A cleaning device for sample analysis

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the field of chemical analysis technology, and in particular to a cleaning device for sample analysis, comprising a swab, a waste liquid needle and a movable seal. Compared with the prior art, the cleaning device of the present invention is provided with a movable seal that can move up and down. The movable seal closes the lower port when the waste liquid needle moves down to extract waste liquid, thereby preventing liquid in the cleaning channel from dripping into the reaction cup and affecting the detection results. When the waste liquid needle moves up into the cleaning channel, the movable seal can close the upper port, so that the airflow can only flow upward from the lower port into the cleaning channel and be discharged through the liquid outlet joint at high speed. Not only is it easier to form negative pressure, but the flow direction of the airflow also greatly reduces the probability of liquid flowing out of the lower port, thereby avoiding leakage and improving detection accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of chemical analysis, and in particular to a cleaning device for sample analysis. Background Art

[0002] During the use of the chemiluminescence immunoassay, the reaction cup loaded with samples and reagents will be run to the magnetic separation system at some point. In the magnetic separation system, the magnetic separation waste liquid needle adsorbs the unbound substances and waste liquid in the reaction cup. During this process, the magnetic separation waste liquid needle will inevitably come into contact with the waste liquid and sample, and there will be contamination, which will interfere with adjacent samples and affect the accuracy of the results. Therefore, after the adsorption is completed, the surface of the magnetic separation waste liquid needle needs to be cleaned. The current common cleaning methods are:

[0003] 1. Use a sleeve needle: This involves wrapping a needle around the magnetic waste liquid separation needle, with the two needles coaxial. Once the magnetic waste liquid separation needle has finished aspirating waste liquid, cleaning fluid is injected from the sleeve needle, completing the cleaning of the waste liquid needle. However, this solution cannot simultaneously aspirate and inject liquid, doubling the time and limiting the overall speed of the machine.

[0004] 2. External cleaning: After the magnetic separation waste liquid needle has completed the extraction, the needle holder is removed and lowered into the external cleaning tank to complete the cleaning of the waste liquid needle. This solution has a complex mechanical structure and takes up a lot of space. The needle holder needs to be raised, moved horizontally, and lowered, which consumes a lot of time, limits the speed of the entire machine, and has a high failure rate.

[0005] 3. Use a cleaning swab. The swab mainly includes a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and a cleaning channel with through holes on the top and bottom. When working, the waste liquid needle is inserted into the cleaning channel from top to bottom, and the liquid inlet injects cleaning liquid. At the same time, the liquid outlet uses negative pressure to suck away the cleaning liquid, so that the cleaning liquid in the cleaning channel can be quickly discharged after being sprayed onto the surface of the waste liquid needle, completing the cleaning of the waste liquid needle. However, since there are through holes on the top and bottom of the cleaning channel, leakage often occurs during cleaning, which not only affects the test accuracy, but also causes safety hazards such as pollution. Moreover, since there are through holes on the upper and lower sides, the liquid outlet needs to provide a large negative pressure to discharge the cleaning liquid. Therefore, it is necessary to configure a negative pressure tank and a matching solenoid valve or a large-flow, high-pressure gas-liquid mixing pump, which leads to a complex system structure and high cost. For this reason, it is of great practical significance to study and design a cleaning device that can prevent leakage and requires low negative pressure. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the problems that the existing waste liquid needle cleaning swab is prone to leakage and requires a large negative pressure, and to provide a cleaning device that can prevent leakage and requires a low negative pressure.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] The seal is sealed to seal the sealant, and the sealant is sealed to seal the sealant.

