A low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples

Abstract

The present invention discloses a large-volume biological sample cryogenic storage system, comprising a housing, a dense storage mechanism, a cryo-rack grabbing mechanism, and an in-and-out mechanism. By optimizing the cryo-rack extraction method and the centralized storage method of the cryo-racks, the present invention not only increases the number of stored samples exponentially, but also reduces sample storage costs, while also improving the overall system's safety, intelligence, and flexibility, thereby increasing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automated systems for storing biological samples, and in particular to a low-temperature storage system for large batches of biological samples. Background Art

[0002] Currently, there are various forms of low-temperature storage technologies for biological samples. However, for application scenarios where large quantities of samples are needed, storage management relies on increasing the number of devices, which results in large equipment investments and also brings inconvenience to actual use.

[0003] In addition, the traditional design of the current freezing rack grip is a cage-type grip, but this grip structure requires a large amount of space for movement, and it can only take and place the freezing rack located at the bottom of the grip, which means that the freezing rack can only be designed at the bottom, wasting a lot of upper space. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main technical problem solved by the present invention is to provide a low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples, which has the advantages of high reliability, precise positioning, and compact structure. At the same time, it has broad market prospects in the application and popularization of automated systems for storing biological samples.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] Provided is a low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples, comprising a shell, a dense storage mechanism and a freezing rack grabbing mechanism sealed and separated and arranged in the shell, and the freezing rack grabbing mechanism movably arranged in the dense storage mechanism.

[0007] The storage-in and storage-out mechanism is used to connect with the external turnover device and the dense storage mechanism, and to store and retrieve samples in a low-temperature environment, thereby realizing the storage and storage of samples;

[0008] The dense storage mechanism: a double-layer storage mechanism having a lower sample storage mechanism and a movable upper sample storage mechanism is used to perform dense low-temperature storage of the freezing rack equipped with the test tube rack;

[0009] The freezing rack grabbing mechanism cooperates with the double-layer storage mechanism and the storage-in and storage-out mechanism to move and lift the freezing rack to achieve loading and unloading of the freezing rack and storage-in and storage-out of samples.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shell is provided with a transfer interface for connecting the storage and retrieval mechanism and the dense storage mechanism respectively, and an insulated partition door for opening and closing the transfer interface.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thermal insulation partition door includes a plurality of independent sealing plates, an adjustment protrusion, a lever, a first adjustment drive device for driving the lever to rotate / extend, and a second adjustment drive device for driving the lever to move up and down. The sealing plates are slidably arranged on the transfer interface from top to bottom, the adjustment protrusion is arranged on the sealing plate, the first adjustment drive device drives the lever to be movably connected with the adjustment protrusion, and the second adjustment drive device drives the first adjustment drive device and the lever to move up and down, so that the lever and the adjustment protrusion cooperate to lift or lower the sealing plate, thereby opening or closing the transfer interface.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a cache rack is rotatably connected to the transfer interface near the dense storage mechanism, and the cache rack is provided with one or more cache slots for caching and placing frozen storage racks, wherein the outer edge of the cache rack protrudes from the inner port of the transfer interface and extends into the dense storage mechanism to facilitate access to the frozen storage racks.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the storage and retrieval mechanism includes a material retrieval mechanism for docking with an external turnover device and transferring and identifying sample test tubes and / or test tube racks, and a test tube rack grasping mechanism for docking with a dense storage mechanism, a material retrieval mechanism and an external operation port and taking, placing and transferring sample test tubes and / or test tube racks.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the test tube rack grasping mechanism includes a test tube rack gripper, a manipulator, a horizontal linear module, and a vertical linear module. The horizontal linear module drives the vertical linear module to move horizontally, and the vertical linear module drives the manipulator to move up and down. The manipulator is connected to the test tube rack gripper to drive the test tube rack gripper to rotate, extend, and open and close.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shell is provided with an external operation port connected to the sample transfer operation area, a test tube rack placement position is provided in the external operation port, and sealed insulation doors are provided on the inner and outer sides of the external operation port respectively, so as to form a sealed environment at the external operation port for storing reagent racks.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dense storage mechanism includes a storage area frame, in which a lower sample storage mechanism and an upper sample storage mechanism for storing freezing racks are arranged. The upper sample storage mechanism includes a movable base plate and a stable frame. The stable frame is arranged on each of the movable base plates to form a plurality of cavities for placing freezing racks. The plurality of movable base plates are movably arranged above the lower sample storage mechanism to form an avoidance channel that allows the freezing rack grabbing mechanism to move and grab the freezing racks in the upper and lower sample storage mechanisms.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the freezing rack grabbing mechanism includes an X-axis drive device, a Y-axis drive device, a rotation drive mechanism, a gripper shell, a rotating frame, a freezing rack gripper, a gripper lifting drive mechanism and a gripper telescopic drive mechanism. The gripper lifting drive mechanism is arranged in the rotating frame and drives the gripper telescopic drive mechanism to move up and down in the rotating frame. The gripper telescopic drive mechanism is connected to the freezing rack gripper to drive the freezing rack gripper to extend outward or retract inward. The upper part of the rotating frame is movably arranged in the gripper shell, the rotation drive mechanism drives the rotating frame to rotate axially, the Y-axis drive device drives the gripper shell to move back and forth on the crossbeam, and the X-axis drive device drives the Y-axis drive device and the gripper shell to move back and forth along the X-axis direction through the crossbeam.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gripper telescopic drive mechanism includes a telescopic connecting frame connected to the gripper lifting drive mechanism, a mounting seat for installing the freezing rack gripper or the gripper driving device, and a telescopic plate slidably connected to the telescopic connecting frame and the mounting seat respectively. The first-level telescopic drive component drives the telescopic plate to perform a first-level telescopic movement on the telescopic connecting frame. The telescopic plate is provided with two groups of second-level telescopic drive components with the same structure and opposite installation and movement directions. The second-level telescopic drive component includes a second-level sprocket rotatably arranged on the telescopic plate and a second-level chain movably connected to the second-level sprocket and fixedly connected to the telescopic connecting frame and the mounting seat at both ends, so that when the telescopic plate performs the telescopic movement, the mounting seat is synchronously driven to perform a second-level telescopic movement through the second-level telescopic drive component, thereby realizing multi-stage telescopic drive of the freezing rack gripper.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: by optimizing the freezing rack extraction method and the centralized storage method of the freezing rack, not only the number of sample storage is increased exponentially, but also the storage cost of the samples can be reduced, and the safety, intelligence and flexibility of the entire system are improved, thereby improving efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive work, among which:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic top view of a preferred embodiment of a low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a preferred embodiment of a low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the storage and retrieval mechanism of a preferred embodiment of a large-volume biological sample low-temperature storage system of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of an upper sample storage mechanism in a preferred embodiment of a large-volume biological sample low-temperature storage system of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a heat-insulating partition door in a preferred embodiment of a large-volume biological sample low-temperature storage system of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of a cache transfer mechanism and a freezing rack grabbing mechanism in a preferred embodiment of a large-volume biological sample low-temperature storage system of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of a freezing rack grabbing mechanism in a preferred embodiment of a large-volume biological sample low-temperature storage system of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a state in which a freezing rack grabbing mechanism descends to grab and elevates a freezing rack in a preferred embodiment of a large-volume biological sample low-temperature storage system of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a state in which a freezing rack grabbing mechanism descends, extends, grabs, and lifts a freezing rack in a preferred embodiment of a large-volume biological sample low-temperature storage system of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of a sealing and opening device in a preferred embodiment of a low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of an external operation port in a preferred embodiment of a low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following is a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. 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.

