longitudinal arm 221b, relative rotation or sliding between the transverse arm 221a and the longitudinal arm 221b can be prevented, thereby reducing vibration and improving the stability and reliability of the movement of the entire support arm 221. The transverse arm 221a can be a plate-like structure extending in the horizontal direction, and the longitudinal arm 221b extends in the direction of gravity. The transverse arm 221a is provided with a mounting hole 221c, and the longitudinal arm 221b is connected to the edge of the transverse arm 221a and is perpendicular to the plane of the transverse arm 221a. The longitudinal arm 221b is spaced apart from the center axis of the mounting hole 221c by a predetermined distance perpendicular to the direction of gravity, that is, the two are spaced apart in the horizontal direction. The rotating shaft 212 cooperates with the mounting hole 221c, so that the transverse arm 221a of the support arm 221 is connected to the rotating shaft 212. The liquid suction unit 222 and the power assembly are both arranged on the longitudinal arm 221b of the support arm 221. When the rotating shaft 212 rotates, the entire liquid suction unit 220 can rotate along with the rotating shaft 212 via the support arm 221. The liquid suction unit 222 can be a long, needle-like structure, that is, the liquid suction unit 222 is a liquid suction needle. The power assembly includes a third motor 223, a third driving wheel 224, a third driven wheel 225, a third conveyor belt 226, and a second slider 227. The third motor 223 is mounted on the support arm 221. The third driving wheel 224 is connected to the output shaft of the third motor 223. The third driven wheel 225 is rotatably mounted on the support arm 221. The third conveyor belt 226 is sleeved over the third driving wheel 224 and the third driven wheel 225. The third driving wheel 224 and the third driven wheel 225 have equal diameters and are spaced apart along the Z-axis, such that the tight or loose edge of the third conveyor belt 226 extends along the Z-axis. The support arm 221 is also provided with a slide rail 228, which extends along the Z-axis. The second slider 227 slidably engages with the slide rail 228 and is fixed to the tight or loose edge of the third conveyor belt 226. The suction liquid 222 is fixed to the second slider 227, and the centerline of the suction liquid 222 extends along the Z-axis. When the third motor 223 is operating, it can drive the second slider 227 via the third conveyor belt 226 to slide back and forth along the slide rail 228 in the direction of gravity (the Z-axis), causing the liquid aspirator 222 to slide back and forth along the Z-axis following the second slider 227. When the liquid aspirator 222 follows the second slider 227 downward, it can extend into the accommodating chamber 21 of the accommodating box 20 to absorb liquid. When the liquid aspirator 222 follows the second slider 227 upward, it can exit the accommodating chamber 21 of the accommodating box 20 after absorbing liquid, allowing the absorbed liquid to be subsequently injected into a reaction cup.The aspiration unit 220 may also include a probe 229, which is essentially a position sensor. Probe 229 is fixed to a preset position on the support arm 221. The position of probe 229 serves as a reference initialization position for the second slider 227 and the aspiration liquid 222. When the aspiration liquid 222 moves along the Z axis to the initialization position, probe 229 generates a prompt signal. Therefore, the provision of probe 229 allows for calibration of the initialization position of the aspiration liquid 222 as it slides along the Z axis.

[0038] The central axis of the suction liquid 222 is parallel to the central axis of the rotating shaft 212, i.e., they are spaced a certain distance apart. This ensures that the suction liquid 222 can revolve relative to the rotating shaft 212 and prevents interference between the suction liquid 222 and the rotating shaft 212. When the rotating shaft 212 drives the entire suction unit 220 to rotate, the suction liquid 222 will revolve around the rotating shaft 212. When the first motor 310, via the first slider 350, drives the entire suction mechanism 200 to perform reciprocating linear motion along the X-axis, the suction liquid 222 can be caused to reciprocate linearly along the X-axis. When the second motor 213, via the rotating shaft 212, drives the suction unit 220 to rotate, the suction liquid 222 revolves around the central axis extending along the Z-axis. When the third motor 223, via the second slider 227, drives the suction liquid 222 to reciprocate linearly along the Z-axis. Therefore, each aspirating element 222 can perform both reciprocating linear motion along the X-axis and reciprocating linear motion along the Z-axis and orbit around a central axis extending along the Z-axis. In other words, each aspirating element 222 has three degrees of freedom. This ensures that the combined orbital trajectory of the aspirating element 222 around the rotation axis 212 covers all cavities 21 within the same accommodating box 20. This can prevent batch-to-batch variability between accommodating boxes 20, improve result accuracy, and enhance the operating efficiency of the aspirating device 10. The improved stability and reliability of the support arm 221's movement also improves the motion accuracy of the entire aspirating element 222, ensuring that the aspirating element 222 accurately moves to the designated position.