[0009] The movable seal can be controlled to move up and down with the waste liquid needle, so that when the waste liquid needle moves downward, the lower plug is pressed against the upper end of the second sealing ring to close the lower port, and when the waste liquid needle moves upward, the upper plug is pressed against the lower end of the first sealing ring to close the upper port.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the cleaning device of the present invention is provided with a movable seal that can move up and down. The movable seal closes the lower port when the waste liquid needle moves down to extract waste liquid, thereby preventing the liquid in the cleaning channel from dripping into the reaction cup and affecting the detection results. When the waste liquid needle moves up into the cleaning channel, the movable seal can close the upper port, so that the airflow can only flow upward from the lower port into the cleaning channel and be discharged through the liquid outlet joint at high speed. Not only is it easier to form negative pressure, but the flow direction of the airflow also greatly reduces the probability of liquid flowing out of the lower port, thereby avoiding leakage and improving detection accuracy.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper end of the second sealing ring is connected to a tube portion extending upward into the cleaning channel, and a dam ring capable of accommodating liquid is formed between the tube portion and the cleaning channel. The dam ring can collect and store residual liquid in the cleaning channel to prevent the residual liquid from being directly discharged from the lower port. When the movable seal moves downward to press against the tube portion, the height of the formed dam ring can be increased, thereby increasing the storage capacity of the liquid by the dam ring.

[0012] Furthermore, a second liquid outlet channel extending laterally is provided at the bottom end of the cleaning channel, and the second liquid outlet channel is connected to the dam ring. The side of the swab is provided with a residual liquid joint connected to the second liquid outlet channel. The dam ring can collect residual liquid and discharge the residual liquid in the cleaning channel through the residual liquid joint.

[0013] Furthermore, a plurality of second liquid outlet channels are circumferentially spaced around the dam ring, the swab ring is provided with second annular grooves respectively connected to the outer ends of the second liquid outlet channels, and the residual liquid joint is communicated with the second annular grooves.

[0014] Furthermore, a liquid pump is provided, and the liquid pump is connected to the liquid outlet connector and the residual liquid connector;

[0015] Alternatively, a first liquid pump and a second liquid pump are further configured, wherein the first liquid pump is connected to the liquid outlet connector, and the second liquid pump is connected to the residual liquid connector.

[0016] Furthermore, the cleaning channel is provided with a plurality of laterally extending liquid inlet channels at intervals around its circumference, the swab ring is provided with a third annular groove connecting the outer ends of each of the liquid inlet channels, and the liquid inlet connector is connected to the third annular groove. The cleaning channel is provided with a plurality of laterally extending first liquid outlet channels at intervals around its circumference, the swab ring is provided with a first annular groove connecting the outer ends of each of the first liquid outlet channels, and the liquid outlet connector is connected to the first annular groove. This arrangement can increase the flow rate of the liquid.

[0017] Furthermore, the swab includes an upper cover, a body and an inner core, a mounting groove with upper and lower openings is provided in the middle of the body, the inner core is adaptively inserted into the mounting groove from bottom to top, and a base is provided on the lower side thereof that abuts the bottom of the body, the upper cover is provided on the upper ends of the body and the inner core, the cleaning channel is provided in the middle of the inner core, the upper cover is provided with the upper port, and the base is provided with the lower port, the liquid inlet channel, the first liquid outlet channel, the second liquid outlet channel, the first annular groove, the second annular groove and the third annular groove are respectively formed on the inner core, the liquid inlet joint, the liquid outlet joint and the residual liquid joint are provided on the body, and the above arrangement facilitates the cleaning and maintenance of each channel.

[0018] Furthermore, it is characterized in that the upper clamping ring and the lower clamping ring are arranged to pass through the upper port and the lower port. The above arrangement ensures the movement stroke of the waste liquid needle and ensures that the waste liquid needle can move down to the bottom of the reaction cup.

[0019] Furthermore, the second sealing ring is made of elastic material to avoid rigid collision with the movable sealing member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning device when it is moved on the waste liquid needle into the cleaning channel for cleaning;

[0022] Figure 3It is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning device when it moves under the waste liquid needle to penetrate the lower port to extract waste liquid;

[0023] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the dam ring;

[0024] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the moving seal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] See also Figures 1 to 5 This embodiment provides a cleaning device for sample analysis, including a swab 1, a waste liquid needle 2 and a movable sealing member 3. The swab 1 is provided with a cleaning channel 11, a liquid inlet joint 12 and a liquid outlet joint 13 arranged on the upper and lower sides of the swab 1 and respectively connected to the cleaning channel 11. The cleaning channel 11 is configured with an upper port 111 formed at the upper end of the swab 1 and a lower port 112 formed at the lower end. A first sealing ring 14 is provided in the upper port 111, and a second sealing ring 15 is provided in the lower port 112.

