A plate washing machine

Abstract

The present invention discloses a plate washer for magnetic bead purification, comprising a main body, a tray, and an oscillating motor; the main body is provided with a connecting block that can move along a first direction, and the connecting block is fixed with a threaded sleeve; the tray can be movably arranged on the main body along the first direction, and the tray is used to support a microplate; the oscillating motor is fixed to the main body, and a screw is fixed to the output shaft of the oscillating motor; the screw is threadedly engaged with the threaded sleeve; the output shaft, screw, and threaded sleeve of the oscillating motor are coaxially arranged, and the axes of the three are parallel to the first direction. When the above-mentioned plate washer is used, the output shaft of the oscillating motor drives the screw to rotate, the screw drives the threaded sleeve to move along the axial direction of the screw, and the threaded sleeve drives the connecting block to move along the first direction, so that the connecting block drives the tray to move along the first direction to achieve oscillation, thereby oscillating and cleaning the microplate on the tray, which is suitable for magnetic bead purification.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of biochemical analysis and detection equipment, and more particularly to a plate washer. Background Art

[0002] A microplate washer is a medical device designed specifically for cleaning ELISA plates. It's typically used in conjunction with a microplate reader. It's primarily used to clean residual material from the plate after testing, thereby reducing errors caused by residual material during subsequent testing. Microplate washers are widely used for cleaning ELISA plates in hospitals, blood banks, health and epidemic prevention stations, reagent factories, and research laboratories.

[0003] Existing microplate washers consist of a main body, a tray fixed to the main body, and a liquid injection block mounted on the main body. The tray supports the microplate, while the liquid injection block injects cleaning fluid into the microplate. However, since the tray is fixed to the main body, it cannot vibrate and wash the microplate, making it unsuitable for magnetic bead purification applications.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a plate washer that can perform oscillation cleaning on a microplate so as to be suitable for magnetic bead purification is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a plate washer equipped with an oscillating motor, which can drive the tray to move in a first direction to achieve oscillation through a connecting block, thereby oscillating and cleaning the microplate on the tray, which is suitable for magnetic bead purification.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A plate washer for magnetic bead purification, comprising:

[0008] A body, the body being provided with a connecting block movable along a first direction, the connecting block being fixed with a threaded sleeve;

[0009] a tray, the tray being movably disposed on the body along the first direction and being used to support the microplate;

[0010] An oscillation motor is fixed to the body, and a screw is fixed to the output shaft of the oscillation motor; the screw is threadedly matched with the threaded sleeve; the output shaft of the oscillation motor, the screw and the threaded sleeve are coaxially arranged, and the axes of the three are parallel to the first direction.

[0011] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, the main body is provided with a movable liquid injection block.

[0012] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, the liquid injection block is mounted on the body via a guide rail structure, and the guide rail structure comprises:

[0013] a first guide rail, the first guide rail being mounted on the body along a second direction;

[0014] a first connecting member slidably mounted on the first guide rail;

[0015] a first drive motor, the first drive motor being mounted on the body; the first drive motor being used to drive the first connecting member to reciprocate along the first guide rail via a conveyor belt;

[0016] a second guide rail, the second guide rail being arranged on the first connecting member along a third direction; the third direction and the second direction forming a preset angle; the second guide rail being provided with a slidable support arm, the injection block being fixed to the support arm;

[0017] A second driving motor is installed on the first connecting member and is used to drive the supporting arm to slide along the second guide rail.

[0018] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, the injection block is provided with an injection groove and a drainage groove that are not connected to each other; the injection block is provided with an injection needle connected to the injection groove, which is used to inject liquid into the micropores of the microporous plate; the injection block is also provided with a drainage needle connected to the drainage groove, which is used to absorb the liquid in the microporous plate.

[0019] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, the drainage port of the drainage trough is connected to a drainage pipeline system, and the drainage pipeline system includes:

[0020] A vacuum waste liquid bottle, wherein the inlet of the vacuum waste liquid bottle is connected to the discharge port via a discharge pipe;

[0021] A vacuum pump, wherein the air inlet of the vacuum pump is connected to the outlet of the vacuum waste liquid bottle.

[0022] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, there are multiple drainage ports; the drainage pipe includes a main pipe and a branch pipe connected to the main pipe; the branch pipes are the same in number as the drainage ports, and each branch pipe is connected to a different drainage port; the main pipe is connected to the inlet of the vacuum waste bottle.

