Air-conveying film-opening mechanism and method for reagent plate

Abstract

The present invention discloses an air-conveying film-opening mechanism and method for a reagent plate, comprising a film-opening body, a guide column provided at the lower end of the film-opening body, the guide column corresponding to the sample hole on the reagent plate; an arc-shaped nozzle provided at the lower end of the guide column, the lower end of the arc-shaped nozzle maintaining a gap with the sample hole; an air flow channel provided in the guide column, the arc-shaped nozzle being connected to the air flow channel; the method uses the arc-shaped nozzle to output hot air to heat-melt the sealing film on the sample hole, and forms an arc-shaped opening on the sealing film opposite to the sample hole; wherein, when the arc-shaped opening cooperates with a suction head for sampling, the suction head extends into the sample hole, and the suction head presses the sealing film against the inner wall of the sample hole; the problem of processing large quantities of samples without penetrating the sealing film, opening all the sample holes at one time, and being unable to perform selective configuration operations is expected to be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to automated reagent processing, and in particular to an air-transporting film-opening mechanism and method for a reagent plate. Background Art

[0002] Reagent plates are generally used to store sample reagents, such as PCR reaction plates. Since the volume of reaction reagents stored in reagent plates in PCR experiments is usually small, there is a certain risk of volatilization and sample cross-contamination during the short transportation or relocation process. Therefore, after the reagent plates are loaded with reagents, the surface of the reagent plates needs to be sealed with film. Only after the reagent plates are sealed can they be loaded onto trays or packed for relocation.

[0003] During large-scale processing of sealed reagent plates, the outer wall of the sealing film may come into contact with the external environment, which may cause interfering substances to exist on the surface of the sealing film. If the sealing film is directly penetrated during the process of taking the reagent, the interfering substances may come into contact with the reagent, which may cause a certain degree of deviation in the test results.

[0004] To prevent contact between the sealant and the reagents, the mainstream approach is to use a film peeler to remove the sealant from the entire reagent plate, exposing the sample wells on the plate surface, and then process large batches of samples centrally. However, this approach typically requires opening all sample wells at once, making selective configuration impossible. Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore how to meet the needs of processing large numbers of samples while also allowing for selective sample processing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an air-blowing film-opening mechanism in order to improve the problem of processing large quantities of samples without penetrating the sealing film, opening all sample holes at once, and being unable to perform selective configuration operations.

[0006] The purpose of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a structure and assembly method of a film opening mechanism as a technical solution to stabilize the relative position of the arc nozzle and the sample hole, so as to ensure that the arc nozzle can work stably at the position corresponding to the sample hole.

[0007] The purpose of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a control structure for the airflow direction of the film opening mechanism as a technical solution for controlling the arc nozzle to deliver hot air flow for stable hot melting, so as to ensure that the heating area of the arc nozzle is easier to control.

[0008] The purpose of some embodiments of the present invention is to provide a film opening method and working steps as a technical solution for large-scale application of arc nozzles to ensure that the arc nozzles have the continuity required by working conditions when they are actually used.

[0009] Specifically disclosed is a pneumatic film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate, comprising a film-opening body, a guide column being provided at the lower end of the film-opening body, the guide column corresponding to the sample hole on the reagent plate; an arc-shaped nozzle being provided at the lower end of the guide column, the lower end of the arc-shaped nozzle maintaining a gap with the sample hole; an air flow channel being provided in the guide column, the arc-shaped nozzle being connected to the air flow channel; the arc-shaped nozzle being used to output a hot air flow to the sealing film on the surface of the sample hole, the sealing film being heat-melted to form an arc-shaped opening.

[0010] The technical concept is: under the premise that the surface of the sealing film meets the requirements of hot melting, the arc-shaped nozzle corresponds to the sample hole from bottom to top, and the arc-shaped nozzle evenly sprays hot air flow onto the sealing film on the sample hole. The hot air flow melts the sealing film and forms an arc-shaped opening corresponding to the shape of the arc-shaped nozzle. The arc-shaped opening is conducive to the use of equipment to process large quantities of samples without penetrating the sealing film.

[0011] Preferably, an air heater is provided in the guide column, and the air heater is placed in the air flow channel; the air heater heats the air flow entering the arc nozzle.

[0012] Preferably, a negative pressure suction head is further provided at the lower end of the guide column, and there is a height difference between the arc-shaped nozzle and the negative pressure suction head, and the negative pressure suction head is used to extract the hot air flow contacting the sealing film.