[0027] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 The cleaning channel 11 is circumferentially provided with a plurality of laterally extending liquid inlet channels 103a, the swab 1 is provided with a third annular groove 103b connected to the outer ends of each liquid inlet channel 103a, and the liquid inlet joint 12 is connected to the third annular groove 103b; the cleaning channel 11 is circumferentially provided with a plurality of laterally extending first liquid outlet channels 101a, the swab 1 is provided with a first annular groove 101b connected to the outer ends of each first liquid outlet channel 101a, and the liquid outlet joint 13 is connected to the first annular groove 101b. The above-mentioned arrangement of the liquid inlet channel 103a and the first liquid outlet channel 101a can increase the flow rate of the liquid.

[0028] See also Figures 2 to 4The upper end of the second sealing ring 15 is connected to a tube portion 151 extending upward into the cleaning channel 11. A dam ring 10 that can accommodate liquid is formed between the tube portion 151 and the cleaning channel 11. The liquid in the cleaning channel 11, such as the residual liquid that has not been discharged, can drip into the dam ring 10 for collection and storage. The bottom end of the cleaning channel 11 is provided with a second liquid outlet channel 102a extending laterally. The second liquid outlet channel 102a is connected to the dam ring 10. The side of the swab 1 is provided with a residual liquid outlet channel connected to the second liquid outlet channel 102a. The joint 16 and the second liquid outlet channel 102a are provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart arrangements around the dam ring 10. The swab 1 is provided with a second annular groove 102b respectively connected to the outer end of each second liquid outlet channel 102a. The residual liquid joint 16 is communicated with the second annular groove 102b. The second liquid outlet channel 102a can increase the storage capacity of the dam ring 10 for residual liquid to a certain extent, and the residual liquid in the dam ring 10 can be extracted through the residual liquid joint 16 to achieve the effect of cleaning the residual liquid in the cleaning channel 11.

[0029] The present invention has the following two ways to form negative pressure. First, it is also equipped with a liquid pump, which is connected to the liquid outlet joint 13 and the residual liquid joint 16. This method of sharing one liquid pump can save equipment costs; second, it is also equipped with a first liquid pump and a second liquid pump, the first liquid pump is connected to the liquid outlet joint 13, and the second liquid pump is connected to the residual liquid joint 16. The above methods are independently controlled by two liquid pumps, which can simplify the control program and reduce the burden on each liquid pump.

[0030] See also Figure 2 As a specific setting mode of the swab 1, the swab 1 includes an upper cover 17, a body 18 and an inner core 19. The middle part of the body 18 is provided with a mounting groove 181 with upper and lower openings. The inner core 19 is adapted to be inserted into the mounting groove 181 from bottom to top, and its lower side is provided with a base 182 abutting against the bottom of the body 18. The upper cover 17 is provided on the upper ends of the body 18 and the inner core 19. The cleaning channel 11 is provided in the middle part of the inner core 19, the upper cover 17 is provided with the upper port 111, and the base 182 is provided with the lower port 112. The liquid inlet channel 103a, the first liquid outlet channel 101a, the second liquid outlet channel 102a, the first annular groove 101b, the second annular groove 102b and the third annular groove 103b are respectively formed on the inner core 19, and the liquid inlet joint 12, the liquid outlet joint 13 and the residual liquid joint 16 are provided on the body 18. The split swab 1 is easy to assemble, and the detachable inner core 19 is convenient for daily cleaning and maintenance of the cleaning channel 11, the liquid inlet channel 103a, and the first and second liquid outlet channels 102a, thereby effectively ensuring the accuracy of detection.

