A petri dish filling device and method of use

Abstract

The application discloses a culture dish filling device and a use method, relates to the technical field of microbial culture, and solves the problems of complex operation, high use cost and high pollution risk of the existing culture medium filling mode, reduces the operation difficulty and the pollution risk, and specifically has the following arrangement: the device comprises a filling module and a filling bag hung on the filling module, the filling module is composed of a driving unit and a supporting block connected with the driving unit through a telescopic rod, the filling bag is hung on the supporting block, a rotating part is arranged on the supporting block, the rotating part is driven by a rotating motor arranged in the supporting block, a rotating switch is arranged on a filling head at the bottom of the filling bag, and the rotating switch is hung on the rotating part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of microbial culture technology, and in particular to a petri dish dispensing device and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] The statements herein provide only background information in relation to this invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] In microbial culture, adding culture medium to the petri dish is an essential process. The commonly used method is to use a peristaltic pump to remove the culture medium from the glass bottle containing it and add it into the petri dish through a tube.

[0004] The inventors discovered that, in order to avoid the risk of contamination, the existing filling method requires the tubing to be cleaned and autoclaved before each filling, which greatly increases the workload; in addition, the glass bottles for holding culture medium have a special structure and high manufacturing cost. To reduce the cost of use, they need to be reused. However, when the glass bottles are reused, they need to be cleaned and sterilized before each filling with culture medium, which further increases the workload.

[0005] Furthermore, the inventors discovered that not only must the tubing and glass bottles be kept clean and sterilized effectively each time, but when the tubing and glass bottles are used together, contamination at the connection between the bottle mouth and the tubing must also be avoided, otherwise it is very easy to contaminate all the culture medium inside the bottle. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide a petri dish filling device and method of use. The culture medium is placed in a filling bag, eliminating the use of glass bottles, reducing usage costs, and eliminating the need for reuse. At the same time, the filling head of the filling bag is equipped with a switch that can be opened or closed by the filling module. The culture medium can flow into the petri dish under the action of gravity, eliminating the use of tubing and peristaltic pump, and solving the problems of complex operation, high usage costs, and high risk of contamination in existing culture medium filling methods.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a petri dish filling device, including a filling module and a filling bag hanging on the filling module. The filling module consists of a drive unit and a support block connected to the drive unit via a telescopic rod. The filling bag is hung on the support block, and the support block is provided with a rotating part. The rotating part is driven by a rotary motor inside the support block. A rotary switch is provided on the filling head at the bottom of the filling bag, and the rotary switch is snapped onto the rotating part.

[0009] As a further implementation, a first support frame is vertically fixed to the top of the support block, and a second support frame is horizontally fixed to the side of the support block. A hanging rod is fixed on the first support frame, and the top of the filling bag is hung on the hanging rod. The filling head passes through the second support frame.

[0010] As a further implementation, the first support frame is a telescopic structure, and the second support frame is located below the hanging rod.

[0011] As a further implementation, the second support frame has a U-shaped through hole through which the filling head passes. A limiting groove is provided below the U-shaped through hole, and the limiting groove cooperates with a limiting plate on the filling head to limit the position of the filling head.

[0012] As a further implementation, the second support frame is located above the rotating part.

[0013] As a further implementation, the rotating part consists of two arc-shaped blocks and a fixed plate. The two arc-shaped blocks are fixedly mounted on the fixed plate, and the fixed plate is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft of the rotary motor.

[0014] As a further implementation, the rotary switch is rotatably mounted on the filling head. The rotary switch consists of a handle, a valve stem, and a ball connected in sequence. The ball is located inside the filling head, and the outer diameter of the ball is the same as the inner diameter of the filling head. The ball has a through hole, and the handle is engaged with the rotating part.

[0015] As a further implementation, a filling support platform is fixedly provided on the side of the drive unit. The filling support platform is located below the support block, and a weighing platform is provided on the top of the filling support platform. The weighing platform is connected to a weight sensor inside the filling support platform through a weighing rod.

[0016] As a further implementation, the support block is also equipped with a PLC control mechanism and a position sensor, and the position sensor, weight sensor, drive unit and rotary motor are all connected to the PLC control mechanism.

