Automated sterile laboratory and experimental methods

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automated sterile laboratory and experimental method, which belongs to the technical field of sterile experiments. It includes: a consumables storage unit, which is configured to standardize the management of several types of consumables and reagent carriers, and provide the amount of consumables and reagents required for predetermined work; an experimental operation unit, which is configured to perform sample detection and storage, output experimental data, and operate experimental instruments according to needs; a material scheduling unit, which is arranged between the consumables storage unit and the experimental operation unit; the material scheduling unit is configured to effectively transfer consumables according to experimental needs. The present invention configures at least two intelligent robots and all devices, instruments and other auxiliary mechanisms required for experiments that are compatible with the robots in a sealed laboratory, realizing full intelligence and complete separation from manual operation, increasing the isolation effect of the environment, and greatly reducing the possibility of contamination. At the same time, compared with existing human-machine integration or manual experiments, the experimental efficiency is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of sterile experiments, and in particular relates to an automated sterile laboratory and an experimental method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of medical biology, veterinary biology, etc., sterile experiments have received more and more attention because they can obtain reliable and accurate experimental results after a small number of experiments. The demand and use of sterile experiments have also gradually increased.

[0003] However, current sterile experiments are conducted in a sealed environment, which is thoroughly disinfected by staff. Lab personnel then wear isolation suits and operate within the sealed environment. However, lab personnel often come and go as needed, requiring disinfection each time they enter and exit. This not only creates inconvenience, but also increases the frequency of disinfection, which in turn reduces the effectiveness of isolation. This results in a decrease in the quality of sterile lab supplies during the experiment, which in turn reduces the accuracy of experimental results and experimental efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned background technology and provides a fully automated sterile laboratory and experimental method.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solution: an automated sterile laboratory, comprising: a sealed chamber, wherein the sealed chamber is provided with:

[0006] The consumables storage unit is configured to standardize the management of various types of consumables and reagent carriers and provide the amount of consumables and reagents required for the scheduled work;

[0007] The experimental operation unit is configured to perform sample testing and storage, output experimental data, and operate experimental instruments according to requirements;

[0008] A material dispatching unit is provided between the consumables storage unit and the experimental operation unit; the material dispatching unit is configured to effectively transfer consumables according to experimental requirements;

[0009] The experimental operation unit includes: a dual-arm robot, which is configured to detect and store samples, output experimental data, and operate experimental instruments;

[0010] The material dispatching unit includes: a first robot, which is configured to clamp consumables and consumables in a reagent carrier storage unit and transfer them to a designated environment or hand them over to a dual-arm robot.

[0011] In a further embodiment, the consumables storage unit includes:

[0012] The consumables storage unit includes:

[0013] A rotating mechanism, transmission-connected to the base of the rotating mechanism;

[0014] A storage mechanism is fixed to the base; the storage mechanism comprises: a plurality of frames spliced on the base, and a plurality of support units adjustable up and down along the frames; the frames are evenly distributed along the circumference of the base at the top edge of the base;

[0015] The tray body is adapted to the support unit; the tray is formed with at least one receiving portion for placing a reagent carrier, and the bottom is provided with at least one clamping structure adapted to the dual-arm robot and the first robot.

[0016] One side of the pallet body is formed with at least one clamping space that passes through the pallet body laterally on its opposite side, and the pallet body is formed with a first clamping surface and a second clamping surface that are oppositely arranged on the side surface relative to the clamping space; when the pallet needs to be clamped, the clamping mechanism is moved to the clamping space, and the clamping mechanism applies lateral extrusion force to the first clamping surface and the second clamping surface respectively to clamp the pallet body.

[0017] Wherein, the support unit includes: symmetrically arranged support members, the support members include a support portion and a fixing portion; the fixing portion is detachably connected to the frame via a connecting member, and the connecting member is a bolt.

[0018] In a further embodiment, the dual-arm robot comprises: a body, on which two sets of robotic arms are symmetrically arranged, and a rotating assembly is provided at the end of each set of robotic arms;

[0019] The robotic fingers are transmission-connected to the rotating assembly; the two sets of robotic fingers cooperate with each other to simultaneously perform at least two sets of actions when necessary. When adding liquid to a test tube, one robotic finger places the test tube on the test tube rack, holds the injection needle against the test tube, and the other robotic finger presses the injection needle to inject the liquid.

[0020] In a further embodiment, the robot finger includes: a connecting member, a driving mechanism being fixed to the connecting member;

[0021] At least one set of first grippers, wherein the first grippers are connected to a driving end of the driving mechanism, and the first grippers are provided with gripping structures in at least a first direction and a second direction respectively;

[0022] The driving mechanism is configured to drive the first gripper to move relative to the consumables and reagent carriers to achieve internal or external clamping of different consumables and reagent carriers.

[0023] Wherein, each group of the first grippers includes: each group of the grippers includes:

[0024] A first clamping portion, and a second clamping portion arranged opposite to the first clamping portion; a clamping space is formed between the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion, and the clamping space satisfies the internal clamping and / or the clamping state in two directions at the same time; the two side surfaces of the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion are used to achieve external clamping. When the consumables and reagent carriers need to be placed along the thickness direction of the clamping hand, or the consumables and reagent carriers are picked up from the bottom to the top or placed from the top to the top during the transfer process, they are in the first state; when the consumables and reagent carriers need to be placed along the extension direction of the clamping hand, or the consumables and reagent carriers are picked up or placed down by moving on a horizontal plane during the transfer process, they are in the second state.