[0033] See also Figure 1-11 , embodiments of the present invention include:

[0034] A low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples realizes complete automation and information management of sample storage, and realizes dynamic and intelligent access functions of samples.

[0035] It is mainly divided into the following parts: shell 1, dense storage mechanism, freezing rack grabbing mechanism 4, storage and retrieval mechanism and software control system.

[0036] (1) Housing

[0037] The shell is mainly composed of an insulation layer board. The entire shell is divided into a storage area 12, a sample transfer operation area 11 and a maintenance area 13, and different partitions are separated by insulation boards (doors). The dense storage mechanism and the freezing rack grabbing mechanism are arranged in the storage area, and the storage and retrieval mechanism is arranged in the sample transfer operation area.

[0038] Further preferably, the temperature inside the storage area is maintained at -75°C to -85°C, and the temperature inside the sample transfer operation area is maintained at -20°C to -40°C, effectively ensuring the safety of samples at different operation stages.

[0039] Further preferably, independent dual-system refrigeration is adopted in the storage area and the sample transfer operation area, namely, an air refrigeration system and a liquid nitrogen refrigeration system. When the equipment loses power, the external backup liquid nitrogen refrigeration system will work to provide a low-temperature environment, thereby comprehensively protecting the safety of biological samples.

[0040] Further preferably, a maintenance door leading to a maintenance area is provided on the sample transfer operation area.

[0041] (2) Inbound and outbound institutions

[0042] The storage and retrieval mechanism includes a turnover lifting mechanism, a material-retrieving mechanism 22, a double-station conversion and conveying mechanism 23, a test tube rack grasping mechanism 24, a transfer interface 25 for connecting the storage area and the sample transfer operation area, and an insulated partition door 26 for opening and closing the transfer interface. The turnover lifting mechanism is arranged below the material-retrieving mechanism, and the double-station conversion and conveying mechanism is arranged between the material-retrieving mechanism and the test tube rack grasping mechanism.

[0043] Further preferably, the warehousing-in and -out mechanism further includes a QR code photographing mechanism, an RFID automatic identification device, and a platform for installing a material taking mechanism, a double-station conversion and conveying mechanism, and a test tube rack grabbing mechanism.

[0044] Further preferably, the size of the adapter matches the freezing rack (slightly larger than the freezing rack) and can allow the freezing rack to enter and exit.

[0045] Further preferably, a docking door 27 for automatic loading and unloading is provided on the side wall of the sample transfer operation area, and the docking door is located in front of the turnover lifting mechanism.

[0046] Further preferably, an external operation port 28 for manual / automated loading and unloading is provided on the side wall of the sample transfer operation area. The external operation port is primarily used for manual loading and unloading of test tube racks. The station is provided with a manual test tube rack loading and unloading position, and automated sealed and heat-insulating doors 29 are provided on the inner and outer sides of the external operation port, respectively, to create a sealed environment for storing reagent racks.

[0047] Further preferably, the sealed heat-insulating door inside and / or outside the external operation port adopts the existing heat-insulating door body structure.

[0048] Alternatively, the sealed insulated door on the inner side of the external operating port can also adopt an insulated partition door structure; the sealed insulated door 29 on the outer side can also include an insulated door body 291, an opening and closing motor 292, an opening and closing swing arm 293, and a roller 294. The opening and closing motor is arranged on the shell (or the motor bracket 295 located in the shell), one end of the opening and closing swing arm is connected to the opening and closing motor, and the other end is rotatably provided with the roller, and the insulated door body is provided with a groove body 296 movably connected to the roller.

