Automatic direct coating device

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic straight coating device and relates to the technical field of life science instruments, which comprises a sleeve, a driven gear meshing with a driving gear is arranged on the outer wall of the sleeve, and a motor is in transmission connection with the driving gear; a probe is movably arranged below the sleeve, the bottom of the probe can be fixedly connected with a straight coating head, and the top of the probe can be fixedly connected with the bottom of the sleeve. The automatic straight coating device can automatically select a bacterial colony and pick up trace bacteria on a target plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of life science instruments, in particular to an automatic direct coating device. Background Art

[0002] A mass spectrometer is a scientific instrument that uses electromagnetic principles to separate ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio, thereby measuring the mass and content of a substance. Matrix-assisted laser desorption / ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), a subtype of mass spectrometry, is capable of rapid and accurate simultaneous analysis and identification of multiple samples. Samples are typically fixed to target spots on a plate before being analyzed and identified in the MALDI-TOFMS.

[0003] MALDI-TOF MS fingerprinting is currently the most mature and widely used method for identifying unknown microorganisms. Within the mass range of 2,000 to 20,000 Da, microbial mass spectra are minimally affected by culture medium and metabolites, and are insensitive to differential expression across microbial growth stages. However, they are highly stable for highly abundant proteins (those that are conserved during microbial evolution), exhibit excellent reproducibility, and are specific at the genus and species levels. This is why it is called peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). Currently, this technique can be used for species-level microbial identification. To this end, multiple mass spectra of strains of known genus and species can be collected using specific statistical requirements and standards. A standard spectrum can then be generated using statistical algorithms, thereby establishing a reference bacterial library. To identify unknown strains, the obtained mass spectrum can simply be compared with fingerprints in the reference bacterial library using specific scoring rules. Fingerprinting offers excellent specificity, enabling the identification of thousands or even tens of thousands of bacterial species. Currently, MALDI-TOF MS is widely used for the taxonomic identification of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, mycobacteria, and Nocardia.

[0004] To ensure that matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry can detect protein spectra from microorganisms, the classic approach is to extract the proteins from the microorganisms (referred to as the "extraction method"). This extraction process is cumbersome, so to shorten identification time, a common practice is to directly extract a small amount of bacteria from the culture dish onto a target plate and then drip the matrix onto it (referred to as the "direct coating method"). The "extraction method" processes liquids, and commercially available spotters can generally meet these requirements. However, the "direct coating method" is very difficult; bacterial colonies growing on culture dishes are very irregular and soft, making it difficult to automatically select colonies and transfer the small amount of bacteria to the target plate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic direct coating device to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, which can realize automatic selection of colonies and pick up trace amounts of bacteria onto a target plate.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0007] The present invention provides an automatic direct coating device, including a sleeve, wherein the outer wall of the sleeve is provided with a driven gear meshing with a driving gear, and the driving gear is connected to a motor; a probe is movably provided below the sleeve, the bottom of the probe can be fixedly sleeved with a direct coating head, and the top of the probe can be fixedly clamped with the bottom of the sleeve; the outer bottom of the direct coating head is coated with sterile cotton or a dust-free cloth. By designing the structure of the direct coating head, when the direct coating head touches a bacterial colony, the direct coating head stops descending, the top of the probe is clamped with the bottom of the sleeve, and the sleeve starts to drive the probe and the direct coating head to rotate, completing the bacterial colony picking, and then the device is moved to the target plate position, the device height is lowered, and when the bottom of the direct coating head touches the target plate, the direct coating head stops descending, the top of the probe is clamped with the bottom of the sleeve, and the sleeve starts to drive the probe and the direct coating head to rotate, completing the process of direct coating bacteria to the target plate. In this way, micro-picking and direct coating of bacterial colonies are achieved.

[0008] Optionally, the direct coating head is made of plastic; a transition sleeve is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sleeve, and the probe is movably arranged in the transition sleeve. The bottom of the probe can pass through the transition sleeve and be fixedly connected to the direct coating head. The top of the probe is connected to the electrical connector located at the top of the sleeve through a flexible cable, and the electrical connector is electrically connected to the control terminal.