[0039] See also Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3In some embodiments, the support member 100 is a flat plate structure, which facilitates the manufacturing and processing of the support member 100 and also makes the structure of the support member 100 simple. The support member 100 has an upper surface 110 and a lower surface 120. The upper surface 110 and the lower surface 120 are two surfaces spaced apart in the thickness direction of the support plate. The support member 100 also includes a guide rail 130. The guide rail 130 is arranged on the lower surface 120 and protrudes a certain height relative to the lower surface 120. With the same spatial rectangular coordinate system as a reference, the guide rail 130 extends along the X-axis direction. The number of the guide rails 130 is consistent with the number of the liquid suction mechanism 200. There are two liquid suction mechanisms 200. The two liquid suction mechanisms 200 can slide along two straight lines extending perpendicular to the gravity direction and parallel to each other relative to the support member 100. The two liquid suction mechanisms 200 slide linearly on the corresponding guide rails 130 respectively. The two guide rails 130 are arranged parallel to each other so that the two guide rails 130 are spaced a certain distance apart along the Y-axis direction. The two guide rails 130 are both arranged on the same support member 100, which can simplify the structure of the entire liquid suction device 10. Each driving assembly 300 includes a first motor 310, a first driving wheel 320, a first driven wheel 330, a first conveyor belt 340 and a first slider 350. The main body of the first motor 310 is arranged on the upper surface 110 of the support member 100, and the output shaft of the first motor 310 is passed through the support member 100 and extends to the lower surface 120 of the support member 100. The first driving wheel 320, the first driven wheel 330, the first conveyor belt 340 and the first slider 350 are all arranged on the lower surface 120 of the support member 100. The first driving wheel 320 and the first driven wheel 330 have the same diameter and are spaced apart along the X-axis direction. The first driving wheel 320 is arranged on the output shaft of the first motor 310. The second driven wheel 215 is rotatably arranged on the support member 100. The first conveyor belt 340 is sleeved on the first driving wheel 320 and the first driven wheel 330. The tight edge or loose edge of the first conveyor belt 340 extends along the X-axis direction. The first slider 350 is slidably matched with the guide rail 130 and is fixed on the tight edge or loose edge of the first conveyor belt 340. When the first motor 310 is working, the first conveyor belt 340 can drive the first slider 350 to make reciprocating linear motion relative to the guide rail 130 along the X-axis direction. The entire liquid suction mechanism 200 is fixed on the first slider 350, so the liquid suction mechanism 200 can follow the first slider 350 to make reciprocating linear motion along the X-axis direction. At the same time, the two liquid suction mechanisms 200 are both located on the side (i.e., the lower side) where the lower surface 120 of the support member 100 is located.Taking the normal placement posture of the liquid suction device 10 when working as a reference, given that the direction of gravity is always vertically downward, it can be understood that the direction of gravity represents the Z-axis direction. When the first motors 310 on the two driving components 300 work at the same time, the two liquid suction mechanisms 200 can be driven by different first sliders 350 to perform reciprocating linear motion along the X-axis direction on different guide rails 130. In other words, the two liquid suction mechanisms 200 slide along two straight lines parallel to each other extending perpendicular to the direction of gravity relative to the support member 100.

[0040] The drive assembly 300 may also include an initialization optical coupler 360, which is disposed at a preset position on the support member 100. The position of the initialization optical coupler 360 can serve as an initialization position for reference by the first slider 350 and the liquid aspiration mechanism 200. When the entire liquid aspiration mechanism 200 follows the first slider 350 to move to the initialization position, the initialization optical coupler 360 will generate a prompt signal. Therefore, the initialization optical coupler 360 can be provided to calibrate the initialization position of the entire liquid aspiration mechanism 200 when sliding along the X-axis direction.

