A positioning mechanism for an enzyme marker

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ELISA instruments, and specifically discloses an ELISA positioning mechanism, comprising: an ELISA instrument body and a tray, wherein a detection cavity is provided in the ELISA instrument body, and the opening of the detection cavity is located on a side wall of the ELISA instrument body, and the tray is slidably assembled in the detection cavity; four positioning components for positioning a microplate and a pushing component for pushing the positioning component to move are arranged on the tray; the positioning component comprises a positioning plate and a telescopic sleeve, and the telescopic sleeve is horizontally arranged and can move on the tray, approaching or moving away from the center of the tray; the ELISA positioning mechanism of the invention can automatically position the microplate when the tray enters the detection cavity, and automatically release the positioning of the microplate when the tray is sent out of the detection cavity, without the need for a staff member to position the microplate separately, and during the positioning of the microplate, the top edge of the microplate can be positioned by the positioning plate, and the microplate can be positioned from the side and from the top at the same time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of microplate reader, and in particular to a positioning mechanism of a microplate reader. Background Art

[0002] An ELISA reader is a device used to detect and measure biomolecules in liquid samples, and is commonly used in experiments such as immunoassays and ELISAs. Its main function is to analyze the concentration or activity of a target substance in a sample by optical measurement.

[0003] A positioning structure for an ELISA instrument is disclosed in a patent application document with publication number CN117451649A. Through the cooperation between the center hole and the center positioning column, the center point of the support tray and the microplate can be matched, so that the center hole can initially limit the microplate. Then, the support tray is guided by the clamp limit seat, the clamp guide seat, and the detection port, so that the support tray can move smoothly. Then, through the cooperation between the buffer shock-absorbing pad and the limit plate, the support tray will not be shaken due to excessive impact when it is extended into the main body of the ELISA instrument, so that the microplate can smoothly drive the enzyme to extend into the main body of the ELISA instrument when it moves; by pulling the handle, the position difference generated by the pressure connecting rod during deflection can pull the pressure rod. By setting the pressure plate as a mouth-shaped structure, the contact area between the pressure plate and the microplate can be increased. The distance between the two pressure plates can be adjusted by rotating the handle, so that the pressure plate can limit microplates of different specifications, thereby increasing the adaptability of the equipment.

[0004] However, this solution still has the following problems: staff are required to assist in positioning different microplates, which is not convenient enough, and the microplate cannot be automatically positioned as it enters the equipment. Moreover, the microplate is only positioned on all sides. With the continuous vibration during the test, the microplate is prone to slide up and down, affecting the test effect. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a positioning mechanism for an ELISA instrument, aiming to solve the problem in the related art that the positioning cannot be completed automatically as the microplate enters the device, and the microplate is positioned only by the four sides, and the microplate is prone to slide up and down with the continuous vibration during the detection.

[0006] The microplate reader positioning mechanism of the present invention comprises a microplate reader body and a tray. A detection cavity is provided in the microplate reader body, and the opening of the detection cavity is located on the side wall of the microplate reader body. The tray is slidably assembled in the detection cavity.

[0007] The tray is provided with four positioning components for positioning the microplate and a pushing component for pushing the positioning components to move;

[0008] The positioning assembly includes a positioning plate and a telescopic sleeve. The telescopic sleeve is horizontally arranged and can move on the tray, and one end of the telescopic sleeve close to the center of the tray is rotatably assembled at a position slightly above the side wall of the positioning plate. A triangular groove is provided on the side of the positioning plate away from the telescopic sleeve so that the positioning plate can be stuck on the outside of the edge of the top of the microplate.

[0009] The push assembly includes a lead screw and a push plate. The lead screw is rotatably connected in the tray. The push plate is slidably assembled in the tray and threadedly connected to the outside of the lead screw, and can drive the telescopic sleeve to move.

[0010] A transmission mechanism is arranged between the tray and the main body of the microplate reader, which can drive the lead screw to rotate when the tray moves, so as to push the push plate to move.