[0049] When the opening and closing motor drives the opening and closing swing arm to rotate, the roller on the opening and closing swing arm and the slot body cooperate to drive the thermal insulation door body to translate outside the external operation opening to open or close the external operation opening. That is, because the roller on the opening and closing swing arm is rotatable (it will not get stuck in the slot body) and is located within the slot body, when the opening and closing motor drives the opening and closing swing arm to rotate downward, one side of the roller will abut against the outer wall of the slot body, allowing the opening and closing swing arm to pull the thermal insulation door body to translate outward to open the external operation opening. When the opening and closing motor drives the opening and closing swing arm to rotate upward, the other side of the roller will abut against the inner wall of the slot body, allowing the opening and closing swing arm to push the thermal insulation door body to translate inward to close the external operation opening.

[0050] In addition, the top and bottom of the outer side of the external operation port may be provided with guide rails or guide grooves to facilitate the movement of the thermal insulation door.

[0051] Further preferably, the external operation port is provided with a cooling device for providing a low-temperature environment and a dehumidification and defrosting mechanism for removing frost or water droplets from the test tubes or test tube racks. The cooling device may utilize the cold air refrigeration system or liquid nitrogen refrigeration system in the present system, or an independent cold air refrigeration system or liquid nitrogen refrigeration system may be added. The dehumidification and defrosting mechanism includes a dehumidification device and a defrosting device. The dehumidification device may utilize an existing exhaust device, nitrogen blowing device, exhaust filtration dehumidification device, etc., and the defrosting device may utilize an existing defrost sprayer, defrost brush, etc.

[0052] When performing manual / automatic storage operations, the sealed and insulated door is opened, and the user places the test tube rack into the test tube rack retrieval and placement position; after the sealed and insulated door is closed, cold air is blown into the external operation port to simultaneously perform dehumidification and defrosting operations; then the inner sealed and insulated door is automatically opened, and the test tube rack grabbing mechanism grabs the test tube rack and moves it to the corresponding work area. When executing the outbound task, the test tube rack grabbing mechanism grabs the test tube rack and waits at the inner sealed and insulated door; after the sealed and insulated door is opened, the test tube rack is placed in the corresponding position, and then the inner sealed and insulated door is closed; after waiting for the pickup task instruction, the outer sealed and insulated door is opened, the test tube rack is removed in time, and the sealed and insulated door automatically closes.

[0053] Further preferably, a visual window is provided on the side wall of the sample transfer operation area to facilitate observation of the transfer operation; and a gripper maintenance outlet communicating with the maintenance area is provided on the side wall of the storage area.

[0054] (2.1) Turnaround lifting mechanism: used to deliver the external turnover device 210 containing the biological sample box (or sample tube turnover box) to the target material extraction position.

[0055] The turnover lifting mechanism includes a docking platform 211 for receiving and placing the turnover device, and a docking drive device, which is arranged at the bottom of the platform and drives the docking platform to move upward to the material removal position. The docking drive device can be a drive device such as a cylinder, a motor screw, etc.

[0056] In addition, a docking translation device 212 can be provided on the docking platform to drive the turnover device to move horizontally on the docking platform, thereby adjusting its horizontal position. In order to further improve the accuracy of docking, the side of the telescopic platform can be slidably mounted on the docking plate at the bottom of the platform via lifting rails.

[0057] The docking translation device includes a docking drive cylinder, a telescopic platform, and a docking conveyor belt. The telescopic platform is connected to the slide rails on the docking platform via a slider. The docking conveyor belt is mounted on the telescopic platform. The docking drive cylinder drives the telescopic platform to move back and forth on the docking platform, thereby driving the docking conveyor belt to extend outward to receive the turnover device or to retract the turnover device inward to the loading position. Alternatively, the docking translation device can directly use a drive device such as a conveyor belt or a cylinder.

[0058] (2.2) Material removal mechanism: used to transfer the material box in the turnover device, take out the biological sample tube from the material box, take a photo to identify the sample parameters, and then transfer it to the test tube carrier.

[0059] The material picking mechanism includes a turnover loading port 220, a sealing and opening lid device 223, a tube picking gripper 221, a box picking gripper 222 for grabbing the sealing and opening lid device and the material box in the turnover device, and a material picking drive mechanism for driving the tube picking gripper and the box picking gripper to perform three-axis movement. The turnover loading port allowing the turnover device to extend into is set on the platform, and the sealing and opening lid device is movably connected to the turnover loading port to seal or open the turnover loading port, and cooperates with the box picking gripper to lift the sealing and opening lid device and the turnover barrel cover 224 at the same time.

[0060] Among them, the tube picking gripper is responsible for picking up tubes, clamping the test tubes from the carrier to the material box to be put in and out of the warehouse, or clamping the test tubes in the material box to the carrier. The gripper adopts a highly flexible design and can grasp test tubes with diameters ranging from φ2mm-φ20mm; the box picking gripper is compatible with the grasping of test tubes and the grasping of the hole covers of turnover barrels.

[0061] Further preferably, the sealed lid opening device includes a lid opening cover plate 225, a reset spring 226, a fastening groove 227, and a clamping block 228. The fastening groove allowing the box-taking gripper to pass through is arranged on the lid opening cover plate, and the clamping block is relatively arranged below the lid opening cover plate and is connected to the bottom of the lid opening cover plate through a reset spring. The box-taking gripper and the clamping block cooperate to clamp or loosen the lid opening cover plate and the turnover barrel cover.