[0009] Optionally, a tapered hole with a diameter gradually increasing from bottom to top is provided on the top of the direct coating head, and the bottom of the probe can pass through the transition sleeve and then be fixedly sleeved in the tapered hole.

[0010] Optionally, the probe includes a conductive screw, which is fixedly connected to an insulating head, a grounding electrode and a plug in sequence; the bottom of the plug can pass through the transition sleeve and be fixedly sleeved with the direct coating head, the top of the conductive screw is connected to the electrical connector located at the top of the sleeve through a flexible cable, and the bottom of the grounding electrode can abut against the bottom of the transition sleeve.

[0011] Optionally, a limiting groove is provided on the top of the insulating head, and a limiting protrusion is provided on the bottom of the sleeve, and the limiting protrusion can be inserted into the limiting groove.

[0012] Optionally, the lower side of the sleeve is fixedly sleeved inside the transition sleeve.

[0013] Optionally, the plug is made of insulating material; the weight of the probe is less than 2.5g.

[0014] Optionally, the flexible cable is located inside the sleeve.

[0015] Optionally, the probe is a plug, the bottom of the plug can be fixedly connected to the direct coating head, and the top of the plug can be fixedly connected to the bottom of the sleeve; a micro pressure sensor is fixedly provided on one side below the sleeve, and the micro pressure sensor is electrically connected to the control terminal.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects:

[0017] The present invention has a simple structure and is easy to operate. The control device drives the entire device to move downward, and the plug can be fixedly inserted into the conical hole of the direct coating head. An unloader is provided above the waste box. The direct coating head is clamped in the groove of the unloader above the waste box. The device is moved upward to quickly separate the plug from the direct coating head, so that the direct coating head can be quickly and automatically loaded and unloaded. The motor drives the direct coating head to rotate rapidly, so that the bottom of the direct coating head rotates on the colony or the handle, thereby realizing automatic direct coating of bacteria and target coating; and realizing micro-picking and direct coating of colonies. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention 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 of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an automatic direct coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 Schematic cross-sectional view of an automatic direct coating device according to Example 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded components of an automatic direct coating device according to Example 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of the plug and direct coating head of the automatic direct coating device of Example 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of an automatic direct coating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an automatic direct coating device according to Example 2 of the present invention;

[0025] Explanation of the accompanying symbols: 1. Sleeve; 2. Driving gear; 3. Driven gear; 4. Motor; 5. Transition sleeve; 6. Straight coating head; 7. Flexible cable; 8. Electrical connector; 9. Conductive screw; 10. Insulating head; 11. Ground electrode; 12. Plug; 13. Culture dish; 14. Colony; 15. Miniature pressure sensor; 16. Sterile cotton or dust-free cloth. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic direct coating device to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, which can realize automatic selection of colonies and pick up trace amounts of bacteria onto a target plate.

[0028] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Example

[0029] The present invention provides an automatic direct coating device, which is integrally mounted on a control device and can be moved horizontally or vertically under the control of the control device for easy positioning. Figure 1 , Attachment Figure 2 , Attachment Figure 3 and attached Figure 4 As shown, it includes a sleeve 1, the outer wall of the sleeve 1 is provided with a driven gear 3 that meshes with the driving gear 2, and the driving gear 2 is transmission-connected to the motor 4; the lower part of the sleeve 1 is fixedly sleeved inside the transition sleeve 5, and a probe is movably provided inside the transition sleeve 5. The bottom of the probe can pass through the transition sleeve 5 and be fixedly sleeved with the straight coating head 6. The straight coating head 6 is made of plastic material, and the outer bottom is covered with sterile cotton or dust-free cloth 16. A conical hole with a gradually increasing diameter from bottom to top is provided on the top of the straight coating head 6. The bottom of the probe can pass through the transition sleeve 5 and be fixedly sleeved in the conical hole. This connection method is similar to the clamping method of the needle and the syringe. The top of the probe can be fixedly clamped with the bottom of the sleeve 1; the top of the probe is connected to the electrical connector 8 located at the top of the sleeve 1 through a flexible cable 7. The flexible cable 7 is located inside the sleeve 1 to avoid interference with the external structure. The electrical connector 8 is electrically connected to the control terminal.