[0041] See also Figure 2 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 In some embodiments, the rotating unit 210 includes a base 211, a rotating shaft 212, a second motor 213, a second driving wheel 214, a second driven wheel 215, and a second conveyor belt 216. The base 211 is fixed on the first slider 350, the second motor 213 is set on the base 211, the second driving wheel 214 is connected to the output shaft of the second motor 213, so that the second driving wheel 214 can rotate following the output shaft of the second motor 213, the second driven wheel 215 is set on the base 211, the rotating shaft 212 can be fixed to the second driven wheel 215 through a deep groove ball bearing 217, the central axis of the rotating shaft 212 extends along the direction of gravity (Z-axis direction), the second conveyor belt 216 is sleeved on the second driving wheel 214 and the second driven wheel 215, the diameter of the second driven wheel 215 can be larger than the diameter of the second driving wheel 214, so that the rotation speed of the second driven wheel 215 can be lower than the rotation speed of the second driving wheel 214. When the second motor 213 is operating, it drives the second driven wheel 215 to rotate via the second conveyor belt 216, causing the rotating shaft 212 to rotate along the central axis extending along the Z-axis following the second driven wheel 215. In other words, the rotating shaft 212 is rotatably connected to the base 211. Since the base 211 is fixed to the first slider 350, when the first slider 350 performs reciprocating linear motion along the X-axis on the guide rail 130, the entire liquid suction mechanism 200, via the base 211, follows the first slider 350 in reciprocating linear motion along the X-axis. The relative motion of the liquid suction mechanism 200, the rotating shaft 212, and the suction body 222 are all driven by separate conveyor belts, preventing interference and increasing speed.

[0042] See Figure 1 、 Figure 7 and Figure 9 For ease of description, the absorbing liquid 222 on one of the absorbing mechanisms 200 is referred to as the first absorbing liquid 222a, and the absorbing liquid 222 on the other absorbing mechanism 200 is referred to as the second absorbing liquid 222b. The trajectory formed by the first absorbing liquid 222a revolving around the rotation axis 212 is a first circle 201, and the trajectory formed by the second absorbing liquid 222b revolving around the rotation axis 212 is a second circle 202. The areas of the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 can each cover partially connected accommodating cavities 21 on the same accommodating box 20, allowing the two absorbing liquids 222 to absorb liquid from different accommodating cavities 21 on the same accommodating box 20. This allows the first absorbing liquid 222a and the second absorbing liquid 222b to continuously absorb liquid from the continuous accommodating cavities 21 within their coverage areas. This eliminates the need for the absorbing liquids 222 to alternately absorb liquid, resulting in high absorbing efficiency and a simple avoidance structure. Under the condition that the connecting line of the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 extends along the Y-axis direction, it is obvious that the connecting line is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the entire liquid-absorbing mechanism 200 relative to the support member 100 (i.e., the X-axis direction), and the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 can intersect, be tangent, or be separated, as long as it is ensured that all the accommodating cavities 21 on the accommodating box 20 can be located within the total coverage area formed by the first circle 201 and the second circle 202. In this way, all the accommodating cavities 21 on the same accommodating box 20 can be absorbed, which can avoid batch differences between accommodating boxes 20, improve the accuracy of the results, and improve the working efficiency of the liquid-absorbing device 10. Therefore, with the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the liquid-absorbing mechanism 200 relative to the support member 10 as the reference direction, the maximum spacing between the first absorbing liquid body 222a and the second absorbing liquid body 222b along the reference direction is H, and the spacing between the two accommodating cavities 21 farthest apart in the same accommodating box 20 is h, and the value of H is greater than or equal to the value of h.

[0043] When the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 intersect, the arc segment of the first circle 201 that falls within the second circle 202 is recorded as the first arc segment 201a, and the arc segment of the second circle 202 that falls within the first circle 201 is recorded as the second arc segment 202a. The central angles corresponding to the first arc segment 201a and the second arc segment 202a can both be less than 180°, thereby reducing the interference range of the two liquid suction liquids 222, simplifying avoidance, increasing speed, and improving space utilization of other structures. In some embodiments, when the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 intersect, the number of cavities 21 in the same container 20 that are simultaneously located within the common coverage area of ​​the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 is limited to no more than two. The cavities 21 that have been suctioned the most times are selected to be located within the common coverage area, thereby improving hole utilization. For example, the number of cavities 21 in the same container 20 that are located within the common coverage area can be only one. The diameters of the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 may be equal, and the central angles of the first arc segment 201a and the second arc segment 202a may also be equal, so that the structures of the two liquid suction mechanisms 200 are roughly the same to simplify the structure.