[0013] A further technical solution is that the arc-shaped nozzle is placed on the lower edge of the guide column, and a plurality of air outlets are provided at the lower end of the arc-shaped nozzle, and the air outlets surround the negative pressure suction head.

[0014] A further technical solution is that a negative pressure connector and an air supply connector are provided at the upper end of the above-mentioned open membrane body, and the above-mentioned air flow channel includes a positive pressure passage and a negative pressure passage; the above-mentioned arc-shaped nozzle is connected to the air supply connector through the positive pressure passage; and the above-mentioned negative pressure suction head is connected to the negative pressure connector through the negative pressure passage.

[0015] Preferably, a base is provided below the film opening body, and the upper end of the film opening body is connected to a stroke device. When the reagent plate is delivered to the base by a robotic arm, the stroke device drives the film opening body and the guide column to move toward the base.

[0016] A further technical solution is that two lateral limit plates are provided on the base, and the reagent plate is used to be inserted between the two lateral limit plates; a positioning column is provided on the base, and the positioning column is located between the two lateral limit plates, and the positioning column abuts the front end of the reagent plate.

[0017] A further technical solution is that a guide column is provided on the base, a guide block is provided on the film opening body, and the guide block is sleeved on the guide column.

[0018] A further technical solution is that a placement groove is provided on the base, and the placement groove is used to accommodate the robotic arm at the lower end of the reagent plate.

[0019] The present invention also discloses a method for opening a film on a reagent plate, which uses an arc-shaped nozzle to output a hot air flow to heat-melt the sealing film on the sample hole, and forms an arc-shaped opening opposite to the sample hole on the sealing film; wherein, when the arc-shaped opening is used in conjunction with a suction head for sampling, the suction head is inserted into the sample hole, and the suction head presses the sealing film against the inner wall of the sample hole.

[0020] Preferably, the sealing film is made of elastic material, and an elastic sheet and a connection point are formed on the sealing film by an arc-shaped opening, and the connection point is located between the elastic sheet and the sealing film; when the suction tip is inserted into the sample hole, the suction tip presses the elastic sheet to the inner wall of the sample hole, and the connection point provides support to the elastic sheet; when the suction tip is withdrawn from the sample hole, the elastic sheet moves up and resets, and the height of the upper end of the elastic sheet is less than or equal to the opening height of the sample hole.

[0021] Preferably, a film opening mechanism is used, comprising the following working steps: step A, moving the tray from the initial position to the loading position, the reagent plate is clamped by a robot or manually and moved to the top of the tray; step B, the reagent plate is released on the tray by a robot or manually, and the tray moves and drives the reagent plate from the loading position to the film cutting position, so that the sample hole on the reagent plate corresponds to the guide column; step C, moving the guide column down to the corresponding height of the reagent plate, so that the arc nozzle and the sealing film on the surface of the sample hole maintain a working gap; step D, the arc nozzle works, hot-melts the sealing film on the sample hole and forms an arc-shaped opening; step F, when the arc opening on the sealing film is formed, the guide column moves up and resets, the tray drives the reagent plate to the unloading position, the reagent plate is clamped and taken from the unloading position by a robot or manually, and after the taking is completed, the tray is reset to the initial position.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The present invention aligns the guide post with the sample well on the reagent plate, allowing the curved nozzle on the guide post to operate selectively. Compared with traditional film tearing machines, the guide post can selectively open the film in the sample well as needed. This not only meets the needs of large-scale sample processing, but also meets the needs of selective processing.

[0024] The present invention can ensure that each guide column has a certain heating effect through the air heater, so that according to the working requirements of the guide column, the hot air flow temperature output by the arc nozzle that needs to work can be guaranteed to meet the hot melting requirements, for sample holes that do not need to be processed.

[0025] The present invention uses a negative pressure suction head and an arc nozzle to form an airflow direction, thereby ensuring that the airflow is limited to the sealing film within its action range, and preventing the hot airflow output by the arc nozzle from affecting the surrounding environment and reagents.