[0062] When the turnover device reaches the material picking position, the box picking gripper first descends and passes through the fastening slot, and then the box picking gripper clamps the fastening slot to fix the lid opening cover plate, and at the same time the lower part of the box picking gripper drives the clamping block to move inward, so that the bottom of the clamping block clamps / fastens the turnover barrel cover, and then the box picking gripper rises upward to synchronously drive the lid opening cover plate and the turnover barrel cover to separate upward and move to the designated storage position, so as to realize the function of opening two covers at the same time with one gripper, simplifying the reciprocating action of the equipment, and at the same time greatly saving the rhythm of lifting the cover and optimizing the use efficiency of the equipment; when the box picking gripper releases the lid opening cover plate, the clamping block also moves outward and resets under the action of the reset spring, so that the clamping block is separated from the turnover barrel cover.

[0063] The axial direction of the return spring is arranged transversely, the inner end of the return spring is connected to the cover plate, and the outer end is connected to the clamping block. In order to facilitate the movement of the clamping block, the top of the clamping block can be slidably connected to the bottom of the cover plate through a slide rail or a slide groove.

[0064] Further preferably, the tube picking station is provided with two sets of tube picking seats 229 for placing test tube racks, which can be used for exchanging test tubes and test tube racks. The bottom of the tube picking seat is provided with a clamping or positioning mechanism (positioning slot, positioning block, positioning hole, positioning pin, etc.), which is not only conducive to the positioning accuracy of the test tube rack and better cooperates with the tube picking operation, but also ensures the stability of the test tube rack when the test tube is taken and placed, and will not move with the taking and placing of the test tube.

[0065] Preferably, the material removal mechanism further includes a defrosting device. This defrosting device can utilize an existing defrost sprayer, a defrost brush, or the like. By cleaning the test tubes and the bottom of the test tube rack, subsequent photo-taking and code reading can be more accurate and efficient, ensuring efficient QR code recognition. The defrosting device can be located on the tube picker, or around the tube picker, tube picker handle, or box removal handle, as long as it can remove frost from the test tubes or test tube rack.

[0066] Furthermore, the material retrieving drive mechanism can independently drive the tube picking gripper and the box picking gripper to move, or a set of material retrieving drive mechanisms can simultaneously drive the tube picking gripper and the box picking gripper to move. The material retrieving drive mechanism includes an X-axis linear module, a Y-axis linear module, and a Z-axis lifting module. To further improve movement accuracy, the Y-axis linear module can be slidably connected to the slide rail on the track frame.

[0067] Further preferably, multiple visual camera systems can be set up to compensate for the position of the grasped test tubes, making the grasping work safer and more efficient.

[0068] (2.3) The double-station transfer conveying mechanism is mainly used to realize the transfer function between the material taking mechanism and the test tube rack grasping mechanism. It can use a conveying device such as a conveyor belt to carry and transport the test tube rack.

[0069] In addition, the double-station conversion conveying mechanism can be provided with two groups parallel to each other to perform different conveying tasks, and can also be used as a buffer position.

[0070] (2.4) The test tube rack grasping mechanism includes a test tube rack gripper 240, a two-axis manipulator 241, a horizontal linear module 242, and a vertical linear module 243. The horizontal linear module is arranged on the platform and drives the vertical linear module to move horizontally. The vertical linear module drives the two-axis manipulator to move up and down. The two-axis manipulator is connected to the test tube rack gripper to drive the test tube rack gripper to rotate and extend.

[0071] Among them, the 2-axis manipulator can include a gripper telescopic module, a gripper rotation module, and a gripper connecting seat. The gripper rotation module drives the gripper connecting seat to rotate. The gripper telescopic module is arranged on the gripper connecting seat and drives the test tube rack gripper to telescope back and forth to grab the test tube rack.

[0072] The test tube rack grabbing mechanism is mainly responsible for the following tasks:

[0073] (a) Storage area access operations: delivering test tube racks to the dense storage facility, or taking out test tube racks from the dense storage facility and transporting them to other workstations;

[0074] (b) Pick-up and placement operations at the external operation port: grabbing the test tube rack in the external operation port and transferring it to other workstations, or transferring the test tube rack from other workstations into the external operation port;

[0075] (c) Test tube rack transfer task at the tube picking station: grab the test tube rack on the double-station conversion and conveying mechanism and transfer it to other stations, or send the test tube rack on other stations back to the double-station conversion and conveying mechanism.

[0076] (2.5) Insulated partition door

[0077] The heat-insulating partition door is movably provided on the transfer interface to seal or open the transfer interface and separate the storage area from the sample transfer operation area to prevent the different temperature zones from transferring cold to each other, thereby ensuring the overall temperature balance and stability.

[0078] The thermal insulation partition door includes N sealing plates 260 of corresponding sizes, an adjustment protrusion 261, an adjustment slider, an adjustment rail 262, a lever 263, a first adjustment drive 264 that drives the lever to rotate / extend, and a second adjustment drive that drives the lever to elevate. The adjustment rail is disposed on a housing on one or both sides of the adapter. Each sealing plate is slidably connected to the adjustment rail via the adjustment slider. The adjustment protrusion is disposed on one or both sides of each sealing plate. The first adjustment drive drives the lever to movably connect with the adjustment protrusion. The second adjustment drive drives the first adjustment drive and the lever to elevate, causing the lever to raise or lower the adjustment protrusion, thereby achieving independent lifting and lowering of each sealing plate. The lifting height of the sealing plate only needs to meet the requirements for the placement and retrieval of the target cryopreservation rack or test tube rack.