[0044] Under the condition that the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 intersect or are tangent to each other, when each absorbing liquid 222 reciprocates between two extreme positions in the X-axis direction, the absorbing liquid 222 revolves around the central axis extending in the Z-axis direction.

[0045] In some embodiments, the boundary formed by the movement trajectories of the two absorbing liquids 222 is roughly a closed-loop "double-waisted" curve. Specifically, the "double-waisted" curve comprises two single-waisted curves, each of which comprises a straight line and two circular arcs, the two circular arcs connected at opposite ends of the straight line, with the openings of the two circular arcs facing each other. The circular arcs of the two single-waisted curves are connected to form a "double-waisted" curve. The area covered by this "double-waisted" curve is the "double-waisted" coverage area 203. Clearly, the two absorbing liquids 222 can reach any position within the "double-waisted" coverage area 203, ensuring that at least one of the first absorbing liquid 222a and the second absorbing liquid 222b can move to the location of each accommodating cavity 21 to absorb liquid. Compared to a rectangular coverage area, the "double-waisted" coverage area 203 is more conducive to increasing the absorption range of the absorbing liquid 222.

[0046] Given that multiple accommodating boxes 20 are arranged side by side along the X-axis, and all accommodating cavities 21 on the same accommodating box 20 are spaced apart along the Y-axis, provided that all accommodating cavities 21 on the same accommodating box 20 are located within the total coverage area formed by the first circle 201 and the second circle 202, it is possible to ensure that the liquid in all accommodating cavities 21 on the same accommodating box 20 can be absorbed by at least one of the first absorbing liquid 222a and the second absorbing liquid 222b. In other words, the entire absorbing device 10 can absorb the liquid in all accommodating cavities 21 on the same accommodating box 20. Furthermore, provided that the accommodating cavities 21 of all accommodating boxes 20 are located within the "double-waisted" coverage area 203, all accommodating cavities 21 on all accommodating boxes 20 can be absorbed by at least one of the first absorbing liquid 222a and the second absorbing liquid 222b. Therefore, when different components of liquids are contained in different accommodating cavities 21 in the same accommodating box 20, the liquid suction device 10 can not only suck liquids of different components in different accommodating cavities 21 in the same accommodating box 20 at the same time, but can also suck liquids in accommodating cavities 21 in different accommodating boxes 20 at the same time.

[0047] Seven accommodating chambers 21 can be provided on the same accommodating box 20, each accommodating chamber 21 contains liquids of different components. From one end to the other end of the accommodating box 20, the seven accommodating chambers 21 are sequentially recorded as the first chamber 21a, the second chamber 21b, the third chamber 21c, the fourth chamber 21d, the fifth chamber 21e, the sixth chamber 21f and the seventh chamber 21g. The first to fifth cavities 21a to 21e are located within the first circle 201 of the revolution trajectory of the first liquid absorbing liquid 222a, and the fifth to seventh cavities 21e to 21g are located within the second circle 202 of the revolution trajectory of the second liquid absorbing liquid 222b. Obviously, the fifth cavity 21e is located within the common coverage area of ​​the first circle 201 and the second circle 202, that is, the number of accommodating cavities 21 located within the common coverage area is one, so that the fifth cavity 21e can be absorbed by two liquid absorbing liquids 222. When the first liquid absorbing liquid 222a needs to absorb more liquid from the accommodating cavity 21 and needs to absorb liquid from the fifth cavity 21e, the second liquid absorbing liquid 222b can absorb liquid from the fifth cavity 21e, and vice versa, thereby saving liquid absorption time and improving liquid absorption efficiency. Therefore, through linear motion along the X-axis direction and orbital motion around the central axis extending in the Z-axis direction, the first liquid absorbing liquid 222a can move to the top of any one of the accommodating cavities 21 from the first cavity 21a to the fifth cavity 21e and absorb the liquid in the accommodating cavity 21, that is, the first liquid absorbing liquid 222a is responsible for absorbing liquid in the first cavity 21a to the fifth cavity 21e, and the second liquid absorbing liquid 222b can move to the top of any one of the accommodating cavities 21 from the fifth cavity 21e to the seventh cavity 21g and absorb the liquid in the accommodating cavity 21, that is, the second liquid absorbing liquid 222b is responsible for absorbing liquid in the fifth cavity 21e to the seventh cavity 21g. For example, when the first suction liquid 222a is sucking liquid in the first cavity 21a, the second suction liquid 222b can suck liquid in any of the accommodating cavities 21 from the fifth cavity to the seventh cavity 21g. When the first suction liquid 222a is sucking liquid in the second cavity 21b, the second suction liquid 222b can suck liquid in any of the accommodating cavities 21 from the fifth cavity to the seventh cavity 21g. Similarly, when the first suction liquid 222a is sucking liquid in the fourth cavity 21d, the second suction liquid 222b can suck liquid in any of the accommodating cavities 21 from the fifth cavity to the seventh cavity 21g, thereby improving work efficiency. When the first suction liquid 222a is sucking liquid in the fifth cavity 21e, the second suction liquid 222b can suck liquid in any of the accommodating cavities 21 from the sixth cavity to the seventh cavity 21g. This allows the aspirating unit 222 to be used for aspirating liquid from multiple cavities 21 in the same or different accommodating boxes 20, making the aspirating device 10 more versatile for aspirating liquid for multiple testing projects. It also reduces the length of the aspirating unit 220 perpendicular to the Y-axis, preventing the aspirating unit 222 from shaking during movement and improving the mechanical stability of the aspirating unit 220.