[0011] The effect is that when the tray moves into the detection chamber, the transmission mechanism can automatically drive the lead screw to rotate and move the push plate, so that the four positioning plates can center the microplate from four directions, eliminating the need for staff to operate the positioning microplate alone, thereby improving the ease of operation of the microplate reader. The triangular groove allows the positioning plate to be stuck on the top edge of the microplate, while positioning the microplate from the side and top, effectively preventing the microplate from sliding up and down due to vibration during detection, thereby improving the positioning effect of the microplate.

[0012] Preferably, the tray includes a base plate and a frame, the frame is fixedly mounted on the base plate, a support fixed to the body of the ELISA instrument is provided at the bottom of the detection cavity, a slide groove is provided inside the support along its length direction, a slide plate is fixedly mounted at the bottom of the base plate, and the slide plate is slidably assembled inside the slide groove, the effect of which is that the slide plate slides in the slide groove, which can facilitate the movement of the tray in the detection cavity.

[0013] Preferably, a transmission cavity and a push cavity are provided inside the base plate, the transmission cavity is located in the middle of the base plate, the lead screw and the push plate are both located in the transmission cavity, and one end of the lead screw extends into the transmission cavity.

[0014] Preferably, a through slot communicating with the push chamber is formed on the top of the base plate, and the positioning assembly also includes a mounting plate, the bottom end of the mounting plate passes through the through slot and is fixed on the push plate, and the telescopic sleeve is arranged on the mounting plate, the effect of which is that the mounting plate connects the push plate and the telescopic sleeve so as to drive the telescopic sleeve to move when the push plate moves.

[0015] Preferably, the telescopic sleeve includes a mounting cylinder, a sliding cylinder and a first spring. The mounting cylinder is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the mounting plate, the sliding cylinder is slidably assembled inside the mounting cylinder, and the first spring is arranged between the mounting cylinder and the sliding cylinder. The effect of this is that the first spring is compressed and released in the sliding cylinder and the mounting cylinder to realize the telescopic movement of the sliding cylinder in the mounting cylinder.

[0016] Preferably, a mounting seat is fixedly installed at the upper part of the side wall of the positioning plate, and the end of the slide cylinder away from the mounting cylinder is rotatably assembled inside the mounting seat, and a second torsion spring is arranged between the slide cylinder and the mounting seat. The effect of this is that the second torsion spring applies a torsional force to the mounting seat, so that the positioning plate can automatically rotate and reset after releasing the positioning of the microporous plate.

[0017] Preferably, the transmission mechanism includes an active bevel gear, a driven bevel gear, a transmission gear, a rack and a second spring. The active bevel gear is rotatably assembled in the transmission cavity, the driven bevel gear is fixedly installed with the end of the lead screw and meshes with the active bevel gear, the transmission gear is fixedly installed at the bottom of the active bevel gear and is located below the base plate, the rack is arranged inside the detection cavity and meshes with the transmission gear, the second spring is arranged between the rack and the support, and the second spring is in a compressed state, the effect of which is that the second spring applies a thrust to the rack to make it close to the transmission gear, so as to facilitate the transmission gear to rotate during the movement of the tray, and when the rotating gear is restricted and cannot rotate, it can push the rack backward to compress the second spring, so that the rack is separated from the transmission gear, which will not affect the continuous movement of the tray and the transmission gear.

[0018] Preferably, a transverse groove perpendicular to the support is provided at the bottom of the detection cavity, a limit block is fixedly installed at the bottom of the rack, and the limit block is slidably assembled in the transverse groove.

[0019] Preferably, an inverted conical bucket is fixedly mounted on the top of the inner side of the frame, and the positioning assembly is located directly below the conical bucket.

[0020] Preferably, a cover plate located at the detection chamber opening is provided on the main body of the ELISA instrument, the cover plate is rotatably assembled on the main body of the ELISA instrument, and a first torsion spring is provided between the cover plate and the main body of the ELISA instrument, the effect of which is that the first torsion spring applies a torsional force to the cover plate, so that the cover plate remains vertically closed to the detection chamber opening when not subjected to thrust.