[0079] The thermal insulation partition door of this structure can effectively prevent the loss of cooling capacity or damage to the temperature of the warm zone, and has a small lifting range, fast speed and high efficiency. At the same time, it can also reduce the space size requirements of the thermal insulation partition door.

[0080] Further preferably, each sealing plate is provided with a sealing strip to provide a seal when the thermal insulation partition door is closed.

[0081] Further preferably, a limit block 265 is provided above the transfer interface for limiting the lifting height of the sealing plate.

[0082] Further preferably, the first adjustment drive device can use a rotating motor to drive the shift lever to rotate by connecting it to the shift lever directly or through a rotating component; or the first adjustment drive device includes an adjustment mounting seat, a telescopic gear, a telescopic motor 264 and a telescopic rack, the telescopic motor is arranged on the adjustment mounting seat, and drives the telescopic gear in the adjustment mounting seat to rotate, the telescopic rack is movably arranged in the adjustment mounting seat and engages with the telescopic gear, the shift lever is arranged on the telescopic rack, the telescopic motor drives the telescopic gear to rotate, so that the telescopic rack drives the shift lever to extend or retract the adjustment mounting seat.

[0083] Further preferably, the second adjustment drive device includes an adjustment screw 266 and an adjustment drive motor 267 that drives the adjustment screw to move. The adjustment screw is vertically arranged on the side of the adapter, the adjustment drive motor is connected to the adjustment screw, and the nut in the adjustment screw is connected to the first adjustment drive device through the adjustment connecting frame to drive the first adjustment drive device and the shift rod to rise and fall.

[0084] When it is necessary to open the transfer interface to perform a task, the adjusting screw is raised and lowered to drive the lever to move to the corresponding sealing plate position. The first adjusting drive device extends the lever and pushes it against the adjusting protrusion. The adjusting screw drives the lever upward again to drive the sealing plate and the sealing plate above it to rise to a certain height (the sealing plate below the sealing plate remains stationary) to open part or all of the transfer interface.

[0085] (3) Dense storage mechanism

[0086] The dense storage mechanism includes a storage area frame 31 constructed of aluminum alloy profiles, within which a fixed rectangular array lower sample storage mechanism 32 and a movable upper sample storage mechanism 33 for storing freezing racks 34 are arranged.

[0087] The upper sample storage mechanism includes a movable base plate 330 and a stabilizing frame 331. The stabilizing frame is arranged on the movable base plate. The freezing rack can enter and be stored in the upper sample storage mechanism through the guide port on the top of the stabilizing frame. A plurality of the movable base plates are movably arranged on the storage area frame above the lower sample storage mechanism and can move back and forth on the storage area frame to adjust an avoidance channel allowing the freezing rack grabbing mechanism to grab the freezing rack in the lower sample storage mechanism, leaving space for movement of the freezing rack grabbing mechanism. This not only allows the freezing rack grabbing mechanism to quickly grab the target sample of the task, but also makes full use of the space in the storage area frame for intensive storage. At the same time, it can also be compatible with the space for the mobile operation of the freezing rack grabbing mechanism for taking and placing the freezing rack, thereby maximizing the storage of freezing racks in a limited space.

[0088] For example, when grabbing a rack from a specific location on the lower level, the mobile baseplate moves away from the space above the rack, leaving enough clearance for the gripper to maneuver and grab the rack. If the upper and lower storage areas have the same amount of space, the mobile baseplate cannot completely cover the upper storage area to prevent it from becoming stuck and forming a clearance path.

[0089] Further preferably, when the direction of the freezing rack grabbing mechanism moving back and forth along the top of the storage area frame is set as the X-axis direction, the movable base plate is arranged parallel to the X-axis to avoid hindering the movement of the freezing rack grabbing mechanism of the storage area frame.

[0090] Further preferably, each movable substrate is provided with a translation drive mechanism to independently and automatically adjust the position of the movable substrate.

[0091] Further preferably, the translation drive mechanism includes a translation drive motor 332, a translation rack 333, and a translation gear. The translation drive motor is mounted on the mobile base and drives the translation gear to rotate. The translation rack, which meshes with the translation gear, is mounted on the storage area frame. When the translation drive motor moves, the translation gear and the translation rack cooperate to drive the mobile base back and forth on the storage area frame. The translation gears on both sides of the mobile base can be connected to each other via a transmission shaft. The storage area frame is provided with a translation rail 334 that is slidably connected to the mobile base.

[0092] The lower sample storage mechanism has a rectangular structure and is fixedly arranged in an array at the bottom of the storage area frame. It includes an upper fixed rack and a lower fixed rack. Each upper fixed rack is provided with a guide opening corresponding to the freezing rack and allowing the freezing rack to pass through. The lower fixed rack is used for load-bearing positioning to receive the freezing rack.

[0093] More preferably, a plurality of sample test tube racks are arranged in sequence from top to bottom in the freezing rack. The freezing rack is a layered storage frame structure designed according to the minimum grabbing size of the test tube rack, which can be supported by sheet metal.

[0094] Further preferably, a first latching structure matching the freezing rack grabbing mechanism is provided on the top of the freezing rack, and the first latching structure includes a latching slot, a latching block, etc.; a second latching mechanism for positioning on the storage area frame (movable base plate and / or lower fixed frame) is provided on the bottom of the freezing rack, and the second latching mechanism includes a positioning hole, a positioning pin, etc.