[0048] In the case where a reaction cuvette needs to be filled with multiple liquid components, if there is only one liquid aspirator 222, the liquid aspirator 222 must first inject the liquid into the reaction cuvette and then aspirate the liquid from the accommodating chamber 21. This creates a long time interval between the first and second additions to the reaction cuvette, thereby prolonging the time required to fill the reaction cuvette with all the required liquid or the time required to inject liquid into different reaction cuvettes. Furthermore, the coverage area of ​​the movement trajectory of a single liquid aspirator 222 is limited and may not cover all accommodating chambers 21 of the accommodating chamber 20, resulting in the inability to aspirate some liquid components. Even if the coverage area of ​​the movement trajectory of a single liquid aspirator 222 can cover all accommodating chambers 21 of the accommodating chamber 20, the extension length of the liquid aspirator 220 in the direction perpendicular to the Z-axis will be relatively large, thereby affecting the mechanical stability of the liquid aspirator 220 and causing the liquid aspirator 222 to shake significantly during movement, thereby affecting the aspiration or injection of liquid.

[0049] In the aforementioned embodiment, the liquid aspirating device 10 utilizes the injection time interval of the first aspirating member 222a to inject liquid into the reaction cup, while the second aspirating member 222b can fully utilize this injection time interval to aspirate liquid from the accommodating chamber 21. Consequently, when the first aspirating member 222a leaves the reaction cup, the second aspirating member 222b can reach the reaction cup and rapidly inject liquid into the reaction cup. This allows the time interval between the first and second injections of liquid into the reaction cup to be negligible, ultimately reducing or eliminating the time interval between two adjacent injections of liquid into the reaction cup, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the entire liquid aspirating device 10. The "double-waisted" coverage area 203 formed by the two aspirating members 222 is large enough to cover all accommodating chambers 21 on the accommodating box 20, thereby increasing the liquid aspiration range of the liquid aspirating device 10. Furthermore, the distance between the central axis of the absorbing body 222 and the central axis of the rotating shaft 212 can be appropriately reduced, that is, the extension length of the absorbing unit 220 in the direction perpendicular to the Y-axis can be reasonably reduced, thereby preventing the absorbing body 222 from shaking during movement and improving the mechanical stability of the absorbing unit 220. Furthermore, both absorbing bodies 222 have three degrees of freedom of movement, which simplifies the structure of the absorbing device 10, reduces the probability of collision between the two absorbing bodies 222, and ultimately reduces the difficulty of the avoidance design of the absorbing device 10. Therefore, the absorbing device 10 can simultaneously take into account the characteristics of absorbing speed, absorbing range, absorbing stability and reliability, and structural simplicity.