[0025] The inner side surfaces of the first clamping part and the second clamping part are symmetrically arranged identical units, and the identical units include: at least a first card slot and a second card slot, and the first card slot and the second card slot are both configured to place consumables and reagent carriers along the thickness direction of the clamping part. The identical unit also includes: a third card slot, and the third card slot runs through the first card slot and the second card slot at the same time, and extends to the end of the clamping part; the third card slot is configured to place consumables and reagent carriers in the extension direction of the clamping hand. The first card slot and the second card slot are used to clamp consumables and reagent carriers of different sizes to meet different requirements in terms of size. The third card slot is used to clamp consumables and reagent carriers that cannot be placed vertically when moving, such as glass slides and test tube racks, or consumables and reagent carriers that cannot be clamped by the first card slot and the second card slot.

[0026] The first clamping portion and the second clamping portion are both provided with at least two sets of positioning pins, and the positioning pins are configured to clamp a disc-shaped vessel, thereby increasing the range of use of fingers and being suitable for disc-shaped vessels with borders, such as culture dishes.

[0027] In a further embodiment, the first robot comprises: a base, a robotic arm is provided on the base, and a rotating assembly is provided at the end of the robotic arm;

[0028] A clamping device is transmission-connected to the rotating assembly; the clamping device comprises: a connecting member, on which a driving mechanism is fixed;

[0029] Two sets of second grippers are symmetrically arranged, and the driving mechanism is connected to the grippers to transmit power to drive the two grippers to move toward or away from each other for clamping; a hook portion for hooking the handle is formed on a partial clamping surface of at least one gripper. The hook portion is perpendicular to the clamping surface and is grooved and extended from the outer end of the clamping surface. The groove on the clamping surface forms a hook portion, which can be used to hook the handle; at the same time, it avoids the situation where the clamping force is insufficient due to the unevenness of the clamping surface. The hook portion is set as an L-shaped structure, and the handle is hooked by the hook portion to complete the action of opening and closing the door. Reverse movement of the gripper will complete the separation of the hook portion from the handle. During the separation process, the L-shaped hook portion can avoid being hooked with the handle again.

[0030] The second gripper is defined as a third gripping portion and a fourth gripping portion. The inner surfaces of the third and fourth gripping portions are each grooved to form two first hooks. The outer surfaces of the third and fourth gripping portions are each grooved to form two second hooks. When the inner surfaces of the first and second grippers serve as gripping surfaces for gripping an object, the second hooks can be used to open and close the door. When the outer surfaces of the first and second grippers serve as gripping surfaces for gripping an object, the first hooks can be used to open and close the door.

[0031] At least one positioning member is provided on the third clamping portion or the fourth clamping portion, and the positioning member positions the object clamped by the clamping hand.

[0032] In a further embodiment, the experimental operation unit further includes:

[0033] At least one group of workbenches, multiple groups of centrifuges, multiple groups of control cabinets and clean benches are arranged in parallel around the dual-arm robot.

[0034] In a further embodiment, the experimental operation unit further includes:

[0035] The second robot is positioned between the dual-arm robot and the first robot. It is configured to transfer consumables and reagent carriers held by the first robot to the second robot, while also operating the experimental instruments in the experimental operation unit. The second robot comprises a body with at least one set of robotic arms, each with a rotating assembly at its end; and robotic fingers, transmission-connected to the rotating assembly. These robotic fingers share the same structure as the dual-arm robot's fingers.

[0036] In a further embodiment, the interior of the clean bench is configured with multiple groups of tray placement racks, multiple groups of liquid collection and adjustment racks, and multiple groups of liquid gun placement racks.

[0037] In a further embodiment, the material scheduling unit further comprises: a plurality of groups of incubators and a plurality of groups of refrigeration devices disposed around the first robot;

[0038] The doors of the incubator and the refrigeration device are provided with handles adapted to the hooks.

[0039] The operation method of the automated sterile laboratory as described above specifically includes the following steps:

[0040] Before the experiment begins, calculate the amount of consumables and reagents required for at least one week of experiment, and configure the corresponding amount in the consumable storage unit according to the calculated results;

[0041] The laboratory is sealed after sterilization;

[0042] The first robot picks up the consumables or reagent carriers required for the experiment from the consumable storage unit. If the reagents require preliminary processing, the first robot transfers the picked-up reagent carriers to the corresponding incubator or refrigeration device;

[0043] When the previous processing is completed or no processing is required, the second robot takes the consumables or reagent carrier held by the first robot;

[0044] The second robot transfers the held consumables or reagent carriers to the dual-arm robot or directly to a workbench, centrifuge, or clean bench for experimentation.

[0045] The dual-arm robot performs sample testing and storage, outputs experimental data, and operates experimental instruments according to needs.