[0023] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, the liquid inlet of the liquid injection tank is connected to a liquid inlet pipeline system, and the liquid inlet pipeline system includes:

[0024] Liquid storage bottles, wherein there are multiple liquid storage bottles;

[0025] A plunger pump is connected to the liquid storage bottle through a first valve and to the liquid inlet of the injection tank through a second valve; the pipelines between the plunger pump and the first valve and the second valve are respectively provided with one-way valves, and the conduction direction of the one-way valve is to supply to the injection tank.

[0026] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, there are two infusion bottles, namely a cleaning liquid bottle and a distilled water bottle; the first valve is a three-position two-way solenoid valve; and the second valve is a two-position two-way solenoid valve.

[0027] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, a magnetic plate is fixed to the bottom of the tray, and the magnetic plate is equipped with a plurality of magnetic columns for adsorbing the magnetic beads in the microplate to the bottom of the microplate.

[0028] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, a spring sheet is installed on the side wall of the tray, and the spring sheet can be squeezed and deformed by the microporous plate to clamp the microporous plate in the tray.

[0029] The present invention provides a plate washer for magnetic bead purification, comprising a main body, a tray and an oscillating motor; the main body is provided with a connecting block that can move along a first direction, and the connecting block is fixed with a threaded sleeve; the tray is movably arranged on the main body along the first direction, and the tray is used to support a microplate; the oscillating motor is fixed to the main body, and a screw is fixed to the output shaft of the oscillating motor; the screw is threadably matched with the threaded sleeve; the output shaft of the oscillating motor, the screw and the threaded sleeve are coaxially arranged, and the axes of the three are parallel to the first direction.

[0030] When using the above-mentioned plate washer, the output shaft of the oscillation motor drives the screw to rotate, the screw drives the threaded sleeve to move along the axial direction of the screw, and the threaded sleeve drives the connecting block to move along the first direction, so that the connecting block drives the tray to move along the first direction to achieve oscillation, thereby oscillating and cleaning the microplate on the tray, which is suitable for magnetic bead purification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a plate washer provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Another angle diagram of the plate washer shown;

[0034] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the plate washer from another angle;

[0035] Figure 4 An exploded view of a liquid injection block provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 A side view of a liquid injection block provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 A liquid circuit diagram of a liquid injection block provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a plate washer provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] in, Figure 1-Figure 7 middle:

[0040] Oscillating motor 101; injection block 102; injection block cover 1021; injection block body 1022; injection pipeline 1023; sealing gasket 1024; injection tank 1025; drainage tank 1026; drainage pipe 1027; injection needle 1028; drainage needle 1029; first drive motor 103; conveyor belt 104; drive block 105; connecting block 106; oscillating guide rail 107; magnetic plate 108; magnetic column 109; spring piece 110; three-position two-way solenoid valve 111; two-position two-way solenoid valve 112; vacuum pump 113; first guide rail 114; support arm 115; second guide rail 116; second drive motor 117; plunger pump 118; microplate 119; cleaning tank 120; plate body 121; mounting plate 122; one-way valve 123; cleaning liquid bottle 124; distilled water bottle 125; vacuum waste liquid bottle 126. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] An embodiment of the present invention discloses a plate washer, which is provided with an oscillating motor, which can drive a tray to move in a first direction to achieve oscillation through a connecting block, thereby oscillating and cleaning the microplate on the tray, which is suitable for magnetic bead purification and facilitates magnetic bead recovery.

[0042] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0043] See also Figure 1-7An embodiment of the present invention provides a plate washer for magnetic bead purification, comprising a main body, a tray and an oscillating motor 101; the main body is provided with a connecting block 106 that can move along a first direction, and the connecting block 106 is fixed with a threaded sleeve; the tray can be movably arranged on the main body along the first direction, and the tray is used to support a microplate 119; the oscillating motor 101 is fixed to the main body, and a screw is fixed at the output shaft of the oscillating motor 101; the screw is threadedly matched with the threaded sleeve; the output shaft, screw and threaded sleeve of the oscillating motor 101 are coaxially arranged, and the axes of the three are parallel to the first direction.

[0044] When using the above-described plate washer, the output shaft of the oscillating motor 101 drives the screw to rotate, which in turn drives the threaded sleeve to move axially along the screw. The threaded sleeve then drives the connecting block 106 to move in a first direction. This causes the connecting block 106 to drive the tray to move in the first direction, thereby oscillating and cleaning the microplate 119 on the tray, suitable for magnetic bead purification. Specifically, the magnetic beads are immersed in the cleaning solution, and the oscillation of the microplate 119 can wash away unwanted substances on the surface of the magnetic beads, facilitating subsequent recovery of the magnetic beads for reuse.