[0050] When the same container 20 includes a container 21 that is located within the common coverage area of ​​both the first circle 201 and the second circle 202, for example, the fifth container 21e is located within the common coverage area. If a reaction cuvette requires a large amount of liquid from the fifth container 21e, a single aspirator 222 may not be able to fill the required amount. In this case, a first aspirator 222a can first aspirate liquid from the fifth container 21e of one container 20 and inject it into the reaction cuvette. While the first aspirator 222a is injecting liquid into the reaction cuvette, the second aspirator 222b can aspirate liquid from the fifth container 21e of the same container 20 or another container 20. The moment the first aspirator 222a leaves the reaction cuvette, the second aspirator 222b, having aspirated liquid from the fifth container 21e, arrives at the reaction cuvette. This eliminates the long delay between two injections of liquid, which can occur when the same aspirator 222 aspirates liquid from the fifth container 21e, thereby improving aspiration efficiency. Of course, the number of the inner cavities 21 in the same accommodating box 20 located in the common coverage area of ​​the first circle 201 and the second circle 202 cannot be too large, thereby reducing the probability of collision caused by the first absorbing liquid 222a and the second absorbing liquid 222b arriving at the same accommodating cavity 21 at the same time, and reducing the difficulty of avoiding and controlling the two absorbing liquids 222 during movement.

[0051] The present invention further provides a sample analyzer, which includes the above-mentioned liquid aspiration device 10 , thereby simplifying the structure of the sample analyzer while improving working efficiency and stability and reliability.

[0052] See Figure 10 The present invention also provides a liquid imbibition method, which can be formed by the liquid imbibition device 10, so the liquid imbibition method mainly includes the following steps:

[0053] S410, providing two absorbing liquids 222, enabling the two absorbing liquids 222 to slide along two straight lines extending perpendicular to the direction of gravity and parallel to each other, and enabling the two absorbing liquids 222 to revolve and slide relative to the straight lines extending along the direction of gravity.

[0054] S420, the revolution trajectories of the two liquid absorbing liquids 222 form two circles, so that each circle can cover part of the accommodating cavity 21 on the same accommodating box 20, and all the accommodating cavities 21 on the same accommodating box 20 can be located within the coverage area of ​​the two circles.

[0055] S430 , enabling the two liquid aspirators 222 to aspirate liquid in different accommodating chambers 21 on the same accommodating box 20 , or enabling the two liquid aspirators 222 to aspirate liquid in different accommodating chambers 21 on different accommodating boxes 20 .

[0056] See Figure 1 、 Figure 7 and Figure 9 Therefore, the two absorbing liquids 222 are designated as first absorbing liquid 222a and second absorbing liquid 222b. While first absorbing liquid 222a is injecting liquid into the reaction cup, second absorbing liquid 222b can absorb the liquid. At the moment when first absorbing liquid 222a leaves the reaction cup after injection, second absorbing liquid 222b, having absorbed the liquid, can reach the reaction cup and inject the liquid. This reduces or eliminates the time between two adjacent injections into the reaction cup, thereby improving work efficiency. Furthermore, there are two absorbing liquids 222, each capable of three degrees of freedom. This ensures that the area covered by the two circles is sufficiently large, thereby increasing the liquid absorption range and preventing the absorbing liquids 222 from shaking during movement, improving the stability and reliability of liquid absorption. This also reduces the probability of collision between absorbing liquids 222, thereby simplifying the design of absorbing liquid 222 avoidance.

[0057] In some embodiments, the two circles formed by the revolution paths of the two liquid aspirators 222 intersect or are tangent to each other, allowing the two liquid aspirators 222 to aspirate liquid from the same cavities 21 on the same container 20. Specifically, no more than two cavities 21 within the same container 20 are simultaneously located within the common coverage area of ​​the two circles, allowing both liquid aspirators 222 to aspirate liquid from cavities 21 within the common coverage area. Referring to the above description of the liquid aspirator 10, this approach can also eliminate the time between two consecutive liquid injections into the cuvette, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0058] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0059] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A liquid suction device for sucking liquid from a container having a plurality of accommodating cavities, characterized in that: The liquid suction device comprises: supports; and There are multiple liquid suction mechanisms, each of which includes a rotating unit, which is slidably connected to the support member and includes a rotating shaft, the central axis of which extends along the direction of gravity. The liquid suction mechanism can revolve around the rotating shaft, and the liquid in different accommodating chambers on the accommodating box can be sucked by the multiple liquid suction mechanisms at the same time; The liquid suction mechanism is located on one side of the lower surface of the support member; there are two liquid suction mechanisms, and the two liquid suction mechanisms can slide along two straight lines extending perpendicular to the direction of gravity and parallel to each other relative to the support member. The support member includes guide rails, and the number of the guide rails is consistent with the number of the liquid suction mechanisms. The two liquid suction mechanisms slide linearly on the corresponding guide rails, and the two guide rails are on the same support member. The liquid suctioned by the liquid suction mechanism can revolve around the rotating axis, and the sum of the trajectories of different liquid suctions revolving around the rotating axis can cover all the accommodating cavities on the same accommodating box.