[0095] (4) Cryo rack grabbing mechanism 4

[0096] The freezing rack grabbing mechanism includes an X-axis drive device, a Y-axis drive device, a rotation drive mechanism 44, a gripper housing 41, a rotating frame 42, a freezing rack gripper (claw) 43, a gripper lifting drive mechanism, and a gripper telescopic drive mechanism.

[0097] The gripper lifting drive mechanism is arranged in the rotating frame, and drives the gripper telescopic drive mechanism to move up and down in the rotating frame through the lifting connecting frame. The gripper telescopic drive mechanism is connected to the freezing rack gripper to drive the freezing rack gripper to extend outward or retract inward.

[0098] The upper rotation of the rotating frame is arranged in the gripper housing, and the rotation drive mechanism drives the rotating frame to rotate axially. The Y-axis drive device is connected to the gripper housing, and drives the rotation drive mechanism and the gripper housing to move back and forth on the crossbeam. The X-axis drive device is connected to the crossbeam, and drives the Y-axis drive device, the rotation drive mechanism and the gripper housing to move back and forth along the X-axis direction through the crossbeam.

[0099] Further preferably, the gripper telescopic drive mechanism can adopt a telescopic cylinder, a telescopic screw, a telescopic gear rack and other drive mechanisms; the gripper telescopic drive mechanism can also adopt a structure similar to a multi-stage telescopic fork, mainly including: a telescopic connecting frame 490 connected to the gripper lifting drive mechanism, a mounting seat 491 for installing the freezing rack gripper or the gripper drive device, and a telescopic plate 492 respectively connected to the telescopic connecting frame and the mounting seat in a sliding manner.

[0100] The telescopic connecting frame is provided with a group of primary telescopic drive components 493 connected to the telescopic plate to drive the telescopic plate to complete the primary telescopic movement on the telescopic connecting frame. One side / both sides of the telescopic plate are provided with two groups of secondary telescopic drive components with the same structure and opposite installation and movement directions. The secondary telescopic drive component includes a secondary sprocket 494 rotatably set on the telescopic plate and a secondary chain 495 movably connected to the secondary sprocket and fixedly connected to the telescopic connecting frame and the mounting seat at both ends, so that when the telescopic plate performs the telescopic movement, the mounting seat is synchronously driven to perform the secondary telescopic movement through the secondary telescopic drive component, thereby realizing the multi-stage telescopic drive of the freezing rack gripper.

[0101] When performing multi-stage telescopic extension: while the first-stage telescopic driving assembly drives the freezing rack gripper to perform the first-stage extension movement through the telescopic plate, a group of secondary sprockets on the telescopic plate also extends outward and pulls the corresponding group of secondary chains forward. Since the two ends of the secondary chain are fixed, the lower end of the secondary chain can use the thrust of the secondary sprocket to pull the mounting seat outward, thereby realizing the second-stage extension movement of the freezing rack gripper; while the first-stage telescopic driving assembly drives the freezing rack gripper to perform the first-stage retraction movement through the telescopic plate, another group of secondary sprockets on the telescopic plate also retracts inward and pulls the corresponding group of secondary chains backward. Since the two ends of the secondary chain are also fixed, the lower end of the secondary chain can use the pulling force of the secondary sprocket to pull the mounting seat inward, thereby realizing the second-stage retraction movement of the freezing rack gripper.

[0102] The first-stage telescopic drive assembly can use a lead screw or a worm gear to drive the telescopic plate to extend and retract, i.e., the telescopic plate is fixedly connected to the lead screw nut or worm gear, and the telescopic drive motor drives the lead screw threadedly connected to the lead screw nut or the worm gear meshed with the worm gear to rotate, thereby achieving the telescopic movement of the telescopic plate. The first-stage telescopic drive assembly can also use a sprocket chain assembly, i.e., a sprocket is rotatably mounted on the telescopic connecting frame, and a chain wound around the sprocket is fixedly connected to the telescopic plate via a connecting block. When the telescopic drive motor drives the sprocket to rotate, the chain can drive the telescopic plate to complete the telescopic movement.

[0103] Further preferably, the freezing rack gripper can directly adopt the existing integrated clamping jaw mechanism, or can adopt a variety of existing driving devices to realize the relative movement of the grippers on both sides on the mounting seat, so as to achieve the purpose of opening and closing the gripper, for example: a bidirectional lead screw movably connected to the clamping jaws on both sides through a nut, a T-shaped worm movably connected to the clamping jaws on both sides through a turbine (the turbine is movably arranged on the clamping jaw and meshes with the worm, and the worm rotates to drive the clamping jaw to open and close through the rack), a gear rack combination (the rack is connected to the clamping jaw and meshes with the gear, and the gear rotates to drive the clamping jaw to open and close through the rack), etc.

[0104] In addition, the clamping jaw may be provided with a clamping mechanism (such as a clamping block, a clamping slot, etc.) that cooperates with the first clamping structure.

[0105] Further preferably, the gripper lifting drive mechanism can be driven by gear racks, lifting cylinders, conveyor belts and other mechanisms for lifting and lowering, or the gripper lifting drive mechanism includes a gripper lifting drive motor 481 and a gripper lifting drive screw 482, and the gripper lifting drive screw is rotatably arranged in the gripper housing, and the gripper lifting drive motor drives the gripper lifting drive screw to rotate through a synchronous wheel and synchronous belt, and the gripper telescopic drive mechanism is fixedly connected to the nut on the gripper lifting drive screw, so that the gripper lifting drive mechanism can drive the gripper telescopic drive mechanism and the freezing rack gripper to lift and lower.