[0031] See also Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 5 The waste liquid needle 2 can pass through the upper port 111 and the lower port 112 up and down. The waste liquid needle 2 is connected with an upper snap ring 21 and a lower snap ring 22. Preferably, the upper snap ring 21 and the lower snap ring 22 are configured to pass through the upper port 111 and the lower port 112, thereby ensuring the movable stroke of the waste liquid needle 2 and ensuring that it can extend into the bottom of the reaction cup to clean the liquid in the cup. Of course, the upper snap ring 21 and the lower snap ring 22 are detachably connected to the waste liquid needle 2, thereby facilitating the disassembly and installation of the movable seal 3.

[0032] See also Figures 2 to 5 The movable seal 3 can be movably mounted up and down between the upper snap ring 21 and the lower snap ring 22 of the waste liquid needle 2. The upper end ring of the movable seal 3 is provided with an upper plug 31 with an opening facing the upper snap ring 21, and the lower end ring is provided with a lower plug 32 with an opening facing the lower snap ring 22. The upper snap ring 21 is configured to move downward with the waste liquid needle 2 and abut against the inner bottom surface of the upper plug 31. A spring 33 abuts between the lower snap ring 22 and the inner top surface of the lower plug 32. The movable seal 3 can be controlled to move up and down with the waste liquid needle 2, so that when the waste liquid needle 2 moves downward, the lower plug 32 presses against the upper end of the second sealing ring 15 to close the lower port 112, and when the waste liquid needle 2 moves upward, the upper plug 31 abuts against the lower end of the first sealing ring 14 to close the upper port 111. The second sealing ring 15 is configured to be made of elastic material to prevent the movable seal 3 from rigidly colliding with the second sealing ring 15.

[0033] The working process and principle of the present invention are as follows:

[0034] The reaction cup containing a mixture of samples, reagents, and cleaning liquid (these liquids are collectively referred to as waste liquid) moves to the bottom of the cleaning device. The waste liquid needle 2 descends to the surface of the liquid in the reaction cup to extract the waste liquid in the reaction cup. The waste liquid needle 2 extracts the waste liquid while descending until the waste liquid needle 2 descends to the bottom of the cup and all the waste liquid is extracted.

[0035] After the waste liquid in the reaction cup is extracted, the waste liquid needle 2 is moved upward to the inside of the swab 1 so that at least the part just immersed in the waste liquid is placed in the cleaning channel 11. Figure 2As shown, during this process, as the lower retaining ring 22 moves upward with the waste liquid needle 2, it will drive the spring 33 and the movable seal 3 to move upward, and squeeze the spring 33 to make the movable seal 3 press against the lower end of the first sealing ring 14, thereby closing the upper port 111. At this time, the cleaning liquid is injected through the liquid inlet connector 12, and the liquid pump is driven at the same time. Since the upper port 111 has been closed, the external gas can only enter the cleaning channel 11 upward from the lower port 112, and quickly flow upward to the first liquid outlet channel 101a, and be discharged from the liquid outlet connector 13, making it easier to establish a negative pressure in the cleaning channel 11, causing the gas to overcome gravity and carry the cleaning liquid through the first liquid outlet channel 101a and the liquid outlet connector 13 to be discharged to the outside of the swab 1, greatly reducing the risk of liquid dripping.

[0036] When the waste liquid needle 2 descends to the reaction cup to extract the waste liquid, Figure 3 As shown, when the waste liquid needle 2 descends, the upper retaining ring 21 pushes the movable seal 3 downward and presses against the second sealing ring 15, thereby closing the lower port 112 and preventing the liquid that may have remained in the cleaning channel 11 from dripping into the reaction cup through the lower port 112 and causing errors in the test results. At the same time, the dam ring 10 formed between the second sealing ring 15 and the cleaning channel 11 can collect the residual liquid (undischarged cleaning liquid, waste liquid mixture) that has not been discharged from the cleaning channel 11, thereby collecting and blocking the residual liquid and preventing the residual liquid from being directly discharged from the lower port 112. In addition, while extracting the waste liquid from the reaction cup, the liquid extraction pump can also be activated to extract the residual liquid from the residual liquid connector 16 through the second liquid outlet channel 102a. The timing of the residual liquid extraction can be flexibly activated according to the amount of residual liquid and the capacity of the formed dam ring 10. Of course, the extraction of residual liquid can be carried out at any time, not necessarily when the waste liquid is extracted. Therefore, it can be flexibly adapted to various equipment, providing a foundation for the development of high-speed detection equipment.