2. The liquid suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that The liquid suction mechanism further includes a liquid suction unit, and the liquid suction unit includes the liquid suction body.

3. The liquid suction device according to claim 2, characterized in that There are two liquid absorbing mechanisms, and the liquid absorbing mechanism on one of the liquid absorbing mechanisms is recorded as the first liquid absorbing mechanism, and the liquid absorbing mechanism on the other liquid absorbing mechanism is recorded as the second liquid absorbing mechanism. The trajectory formed by the rotation of the first liquid absorbing mechanism is a first circle, and the trajectory formed by the rotation of the second liquid absorbing mechanism is a second circle. The areas where the first circle and the second circle are located can respectively cover the partially connected accommodating cavities on the same accommodating box, so that the two liquid absorbing mechanisms absorb liquid in different accommodating cavities located on the same accommodating box.

4. The liquid suction device according to claim 3, characterized in that Under the condition that the line connecting the centers of the first circle and the second circle is perpendicular to the direction of gravity, the first circle and the second circle intersect or are tangent to each other.

5. The liquid suction device according to claim 4, characterized in that When the first circle and the second circle intersect, the arc segment of the first circle that falls within the second circle is recorded as the first arc segment, and the arc segment of the second circle that falls within the first circle is recorded as the second arc segment, and the central angles corresponding to the first arc segment and the second arc segment are both less than 180°.

6. The liquid suction device according to claim 4, characterized in that When the first circle and the second circle intersect, the number of accommodating cavities in the same accommodating box that are simultaneously located within the coverage areas of the two circles is no more than two.

7. The liquid suction device according to claim 6, characterized in that When the first circle and the second circle simultaneously cover one accommodating cavity in the same accommodating box, and when the first liquid absorbing device is performing liquid absorbing work in the one accommodating cavity, the second liquid absorbing device is responsible for liquid absorbing work in other accommodating cavities in the second circle.

8. The liquid suction device according to claim 7, characterized in that Seven accommodating chambers are provided on the same accommodating box, each accommodating chamber contains liquids of different components. From one end of the accommodating box to the other end, the seven accommodating chambers are sequentially recorded as chamber No. 1, chamber No. 2, chamber No. 3, chamber No. 4, chamber No. 5, chamber No. 6 and chamber No.

7. The chamber No. 5 is located within the common coverage area of ​​the first circle and the second circle.

9. The liquid suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that The boundary formed by the motion tracks of the plurality of liquid suction mechanisms is a closed-loop double-waist curve.

10. The liquid suction device according to claim 5, characterized in that The diameters of the first circle and the second circle are equal, and the central angles corresponding to the first arc segment and the second arc segment are equal.

11. The liquid suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that The support member is a flat plate structure.

12. The liquid suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that The support member is a plate-shaped structure, and the two liquid suction mechanisms are located on the same side of the support member in the thickness direction.

13. The liquid suction device according to claim 2, characterized in that The central axis of the liquid suction body and the central axis of the rotating shaft are parallel to each other and spaced a certain distance apart from each other.

14. The liquid suction device according to claim 13, characterized in that The liquid suction unit further includes a support arm, the support arm is connected to the rotating shaft, and the liquid suction body is slidably connected to the support arm.

15. The liquid suction device according to claim 14, characterized in that The liquid suction unit further comprises a power assembly, which is connected to the support arm and drives the liquid suction body to slide.

16. A sample analyzer, characterized in that: A liquid suction device comprising the liquid suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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