[0026] The method of the present invention can make arc nozzle output hot air flow to sealing film on sample hole, carry out hot melting and form arc opening, on the one hand, the method adopts hot air flow to make sealing film hot melting, eliminates the step of punching, avoids the risk of accidental damage to sample of physical penetration.On the other hand, when suction tip is sampling, suction tip extends into sample hole, and the sealing film of arc opening is pressed against sample hole inner wall, avoids liquid splashing or volatilization in sample hole, reduces the cross contamination risk of sample, objectively improves the stability of sample processing.The method of the present invention is conducive to in reagent plate batch processing process, and its arc nozzle hot air flow technology is processed independently by air heater by each sample hole, ensures that the treatment effect of each sample hole is consistent, improves the repeatability of experimental result and provides good continuity and efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the air flow channel of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structural distribution of the guide pillars of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the distribution of the air outlets of the arc-shaped nozzle of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the relative positions of the arc nozzle and the sample hole of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the working of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention of taking samples by pipetting into the sample hole.

[0034] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the arc-shaped opening on the sample hole of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the distribution of reagent plates on the tray.

[0036] Figure 10 A flowchart of the steps.

[0037] Description of reference numerals:

[0038] 1- opening membrane body, 2- guide column, 3- arc nozzle, 4- air flow channel, 5- air heater, 6- negative pressure suction head, 7- base, 9- reagent plate, 11- elastic sheet, 12- connection point, 101- air supply connector, 102- negative pressure connector, 103- guide block, 301- air outlet, 401- positive pressure passage, 402- negative pressure passage, 701- lateral limit plate, 702- positioning column, 703- guide column, 704- placement slot, 901- sample hole, A- sealing membrane, B- robotic arm, C- stroke device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0040] It should be noted that all directional indications such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc. in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. in a certain specific working state. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0041] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified or defined, the term "connection" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can refer to a fixed connection or a welded connection; it can also refer to the internal communication between two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0042] If there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, the meaning of "and / or" appearing throughout the text includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme in which A and B are satisfied at the same time. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is mutually contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0043] The current reagent plate 9 is provided with a number of sample wells 901, and the sample wells 901 are distributed in an array on the reagent plate 9, and when the reagent plate 9 is loaded with reagents, the reagents are generally placed at the bottom of the sample wells 901, and the content is relatively small. In addition, the plate material on the reagent plate 9 is generally made of existing plastic materials such as polypropylene or polycarbonate, so that the reagent plate 9 has higher high temperature resistance. Secondly, the current reagent plate 9 needs to be sealed so that the overall temperature resistance of the reagent plate 9 is greater than the hot melt temperature of the sealing film A. Among them, the reagent plate 9 can be an existing deep well plate, or it can be other sample containers with multiple sample wells 901.

[0044] refer to Figures 1 to 3 As shown, one embodiment of the present invention is a pneumatic film opening mechanism for a reagent plate, comprising a film opening body 1, wherein a guide column 2 is provided at the lower end of the film opening body 1, and the material of the guide column 2 can be stainless steel, ceramic, or other existing materials that meet the requirements of high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and structural stability; the guide column 2 corresponds to the sample hole 901 on the reagent plate 9; by having one guide column 2 correspond to one sample hole 901, it is beneficial to ensure the relative positioning of the arc nozzle 3 and the sample hole 901.

[0045] Exemplarily, the lower end of the membrane body 1 is provided with guide posts 2 distributed in a matrix pattern, and the number of the guide posts 2 corresponds to the number of the sample holes 901 .

[0046] refer to Figure 3 As shown, the lower end of the guide column 2 is provided with an arc-shaped nozzle 3, and a gap is maintained between the lower end of the arc-shaped nozzle 3 and the sample hole 901. Maintaining a certain gap between the lower end of the arc-shaped nozzle 3 and the sample hole can prevent the arc-shaped nozzle 3 from contacting the surface of the sealing membrane A, reducing the risk of cross-contamination, and can also help control the surface of the hot air flow from the arc-shaped nozzle 3.

[0047] The guide column 2 is provided with an airflow channel 4, and the arc-shaped nozzle 3 is connected to the airflow channel 4. The arc-shaped nozzle 3 is used to output a hot gas flow to the sealing film on the surface of the sample hole 901, which is then melted to form an arc-shaped opening. The hollow design of the guide column 2 facilitates the airflow channel 4 disposed within the guide column 2. The airflow channel 4 must remain connected to the arc-shaped nozzle 3. This allows the airflow channel 4 to be connected to an external air source and output air to the arc-shaped nozzle 3.