[0106] Further preferably, the rotary drive mechanism can adopt a rotary drive motor 441, a rotary drive worm 442, and a rotary drive turbine ring gear 443. The rotary drive worm is rotatably arranged in a worm seat on the gripper housing. The rotary drive motor is directly or connected to the rotary drive worm through a transmission mechanism to drive the rotary drive worm to rotate. The rotary drive turbine ring gear engaged with the rotary drive worm is arranged around the upper part of the rotating frame. When the rotary drive motor drives the rotary drive worm to rotate, the rotary drive worm drives the rotating frame to rotate in the gripper housing through the rotary drive turbine ring gear.

[0107] In addition, to further enhance the stability and smoothness of the turret's rotation, the upper portion of the turret is movably connected to the gripper housing via a rotation-limiting mechanism, such as a limit slot, a limit block, and an annular guide rail, to prevent the turret from tilting or falling out of the gripper housing. The limit slot can be provided on the turret or the gripper housing, and the limit block movably connected to the limit slot can be provided on the gripper housing or the turret.

[0108] Further preferably, the X / Y axis drive device can be driven by an existing linear module, or by a matching structure of a drive motor, a drive gear and a drive rack, and can also be assisted by a guide rail for translational guidance.

[0109] For example: the X-axis drive rack 451 is arranged above the storage area frame, the Y-axis drive rack 452 is arranged on the beam 453, and each rack is meshed with the drive gear, the X-axis drive motor 454 is arranged on the beam, and the Y-axis drive motor 455 is arranged on the gripper frame. The X-axis drive motor drives the drive gear to rotate, thereby causing the slide rail set on the beam to translate along the X-axis direction. The Y-axis drive motor drives the drive gear to rotate, thereby causing the slide rail set on the beam to translate along the Y-axis direction.

[0110] The freezing rack grabbing mechanism is designed with a total of five moving axis systems in the horizontal and vertical directions, which can shuttle to any position in the gap between the moving base plates. In this way, it can not only grab the freezing racks at the bottom, but also grab the freezing racks on the upper layer. The grabbing direction can be switched 360° at will, and the size and space requirements are small, which improves the overall efficiency of the equipment.

[0111] That is, through the horizontal X-axes on both sides of the top of the storage area frame, the Y-axis movement of the middle crossbeam and the rotation of the gripper frame, the freezing racks at any position and any angle can be grabbed. At the same time, the gripper lifting drive mechanism can enable the freezing rack gripper to grab the freezing racks on the bottom layer in the storage area, and the gripper telescopic drive mechanism can enable the freezing rack gripper to grab the freezing racks on the upper layer, and retract into the gripper shell after grabbing the freezing rack.

[0112] Further preferably, a cache adapter mechanism for caching the freezing rack is rotatably connected to the inner side of the adapter near the storage area, and the outer edge of the cache adapter mechanism protrudes from the inner side wall of the adapter to facilitate access to the freezing rack.

[0113] Further preferably, the cache transfer mechanism includes a cache rack 46 and a rotating drive device for driving the cache rack to rotate. The cache rack is provided with a plurality of cache slots 47 for placing freezing racks, which can execute more than one group of sample tasks at the same time. The inlet and outlet openings of the cache slot are always facing outward. A group of freezing racks can be placed in each cache slot. The cache rack can be connected to the transfer interface by rotating the shaft to realize switching of different transfer positions.

[0114] The rotation drive device may use a rotating motor to directly drive the rotating shaft, or may be connected to the rotating shaft through a transmission assembly such as a synchronous wheel and a synchronous belt.

[0115] The cache transfer mechanism can automatically connect with the storage area freezing rack grasping mechanism and the test tube rack grasping mechanism through the sensor on the cache rack, while reducing the moving distance of the freezing rack grasping mechanism and improving the overall efficiency of the equipment.

[0116] When a caching operation is required, the cache rack rotates so that the empty cache slot moves to the outside of the transfer interface, and the freezing rack grabbing mechanism grabs the freezing racks in the dense storage mechanism one by one and inserts them into the cache slot; according to the grabbing requirements of the test tube rack grabbing mechanism, the cache rack rotates so that the corresponding freezing rack rotates into the transfer interface and faces the thermal insulation partition door. When the thermal insulation partition door is opened, the test tube rack grabbing mechanism can extend into the transfer interface and grab the corresponding test tube rack.

[0117] (5) The software control system mainly consists of the following modules: interface module, storage location management module, motion and control module, data management and monitoring module and basic module.

[0118] The interface module mainly solves the communication and data interaction with the upper system.

[0119] The location management module primarily resolves the decomposition and distribution of inbound and outbound tasks required by the upper-level system to the lower-level equipment control module. It intelligently prioritizes tasks based on the current equipment status to achieve the highest overall efficiency.

[0120] Data management and monitoring mainly provide real-time feedback on equipment status, various parameter data, and generate logs, etc.

[0121] The basic module is the language configuration, user and permission management of the entire machine.

[0122] The beneficial effects of the present invention's large-volume biological sample low-temperature storage system are:

[0123] (1) Optimize the extraction method of cryopreservation racks and the centralized storage method of cryopreservation racks, so that the number of sample storages can be increased exponentially;

[0124] (2) Reduce sample storage costs through centralized sample management and centralized refrigeration;

[0125] (3) The whole system has high security, high intelligence, high flexibility and high efficiency.