[0037] Compared with the prior art, the cleaning device of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0038] (1) By arranging a movable seal 3 in the cleaning channel 11 that can move up and down with the waste liquid needle 2, when the swab 1 cleans the waste liquid needle 2, the upper port 111 of the cleaning channel 11 is moved upward to block it, so that the air flow can only enter the cleaning channel 11 from the lower port 112 and flow upward at high speed. This not only makes it easier to establish negative pressure, but also eliminates the need for supporting components such as a negative pressure tank and a solenoid valve, thus saving costs, and greatly reduces the probability of leakage from the lower port 112.

[0039] (2) By setting the tube portion 151 on the second sealing ring 15, a dam ring 10 is formed between the second sealing ring 15 and the cleaning channel 11. The dam ring 10 can store the residual liquid originally remaining in the cleaning channel 11. Moreover, when the waste liquid needle 2 moves downward to extract the waste liquid, the lower plug 32 of the movable seal 3 presses against the upper end of the tube portion 151, which not only blocks the lower port 112 and prevents the liquid from flowing out of the lower port 112 without affecting the test results, but also extends the height of the dam ring 10 so that it can accommodate more residual liquid.

[0040] (3) A second liquid outlet channel 102a, connected to the dam ring 10, and a residual liquid joint 16 connected to the second liquid outlet channel 102a are provided at the bottom end of the cleaning channel 11. Since the second liquid outlet channel 102a is provided at the lowest position of the cleaning channel 11, residual liquid can flow directly into the second liquid outlet channel 102a, which is equivalent to increasing the storage capacity of residual liquid. In addition, the residual liquid can be directly extracted from the residual liquid joint 16 by a liquid extraction pump, solving the problem of residual liquid remaining in the cleaning channel 11. The liquid extraction pump and the liquid outlet joint 13 can share one, thereby reducing equipment costs and facilitating maintenance.

[0041] (4) The cleaning device of the present invention can be used for high-throughput instruments. However, the common operation of existing high-throughput instruments is that after the swab 1 completes the cleaning of the waste liquid needle 2, the liquid inlet device stops supplying the cleaning liquid to the liquid inlet connector 12, and the liquid extraction pump continues to extract air, and uses the airflow to dry the residual liquid in the cleaning channel 11. However, due to the continuous increase in the throughput of the instrument, it is known that the single-cycle operation time has been compressed from the conventional 20 seconds to 4.5 seconds. The single-cycle operation time is greatly reduced, and the cleaning time is also compressed. Then the above-mentioned air-drying method will be difficult to apply to the above-mentioned high-throughput instruments. The residual liquid processing structure set by the present invention not only does not occupy the single-cycle cleaning time, but also can extract the residual liquid in the cleaning channel 11 at any time by storing, collecting and removing the residual liquid, effectively solving the problem of the time-consuming existing residual liquid processing method, and providing a basis for the research and development of high-throughput chemical analyzers.

[0042] Based on the disclosure and teachings of the above description, those skilled in the art may also make changes and modifications to the above embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and described above, and modifications and variations of the present invention should also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention. In addition, although certain specific terms are used in this description, these terms are only for convenience of description and do not constitute any limitation to the present invention.