[0048] Exemplarily, the arc-shaped nozzle 3 has a certain thickness and is hollow, so that the hot air flow output by the arc-shaped nozzle 3 is C-shaped or U-shaped. The arc-shaped nozzle 3 outputs a hot air flow toward the sealing film A above the sample hole 901. The high-temperature portion of the air flow directly acts on the surface of the sealing film A, melting the sealing film A. At the same time, the hot air flow cools down after contacting the sealing film A, thereby forming an arc-shaped opening in the sealing film A. Therefore, by controlling the operation of a specific guide column 2, the arc-shaped nozzle 3 on the guide column 2 can selectively form an arc-shaped opening in the corresponding sample hole 901, thereby forming an opening above the sample hole 901 without puncturing the sealing film A or completely tearing off the sealing film A.

[0049] It should be noted that, in principle, the hot air flow output by the arc-shaped nozzle 3 cannot form an annular opening in the sealing film A; specifically, the hot air flow needs to ensure at least one area in the sealing film A that is not hot-melted, so that the sealing film A and the reagent plate 9 have at least one connection point 12 to prevent the sealing film A from being cut off and falling into the sample hole 901.

[0050] Regarding the impact of the hot air flow on the reagents in sample well 901: The reagents are positioned at the bottom of sample well 901, ensuring a safe distance from the opening of sample well 901. The airflow from the curved nozzle 3 primarily acts on the edge of sample well 901, ensuring that the airflow only contacts the sealing membrane A itself. This prevents the hot air flow from directly contacting the reagents, effectively minimizing the thermal impact on the reagents during the membrane opening process by the curved nozzle 3. If necessary, the hot air flow output rate and heating time can be precisely controlled. By controlling the heating time and airflow pressure of the hot air flow, the risk of the hot air flow impacting the reagents can be further mitigated.

[0051] Based on the above embodiment, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, another embodiment of the present invention is that an air heater 5 is provided in the guide column 2 , and the air heater 5 is placed in the air flow channel 4 ; the air heater 5 heats the air flow entering the arc nozzle 3 .

[0052] When necessary, the heating frequency of the hot air flow by the air heater 5 can be controlled so that the temperature of the hot air flow after being heated in the air heater 5 fluctuates within a certain range, thereby avoiding heat accumulation on the sealing film A.

[0053] The air heater 5 is a conventional air heating element, such as a heating wire, heating tube, or ceramic. When the airflow in the guide column 2 passes through the air heater 5, it converts electrical energy into thermal energy and releases the thermal energy into the air near the air heater 5, thereby heating the airflow. The air heater 5 is positioned in the airflow channel 4 to heat the airflow entering the curved nozzle, thereby adjusting the temperature of the hot airflow output by the curved nozzle 3 to adapt the hot airflow temperature to various sealing membrane materials A.

[0054] Based on the above embodiment, another embodiment of the present invention is that in order to prevent the airflow from directly acting on the reagent in the sample hole 901, a negative pressure suction head 6 is further provided at the lower end of the above-mentioned guide column 2, and the above-mentioned arc-shaped nozzle 3 and the negative pressure suction head 6 have a height difference. The above-mentioned negative pressure suction head 6 is used to extract the hot airflow that contacts the sealing film A.

[0055] Among them, the lower end of the negative pressure suction head 6 is higher than the bottom of the arc nozzle 3, so that the negative pressure suction head 6 mainly forms a certain range of negative pressure space below the guide column 2, and the hot air flow output by the arc nozzle 3 will flow upward to the bottom of the negative pressure suction head 6 after acting on the sealing membrane A. The negative pressure suction head 6 extracts the hot air flow that contacts the sealing membrane A, so that the movement range of the hot air flow is further controlled, thereby avoiding the risk of the hot air flow entering the sample hole 901 and further affecting the risk of the hot air flow affecting the reagent.

[0056] During operation, the hot air flow output by the arc nozzle 3 will contact the sealing film A under the pressure of the output air flow, and then the hot air flow will flow along the gap between the sealing film A and the arc nozzle 3 to the guide column 2, and finally enter the negative pressure suction head 6.

[0057] For further reference, Figure 4 As shown, the arc nozzle 3 is placed at the lower edge of the guide column 2, so that there is enough space between the arc nozzle 3 and the negative pressure suction head 6. The lower end of the arc nozzle 3 is provided with a plurality of air outlets 301, and the air outlets 301 surround the negative pressure suction head 6.

[0058] Exemplarily, the air outlets 301 are formed by multiple openings formed by the baffles at the bottom of the curved nozzle 3. This ensures a relatively uniform airflow from the curved nozzle 3. Furthermore, under the influence of the air outlets 301, the hot air flows along the bottom contour of the curved nozzle 3 toward the negative pressure nozzle 6, which helps to restrict the direction of the hot air flow.