[0045] The main body is equipped with an oscillating guide rail 107, and the connecting block 106 is slidably arranged on the oscillating guide rail 107. The oscillating guide rail 107 is arranged along a first direction on the main body.

[0046] In the above-mentioned plate washer, the main body is provided with a movable liquid injection block 102. The liquid injection block 102 is mounted on the main body via a guide rail structure, which includes:

[0047] A first guide rail 114, the first guide rail 114 is installed on the body along the second direction;

[0048] A first connecting member, the first connecting member being slidably mounted on the first guide rail 114;

[0049] A first drive motor 103 is mounted on the main body; the first drive motor 103 is used to drive the first connecting member to reciprocate along the first guide rail 114 through the conveyor belt 104;

[0050] A second guide rail 116 is arranged on the first connecting member along the third direction; the third direction and the second direction have a preset angle; the second guide rail 116 is provided with a slidable support arm 115, and the injection block 102 is fixed to the support arm 115;

[0051] The second driving motor 117 is fixedly connected to the first connecting member and is used to drive the support arm 115 to slide along the second guide rail 116 .

[0052] The second direction is parallel to the first direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the second direction. When the plate washer is in normal use, the first direction and the second direction are horizontal, and the third direction is vertical.

[0053] The conveyor belt 104 can be configured as a synchronous belt. The first connecting member includes a plate portion 121 mounted on the first guide rail 114 and a drive block 105 connected to the conveyor belt 104. The drive block 105 is fixedly connected to the plate portion 121. The second guide rail 116 is mounted on the plate portion 121, and the second drive motor 117 is fixed to the plate portion 121. Specifically, the support arm 115 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 122. The mounting plate 122 has a threaded sleeve for threaded engagement with the screw at the output of the second drive motor 117.

[0054] In the above-mentioned plate washer, the injection block 102 is provided with an injection groove 1025 and a drainage groove 1026 that are not connected to each other; the injection block 102 is provided with an injection needle 1028 connected to the injection groove 1025, and the injection needle 1028 is used to inject liquid into the micropores of the microporous plate 119; the injection block 102 is also provided with a drainage needle 1029 connected to the drainage groove 1026, and the drainage needle 1029 is used to absorb the liquid in the microporous plate 119.

[0055] The drain port of drain trough 1026 is connected to a drainage piping system comprising a vacuum waste bottle 126 and a vacuum pump 113. The inlet of vacuum waste bottle 126 is connected to the drain port of drain trough 1026 via a drain pipe 1027. The air inlet of vacuum pump 113 is connected to the outlet of vacuum waste bottle 126. The exhaust port of vacuum pump 113 is connected to the atmosphere. During operation, vacuum pump 113 extracts air from vacuum waste bottle 126, creating negative pressure. This generates suction at the drain needle 1029 of drain trough 1026, thereby aspirating the reaction liquid from microplate 119 and completing the drainage process.

[0056] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, there are multiple drainage ports; the drainage pipe includes a main pipe and a branch pipe connected to the main pipe; the number of branch pipes is the same as the drainage ports, and each branch pipe is connected to a different drainage port; the main pipe is connected to the inlet of the vacuum waste bottle 126.

[0057] The drainage ports are configured to provide a plurality of pressures uniformly distributed across the pinholes within the drainage trough 1026. Specifically, two drainage ports may be configured, with the corresponding two branch pipes connected to the main pipe via a Y-shaped connector. Of course, the number of drainage ports may also be configured as one, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0058] The liquid inlet of the liquid injection tank 1025 is connected to a liquid inlet pipeline system, which includes:

[0059] Liquid storage bottle, there are multiple liquid storage bottles;

[0060] The plunger pump 118 is connected to the liquid storage bottle through a first valve, and is connected to the liquid inlet of the injection tank 1025 through a second valve; the pipeline between the plunger pump 118 and the first valve and the pipeline between the plunger pump 118 and the second valve are respectively provided with a one-way valve 123, and the conduction direction of the one-way valve 123 is to supply to the injection tank 1025.

[0061] Specifically, there are two infusion bottles, namely a cleaning solution bottle 124 and a distilled water bottle 125 ; the first valve is a three-position two-way solenoid valve 111 ; and the second valve is a two-position two-way solenoid valve 112 .