[0126] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention specification, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples, comprising a housing, characterized in that: include: The dense storage mechanism and the storage in and out mechanism are sealed and separated in the shell, and the freezing rack grabbing mechanism is movably arranged in the dense storage mechanism. The storage-in and storage-out mechanism is used to connect with the external turnover device and the dense storage mechanism, and to store and retrieve samples in a low-temperature environment, thereby realizing the storage and storage of samples; The dense storage mechanism: a double-layer storage mechanism having a lower sample storage mechanism and a movable upper sample storage mechanism is used to perform dense low-temperature storage of the freezing rack equipped with the test tube rack; The freezing rack grabbing mechanism cooperates with the double-layer storage mechanism and the storage-in and storage-out mechanism to move and lift the freezing rack to achieve loading and unloading of the freezing rack and storage and out of the sample; The shell is provided with a transfer interface for connecting the storage and retrieval mechanism and the dense storage mechanism respectively, and an insulated partition door for opening and closing the transfer interface. The insulated partition door includes multiple independent sealing plates, adjustment protrusions, levers, a first adjustment drive device and a second adjustment drive device. The sealing plates are slidably arranged on the transfer interface from top to bottom in sequence. The adjustment protrusions are arranged on the sealing plate. The first adjustment drive device drives the lever to be movably connected with the adjustment protrusion. The second adjustment drive device drives the first adjustment drive device and the lever to move up and down, so that the lever and the adjustment protrusion cooperate to lift or lower the sealing plate, thereby opening or closing the transfer interface.

2. A large-volume biological sample cryogenic storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cache rack is rotatably connected to the transfer interface, and the cache rack is provided with one or more cache slots for caching and placing frozen storage racks, wherein the outer edge of the cache rack protrudes from the inner port of the transfer interface and extends into the dense storage mechanism to facilitate access to the frozen storage racks.

3. A low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shell is divided into a storage area, a sample transfer operation area and a maintenance area. The entry and exit mechanism is arranged in the sample transfer operation area. An external operation port for manual / automatic material loading and unloading is provided on the side wall of the sample transfer operation area. The external operation port is used for manual operation of the entry and exit of the test tube rack; the entry and exit mechanism includes a material retrieval mechanism for docking with an external turnover device and transferring and identifying sample test tubes and / or test tube racks, and a test tube rack grasping mechanism for docking with a dense storage mechanism, the material retrieval mechanism and the external operation port and taking, placing and transferring sample test tubes and / or test tube racks.

4. A low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples according to claim 3, characterized in that: The test tube rack grasping mechanism includes a test tube rack gripper, a manipulator, a horizontal linear module, and a vertical linear module. The horizontal linear module drives the vertical linear module to move horizontally, and the vertical linear module drives the manipulator to move up and down. The manipulator is connected to the test tube rack gripper to drive the test tube rack gripper to rotate, extend, and open and close.

5. The low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples according to claim 3, characterized in that: The shell is provided with an external operation port connected to the sample transfer operation area, a test tube rack placement position is provided in the external operation port, and sealed insulation doors are provided on the inner and outer sides of the external operation port respectively, so as to form a sealed environment at the external operation port for storing reagent racks.

6. The low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dense storage mechanism includes a storage area frame, in which a lower sample storage mechanism and an upper sample storage mechanism for storing freezing racks are arranged. The upper sample storage mechanism includes a movable base plate and a stable frame. The stable frame is arranged on each of the movable base plates to form a plurality of cavities for placing freezing racks. The plurality of movable base plates are movably arranged above the lower sample storage mechanism to form an avoidance channel that allows the freezing rack grabbing mechanism to move and grab the freezing racks in the upper and lower sample storage mechanisms.

7. The low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples according to claim 1, characterized in that: The freezing rack grabbing mechanism includes an X-axis drive device, a Y-axis drive device, a rotation drive mechanism, a gripper shell, a rotating frame, a freezing rack gripper, a gripper lifting drive mechanism and a gripper telescopic drive mechanism. The gripper lifting drive mechanism is arranged in the rotating frame and drives the gripper telescopic drive mechanism to move up and down in the rotating frame. The gripper telescopic drive mechanism is connected to the freezing rack gripper to drive the freezing rack gripper to extend outward or retract inward. The upper part of the rotating frame is movably arranged in the gripper shell, the rotation drive mechanism drives the rotating frame to rotate axially, the Y-axis drive device drives the gripper shell to move back and forth on the crossbeam, and the X-axis drive device drives the Y-axis drive device and the gripper shell to move back and forth along the X-axis direction through the crossbeam.

8. A low-temperature storage system for large quantities of biological samples according to claim 7, characterized in that: The gripper telescopic drive mechanism includes a telescopic connecting frame connected to the gripper lifting drive mechanism, a mounting seat for installing the freezing rack gripper or the gripper driving device, and a telescopic plate slidably connected to the telescopic connecting frame and the mounting seat respectively. The first-level telescopic drive component drives the telescopic plate to perform a first-level telescopic movement on the telescopic connecting frame. The telescopic plate is provided with two groups of second-level telescopic drive components with the same structure and opposite installation and movement directions. The second-level telescopic drive component includes a second-level sprocket rotatably arranged on the telescopic plate and a second-level chain movably connected to the second-level sprocket and fixedly connected to the telescopic connecting frame and the mounting seat at both ends respectively. When the telescopic plate performs the telescopic movement, the mounting seat is synchronously driven to perform the second-level telescopic movement through the second-level telescopic drive component, thereby realizing the multi-stage telescopic drive of the freezing rack gripper.

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