[0059] For further reference, Figure 2 and Figure 5As shown, in order to ensure the smooth flow of the airflow path, the upper end of the above-mentioned open membrane body 1 is provided with a negative pressure connector 102 and an air supply connector 101, and the above-mentioned airflow channel 4 includes a positive pressure path 401 and a negative pressure path 402; the above-mentioned arc-shaped nozzle 3 is connected to the air supply connector 101 through the positive pressure path 401; the above-mentioned negative pressure suction head 6 is connected to the negative pressure connector 102 through the negative pressure path 402.

[0060] The air heater 5 is placed in the positive pressure passage 401, and the air flow in the positive pressure passage 401 is heated by the air heater 5. The air flow channel 4 is configured as a relatively independent positive pressure passage 401 and negative pressure passage 402, so that the states of the positive pressure passage 401 and the negative pressure passage 402 can be adjusted separately to meet different working needs. The negative pressure connector 102 and the air supply connector 101 are connected to the negative pressure source and the positive pressure air flow source respectively: there are various connection methods:

[0061] For example, the negative pressure connector 102 and the air supply connector 101 can each be equipped with an existing fan, through which the airflow is delivered to the positive pressure passage 401 and the airflow in the negative pressure passage 402 is extracted by the fan.

[0062] For example, the negative pressure connector 102 and the air supply connector 101 are respectively connected to the negative pressure equipment and the air supply equipment through pipelines.

[0063] During operation, a positive pressure passage 401 and a negative pressure passage 402 are simultaneously set in a guide column 2 to ensure the relative position of the negative pressure suction head 6 and the arc nozzle 3. The airflow is sent to the arc nozzle 3 through the positive pressure passage 401. At the same time, the negative pressure passage 402 can drive the negative pressure suction head 6 to work synchronously, thereby forming a stable airflow direction under the guide column 2, so that the hot airflow has higher controllability for the hot melt operation of the sealing film A.

[0064] Based on the above embodiment, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, another embodiment of the present invention is that, in order for the film opening body 1 to drive the guide column 2 to correspond to the sample hole 901 on the reagent plate 9, a base 7 is provided under the above-mentioned film opening body 1, wherein the setting of the base 7 is mainly to provide a relative placement area for the reagent plate 9, so as to facilitate the alignment of the guide column 2 on the film opening body 1 and the reagent plate 9.

[0065] The upper end of the film opening body 1 is connected to a travel device C. When the reagent plate 9 is fed onto the base 7 via the robotic arm B, the travel device C drives the film opening body 1 and the guide post 2 toward the base 7. The travel device C is a conventional automated working unit. The travel device C can be a travel cylinder or a mechanical telescopic mechanism, and its robotic arm B can be the conventional clamping mechanism and transfer mechanism for the reagent plate 9. The movable end of the travel device C is fixed to the upper end of the film opening body 1, and the travel device C drives the film opening body 1 to move up and down, thereby causing the guide post 2 on the film opening body 1 to move toward the base 7.

[0066] During operation, the reagent plate 9 is first delivered to the base 7 by the robotic arm. After the position of the reagent plate 9 is stabilized, the stroke device C drives the film opening body 1 and the guide post 2 to move toward the base 7. The film opening body 1 can move in the vertical direction during the movement, so as to ensure that the guide post 2 can accurately align with the sample well 901 on the reagent plate 9.

[0067] Furthermore, in order to ensure a constant position of the reagent plate 9 on the base 7, two lateral limiting plates 701 are provided on the base 7, and the reagent plate 9 is used to be inserted between the two lateral limiting plates 701; wherein the gap between the two lateral limiting plates 701 is adapted to the width of the reagent plate 9, thereby ensuring that the reagent plate 9 can be laterally constrained when inserted between the two lateral limiting plates 701.

[0068] The base 7 is provided with positioning posts 702, which are located between the two lateral limiting plates 701. The positioning posts 702 abut the front end of the reagent plate 9. There are two positioning posts 702. After the reagent plate 9 is inserted between the lateral limiting plates 701, the positioning posts 702 abut the front end of the reagent plate 9, thereby constraining the reagent plate 9 in its longitudinal position.