[0062] In this embodiment, the liquid inlet pipeline system can inject two liquids into the microplate 119, namely cleaning liquid and distilled water. The cleaning liquid is used to clean the magnetic bead reaction solution in the microplate 119, and the distilled water is used to clean the entire liquid inlet pipeline system to prevent the solution from crystallizing and clogging the pipeline and the pinholes of the injection block 102; the power for injection is the plunger pump 118, and the plunger pump 118 performs the functions of sucking and discharging liquid through the up and down movement of the piston; the three-position two-way solenoid valve 111 controls what kind of liquid (cleaning liquid or distilled water) the plunger pump 118 sucks. Specifically, when the three-position two-way solenoid valve 111 is open, the plunger pump 118 sucks distilled water, and when the three-position two-way solenoid valve 111 is closed, the plunger pump 118 sucks cleaning liquid. In the liquid inlet piping system, a one-way valve 123 located between the plunger pump 118 and the two-way, three-position solenoid valve 111 ensures that the liquid discharged from the plunger pump 118 does not flow back into the cleaning fluid bottle 124 or the distilled water bottle 125. The one-way valve 123 located between the plunger pump 118 and the two-way, two-position solenoid valve 112 ensures that when the plunger pump 118 draws liquid, it does not aspirate liquid in the piping between the plunger pump 118 and the two-position, two-way solenoid valve 112. When the plunger pump 118 discharges liquid, the liquid passes through the piping, passes through the two-position, two-way solenoid valve 112, enters the injection tank 1025 of the injection block 102, and is then injected into the microplate 119 through the injection needle 1028.

[0063] The micropores in the micropore plate 119 are arranged in 8*12 patterns, and the number of injection needles 1028 and discharge needles 1029 is set to 8 respectively, so that the 8 wells of the micropore plate 119 can be injected or discharged simultaneously at one time.

[0064] The injection block 102 includes an injection block body 1022 and an injection block cover 1021; an injection groove 1025 and a drainage groove 1026 are provided on the surface of the injection block body 1022 on one side facing the injection block cover 1021; the injection needles 1028 and the drainage needles 1029 are arranged in rows and are respectively installed on the side of the injection block body 1022 away from the injection block cover 1021; the injection block cover 1021 is fixed to the injection block body 1022 by screws, and a sealing gasket 1024 is sandwiched between the injection block cover 1021 and the injection block body 1022.

[0065] Specifically, the injection block cover 1021 is located on the upper side of the injection block body 1022, and the injection needle 1028 and the drainage needle 1029 are located on the lower side of the injection block body 1022. The free end of the drainage needle 1029 (i.e., the lower end of the drainage needle 1029) is preferably set slightly lower than the free end of the injection needle 1028 (i.e., the lower end of the injection needle 1028) to prevent the drainage needle 1029 from contaminating the injection needle 1028 during drainage.

[0066] In the above-mentioned plate washer, a magnetic plate 108 is fixed to the bottom of the tray, and a plurality of magnetic pillars 109 are installed on the magnetic plate 108 to adsorb the magnetic beads in the microplate 119 to the bottom of the microplate 119. The number of magnetic pillars 109 is preferably set to the same as the number of wells in the microplate 119.

[0067] During operation, the microplate 119 is placed on the tray, and the magnetic plate 108 is sandwiched between the microplate 119 and the bottom of the tray, which can adsorb the magnetic beads to the bottom of the microplate 119. When the discharge needle 1029 is used to absorb the upper reaction solution of the microplate 119, the loss rate of the magnetic beads during the purification process can be greatly reduced.

[0068] Preferably, in the above-mentioned plate washer, a spring piece 110 is installed on the side wall of the tray. The spring piece 110 can be squeezed and deformed by the microporous plate 119 and clamp the microporous plate 119 in the tray. It can also prevent noise from being generated due to the gap between the microporous plate 119 and the tray during oscillation.