[0017] Secondly, the present invention provides a method for using a petri dish dispensing system, as detailed below:

[0018] Hang the filling bag on the filling module so that the filling head passes through the second support frame, the limiting plate is located directly below the limiting groove, and the handle is engaged with the rotating part.

[0019] Adjust the length of the first support frame so that the limiting plate and the limiting groove are tightly engaged;

[0020] Place the petri dish on the weighing platform;

[0021] The PLC control mechanism controls the drive unit to work according to the received position signal, moves the support block to directly above the culture dish to be added, and drives the rotary motor to work after it is moved into place, and opens the rotary switch through the rotating part;

[0022] Once the set weight is reached, the PLC control mechanism controls the rotating part to turn off the rotary switch, removes the culture dish that has been filled, and places another culture dish to be filled onto the weighing platform.

[0023] Repeat the above dispensing steps until all culture dishes have been dispensed.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0025] (1) The present invention puts the culture medium into the filling bag, eliminating the use of glass bottles and reducing the cost of use. The filling bag does not need to be reused, eliminating the cleaning and sterilization process. At the same time, the filling head of the filling bag is equipped with a rotary switch, which can be opened or closed through the filling module. The culture medium can flow into the petri dish under the action of gravity, eliminating the use of tubing and peristaltic pump, effectively avoiding the problem of culture medium contamination.

[0026] (2) The first support frame of the present invention is a telescopic structure, which can change the height of the first support frame according to the actual length of the filling bag, greatly increasing the adaptability of the filling module.

[0027] (3) The limiting plate of the present invention can be snapped into the limiting groove, which can prevent the filling head from shaking and prevent the filling head from rotating in the horizontal plane. At the same time, the first support frame is a telescopic structure, which can apply force to the limiting plate by lifting the bag body to ensure that the limiting plate can be fully snapped into the limiting groove and will not slip out during use, which greatly improves the reliability of the filling process.

[0028] (4) The culture dish filling device of the present invention is equipped with several sensors. The PLC control mechanism can control the filling system to automatically add culture medium to different culture dishes through the information monitored by the sensors, which ensures the accuracy of filling while reducing labor intensity. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the invention.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a petri dish dispensing device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a side view of a petri dish dispensing device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the filling module according to one or more embodiments of the present invention (the first support frame is not shown);

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the filling bag according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rotating part according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0035] In the diagram: the spacing or dimensions between parts have been exaggerated to show their positions; the diagram is for illustrative purposes only.

[0036] The components include: 1. filling module; 2. filling bag; 3. drive unit; 4. telescopic rod; 5. support block; 6. first support frame; 7. second support frame; 8. rotating part; 9. bag body; 10. filling head; 11. rotary switch; 12. limiting plate; and 13. limiting groove. Detailed Implementation

[0037] It should be noted that the following detailed description is illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in this invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0038] As described in the background section, existing dispensing methods require cleaning and autoclaving of the tubing before each dispensing, significantly increasing workload. Furthermore, the glass bottles containing the culture medium have a specialized structure, resulting in high manufacturing costs. To reduce usage costs, they need to be reused, but this requires cleaning and sterilization before each dispensing, further increasing workload. Moreover, the tubing and glass bottles must ensure effective cleaning and sterilization each time, and contamination at the connection between the bottle opening and the tubing must be avoided during use; otherwise, contamination of all culture medium inside the bottle is highly likely. To address these technical problems, this invention proposes a petri dish dispensing device and its usage method.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] In a typical embodiment of the present invention, such as Figures 1-5 As shown, a culture dish filling device is proposed, including a filling module 1 and a filling bag 2, wherein the filling bag 2 contains culture medium, the filling bag 2 is placed on the filling module 1, and the culture medium in the filling bag 2 is added to the culture dish at a designated position through the filling module 1.

[0041] like Figures 2-3As shown, the filling module 1 consists of a drive unit 3 and a support block 5. The drive unit 3 is connected to the support block 5 through a telescopic rod 4. The drive unit 3 is a telescopic cylinder structure, which can control the extension and retraction of the telescopic rod 4, thereby changing the position of the support block 5.