[0069] During operation, the reagent plate 9 is fed by the robot arm B between the two lateral limit plates 701. As the robot arm B drives the reagent plate 9 forward, when the front end of the reagent plate 9 hits the positioning post 702, the robot arm B stops moving. At this time, the reagent plate 9 is constrained both horizontally and vertically, and the reagent plate 9 is in a constant position on the base 7. When the reagent plate 9 is opened, the robot arm B drives the reagent plate 9 backward and away from the base 7 until the robot arm B drives the next reagent plate 9 into the base 7.

[0070] Furthermore, to ensure vertical movement of the film-opening body 1 relative to the base 7, a guide post 703 is provided on the base 7, and a guide block 103 is provided on the film-opening body 1. The guide block 103 is mounted on the guide post 703. The guide post 703 and the guide block 103 are respectively fixed to the base 7 and the film-opening body 1. With the guide block 103 mounted on the guide post 703, the movement path of the film-opening body 1 is vertical relative to the base 7. Furthermore, the interaction between the guide block 103 and the guide post 703 effectively prevents the film-opening body 1 from deflecting or shaking during movement. This ensures that the guide post 2 and the curved nozzle 3 at the lower end of the film-opening body 1 have a stable movement trajectory, further improving the precision of the fit between the curved nozzle 3 and the sample well 901 on the reagent plate 9.

[0071] Furthermore, the base 7 is provided with a placement slot 704 for receiving the robotic arm B at the lower end of the reagent plate 9. The placement slot 704 is designed to provide a certain amount of space so that the robotic arm B will not be bumped during the movement of the reagent plate 9, thereby providing convenient conditions for the robotic arm B to move the reagent plate 9 on the base 7.

[0072] Based on the above examples, Figures 6 to 8 As shown, another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a film opening method for a reagent plate, using an arc nozzle 3 to output a hot air flow to heat-melt the sealing film A on the sample hole 901, and form an arc opening on the sealing film A opposite to the sample hole 901.

[0073] The arc nozzle 3 outputs a hot air flow, which acts on the sealing film A. The sealing film A is heated and begins to melt under the action of the hot air flow to form an arc opening, and the position of the arc opening directly corresponds to the upper opening range of the sample hole.

[0074] Exemplarily, after the arc-shaped nozzle 3 stops outputting hot air, the heating process of sealing film A ends. Heat is then dissipated from the corresponding area of sealing film A, causing the molten area to gradually cool and solidify, thereby ensuring the stability of the arc-shaped opening in sample well 901. After sealing film A has cooled, the reagent plate can be placed into other processes using a robot or manual process. For sample removal from the reagent plate, an existing aspiration device can be used.

[0075] refer to Figure 7 As shown, when the curved opening is used with a pipette tip for sampling, the tip is inserted into sample well 901, where it presses sealing film A against the inner wall of sample well 901. As the tip passes through the corresponding position of the curved opening and into sample well 901, the shape and movement of the curved opening drive the sealing film A corresponding to sample well 901, keeping it in close contact with the inner wall of the sample well. This ensures that the sample beneath sealing film A is removed with minimal environmental influences.

[0076] Furthermore, the sealing film is made of elastic material, and an elastic sheet 11 and a connection point 12 are formed in the sealing film by the arc-shaped opening, and the connection point 12 is located between the elastic sheet 11 and the sealing film.

[0077] The sealing film A can be made of existing polyethylene or other existing hot-melt films. The arc-shaped opening forms an elastic sheet 11 and a connection point 12. The connection point 12 is located between the elastic sheet 11 and the sealing film A and acts as a force fulcrum under the arc-shaped opening, maintaining the connection between the elastic sheet 11 and the sealing film A.

[0078] Since the connection point 12 provides support for the elastic sheet 11, when the pipette tip is inserted into the sample hole, the pipette tip presses the elastic sheet 11 against the inner wall of the sample hole. At this time, the connection point 12 provides support for the elastic sheet 11; the elastic sheet 11 will be displaced under the pressure of the downward movement of the pipette tip, and the displacement process is affected by the connection point 12.

[0079] When the pipette tip is removed from the sample well, the elastic piece 11 moves upward and resets, and the height of the upper end of the elastic piece 11 is less than or equal to the opening height of the sample well. After the pipette tip is removed from the sample well, the elastic piece 11 is restrained by the connection point 12, and one end of the elastic piece 11 can reset and move again.