[0046] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention configures at least two intelligent robots in a sealed laboratory, and at the same time configures all the devices, instruments and other auxiliary mechanisms required for the experiment that are compatible with the robots, realizing full intelligence and completely free from manual operation, increasing the isolation effect of the environment, and greatly reducing the possibility of pollution. At the same time, compared with existing human-machine integration or manual experiments, the experimental efficiency is increased. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 This is the overall distribution diagram of the automated sterile laboratory.

[0048] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the consumables storage unit.

[0049] Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of the frame.

[0050] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the pallet structure Figure 1 .

[0051] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the pallet structure Figure 2 .

[0052] Figure 6Schematic diagram of the structure of the clamping device.

[0053] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the combined structure of the clamping device and the tray.

[0054] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the finger structure of a dual-arm robot Figure 1 .

[0055] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the finger structure of a dual-arm robot Figure 2 .

[0056] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the finger structure of a dual-arm robot Figure 3 .

[0057] Figures 1 to 10 The labels in the figure are: consumables storage unit 1, experimental operation unit 2, material scheduling unit 3, dual-arm robot 4, first robot 5, second robot 6, workbench 7, centrifuge 8, control cabinet 9, clean bench 10, incubator 11, refrigeration device 12, tray body 13, capacitive pen tip 14, rotating mechanism 101, base 102, frame 103, support member 104, clamping space 105, first clamping surface 106, second clamping surface 107, anti-slip recess 108, through-hole 109, receiving portion 110, positioning member 111, clamping body 501, guide portion 502, second clamping hand 503, anti-slip protrusion 504, hook portion 505, connecting member 401, camera 402, electric clamping claw 403, first clamping hand 404, first card slot 405, second card slot 406, third card slot 407, positioning pin 408, EP tube 409, culture dish 410. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well known in the art are not described to avoid confusion with the present invention.

[0059] In order to solve the technical problems existing in the background technology, an automated sterile laboratory with complete sterile management and high efficiency in the experimental process is provided.

[0060] Figure 1As shown, a consumables storage unit 1, a material scheduling unit 3 and an experimental operation unit 2 are sequentially arranged in the sealed chamber. Among them, the consumables storage unit 1 is configured to standardize the management of several types of consumables and reagent carriers, and provide the amount of consumables and reagents required for preset work; in this embodiment, the consumables and reagent carriers are EP tubes 409, culture dishes 410, glass slides, etc. In the prior art, due to the different structural sizes of reagent storage containers and experimental instruments, as well as the different quantities of experimental consumables required by different experiments, the structure of the consumables storage device is difficult to standardize. Therefore, the above problem needs to be solved in the consumables storage unit 1, and this problem is named the first problem in this embodiment.

[0061] The material dispatching unit 3 is arranged between the consumables storage unit 1 and the experimental operation unit 2, and is used to effectively transfer consumables according to experimental requirements. Specifically, the material dispatching unit 3 includes a first robot 5 and multiple groups of incubators 11, multiple groups of refrigeration devices 12 and other experimental devices arranged around the first robot 5. The first robot 5 is used to clamp the consumables and consumables in the reagent carrier storage unit and transfer them to a designated environment (incubator 11, refrigeration device 12, etc.) or perform effective transfer. In the above process, first, the first robot 5 needs to be able to smoothly clamp the consumables and reagent carriers in the consumables storage unit 1, and when necessary, be able to open the doors of the incubator 11 and the refrigeration device 12. Based on the first problem, this problem is recorded as the second problem in this embodiment.

[0062] The experimental operation unit 2 is configured to perform sample testing and storage, output experimental data, and operate experimental instruments as needed. The experimental operation unit 2 includes: a dual-arm robot 4 and at least one set of workbenches 7, multiple sets of centrifuges 8, multiple sets of control cabinets 9, and a clean bench 10 located around the dual-arm robot 4. The dual-arm robot 4 is mainly responsible for performing sample testing between instruments such as the workbench 7, centrifuge 8, control cabinet 9, and clean bench 10. During sample testing, it is necessary to be able to simultaneously meet the requirements of clamping different models and types of consumables and reagent carriers. It is even necessary to be able to perform simple movements, such as shaking, or performing two movements at the same time. Therefore, the above problem is recorded as the third problem in this embodiment.

[0063] In a further embodiment, the applicant has made the following improvements to the first problem: Figure 2As shown, the consumable storage unit 1 includes: a rotating mechanism 101, a base 102 is connected to the rotating mechanism 101, and a storage mechanism is fixed on the base 102. In this embodiment, the rotating mechanism 101 is driven by a motor, so it is not described in detail. The storage mechanism includes: multiple groups of frames 103, multiple groups of frames 103 are spliced and fixed at the edge of the base 102 in a ring shape. The edge position of the base 102 is far away from its center, so the circumferential distance is long, and a larger number of frames 103 can be set to increase the storage capacity of the storage mechanism. And each group of frames 103 is provided with a support unit that can be adjusted up and down. At the same time, the even distribution of the frames 103 along the circumference of the base 102 can facilitate the setting of coordinates for each frame 103, so that the robot can quickly reach the specified position and accurately clamp the required consumables.