[0030] Further preferably, the probe includes a conductive screw 9, which is fixedly connected to an insulating head 10, a grounding electrode 11 and a plug 12 in sequence; the bottom of the plug 12 can pass through the transition sleeve 5 and be fixedly connected to the direct coating head 6, the top of the conductive screw 9 is connected to the electrical connector 8 located at the top of the sleeve 1 through a flexible cable 7, and the bottom of the grounding electrode 11 can abut against the bottom of the transition sleeve 5. A limiting groove is provided on the top of the insulating head 10, and a limiting protrusion is provided at the bottom of the sleeve 1. The limiting protrusion can be inserted into the limiting groove. The specific structure is not limited here, and a snap-on connection structure can also be used, so that the probe and the sleeve 1 can be circumferentially limited, so that the probe can rotate synchronously with the sleeve 1. The plug 12 is made of insulating material. In different design schemes, the plug 12 can also be made of a stronger non-insulating material, and its outer surface is covered with an insulating layer; the weight of the probe is less than 2.5g.

[0031] The working process of direct coating and selection of bacteria using the above-mentioned device of the present invention includes: before direct coating and selection of bacteria, the probe hangs freely, and the grounding electrode 11 abuts against the bottom of the metal transition sleeve 5, that is, at this time, the electrical connector 8 outputs a grounding signal. When direct coating and selection of bacteria are required, the image of the bacteria is captured by a camera, and the growth position of the bacteria is determined by machine vision; then the direct coating head device of the present invention is driven close to the bacteria 14 of the culture dish 13 through the screw rod and guide rail of the control device. When the direct coating head touches the bacteria 14, the direct coating head 6 will move upward due to the squeezing, and then the probe will move upward, and the grounding electrode 11 will be separated from the transition sleeve 5 at this time, so that the electrical connector 8 outputs a circuit breaker signal to the control terminal. At this time, the control device stops working, and the motor 4 starts to rotate, driving the direct coating head 6 to rotate through the driving gear 2 and the driven gear 3, so that the bacteria are attached to the head of the direct coating head, completing the process of direct coating and selection of bacteria.

[0032] The working process of directly coating the bacteria on the target plate is similar to the above process. When the direct coating head 6 with the colony 14 touching the target surface, the ground electrode 11 is separated from the transition sleeve 5, the electrical connector 8 outputs a circuit breaker signal, the control device stops working, and the motor 4 starts to rotate, driving the direct coating head 6 to rotate through the driving gear 2 and the driven gear 3, so that the colony 14 is coated on the target plate. Before use, the control device drives the entire device to move downward, and the plug is aligned with the direct coating head in the direct coating head storage box and pressed down, so that the plug can be fixedly inserted into the tapered hole of the direct coating head to realize automatic installation of the direct coating head; an unloader is provided above the waste box, and the unloader includes a horizontally convex dressing structure with a U-shaped groove on the outside. The groove width is larger than the diameter of the plug and smaller than the diameter of the tapered hole at the maximum position. Because the plug and the direct coating head are put together by the tapered socket, there is a 2-3mm empty section between the two. When the direct coating head needs to be unloaded, the U-shaped groove of the unloader is aligned with the empty section between the plug and the direct coating head, and the motor drives the direct coating mechanism to move upward again, and the direct coating head will be detached from the plug. Example