[0080] When resetting, the height of the upper end of the elastic sheet 11 is less than or equal to the opening height of the sample hole to avoid splashing. This optimizes the sample removal process, improves sample safety, and reduces the risk of contamination of the sample by the external environment. Figure 10 As shown, another embodiment of the present invention provides a working procedure using a film opening mechanism: Step A, moving the tray from the initial position to the loading position, the reagent plate is gripped by a robot or manually and moved to the top of the tray. This step is mainly used to adjust the position of the tray to the loading position so that the reagent plate 9 can be placed at the loading position. The tray is mainly used to contact the bottom of the reagent plate 9, thereby ensuring that the upper surface of the reagent plate 9 is relatively level.

[0081] The reagent plate 9 is clamped by a robot or manually and moved to the top of the tray, thereby ensuring the stability of the reagent plate. The reagent plate 9 needs to be relatively stable during the placement process to avoid damage or scratches to the reagent plate 9.

[0082] In step B, a robot or human operator releases the reagent plate onto the tray. The tray then moves the plate from the loading position to the cutting position, aligning the sample wells on the plate with the guide pins. This process ensures the plate is stably placed on the tray and accurately locates the cutting position corresponding to each sample well on the plate.

[0083] Exemplarily, the tray may be driven by an existing driving device, or may be installed and driven using the robotic arm B of the above embodiment.

[0084] In step C, the guide column is moved down to the corresponding height of the reagent plate so that a working gap is maintained between the arc nozzle and the sealing film on the surface of the sample hole; a working gap is maintained between the arc nozzle 3 and the sealing film A on the surface of the sample hole 901: thereby ensuring that the sealing film A has higher safety and accuracy during the hot melt operation, and the position of the arc nozzle 3 and the surface of the sample hole 901 is precisely controlled so that the arc nozzle 3 can output heat energy to the sealing film A on the reagent plate more stably.

[0085] In step D, the arc-shaped nozzle operates to heat-melt the sealing film A on the sample hole 901 and form an arc-shaped opening.

[0086] The arcuate opening forms a continuous C- or U-shaped opening in the sealing film A. This continuous opening is disconnected at the beginning and end of the sealing film A. By appropriately melting a portion of the sealing film A on the reagent plate, an elastic sheet 11 is formed, through which the pipette tip can pass. This elastic sheet 11 facilitates the insertion and removal of the reagent liquid by the pipette tip in subsequent steps.

[0087] In step F, after the arc-shaped opening on the sealing membrane A is completed, the reagent plate 9 needs to be removed from the unloading position to facilitate the next operation of the reagent plate 9. After the arc-shaped opening on the sealing membrane A is formed, the guide column moves upward and resets, and the tray drives the reagent plate to the unloading position. The reagent plate is clamped and removed from the unloading position by a robot or manually. After the removal is completed, the tray returns to its initial position. After the tray returns to its initial position, the process can be repeated according to step A, thereby ensuring that the device can be reset after completing a complete cycle for the next round of operation.

[0088] refer to Figure 9 In principle, the tray can be an existing commercial product. The size of the tray corresponds to the reagent plate 9. The reagent plate 9 is mounted on the tray with a clearance fit, and the outer wall contour of the reagent plate 9 fits closely with the inner cavity contour of the tray, thereby limiting the posture of the reagent plate 9. During the batch processing of the reagent plates, the arc nozzle hot air flow technology uses an air heater to independently process each sample well. With the tray limiting the posture of the reagent plate 9, the treatment effect of each sample well is guaranteed to be consistent, thereby improving the repeatability of the experimental results and providing good continuity and efficiency.

[0089] References in this specification to "one embodiment," "another embodiment," "an embodiment," "a preferred embodiment," and the like refer to specific features, structures, or characteristics described in conjunction with that embodiment as included in at least one embodiment generally described herein. The appearance of the same term in multiple places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with any embodiment, it is intended that such feature, structure, or characteristic, when implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0090] Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it will be understood that numerous other modifications and implementations may be devised by those skilled in the art that fall within the scope and spirit of the principles disclosed herein. More specifically, within the scope of the present disclosure, the drawings, and the claims, numerous variations and modifications may be made to the components and / or layout of the subject combination arrangement. In addition to variations and modifications to the components and / or layout, other uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A pneumatic membrane opening mechanism for a reagent plate, characterized by: It comprises a film opening body (1), wherein a guide column (2) is provided at the lower end of the film opening body (1), and the guide column (2) corresponds to the sample hole (901) on the reagent plate (9); The lower end of the guide column (2) is provided with an arc-shaped nozzle (3), and a gap is maintained between the lower end of the arc-shaped nozzle (3) and the sample hole (901); An air flow channel (4) is provided in the guide column (2), and the arc-shaped nozzle (3) is connected to the air flow channel (4); the arc-shaped nozzle (3) is used to output a hot air flow to the sealing film on the surface of the sample hole (901), and the sealing film is heat-melted to form an arc-shaped opening.

