Washing Kit and Washing Method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a cleaning kit and a cleaning method. The cleaning kit includes: a box body, a plurality of reagent slots and a plurality of liquid storage slots; the plurality of reagent slots are arranged in the box body; the plurality of liquid storage slots are arranged in the box body, and the liquid storage slots are used for placing cleaning liquids, and the volume of each liquid storage slot is not less than the sum of the volumes of all the reagent slots. The cleaning method includes the cleaning kit; a selection device; a power device; compared with the prior art negative pressure cleaning solution that requires manual replacement of the kit multiple times, in this technical solution, on the premise of having reagent slots, the cleaning kit is additionally provided with a plurality of liquid storage slots, and different cleaning liquids can be respectively installed in the plurality of liquid storage slots for cleaning. By cooperating with the power device, the selection device and the cleaning kit, positive pressure cleaning is realized. Only one replacement of the cleaning kit by the user is required to complete the cleaning task that requires multiple cleaning liquids, achieving high efficiency and automation of cleaning, with a simple structure and convenient operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field related to nucleic acid detection equipment, and particularly relates to a cleaning kit and a cleaning method. Background Art

[0002] Off-instrument cleaning is an important link in the use and maintenance of gene sequencers. Most existing gene sequencers adopt a fluid system driven by negative pressure. During cleaning, the reagent in the reagent tank on the kit needs to be replaced with cleaning fluid, and then the reagent needle is inserted into the reagent tank to flush all kinds of pipelines with the cleaning fluid once, and finally the waste liquid is discharged into the waste liquid bucket. In the above-mentioned scheme of the fluid cleaning system using negative pressure, the cleaning fluid can only flow unidirectionally. Therefore, when three kinds of cleaning fluids are required for one cleaning task, the user needs to manually replace the kits containing different cleaning fluids three times. The above-mentioned scheme has a low degree of automation, and the steps of replacing the kit are likely to be delayed, objectively reducing the working efficiency of the gene sequencer. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. For this purpose, the present invention provides a cleaning kit, and the cleaning kit realizes efficient and automatic cleaning.

[0004] The present invention also provides a cleaning method using the cleaning kit according to the first aspect of the embodiments.

[0005] The cleaning kit according to the first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention includes: a box body, at least one reagent tank and a plurality of liquid storage tanks; at least one reagent tank is arranged on the box body; a plurality of liquid storage tanks are arranged on the box body, and the liquid storage tanks are used for placing cleaning fluid, and the volume of each liquid storage tank is not less than the sum of the volumes of all the reagent tanks.

[0006] The cleaning kit according to the embodiments of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art negative pressure cleaning scheme that requires manual replacement of the kit multiple times, in this technical solution, on the premise of having a reagent tank, the cleaning kit is additionally provided with a plurality of liquid storage tanks, and different cleaning fluids can be respectively installed in the plurality of liquid storage tanks for cleaning. The structure of the above-mentioned cleaning kit realizes that only one replacement of the cleaning kit by the user is required to complete the cleaning task that requires multiple cleaning fluids, realizes efficient and automatic cleaning, has a simple structure and convenient operation.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the reagent tank and the liquid storage tank are both arranged along the up and down direction of the box body, and the bottom surface of the liquid storage tank is inclined.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a first anti-overflow structure is arranged on the box body, and the first anti-overflow structure is used to prevent the liquid entering the reagent tank from overflowing into the liquid storage tank.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a second anti-overflow structure is provided on the cartridge body, and the second anti-overflow structure is used to prevent liquid from overflowing to the outside of the cartridge body.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a reinforcing rib structure is provided on the cartridge body, and the reinforcing rib structure is used to enhance the structural strength of the regions where the reagent tank and the liquid storage tank are located.