[0033] This embodiment has made further improvements, omitting structures such as the ground electrode. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the overall structure comprises a sleeve 1 and a plug 12. The bottom of the plug 12 can be fixedly connected to the direct coating head 6, and the top of the plug 12 can be fixedly engaged with the bottom of the sleeve 1. A micro pressure sensor 15 is fixedly mounted on one side of the sleeve 1 and is electrically connected to the control terminal. Before direct coating of bacterial colonies, the current output value of the micro pressure sensor 15 is read (for example, if the sensitive element is a piezoresistive device, the output is a change in resistance with pressure, which is converted into a voltage change by a bridge). When direct coating of bacterial colonies is required, a camera captures an image of the colonies, and machine vision is used to determine the colony's growth position. The control device then drives the entire direct coating head assembly via a lead screw and guide rails to approach the colonies in the culture dish. When the direct coating head 6 contacts the surface of the bacterial colonies 14, the micro pressure sensor 15 generates a signal change. When the change exceeds a certain set value (typically preset to 1-20 mN), the signal can be determined to determine the surface of the colonies and the depth of the direct coating head's insertion into the colonies. At this time, the control device stops working and the motor starts to rotate, driving the direct coating head 6 to rotate through the driving gear 2 and the driven gear 3, so that the bacterial colonies are adhered to the head of the direct coating head, completing the direct coating and bacteria picking process.

[0034] The process of direct bacterial coating onto a target plate is similar to the above. When the direct coating head 6, laden with bacterial colonies 14, touches the target surface, a signal change is generated by the micro-pressure sensor 15. When this change exceeds a set value (typically 1-2N), the control device stops and the motor begins rotating, driving the direct coating head 6 via the driving gear 2 and driven gear 3, thus coating the target plate with bacterial colonies.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0036] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only intended to help understand the method and core concept of the present invention. At the same time, those skilled in the art will find that the specific implementation methods and application scopes may vary based on the concept of the present invention. In summary, the contents of this specification should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic direct coating device, characterized in that: It includes a sleeve, the outer wall of the sleeve is provided with a driven gear meshing with the driving gear, and the driving gear is connected to the motor; a probe is movably provided at the bottom of the sleeve, the bottom of the probe can be fixedly sleeved with the direct coating head, and the top of the probe can be fixedly clamped with the bottom of the sleeve; the outer bottom of the direct coating head is covered with sterile cotton or dust-free cloth; a transition sleeve is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sleeve, and the probe is movably provided in the transition sleeve, and the bottom of the probe can be fixedly sleeved with the direct coating head after passing through the transition sleeve, and the top of the probe is connected to the electrical connector located at the top of the sleeve through a flexible cable, and the electrical connector is electrically connected to the control terminal; a conical hole with a diameter gradually increasing from bottom to top is provided at the top of the direct coating head, and the bottom of the probe can be fixedly clamped after passing through the transition sleeve The probe comprises a conductive screw, which is fixedly connected to an insulating head, a grounding electrode and a plug in sequence; the bottom of the plug can pass through the transition sleeve and be fixedly connected to the direct coating head, the top of the conductive screw is connected to the electrical connector at the top of the sleeve through a flexible cable, and the bottom of the grounding electrode can abut against the bottom of the transition sleeve; a limiting groove is provided on the top of the insulating head, and a limiting protrusion is provided at the bottom of the sleeve, and the limiting protrusion can be inserted into the limiting groove; the probe is a plug, the bottom of the plug can be fixedly connected to the direct coating head, and the top of the plug can be fixedly engaged with the bottom of the sleeve; a micro pressure sensor is fixedly provided on one side below the sleeve, and the micro pressure sensor is electrically connected to the control terminal; Before direct coating of the colonies, the probe hangs freely, and the grounding electrode contacts the bottom of the metal transition sleeve, that is, the electrical connector outputs a grounding signal at this time; when direct coating of the colonies is required, the camera takes an image of the colonies, and uses machine vision to determine the growth position of the colonies; when the direct coating head touches the colonies, the direct coating head will move upward due to the squeezing, and then the probe will move upward, and the grounding electrode will be separated from the transition sleeve at this time, and the electrical connector outputs a circuit breaker signal to the control terminal; the control device stops working, the motor starts to rotate, and the direct coating head is driven to rotate through the driving gear and the driven gear, so that the colonies are stuck to the head of the direct coating head.

2. The automatic direct coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The straight coating head is made of plastic material.

3. The automatic direct coating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower side of the sleeve is fixedly sleeved inside the transition sleeve.

4. The automatic direct coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plug is made of insulating material; the weight of the probe is less than 2.5g.

5. The automatic direct coating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flexible cable is located inside the sleeve.

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