[0064] Specifically, the frame 103 is a rectangular frame 103 with a longer vertical dimension. Furthermore, the frame 103 is connected to the base 102. The support unit includes symmetrically arranged support members 104 and a connector 401 for detachably connecting the support members 104 to the frame 103. The support member 104 comprises a supporting portion and a fixing portion. The supporting portion and the fixing portion are integrally formed; the supporting surface of the supporting portion and the fixing surface of the fixing portion are perpendicular to each other, forming an L-shaped cross-section of the support member 104. The supporting portion is arranged horizontally to provide vertical support for the placed consumables. The fixing portion has a horizontally defined countersunk hole with an internal thread, and the frame 103 also has several horizontally defined threaded holes. The connector 401 utilizes a threaded fastener, such as a screw. The screw is sequentially screwed into the countersunk hole and the threaded hole to secure the support member 104 to the frame 103. The threaded connection allows the support member 104 and frame 103 to be removable, making it easy to adjust the vertical height of the support member 104. When it is necessary to store consumables of larger (longer) sizes, it is only necessary to adjust the distance between a group of adjacent support units, without the need to customize a separate consumable storage device according to the type of consumables. At the same time, the support unit can be adjusted up and down, so that multiple support units can be arranged on the same frame 103 to increase the storage capacity. Preferably, in order to achieve controllable up and down adjustment distances of the support units, the threaded holes on the frame 103 are evenly opened on the frame 103 in the vertical direction. Compared with the prior art, the base 102, frame 103 and support unit provided in the present application can be manufactured in a standardized manner and reasonably assembled according to usage requirements to achieve different storage capacities and customized storage space requirements, thereby meeting the consumable storage requirements of different experiments, thereby effectively reducing the equipment investment cost.

[0065] In order to ensure that the object placed on the support unit is placed in place, so as to facilitate the clamping device to clamp it. In a further embodiment, a positioning member 111 is also provided on the support unit. In this embodiment, the positioning member 111 is a protrusion on the top surface of the support portion of a support member 104 in the support unit. The positioning member 111 cooperates with the recess on the stored object to achieve precise positioning to ensure that the object is placed in place. Preferably, the distance from the positioning member 111 to the two ends of the support portion is not equal. This setting can prevent the objects placed on the support member 104 from being placed in the reverse order, thereby avoiding errors in subsequent experiments.

[0066] In order to adapt to the support unit, in this embodiment, at least one receiving portion 110 for placing a reagent carrier is formed on the tray body 13 in this embodiment. Among them, the receiving portion 110 can be a plurality of hole-type and / or groove-type structures. The hole-type and / or groove-type structure is formed by opening a preset distance downward from the top of the tray body 13 in a preset shape. For example, a circular hole-type structure or a polygonal groove-type structure can be formed. Among them, the receiving portion 110 with a hole-type structure can be used to place EP tube 409-like reagent carriers such as EP tubes 409 and syringes. The receiving portion 110 with a groove-type structure is suitable for sheet-like reagent carriers such as glass slides and culture dishes 410 or reagent carriers with a relatively thin overall thickness. In this embodiment, the receiving portion 110 with a hole-type and / or groove-type structure is opened 10-20 mm downward. The receiving portion 110 with a hole-type and / or groove-type structure provided on the tray body 13 can meet the needs of placing different reagent carriers.

[0067] Since there is usually a certain gap between the reagent carrier and the receiving portion 110, the reagent carrier may still have a slight wobble. Therefore, a thin elastic member can be attached to the inner side wall of the receiving portion 110 to fill the space between the reagent carrier and the side wall of the receiving portion 110, thereby restraining the reagent carrier from the side, thereby preventing the reagent carrier from shaking and improving the stability of the reagent carrier.

[0068] For longer reagent carriers, such as EP tubes 409, some EP tubes 409 are longer, and some EP tubes 409 are shorter. In order to improve the versatility of the tray, the depth of the socket on the tray for placing the EP tube 409 is usually not too deep. Because if the socket is too deep, the shorter EP tube 409 will be difficult to take out. However, for longer EP tubes 409, since the socket is shallow, the side wall near the middle and upper part of the EP tube 409 will not have a lateral limit, which is prone to shaking. Therefore, a positioning member 111 is detachably installed on the tray body 13, such as Figure 5As shown, the positioning member 111 is detachably connected to the tray body 13. The positioning member 111 is provided with a plurality of through-portions 109 adapted to the receiving portion 110. In this embodiment, the through-portions 109 penetrate the positioning member 111 from top to bottom. Moreover, the number of through-portions 109 is equal to the number of receiving portions 110. When it is necessary to carry a shorter reagent carrier, the tray body 13 can be used alone by directly placing the reagent carrier into the receiving portion 110 of the tray body 13. Therefore, it has strong versatility. When it is necessary to carry a longer reagent carrier, the tray body 13 is first connected and installed with the tray body 13 so that the through-portions 109 and the receiving portion 110 are opposite to each other up and down, and then the reagent carrier is inserted from the through-portions 109 into the receiving portion 110. At this time, the bottom end and the position near the upper middle part of the reagent carrier are both laterally supported, so that it is more stable and not easy to shake and tip over.