[0042] The support block 5 is provided with a first support frame 6 and a second support frame 7. The first support frame 6 is fixedly installed on the top of the support block 5, and the second support frame 7 is fixedly installed on the side of the support block 5. The filling bag 2 can be fixedly installed on the support block 5 through the first support frame 6 and the second support frame 7, so that the filling bag 2 can change position with the movement of the support block 5 to adapt to the filling needs of the culture dish in different positions.

[0043] The first support frame 6 is set vertically, and a hanging rod is provided on the first support frame 6. The filling bag 2 can be hung on the hanging rod to fix the position of the filling bag 2 on the support block 5.

[0044] To ensure that the filling module 1 can adapt to filling bags 2 of different lengths, the first support frame 6 is set as a telescopic structure, which can change the height of the first support frame 6 according to the actual length of the filling bag 2, greatly increasing the adaptability of the filling module 1.

[0045] It is understandable that the first support frame 6 can be a frame support structure made of several steel pipes or a plate support structure made of steel plates. The specific structural type can be determined according to the actual design requirements. The telescopic structure is an existing technology, and no further restrictions are placed on the specific structure here.

[0046] The second support frame 7 is horizontally arranged on the side of the support block 5. The second support frame 7 is located below the hanging rod. The second support frame 7 has a U-shaped through hole. The filling head 10 on the filling bag 2 can pass through the U-shaped through hole of the second support frame 7.

[0047] The second support frame 7 is also provided with a limiting groove 13, which is located below the U-shaped through hole. It is mainly used to limit the position of the filling head 10 on the filling bag 2 to prevent the filling head 10 from rotating when it is opened.

[0048] The support block 5 is also provided with a rotating part 8, which is located on the side of the support block 5 and on the same side as the second support frame 7. The rotating part 8 is located below the second support frame 7 and is mainly used for opening / closing the filling head 10.

[0049] The rotating part 8 consists of two arc-shaped blocks and a fixed plate. The two arc-shaped blocks are fixedly mounted on the fixed plate and do not contact each other. The support block 5 is provided with mounting holes. The fixed plate is rotatably mounted in the mounting holes of the support block 5. The arc-shaped blocks extend outward from the mounting holes. The support block 5 is provided with a rotary motor. The rotating shaft of the rotary motor is fixedly connected to the fixed plate, thereby driving the rotating part 8 to rotate relative to the support block 5.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, the filling bag 2 consists of a bag body 9, a filling head 10, a rotary switch 11, and a limiting plate 12. The bag body 9 is made of transparent plastic and is mainly used for holding culture medium. The outer side of the bag body 9 is fixed with an edge along its circumference. Several hanging holes are opened on the edge at the top of the bag body 9. The hanging rod on the first support frame 6 can pass through the hanging holes, so that the filling bag 2 can be hung on the first support frame 6.

[0051] The number of hanging holes is no less than the number of hanging rods. The hanging holes are spaced apart along the width of the bag body 9, and all the hanging holes are on the same horizontal plane to ensure the stability of the filling bag 2 hanging.

[0052] The dispensing head 10 is a tubular structure and is fixedly installed at the bottom of the bag body 9. The dispensing head 10 is connected to the inside of the bag body 9. The culture medium inside the bag body 9 can be dispensed into the petri dish through the dispensing head 10. The dispensing head 10 is made of plastic material and can be used once or repeatedly after cleaning and sterilization. It is best to use it once. The bag body 9 and the dispensing head 10 are made of plastic, which greatly reduces the cost of using the dispensing bag 2. It does not need to be reused, which greatly reduces the burden of cleaning and sterilization and reduces the risk of contamination from repeated use.

[0053] It is understandable that the dispensing head 10 can be fixed to the bag body 9 by means of bonding or by means of threaded connection. When using threaded connection, an external thread needs to be made on the top outer wall of the dispensing head 10, and an mounting seat with an internal thread is fixedly installed at the bottom of the bag body 9. The fixed connection is achieved through threaded engagement, so as to facilitate the reuse of the dispensing head 10. The specific connection method can be selected according to the actual design requirements, and no further restrictions are imposed here.