[0011] A cleaning method according to the second aspect embodiments of the present invention is used to clean the liquid path system and the reagent needle of a gene sequencer, and includes: the cleaning kit according to the first aspect embodiments described above, wherein the reagent needles and the reagent tanks are correspondingly distributed; a selection device that can control the on-off between the liquid storage tank and the liquid path system and the on-off between the reagent tank and the liquid path system; a power device that is used to drive the flow of liquid between the liquid storage tank and the liquid path system and between the reagent tank and the liquid path system; the cleaning method has the following steps: Step 1, prepare all types of cleaning liquids and separately add them to different liquid storage tanks; Step 2, the selection device controls the liquid storage tank where the first type of cleaning liquid is located to communicate with the liquid path system, and drives the first type of cleaning liquid to be transported into the liquid path system and temporarily stored through the power device; Step 3, the selection device controls the reagent tank to communicate with the liquid path system, and drives the temporarily stored first type of cleaning liquid to be introduced into the reagent tank from the liquid path system through the reagent needle, and soak and clean the reagent needle; Step 4, move the first type of cleaning liquid away from the reagent tank; Step 5, change the first type of cleaning liquid in Steps 2 to 4 to the next type of cleaning liquid, and repeat Steps 2 to 4; Step 6, when the cleaning liquid in the reagent tank is the last type, the cleaning is completed, and the cleaning kit is taken out.

[0012] The assembly production line according to the embodiments of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art negative pressure cleaning solution that requires manual replacement of the reagent kit multiple times, in this technical solution, by integrating the reagent tank and multiple liquid storage tanks into the cleaning kit, and cooperating with the power device, the selection device, and the cleaning kit, positive pressure cleaning is achieved. The user only needs to replace the cleaning kit once to complete the cleaning task that requires multiple types of cleaning liquids, realizing efficient and automated cleaning, with a simple structure and convenient operation.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, it further includes a lifting mechanism corresponding to each of the reagent needles, and the lifting mechanism can drive the reagent needles to move up and down.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in step four, when the reagent needle has been soaked and cleaned, the reagent tank is connected to the liquid path system through a selection device, and the power device withdraws the cleaning liquid back into the liquid path system, and then the storage tank is connected to the liquid path system through the selection device to recycle the cleaning liquid back into the corresponding type of storage tank.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the selection device is a multi-way rotary valve, and the multi-way rotary valve has a main path connected to the liquid path system and a plurality of branch paths connected to the main path, and the branch paths are used to connect the paths in the area where the storage tank is located or the paths in the area where the reagent tank is located.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the power device is an injection pump.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description, will become apparent in part from the following description, or will be learned through the practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and be readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein:

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning kit according to an embodiment of the present invention from a first perspective;

[0020] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning kit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning kit according to an embodiment of the present invention from a second perspective;

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of a cleaning method according to the present invention;

[0023] Reference numerals:

[0024] The box body 10, the working surface 11, the convex platform 12, the plate body 13, the clamping concave position 131, the top plate 14, the side plate 15, the first convex column 16, the second convex column 17, the reinforcing rib structure 18;

[0025] The reagent tank 20, the storage tank 30, the first anti-overflow baffle 40, the second anti-overflow baffle 50, the anti-fooling structure 60. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that with regard to the orientation description, such as the upper, lower, front, rear, left, right, etc., the orientation or positional relationship indicated is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0028] In the description of the present invention, if the first and second are described only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, they should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the sequence relationship of the indicated technical features.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, words such as "set", "installed", "connected", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. Those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above words in the present invention in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0030] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the cleaning kit according to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention includes: a box body 10, a plurality of reagent grooves 20, and a plurality of liquid storage grooves 30; the plurality of reagent grooves 20 are arranged in the box body 10; the plurality of liquid storage grooves 30 are arranged in the box body 10, and the liquid storage grooves 30 are used for placing cleaning liquid, and the volume of each liquid storage groove 30 is not less than the sum of the volumes of all the reagent grooves 20.

[0031] Compared with the prior art negative pressure cleaning solution that requires manual replacement of the kit multiple times, in the technical solution of the present invention, on the premise of having the reagent grooves 20, a plurality of liquid storage grooves 30 are added to the cleaning kit, and different cleaning liquids can be respectively installed in the plurality of liquid storage grooves 30 for cleaning. The structure of the above cleaning kit enables the user to complete the cleaning task that requires multiple cleaning liquids only by replacing the cleaning kit once, realizing efficient and automated cleaning, with a simple structure and convenient operation.

[0032] In this embodiment, the number of the liquid storage grooves 30 is three. The specific numbers of the liquid storage grooves 30 and the reagent grooves 20 can be determined and changed according to the number of reagent needles to be cleaned, and are not limited herein. Each liquid storage groove 30 is respectively used to hold different cleaning liquids.