[0069] In a further embodiment, to solve the second problem: the first robot 5 needs to be able to smoothly remove the consumables and reagent carriers from the consumable storage unit 1 and, when necessary, open the doors of the incubator 11 and the refrigeration device 12. Therefore, the applicant has made further improvements to the first robot 5 and the bottom of the tray body 13:

[0070] First, if Figure 4 As shown, at least one clamping space 105 is formed at the bottom of the tray body 13. This clamping space 105 extends transversely through the tray body 13 from one side to the opposite side thereof, forming a first clamping surface 106 and a second clamping surface 107 on the side of the tray body 13 opposite to the clamping space 105. The first clamping surface 106 and the second clamping surface 107 are arranged opposite each other. When the tray needs to be clamped, a clamping device is moved to the clamping space 105 and applies a transverse compressive force to the first clamping surface 106 and the second clamping surface 107 to clamp the tray body 13.

[0071] In this embodiment, there are two clamping spaces 105. Furthermore, a first clamping surface 106 and a second clamping surface 107 are located between the two clamping spaces 105, thereby forming a solid T-shaped cross-section of the tray body 13. This results in the tray body 13 having a transverse portion and a vertical portion integrally connected to the bottom surface of the transverse portion. When the clamping device clamps the tray body 13, the clamping mechanism's claws extend through the two clamping spaces 105 and grip the vertical portion of the tray body 13, applying a lateral compressive force to the first and second clamping surfaces 106 and 107 to clamp the tray body 13. On the one hand, the distance the clamping mechanism's claws open only needs to be greater than the distance between the first and second clamping surfaces 106 and 107, rather than greater than the width of the transverse portion of the tray body 13. This effectively avoids occupying space on either side of the tray body 13, thereby reducing the space occupied by the tray body 13 on the storage device. Furthermore, the distance the claws open is reduced, effectively reducing the range of motion of the claws, thereby improving clamping efficiency. On the other hand, the cross section of the tray body 13 in this embodiment forms a T-shaped solid structure, so that the clamping mechanism can provide support force to the horizontal part of the tray body 13 in the vertical direction, thereby avoiding the tray body 13 from falling off due to insufficient clamping force.

[0072] In order to match with the tray body 13, as Figure 6 and 7 As shown, the clamping device includes a clamping body 501 and a clamping component. Among them, a guide portion 502 is provided on the clamping body 501 in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the guide portion 502 can be a guide rail, i.e., a driving mechanism, and the clamping component includes two second clamping hands 503, which are arranged opposite to each other and cooperate with the guide portion 502, so that the two second clamping hands 503 can move closer to or farther away from each other along the guide portion 502. Specifically, the tail end of the second clamping hand 503 can be provided with a slide groove adapted to the guide rail. When it is necessary to clamp the pallet, the two second clamping hands 503 of the clamping device extend into the clamping space 105. The two second clamping hands 503 approach each other and respectively abut against the first clamping surface 106 and the second clamping surface 107, thereby clamping the pallet body 13. Alternatively, the two second clamping hands 503 move away from each other and respectively abut against the first clamping surface 106 and the second clamping surface 107, thereby clamping the pallet body 13. The pallet is clamped by the clamping device so that the pallet can be subsequently transferred.

[0073] Because the second gripper 503 of the clamping device can extend into the tray body 13 from the gripping space 105 without occupying the space on either side of the tray body 13, it reduces the space occupied by the storage device and improves space utilization. Furthermore, when gripping the tray body 13, the gripping device provides vertical support to the tray body 13, reducing the risk of the tray falling off. Furthermore, because the gripping space 105 is limited to the width of the two sides of the tray body 13, the travel of the second gripper 503 is reduced, thereby improving gripping efficiency.

[0074] In a further embodiment, in order to prevent the pallet from sliding off the second gripper 503 along the length direction of the second gripper 503, the second gripper 503 is further provided with an anti-slip protrusion 504 for preventing the pallet from sliding. In order to cooperate therewith, an anti-slip recess 108 adapted to the anti-slip protrusion 504 is provided on the first clamping surface 106 and / or the second clamping surface 107 of the pallet body 13. Specifically, the anti-slip recess 108 can be designed as a V-shaped structure. When the second gripper 503 clamps the pallet, the anti-slip protrusion 504 moves into the anti-slip recess 108, and the anti-slip recess 108 limits and blocks the anti-slip protrusion 504, thereby preventing the pallet body 13 from sliding relative to the second gripper 503 during the transfer process, so as to further reduce the risk of the pallet falling off.

[0075] To enable the clamping device to extend into the clamping space 105 from either end to clamp the pallet, in a further embodiment, two anti-slip recesses 108 are provided. These two anti-slip recesses 108 are provided on the first clamping surface 106 and the second clamping surface 107, respectively. Furthermore, the sum of the distances from these two anti-slip recesses 108 along the direction from the clamping space 105 through the pallet body 13 to the same end of the pallet body 13 is equal to the length of the pallet body 13 along the direction from the clamping space 105 through the pallet body 13. In other words, the distance from these two anti-slip recesses 108 to the same end of the clamping space 105 is equal to the length of the clamping space 105. This allows the second gripper 503 of the clamping device to extend into the clamping space 105 from at least two directions and effectively clamp the pallet body 13, thereby improving the ease of use of the pallet body 13.