Claims

1. A cleaning device for sample analysis, characterized in that: include: A swab (1) is provided with a cleaning channel (11), a liquid inlet joint (12) and a liquid outlet joint (13) arranged on upper and lower sides of the swab (1) and respectively connected to the cleaning channel (11); the cleaning channel (11) is provided with an upper port (111) formed at the upper end of the swab (1) and a lower port (112) formed at the lower end; a first sealing ring (14) is provided in the upper port (111), and a second sealing ring (15) is provided in the lower port (112); A waste liquid needle (2) can penetrate the upper port (111) and the lower port (112) up and down, and the waste liquid needle (2) is connected with an upper clamping ring (21) and a lower clamping ring (22); A movable seal (3) is movably mounted between an upper retaining ring (21) and a lower retaining ring (22) of the waste liquid needle (2); an upper end ring of the movable seal (3) is provided with an upper plug (31) with an opening facing the upper retaining ring (21); a lower end ring is provided with a lower plug (32) with an opening facing the lower retaining ring (22); the upper retaining ring (21) is configured to move downward with the waste liquid needle (2) and abut against the inner bottom surface of the upper plug (31); a spring (33) is abutted between the lower retaining ring (22) and the inner top surface of the lower plug (32); The movable sealing member (3) can be controlled to move up and down with the waste liquid needle (2), so that when the waste liquid needle (2) moves downward, the lower plug (32) presses against the upper end of the second sealing ring (15) to close the lower port (112), and when the waste liquid needle (2) moves upward, the upper plug (31) presses against the lower end of the first sealing ring (14) to close the upper port (111).

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that The upper end of the second sealing ring (15) is connected to a pipe portion (151) extending upward into the cleaning channel (11), and a dam ring (10) capable of accommodating liquid is formed between the pipe portion (151) and the cleaning channel (11).

3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that A second liquid outlet channel (102a) extending laterally is provided at the bottom end of the cleaning channel (11), the second liquid outlet channel (102a) being connected to the damming ring (10), and a residual liquid joint (16) being connected to the second liquid outlet channel (102a) is provided on the side of the swab (1).

4. The cleaning device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A plurality of second liquid outlet channels (102a) are circumferentially spaced around the dam ring (10); the swab (1) is provided with second annular grooves (102b) respectively connected to the outer ends of the second liquid outlet channels (102a); and the residual liquid joint (16) is in communication with the second annular grooves (102b).

5. The cleaning device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: A liquid extraction pump is also provided, and the liquid extraction pump is connected to the liquid outlet joint (13) and the residual liquid joint (16); Alternatively, a first liquid pump and a second liquid pump are further provided, wherein the first liquid pump is connected to the liquid outlet connector (13), and the second liquid pump is connected to the residual liquid connector (16).

6. The cleaning device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cleaning channel (11) is provided with a plurality of laterally extending liquid inlet channels (103a) at intervals in the circumferential direction, the swab (1) is provided with a third annular groove (103b) communicating with the outer ends of each of the liquid inlet channels (103a), and the liquid inlet connector (12) is communicated with the third annular groove (103b).

7. The cleaning device according to claim 6, characterized in that The cleaning channel (11) is provided with a plurality of transversely extending first liquid outlet channels (101a) at intervals in the circumferential direction, the swab (1) is provided with a first annular groove (101b) communicating with the outer ends of each of the first liquid outlet channels (101a), and the liquid outlet connector (13) is in communication with the first annular groove (101b).

8. The cleaning device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The swab (1) comprises an upper cover (17), a body (18) and an inner core (19); a mounting groove (181) with upper and lower openings is provided in the middle of the body (18); the inner core (19) is adapted to be inserted into the mounting groove (181) from bottom to top, and a base (182) is provided on the lower side thereof to abut against the bottom of the body (18); the upper cover (17) is provided on the upper ends of the body (18) and the inner core (19); the cleaning channel (11) is provided in the middle of the inner core (19); the upper cover (17) is provided The upper port (111) is provided, the base (182) is provided with the lower port (112), the liquid inlet channel (103a), the first liquid outlet channel (101a), the second liquid outlet channel (102a), the first annular groove (101b), the second annular groove (102b) and the third annular groove (103b) are respectively formed on the inner core (19), and the liquid inlet joint (12), the liquid outlet joint (13) and the residual liquid joint (16) are provided on the body (18).

9. The cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper snap ring (21) and the lower snap ring (22) are configured to be able to pass through the upper port (111) and the lower port (112).

10. The cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that The second sealing ring (15) is made of elastic material.

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