[0033] It can be understood that as Figures 1 to 3As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the reagent tank 20 and the liquid storage tank 30 are both arranged along the up-down direction of the cartridge body 10, and the bottom surface of the liquid storage tank 30 is inclined, which is beneficial to improving the utilization rate of the cleaning liquid.

[0034] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, a first anti-overflow structure is provided on the cartridge body 10. The first anti-overflow structure is used to prevent the liquid entering the reagent tank 20 from overflowing into the liquid storage tank 30, and to avoid contamination of the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage tank 30.

[0035] Specifically, in this embodiment, a working surface 11 is provided on the upper part of the cartridge body 10. The openings of both the reagent tank 20 and the liquid storage tank 30 are located on the working surface 11 and are flush with the working surface 11. The first anti-overflow structure includes a plurality of first anti-overflow baffles 40 protruding from the working surface 11. The first anti-overflow baffles 40 are in one-to-one cooperation with the liquid storage tank 30 and are arranged in a surrounding manner. The structure is simple, the production cost is relatively low, and when the reagent needle transports too much cleaning liquid into the reagent tank 20, there will be no overflow into the liquid storage tank 30, avoiding contamination of the cleaning liquid in the liquid storage tank 30.

[0036] As Figure 1 and Figure 3 shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, a second anti-overflow structure is provided on the cartridge body 10. The second anti-overflow structure is used to prevent the liquid from overflowing to the outside of the cartridge body 10, and to avoid the cleaning liquid overflowing from the reagent kit and contaminating the machine.

[0037] Specifically, in some embodiments of the present invention, the second anti-overflow structure is a second anti-overflow baffle 50 arranged around the edge of the working surface 11. The second anti-overflow baffle 50 protrudes upward. The structure is simple and easy to manufacture, so that the cleaning liquid is confined within the working surface 11, avoiding the occurrence of overflow.

[0038] As Figure 1 and Figure 3 shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, an anti-fooling structure 60 is provided on the outer side wall of the cartridge body 10 to prevent the wrong placement of the cartridge body 10, optimize the user experience, and facilitate the assembly to the relevant position of the gene sequencer. Specifically, the anti-fooling structure 60 includes protruding portions respectively arranged at the bottoms of opposite sides of the cartridge body 10, and the protruding portions are arranged along the length direction of the cartridge body 10.

[0039] It can be understood that, in some embodiments of the present invention, a handle structure is provided on the cartridge body 10 for the convenience of the user to pick up and place.

[0040] Specifically, as Figures 1 to 3As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the handle structure is a boss 12 provided on one side of the box body 10. The boss 12 is provided with a groove with an opening facing downwards, and a plurality of plate bodies 13 are arranged in the groove. A plurality of holding recesses 131 for the user to hold are arranged on the plate bodies 13. With the above structure, it is convenient for the user's fingers to be caught in the holding recesses 131 to stably pick up and place the cleaning reagent kit. Of course, in some embodiments, the handle structure can also be set to others. For example, a through hole can be provided on one side of the box body 10 to form a handle position for the user to hold.

[0041] It can be understood that, as Figures 1 to 3 shown, in this embodiment, the box body 10 includes: a top plate 14; a plurality of side plates 15, the plurality of side plates 15 are connected around the top plate 14, and the top plate 14 and the upper parts of the side plates 15 are connected; wherein, a plurality of first bosses 16 and a plurality of second bosses 17 are arranged at intervals on the top plate 14 in the direction of the lower part of the side plates 15. The first bosses 16 are recessed downwards to form a reagent tank 20, and the second bosses 17 are recessed downwards to form a liquid storage tank 30. With the above structure, a plurality of recessed areas are formed at the bottom of the box body 10, achieving the purpose of weight reduction, realizing production with less materials, and thus reducing costs. It should be noted that the working surface 11 is the upper surface of the top plate 14, and the first anti-overflow baffle 40 and the second anti-overflow baffle 50 are both arranged on the upper surface of the top plate 14; the handle structure is arranged on one of the side plates 15.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present invention, a reinforcing rib structure 18 is provided on the box body 10, that is, a reinforcing rib structure 18 is arranged in the area surrounded by the top plate 14 and the plurality of side plates 15. The reinforcing rib structure 18 is used to strengthen the structural strength of the areas where the reagent tank 20 and the liquid storage tank 30 are located, and can achieve its higher structural strength and the overall surface shape meets the design requirements.