[0076] In a further embodiment, the surface of the second gripper 503 used to clamp an object is defined as a clamping surface, and a groove is cut at the outer end of the clamping surface in a direction perpendicular to the clamping surface and extended a predetermined distance to form a hook portion 505. The distance of the groove is set according to the size of the handle to be hooked. Generally, the distance of the groove should be greater than 1 / 2 of the diameter of the handle. While forming the hook portion 505, it can also ensure that the clamping surface can be used to clamp an object. The length of the groove should be less than the length of the clamping surface; at the same time, the width of the groove should be greater than or equal to the width of the clamping surface. The length of the clamping surface is defined as the length direction along the second gripper 503. The formed hook portion 505 can be used to hook the handle of the refrigeration device 12 or the reaction device to achieve the operation of opening and closing the door. At the same time, a common sense in the field of mechanics is that if the size of a plane is too large, the higher the flatness of the plane, the more difficult it is to process. Because the clamping surface is long along the length of the second gripper 503, it is very easy for the clamping surface to be uneven due to manufacturing errors, which can lead to insufficient clamping force of the second gripper 503. However, grooves in the clamping surface can perfectly solve this problem. Therefore, by grooves in the clamping surface, not only can the second gripper 503 have the function of opening and closing the door, but also the clamping force of the second gripper 503 can be improved.

[0077] The hook portion 505 hooks the handle to open and close the door, and the second gripper 503 moves in the opposite direction to separate the hook portion 505 from the handle. In order to ensure that the hook portion 505 can be separated from the handle smoothly without hooking the handle again during the separation process, the hook portion 505 is designed into an L-shaped structure.

[0078] In a further embodiment, in order to solve the third problem: Figure 8 As shown, the robot finger includes: a connecting member 401, on which a driving mechanism is provided. In this embodiment, the driving mechanism is an electric gripper 403, and the electric gripper 403 is provided with at least one set of grippers. In this embodiment, the number of grippers is one set. The grippers are connected to the driving end of the electric gripper 403, and are provided with gripping structures in at least a first direction and a second direction.

[0079] First, the direction of relative motion of the gripper is defined as the X-axis, and the direction of extension of the gripper is defined as the Y-axis. The direction perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Y-axis is defined as the Z-axis. In this embodiment, the first direction is the Z-axis, and the second direction is the Y-axis. Further description indicates that the gripping structure can achieve a first state in the Z-axis and a second state in the Y-axis.

[0080] In the first state, the consumables and reagent carriers are placed along the Z-axis through the inner clamp or the outer clamp (which is also the thickness direction of the clamp in this embodiment); in the second state, the consumables and reagent carriers are placed along the Y-axis through the inner clamp (which is also the extension direction of the clamp in this embodiment).

[0081] In a further embodiment, the device includes opposing first grippers 404. These first grippers 404 define a clamping space 105, which allows for both internal and / or bidirectional clamping. Furthermore, when the first grippers 404 move toward each other, the inner surfaces of the first grippers 404 provide internal clamping of consumables and reagent carriers (e.g., EP tubes 409, injection guns, glass slides, etc.), while also ensuring that the consumables and reagent carriers are positioned along either the Z-axis or the Y-axis. When the first grippers 404 move away from each other, the outer surfaces of the first grippers 404 cooperate to provide external clamping of the consumables and reagent carriers (e.g., trays, retaining rings, etc.).

[0082] In a further embodiment, to achieve the above-mentioned functions, the inner side surface of the first gripper 404 is symmetrically arranged with identical units, which in this embodiment include: a first card slot 405 and a second card slot 406. The first card slot 405 and the second card slot 406 are provided side by side on the inner side surface of the first gripper 404, so that the first card slot 405 and the second card slot 406 can respectively place consumables and reagent carriers of different models or sizes along the Z-axis.

[0083] The first card slot 405 includes: a first connecting surface and two sets of third clamping surfaces; wherein the third clamping surface includes a connecting end and a clamping end; the connecting ends of the two sets of third clamping surfaces are respectively fixed to the two ends of the first connecting surface, and the distance between the two sets of third clamping surfaces gradually increases from the connecting end to the clamping end, forming an outward-expanding card slot, which is configured to clamp consumables, reagent carriers with an outer diameter of 5 to 40 mm or caps / end covers for accommodating consumables and reagent carriers, such as Figure 9 shown.

[0084] The second card slot 406 includes: a second connecting surface, two groups of vertical surfaces and two groups of fourth clamping surfaces; wherein, one end of the vertical surface is respectively vertically connected to the two ends of the second connecting surface; two groups of fourth clamping surfaces, the fourth clamping surfaces include a connecting end and a clamping end; the connecting ends of the two groups of fourth clamping surfaces are respectively fixed to the other end of the vertical surface, and the distance between the two groups of fourth clamping surfaces gradually increases from the connecting end to the clamping end, and is configured to clamp consumables, reagent carriers or caps / end covers for accommodating consumables and reagent carriers with an outer diameter of 40~70mm.

[0085] The fourth clamping surface has a greater expansion than the third clamping surface. This is intended to increase the outer diameter that can be clamped by the second clamping groove 406, ensuring adequate grip for consumables and reagent carriers of varying sizes. Specifically, when consumables or reagent carriers need to be positioned along the Z-axis, the first clamping groove 405 is used for clamping when the outer diameter is between 5 and 40 mm; and the second clamping groove 406 is used for clamping when the outer diameter is between 40 and 70 mm.