[0054] A rotary switch 11 is rotatably mounted on the dispensing head 10 to control the on / off state of the dispensing head 10. The rotary switch 11 consists of a handle, a valve stem, and a ball. The ball is located inside the tube of the dispensing head 10, and the outer diameter of the ball is the same as the inner diameter of the tube of the dispensing head 10. The ball has a through hole. When the axis of the through hole is coaxial with the axis of the tube of the dispensing head 10, the culture medium is allowed to flow out of the dispensing head 10. When the axis of the through hole is perpendicular to the axis of the tube of the dispensing head 10, the flow of the culture medium is prevented.

[0055] The ball is connected to a handle located outside the filling head 10 via a valve stem. The handle has a circular mounting part in the middle. Two protruding snap-fit ​​parts are provided opposite each other along the diameter of the mounting part. The diameter of the mounting part is not greater than the diameter of the circle formed by the two arc-shaped stops of the rotating part 8. The snap-fit ​​parts can snap between the adjacent ends of the two arc-shaped stops. Thus, when the rotating part 8 rotates, it can drive the handle to rotate, which in turn drives the ball inside the filling head 10 to rotate, thereby realizing the opening and closing of the filling head 10.

[0056] The limiting plate 12 is fixedly installed on the dispensing head 10. The limiting plate 12 is located above the rotary switch 11 and is mainly used to limit the position of the dispensing head 10 to prevent the dispensing head 10 from shifting or rotating when the rotary switch 11 is rotated, so as to avoid affecting the operation of the rotary switch 11.

[0057] The shape of the limiting plate 12 is the same as that of the limiting groove 13. The limiting plate 12 has an irregular structure and can be snapped into the limiting groove 13 to prevent the filling head 10 from shaking and to prevent the filling head 10 from rotating in the horizontal plane.

[0058] Since the first support frame 6 is a telescopic structure, the limiting plate 12 can be forcefully applied by lifting the bag body 9 to ensure that the limiting plate 12 can be fully engaged in the limiting groove 13 and will not slip out during use, which greatly improves the reliability of the filling process.

[0059] The use of filling bag 2 eliminates the need for a peristaltic pump and tubing, avoiding the cleaning and sterilization of tubing and other structures, reducing workload, and avoiding contamination problems caused by incomplete cleaning and sterilization or connection between tubing and culture medium holding device. It also facilitates the transportation and storage of culture medium and reduces usage costs.

[0060] In order to facilitate precise control of the amount of petri dish filling, a filling support platform is fixedly provided on the side of the drive unit 3. The filling support platform is located below the support block 5, specifically directly below the second support frame 7.

[0061] The filling support platform is equipped with a weight sensor inside, and a weighing platform is located on the top of the filling support platform. The top of the weighing platform has a groove for accommodating the culture dish. The bottom of the weighing platform is connected to the weight sensor inside the weighing platform through a weighing rod. Thus, when the culture dish is filled on the weighing platform, the gravity can be transmitted to the gravity sensor through the weighing rod. The gravity sensor can then monitor the gravity change of the culture dish to accurately control the amount of culture medium added.

[0062] It also includes a PLC control mechanism and a position sensor. The position sensor, gravity sensor, drive unit 3 and the rotary motor in support block 5 are all connected to the remote PLC control mechanism. The PLC control mechanism can control the dispensing system to automatically add culture medium to different culture dishes based on the information monitored by the position sensor and weight sensor.

[0063] The PLC control mechanism and the position sensor are both located on the support block 5. The position sensor can monitor the position of the culture dish and the position of the support block 5 at the same time, so as to avoid deviation in the dispensing caused by the support block 5 not moving into place.

[0064] By setting up position and weight sensors, the PLC control mechanism can monitor the position of the petri dish and the amount of culture medium added inside the dish, so as to ensure the automation and accuracy of the filling process.

[0065] It is understood that the PLC control mechanism in this embodiment is an existing PLC controller, and the specific structure will not be described in detail here.