[0043] As Figures 1 to 4As shown, the cleaning method according to the embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention is used to clean the liquid path system and the reagent needle of a gene sequencer, and includes: the cleaning kit of the embodiment of the first aspect above, wherein the reagent needle and the reagent tank 20 are correspondingly distributed; a selection device that can control the on-off between the liquid storage tank 30 and the liquid path system and the on-off between the reagent tank 20 and the liquid path system; a power device that is used to drive the liquid to flow between the liquid storage tank 30 and the liquid path system and between the reagent tank 20 and the liquid path system; the cleaning method has the following steps: Step 1, prepare all types of cleaning liquids and separately add them to different liquid storage tanks 30; Step 2, the selection device controls the liquid storage tank 30 where the first type of cleaning liquid is located to be communicated with the liquid path system, and drives the first type of cleaning liquid to be transported into the liquid path system and temporarily stored through the power device; Step 3, the selection device controls the reagent tank 20 to be communicated with the liquid path system, and drives the temporarily stored first type of cleaning liquid to be introduced from the liquid path system into the reagent tank 20 through the reagent needle, and soak and clean the reagent needle; Step 4, move the first type of cleaning liquid away from the reagent tank 20; Step 5, change the first type of cleaning liquid in Steps 2 to 4 to the next type of cleaning liquid, and repeat Steps 2 to 4 until the last type of cleaning liquid is replaced; Step 6, when the cleaning liquid in the reagent tank 20 is the last type, the cleaning is completed, and the cleaning kit is taken out.

[0044] It should be noted that in this embodiment, each liquid storage tank 30 can be correspondingly provided with a cleaning liquid needle for pumping and discharging the cleaning liquid. The selection device can control the on-off between the liquid storage tank 30 and the liquid path system, that is, control the on-off between the cleaning liquid needle and the liquid path system; the on-off between the reagent tank 20 and the liquid path system, that is, control the on-off between the reagent needle and the liquid path system.

[0045] According to the assembly production line of the embodiment of the present invention, compared with the need to manually replace the reagent kit multiple times in the prior art negative pressure cleaning solution, in this technical solution, by integrating the reagent tank 20 and multiple liquid storage tanks 30 into the cleaning kit, and cooperating with the power device, the selection device and the cleaning kit, positive pressure cleaning is realized. The user only needs to replace the cleaning kit once to complete the cleaning task that requires multiple types of cleaning liquids, achieving high efficiency and automation of cleaning, with a simple structure and convenient operation.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present invention, it further includes a lifting mechanism corresponding to the reagent needle one by one, and the lifting mechanism can drive the reagent needle to move up and down. With the above structure, the reagent needle can extend into or move away from the reagent tank 20, realizing automatic operation. When in the working state or during soaking and cleaning, the reagent needle extends into the reagent tank 20, and when in the non-working state, the reagent needle is lifted away from the reagent tank 20 by the lifting mechanism.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present invention, in step four, when the reagent needle is finished soaking and cleaning, the reagent tank 20 is connected to the liquid path system through the selection device, and the power device draws back the cleaning liquid into the liquid path system, and then the storage tank 30 is connected to the liquid path system through the selection device to recycle the cleaning liquid back into the corresponding type of the storage tank 30, achieving recycling.

[0048] In some embodiments of the present invention, the selection device is a multi-way rotary valve. The multi-way rotary valve has a main path connected to the liquid path system and a plurality of branch paths connected to the main path. The branch paths are used to connect the path in the area where the storage tank 30 is located or the path in the area where the reagent tank 20 is located. Some branch paths are correspondingly matched with the cleaning liquid needle, and some branch paths are correspondingly matched with the reagent needle. During operation, the rotary valve rotates its inner valve core to connect the branch path corresponding to the cleaning liquid needle to the main path, and then to the liquid path system, or to connect the branch path corresponding to the reagent needle to the main path, and then to the liquid path system. The structure is reliable and the control is accurate and convenient.

[0049] It should be noted that the rotary valve: a device used to implement the reagent selection function in a liquid path system, which can realize the selection and connection function between each path and the common path through the cooperation of the stator and the rotor.