[0086] The clamping structure formed by the vertical surface of the second clamping groove 406 and the second connecting surface is used to accommodate a sealing cover or an EP tube 409 cover with a larger outer diameter.

[0087] In a further embodiment, the same unit further includes: a third card slot 407. The third card slot 407 simultaneously passes through the first third card slot 407 and the second card slot 406 and extends to the end of the clamping hand; it is used to achieve clamping when the consumables or reagent carriers need to be placed along the Y-axis. When the consumables or reagent carriers need to be placed in the Y-axis, they are clamped by the radially arranged third card slot 407. When the consumables or reagent carriers are EP tubes 409 with sealing covers or EP tubes 409 with flip covers, the two side surfaces of the first clamping hand 404 are used to make surface contact with the consumables or reagent carriers to achieve internal clamping, and at this time, the first card slot 405 or the second card slot 406 is converted into a receiving cavity for accommodating the outwardly protruding ends of the sealing covers or flip covers, caps, etc. of the consumables or reagent carriers, thereby achieving spatial dislocation and increasing the stability and firmness of the clamping.

[0088] In order to reduce damage to the container and reduce squeezing of the container, elastic gaskets are provided on the inner walls of the first card slot 405 and / or the second card slot 406 . In this embodiment, the elastic gaskets are made of silica gel.

[0089] In the above structure, the travel distance between the two first grippers 404 is limited. There are many types of consumables and reagent carriers in actual use, including larger ones, such as trays and containers. However, these consumables and reagent carriers cannot be clamped externally by the outer side of the first gripper 404. Therefore, it is necessary to further increase the size that can be clamped. Therefore, four positioning pins 408 are symmetrically arranged on the first gripper 404. The positioning pins 408 move toward each other under the action of the electric gripper 403 to clamp larger containers, such as Figure 10 shown.

[0090] In a further embodiment, the external clamping is achieved by having the outer surfaces of the first gripper 404 being smooth and flat. This increases the contact area with the object to be clamped, while also increasing the range of use of the fingers and the outer clamping diameter, making it suitable for gripping pallets, frames 103, etc. The outer surface of the second gripper 503 is provided with an anti-slip protrusion 504 extending outward along the X-axis, which is used for positioning and clamping when necessary.

[0091] A capacitive stylus 14 is provided at the end of the first gripper 404 or the second gripper 503 to implement a touch operation on the touch screen.

[0092] When in use, the dual-arm robots 4 can not only independently grip consumables and reagent carriers, or independently manipulate experimental equipment, but also coordinate with each other. Specifically, when adding liquid to EP tube 409, one robot finger places EP tube 409 on the EP tube 409 holder and holds the injection needle against EP tube 409, while the other robot finger presses the injection needle to inject liquid.

[0093] In the above structure, in order to enable the clean bench 10 to be equally suitable for the consumables storage needs of different experiments, several groups of support units are fixed inside the clean bench 10, and the support units include: symmetrically arranged support members 104 and connectors 401 for detachably connecting the support members 104 to the frame 103. Among them, the support member 104 includes a supporting portion and a fixing portion. The supporting portion and the fixing portion are integrally formed; and the supporting surface of the supporting portion and the fixing surface of the fixing portion are perpendicular to each other, so that the cross section of the support member 104 forms an L-shaped structure. The support unit matches the tray in the above embodiment.

[0094] In actual use, a variety of instruments need to be used, and the instruments are placed side by side mainly to facilitate the operation of the dual-arm robot 4. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve the handover between the first robot 5 and the dual-arm robot 4 while satisfying the need to place various instruments side by side. Therefore, a second robot 6 is placed between the first robot 5 and the dual-arm robot 4. The gripper at the end of the mechanical arm of the second robot 6 has the same finger structure as the dual-arm robot 4 in this embodiment. That is, the second robot 6 is not only used to transfer consumables and reagent carriers from the first robot 5 to the dual-arm robot 4, but also to assist the dual-arm robot 4 in operating instruments within a preset range. In order to fully realize aseptic operation and improve intelligent processing, a camera 402 is installed on the electric gripper. The camera 402 is used to identify the type and size of the parts to be clamped, and is also used to distinguish different experimental processes and meet various implementation requirements.

[0095] Based on the above description, the experimental method of the automated sterile laboratory specifically includes the following steps:

[0096] Step 1: Before the experiment begins, calculate the amount of consumables and reagents required for the preset experiment, and configure the corresponding amount in the consumable storage unit according to the calculated results; sterilize the laboratory and seal it;

[0097] Step 2: The second gripper of the first robot's gripping device extends from the gripping space into the pallet body. The two second grippers move away from each other and respectively abut against the first gripping surface and the second gripping surface at the bottom of the pallet, clamping the pallet body. The first robot's robotic arm moves upward and then removes the pallet body clamped in the gripping device from the frame.

[0098] Step 3: The clamping device uses the hook portion on the second clamping hand to hook the handle of the incubator or refrigeration device to open the door, and the tray body and the reagents on the tray body are placed in the incubator or refrigeration device for pretreatment. Then, the hook portion pushes the door body to complete the door closing action;

[0099] Step 4: The first robot horizontally grips the pretreated consumables and reagent carrier and transfers them to a position close to the second robot. The two first grippers of the second robot extend from the gripping space into the tray body. The two first grippers move away from each other and respectively abut against the first gripping surface and the second gripping surface at the bottom of the tray. Then, the first grippers of the first robot move toward each other, disengage from the first gripping surface and the second gripping surface, and finally pull the grippers horizontally out of the gripping space.