[0066] Example 2

[0067] In another typical embodiment of the present invention, a method for using the petri dish dispensing device described in Example 2 is provided, as follows:

[0068] First, place the filling bag 2 on the filling module 1, so that the hanging rod on the first support frame 6 passes through the hanging hole at the top of the filling bag 2;

[0069] Pass the filling head 10 at the bottom of the filling bag 2 through the second support frame 7 so that the limiting plate 12 is located directly below the limiting groove 13, and at the same time, snap the handle on the rotary switch 11 onto the rotating part 8.

[0070] Adjust the length of the first support frame 6 according to the connection strength between the limiting plate 12 and the limiting groove 13 until the limiting plate 12 and the limiting groove 13 are tightly engaged.

[0071] Place the petri dish in the groove of the weighing platform;

[0072] The PLC control mechanism receives the monitoring signal from the position sensor and controls the telescopic cylinder to work according to the monitoring signal. The telescopic rod 4 moves the support block 5 to directly above the culture dish to be added. After it is moved into place, the rotary motor is driven to work. The rotary switch 11 is turned on through the rotating part 8, and then the culture medium is added into the culture dish.

[0073] Once the set weight is reached, the weight sensor transmits the weight signal to the PLC control mechanism. The PLC control mechanism controls the rotating part 8 to rotate and closes the rotary switch 11. The telescopic rod 4 works to retract the support block 5, removes the culture dish that has been filled, and places another culture dish to be filled onto the weighing platform.

[0074] Repeat the above dispensing steps until all culture dishes have been dispensed.

[0075] It is understandable that if the culture medium in filling bag 2 runs out during the filling process, filling bag 2 can be replaced manually at any time without affecting the accuracy of the filling.

[0076] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A petri dish dispensing device, characterized in that, The device includes a filling module and a filling bag attached to the filling module. The filling module consists of a drive unit and a support block connected to the drive unit via a telescopic rod. The filling bag is attached to the support block, which has a rotating part. The rotating part is driven by a rotary motor inside the support block. A rotary switch is provided on the filling head at the bottom of the filling bag. The rotary switch is rotatably mounted on the filling head and is snapped onto the rotating part. A first support frame is vertically fixed to the top of the support block, and a second support frame is horizontally fixed to the side of the support block. A hanging rod is fixed on the first support frame, and the top of the filling bag is hung on the hanging rod. The filling head passes through the second support frame. The second support frame has a U-shaped through hole, through which the filling head passes. A limiting groove is provided below the U-shaped through hole, and the limiting groove cooperates with a limiting plate on the filling head to limit the position of the filling head. The rotary switch consists of a handle, a valve stem, and a ball connected in sequence. The ball is located inside the filling head, and the outer diameter of the ball is the same as the inner diameter of the filling head. The ball has a through hole, and the handle is engaged with the rotating part. The side of the drive unit is fixedly provided with a filling support platform, which is located below the support block. The top of the filling support platform is provided with a weighing platform, which is connected to a weight sensor inside the filling support platform through a weighing rod.

2. The petri dish dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first support frame is a telescopic structure, and the second support frame is located below the hanging rod.

3. The petri dish dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second support frame is located above the rotating part.

4. The petri dish dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating part consists of two arc-shaped blocks and a fixed plate. The two arc-shaped blocks are fixedly mounted on the fixed plate, and the fixed plate is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft of the rotary motor.

5. The petri dish dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support block is also equipped with a PLC control mechanism and a position sensor. The position sensor, weight sensor, drive unit and rotary motor are all connected to the PLC control mechanism.

6. A method of using the petri dish dispensing device as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Specifically as follows: Hang the filling bag on the filling module so that the filling head passes through the second support frame, the limiting plate is located directly below the limiting groove, and the handle is engaged with the rotating part. Adjust the length of the first support frame so that the limiting plate and the limiting groove are tightly engaged; Place the petri dish on the weighing platform; The PLC control mechanism controls the drive unit to work according to the received position signal, moves the support block to directly above the culture dish to be added, and drives the rotary motor to work after it is moved into place, and opens the rotary switch through the rotating part; Once the set weight is reached, the PLC control mechanism controls the rotating part to turn off the rotary switch, removes the culture dish that has been filled, and places another culture dish to be filled onto the weighing platform. Repeat the above dispensing steps until all culture dishes have been dispensed.

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