2. The air-conveying film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air heater (5) is provided in the guide column (2), and the air heater (5) is placed in the air flow channel (4); the air heater (5) heats the air flow entering the arc-shaped nozzle (3).

3. The air-conveying film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: A negative pressure suction head (6) is further provided at the lower end of the guide column (2), and there is a height difference between the arc-shaped nozzle (3) and the negative pressure suction head (6). The negative pressure suction head (6) is used to extract the hot air flow that contacts the sealing film.

4. The air-conveying film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The arc-shaped nozzle (3) is placed on the lower edge of the guide column (2), and a plurality of air outlets (301) are provided at the lower end of the arc-shaped nozzle (3), and the air outlets (301) surround the negative pressure suction head (6).

5. The air-conveying film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The upper end of the open film body (1) is provided with a negative pressure connector (102) and an air supply connector (101), and the air flow channel (4) includes a positive pressure passage (401) and a negative pressure passage (402); The arc-shaped nozzle (3) is connected to the air supply connector (101) via the positive pressure passage (401); the negative pressure suction head (6) is connected to the negative pressure connector (102) via the negative pressure passage (402).

6. The air-conveying film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: A base (7) is provided below the film opening body (1), and the upper end of the film opening body (1) is connected to a travel device. When the reagent plate (9) is delivered to the base (7) by the robotic arm, the travel device drives the film opening body (1) and the guide column (2) to move toward the base (7).

7. The air-conveying film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate according to claim 6, characterized in that: The base (7) is provided with two lateral limiting plates (701), and the reagent plate (9) is used to be inserted between the two lateral limiting plates (701); the base (7) is provided with a positioning column (702), and the positioning column (702) is located between the two lateral limiting plates (701), and the positioning column (702) abuts against the front end of the reagent plate (9).

8. The air-conveying film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate according to claim 6, characterized in that: A guide column (703) is provided on the base (7), a guide block (103) is provided on the film opening body (1), and the guide block (103) is sleeved on the guide column (703).

9. The air-conveying film-opening mechanism for a reagent plate according to claim 6, characterized in that: The base (7) is provided with a placement groove (704), and the placement groove (704) is used to accommodate the mechanical arm at the lower end of the reagent plate (9).

10. A method for opening a membrane of a reagent plate, characterized in that: Using an arc-shaped nozzle to output a hot air flow to heat-melt the sealing film of the sample hole on the reagent plate, and forming an arc-shaped opening opposite to the sample hole on the sealing film; When the arc-shaped opening cooperates with the suction head for sampling, the suction head extends into the sample hole, and the sealing film is pressed against the inner wall of the sample hole by the suction head.

11. A method for opening a membrane of a reagent plate according to claim 10, characterized in that: The sealing membrane is made of an elastic material, and an elastic sheet (11) and a connection point (12) are formed on the sealing membrane by an arc-shaped opening, wherein the connection point (12) is located between the elastic sheet (11) and the sealing membrane; When the suction tip is inserted into the sample hole, the suction tip presses the elastic sheet (11) to the inner wall of the sample hole, and at this time, the connection point (12) provides support to the elastic sheet (11); When the suction head is withdrawn from the sample hole, the elastic piece (11) moves upward and resets, and the height of the upper end of the elastic piece (11) is less than or equal to the opening height of the sample hole.

12. A method for opening a membrane for a reagent plate according to claim 10, using the membrane opening mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising the following steps: Step A: Move the tray from the initial position to the loading position, and the reagent plate is gripped by a robot or manually and moved to the top of the tray; Step B: A robot or a human releases the reagent plate onto the tray, and the tray moves and drives the reagent plate from the loading position to the film cutting position so that the sample wells on the reagent plate correspond to the guide posts; Step C, moving the guide column down to the corresponding height of the reagent plate so that a working gap is maintained between the arc-shaped nozzle and the sealing film on the surface of the sample hole; Step D: The arc nozzle operates to heat-melt the sealing film on the sample hole and form an arc-shaped opening; In step F, after the arc-shaped opening is formed on the sealing film, the guide column moves upward and resets, and the tray drives the reagent plate to the unloading position. The reagent plate is clamped and taken from the unloading position by a robot or manually. After the unloading is completed, the tray resets to the initial position.

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