[0100] Step 5: The second robot places the clamped consumables and reagent carriers on a designated workbench, centrifuge, or clean bench;

[0101] Step 6: The dual-arm robot operates alone or in combination to perform sample testing and storage, output experimental data, and operate experimental instruments as needed.

[0102] As described above, although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it should not be construed as limiting the present invention itself. Various changes may be made to it in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. Automated sterile laboratory, including: The sealed chamber is characterized in that: The consumables storage unit is configured to standardize the management of several types of consumables and reagent carriers and provide the amount of consumables and reagents required for the predetermined work; The experimental operation unit is configured to perform sample testing and storage, output experimental data, and operate experimental instruments according to requirements; A material dispatching unit is provided between the consumables storage unit and the experimental operation unit; the material dispatching unit is configured to effectively transfer consumables according to experimental requirements; The experimental operation unit includes: a dual-arm robot, which is configured to detect and store samples, output experimental data, and operate experimental instruments; The material scheduling unit includes: a first robot, the first robot is configured to grip consumables, consumables in the reagent carrier storage unit, and transfer them to a designated environment or hand them over to the dual-arm robot; The consumables storage unit includes: a storage mechanism, which includes: multiple sets of frames spliced on a base, and multiple sets of support units that can be adjusted up and down along the frames; A tray body adapted to the support unit; the tray is formed with at least one receiving portion for placing a reagent carrier, and a bottom is provided with at least one clamping structure adapted to the dual-arm robot and the first robot; The dual-arm robot comprises: two groups of robot fingers, the two groups of robot fingers cooperate with each other to simultaneously perform at least two groups of actions; the robot fingers comprise: a connecting member, a driving mechanism is fixed on the connecting member; At least one set of first grippers, wherein the first grippers are connected to a driving end of the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is configured to drive the first grippers to move relative to the consumables and reagent carriers to achieve internal or external gripping of different consumables and reagent carriers; The first robot includes two groups of second grippers that are symmetrically arranged, and a hook portion for hooking a handle is formed on a partial gripping surface of at least one of the second grippers.

2. The automated sterile laboratory according to claim 1, characterized in that The consumable material storage unit further includes: a rotating mechanism, which is transmission-connected to the base of the rotating mechanism; the base is used to fix the storage mechanism; The frames are evenly distributed on the edge of the top surface of the base along the circumference of the base.

3. The automated sterile laboratory according to claim 1, characterized in that The dual-arm robot comprises a body, on which two groups of robotic arms are symmetrically arranged, and a rotating assembly is provided at the end of each group of robotic arms, and the rotating assembly is transmission-connected to the corresponding two groups of robot fingers.

4. The automated sterile laboratory according to claim 3, characterized in that The first gripper is provided with gripping structures at least in a first direction and a second direction.

5. The automated sterile laboratory according to claim 1, characterized in that The first robot further comprises: a base, a mechanical arm is provided on the base, and a rotating assembly is provided at the end of the mechanical arm; The clamping device is transmission-connected to the rotating assembly; the clamping device includes: a connecting member, on which a driving mechanism is fixed, and the driving mechanism is connected to the second clamping hands to transmit power to drive the two second clamping hands to move toward or away from each other for clamping.

6. The automated sterile laboratory according to claim 1, characterized in that The experimental operation unit also includes: At least one group of workbenches, multiple groups of centrifuges, multiple groups of control cabinets and clean benches are arranged in parallel around the dual-arm robot.

7. The automated sterile laboratory according to claim 1, characterized in that The second robot is arranged between the dual-arm robot and the first robot; the second robot is configured to transfer the consumables and reagent carriers gripped by the first robot to the second robot, and simultaneously operate the experimental instruments in the experimental operation unit.

8. The automated sterile laboratory according to claim 6, characterized in that The interior of the clean bench is equipped with multiple groups of tray placement racks, multiple groups of liquid collection adjustment racks, and multiple groups of liquid gun placement racks.

9. The automated sterile laboratory according to claim 5, characterized in that The material dispatching unit further includes: a plurality of incubators and a plurality of refrigeration devices arranged around the first robot; The doors of the incubator and the refrigeration device are provided with handles adapted to the hooks.

10. An experimental method using the automated sterile laboratory according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The specific steps include: Before the experiment begins, calculate the amount of consumables and reagents required for the preset experiment, and configure the corresponding amount in the consumable storage unit according to the calculated results; The laboratory is sealed after sterilization; The first robot picks up the consumables or reagent carriers required for the experiment from the consumable storage unit. If the reagents require preliminary processing, the first robot transfers the picked-up reagent carriers to the corresponding incubator or refrigeration device; When the previous processing is completed or no processing is required, the second robot takes the consumables or reagent carrier held by the first robot; The second robot transfers the held consumables or reagent carriers to the dual-arm robot or directly to a workbench, centrifuge, or clean bench for experimentation. The dual-arm robot performs sample testing and storage, outputs experimental data, and operates experimental instruments according to needs.

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