[0050] In some embodiments of the present invention, the power device is an injection pump. The output end of the injection pump is matched and connected with the rotary valve. The injection pump includes a valve head and a piston rod. When the valve head and the piston rod move relative to each other, the cleaning liquid needle can be made to draw liquid through the rotary valve into the liquid path system or discharge the liquid from the liquid path system through the rotary valve and the cleaning liquid needle into the storage tank 30; or, when the valve head and the piston rod move relative to each other, the reagent needle can be made to draw liquid through the rotary valve into the liquid path system or discharge the liquid from the liquid path system through the rotary valve and the reagent needle into the storage tank 30. Of course, in one embodiment, the above power device can also be a plunger pump or a liquid pump, which is not limited here.

[0051] It should be noted that in step one, the reagent tank 20 does not need to be filled with liquid; when the number of reagent needles is multiple, different branches are connected to the main path through the rotary valve, and under the drive of the injection pump, steps two and three are repeated so that all the reagents can be soaked and cleaned.

[0052] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brief description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combinations of these technical features do not conflict, they should all be considered as the scope recorded in this specification.

[0053] Certainly, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent deformations or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these equivalent deformations or substitutions are all included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A cleaning method for cleaning the liquid path system and reagent needle of a gene sequencer, characterized in that, Comprising: A cleaning kit, which includes a box body (10), at least one reagent tank (20) and a plurality of liquid storage tanks (30). The reagent tank (20) is arranged in the box body (10), and the plurality of liquid storage tanks (30) are arranged in the box body (10). The liquid storage tank (30) is used for placing cleaning liquid. The volume of each liquid storage tank (30) is not less than the sum of the volumes of all the reagent tanks (20). Among them, the reagent needles are distributed corresponding to the reagent tanks (20); A selection device, which can control the on-off between the liquid storage tank (30) and the liquid path system and the on-off between the reagent tank (20) and the liquid path system; A power device, which is used to drive the liquid to flow between the liquid storage tank (30) and the liquid path system and to flow between the reagent tank (20) and the liquid path system; The cleaning method has the following steps: Step 1: Prepare all types of cleaning liquids and add them to different liquid storage tanks (30) respectively; Step 2: The selection device controls the liquid storage tank (30) where the first type of cleaning liquid is located to be connected to the liquid path system, and drives the first type of cleaning liquid to be transported into the liquid path system and temporarily stored through the power device; Step 3: The selection device controls the reagent tank (20) to be connected to the liquid path system, and drives the temporarily stored first type of cleaning liquid to be introduced into the reagent tank (20) from the liquid path system through the reagent needle by the power device, and soak and clean the reagent needle; Step 4: Move the first type of cleaning liquid away from the reagent tank (20); Step 5: Change the first type of cleaning liquid in Steps 2 to 4 to the next type of cleaning liquid, and repeat Steps 2 to 4; Step 6: When the cleaning liquid in the reagent tank (20) is the last type, the cleaning is completed, and the cleaning kit is taken out.

2. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a lifting mechanism corresponding to each reagent needle one by one, and the lifting mechanism can drive the reagent needle to move up and down.

3. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein In Step 4, when the reagent needle is soaked and cleaned, the selection device is used to make the reagent tank (20) communicate with the liquid path system, the power device sucks the cleaning liquid back into the liquid path system, and then the selection device connects the liquid storage tank (30) to the liquid path system to recycle the cleaning liquid back into the corresponding type of liquid storage tank (30).

4. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein The selection device is a multi-way rotary valve, and the multi-way rotary valve has a main path connected to the liquid path system and a plurality of branch paths connected to the main path. The branch paths are used to connect the paths in the area where the liquid storage tank (30) is located or the paths in the area where the reagent tank (20) is located.

5. The cleaning method according to claim 1, characterized in that The power device is an injection pump.

6. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein Both the reagent tank (20) and the liquid storage tank (30) are arranged along the up-down direction of the box body (10), and the bottom surface of the liquid storage tank (30) is inclined.

7. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein, The box body (10) is provided with a first anti-overflow structure, and the first anti-overflow structure is used to prevent the liquid entering the reagent tank (20) from overflowing into the liquid storage tank (30).

8. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein The box body (10) is provided with a second anti-overflow structure, and the second anti-overflow structure is used to prevent the liquid from overflowing outside the box body (10).

9. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein The box body (10) is provided with a rib structure (18), and the rib structure (18) is used to strengthen the structural strength of the regions where the reagent tank (20) and the liquid storage tank (30) are located.

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