[0069] When using the plate washer provided in this embodiment, the microplate 119 is first placed on the tray using a robotic arm or by manual loading, the spring 110 squeezes the microplate 119, and then the oscillation motor 101 drives the microplate 119 to oscillate in the first direction. After the oscillation is completed, all the magnetic beads in the reaction solution are adsorbed on the bottom of the microplate 119. Then the first drive motor 103 drives the injection block 102 to move in the second direction; the micropores in the microplate 119 are arranged in a 12*8 pattern, and the injection block 102 first moves in the second direction until the injection needle 1028 and the drainage needle 1029 are aligned with the 8 micropores in the first column, and then the second drive motor 117 drives the injection block 102 downward. At this time, the vacuum pump 113 is turned on, and the injection needle 1028 descends while sucking liquid. The reaction liquid is sucked by the drainage needle 1029 through the suction force generated by the vacuum pump 113. The second drive motor 117 then drives the injection block 102 to rise to the height before it descends, the three-position two-way solenoid valve 111 is closed, and the plunger pump 118 starts to absorb liquid, and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid bottle 124 is sucked into the plunger pump 118. After completion, the plunger pump 118 starts to inject liquid, and the cleaning liquid in the plunger pump 118 is injected into the microplate 119 through the pipeline, the injection tank 1025, and the injection needle 1028, completing the injection action of one column. The remaining 11 columns of micropores repeat the above operation to complete the injection action of the cleaning liquid, and then perform an oscillation action, and then perform suction and discharge. Repeat this several times to complete the purification of the magnetic beads. During the drainage process of the injection block 102, the two-position two-way solenoid valve 112 is closed. Each time the injection is completed, the two-position two-way solenoid valve 112 is opened to close the passage to prevent liquid from dripping and contaminating the sample. After the plate washer is used for the day, the three-position two-way solenoid valve 111 is opened to switch the cleaning liquid and distilled water. The injection block 102 is moved to the cleaning tank 120 of the main body. The second drive motor 117 drives the injection block 102 to descend to the appropriate position. Then, distilled water is used to drain and absorb the liquid, clean the pinholes in the pipeline and the injection block 102, and end the day's operation.

[0070] The plate washer provided in this embodiment can complete the purification operation of magnetic beads, and its structure is compact, and it can be modularly integrated into automated equipment, and can also be used as a single module, which is flexible and changeable.

[0071] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0072] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A plate washer for magnetic bead purification, characterized in that: include: A body, the body being provided with a connecting block movable along a first direction, the connecting block being fixed with a threaded sleeve; a tray, the tray being movably disposed on the body along the first direction and being used to support the microplate; an oscillating motor, the oscillating motor being fixed to the body, and a screw being fixed to the output shaft of the oscillating motor; the screw being threadably engaged with the threaded sleeve; the output shaft of the oscillating motor, the screw, and the threaded sleeve being coaxially arranged, and their axes being parallel to the first direction; The main body is provided with a movable liquid injection block; The injection block is provided with an injection groove and a drainage groove which are not connected to each other; the injection block is provided with an injection needle connected to the injection groove for injecting liquid into the micropores of the microporous plate; the injection block is also provided with a drainage needle connected to the drainage groove for absorbing the liquid in the microporous plate; A magnetic plate is fixed at the bottom of the tray, and a plurality of magnetic columns are installed on the magnetic plate to adsorb the magnetic beads in the microplate to the bottom of the microplate; The side wall of the tray is provided with an elastic sheet, which can be squeezed and deformed by the microporous plate and clamp the microporous plate in the tray.

2. The plate washer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The injection block is mounted on the body via a guide rail structure, and the guide rail structure includes: a first guide rail, the first guide rail being mounted on the body along a second direction; a first connecting member slidably mounted on the first guide rail; a first drive motor, the first drive motor being mounted on the body; the first drive motor being used to drive the first connecting member to reciprocate along the first guide rail via a conveyor belt; a second guide rail, the second guide rail being arranged on the first connecting member along a third direction; the third direction and the second direction forming a preset angle; the second guide rail being provided with a slidable support arm, the injection block being fixed to the support arm; A second driving motor is installed on the first connecting member and is used to drive the supporting arm to slide along the second guide rail.

3. The plate washer according to claim 1, characterized in that The drainage port of the drainage trough is connected to a drainage pipeline system, and the drainage pipeline system includes: A vacuum waste liquid bottle, wherein the inlet of the vacuum waste liquid bottle is connected to the discharge port via a discharge pipe; A vacuum pump, wherein the air inlet of the vacuum pump is connected to the outlet of the vacuum waste liquid bottle.

4. The plate washer according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are multiple drainage ports; the drainage pipe includes a main pipe and a branch pipe connected to the main pipe; the branch pipes are the same in number as the drainage ports, and each branch pipe is connected to a different drainage port; the main pipe is connected to the inlet of the vacuum waste bottle.

5. The plate washer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid inlet of the liquid injection tank is connected to a liquid inlet pipeline system, and the liquid inlet pipeline system includes: Liquid storage bottles, wherein there are multiple liquid storage bottles; A plunger pump is connected to the liquid storage bottle through a first valve, and is connected to the liquid inlet of the injection tank through a second valve; the pipelines between the plunger pump and the first valve and the second valve are respectively provided with one-way valves, and the conduction direction of the one-way valve is to supply to the injection tank.

6. The plate washer according to claim 5, characterized in that: There are two liquid storage bottles, namely a cleaning liquid bottle and a distilled water bottle; the first valve is a three-position two-way solenoid valve; and the second valve is a two-position two-way solenoid valve.

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