[0021] Beneficial effects:

[0022] When the present invention is in use, the microplate can be automatically positioned when the tray enters the detection chamber, and the positioning of the microplate can be automatically released when the tray is sent out of the detection chamber, without the need for staff to operate the positioning of the microplate alone. In the positioning of the microplate, the top edge of the microplate can be positioned by the positioning plate, and the microplate can be positioned from the side and the top at the same time, effectively preventing the microplate from sliding up and down between the positioning plates due to vibration during detection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the tray of the present invention in the pushed-out state.

[0025] Figure 3It is a front view inside the detection cavity of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 The present invention Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the enlarged structure at point A in the middle.

[0027] Figure 5 It is a top view of the detection cavity of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a tray of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 7 It is a stereogram of the positioning assembly of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional view of a telescopic sleeve of the present invention.

[0031] Fig. 9 It is a top sectional view of the base plate of the present invention.

[0032] Fig.10 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the rack of the present invention.

[0033] Reference numerals:

[0034] 10. ELISA instrument body; 11. Detection cavity; 12. Cover plate; 13. Support; 14. Slide groove; 15. Horizontal groove; 20. Tray; 21. Bottom plate; 211. Transmission cavity; 212. Push cavity; 213. Through groove; 214. Slide plate; 22. Frame; 221. Conical bucket; 30. Positioning assembly; 31. Positioning plate; 311. Triangular groove; 312. Mounting seat; 32. Telescopic sleeve; 321. Mounting cylinder; 322. Slide cylinder; 323. First spring; 33. Mounting plate; 40. Push assembly; 41. Lead screw; 42. Push plate; 50. Transmission mechanism; 51. Active bevel gear; 52. Driven bevel gear; 53. Transmission gear; 54. Rack; 541. Limit block; 55. Second spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to be used to explain the present invention, but should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0036] like Figures 1 to 10As shown, the microplate reader positioning mechanism of the present invention includes a microplate reader body 10, a tray 20 is arranged inside the microplate reader body 10, and can slide relative to the microplate reader body 10 to support the microplate, four positioning components 30 are arranged on the tray 20, respectively located in four directions of the tray 20, and can clamp and fix the microplate from four directions of front, back, left and right, a pushing component 40 is arranged in the tray 20, and can push the positioning component 30 to move and position the microplate, and a transmission mechanism 50 is arranged in the tray 20, and is used to drive the pushing component 40 to operate when the tray 20 moves, so that the positioning component 30 clamps the microplate or releases the clamping of the microplate.

[0037] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 A detection cavity 11 is provided inside the ELISA instrument body 10, and the opening of the detection cavity 11 is located on the side wall of the ELISA instrument body 10. A cover plate 12 located at the opening of the detection cavity 11 is provided on the ELISA instrument body 10. The cover plate 12 is rotatably assembled on the ELISA instrument body 10, and a first torsion spring is provided between the cover plate 12 and the ELISA instrument body 10, which can keep the cover plate 12 in a vertical state when not subjected to external force, thereby closing the opening of the detection cavity 11.

[0038] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 A support 13 fixed on the ELISA instrument body 10 is provided at the bottom of the detection chamber 11, and a slide groove 14 is provided inside the support 13 along its length direction to support the tray 20 and facilitate the sliding of the tray 20 in the detection chamber 11. A transverse groove 15 perpendicular to the support 13 is provided at the bottom of the detection chamber 11. An electric push rod is provided in the detection chamber 11 to drive the tray 20 to move, push the tray 20 out of the detection chamber 11, or pull the tray 20 from the outside of the ELISA instrument body 10 into the detection chamber 11.

[0039] refer to Figure 6-Figure 9 The tray 20 includes a bottom plate 21 and a frame 22 , and the frame 22 is fixedly mounted on the bottom plate 21 .

[0040] A transmission chamber 211 and a pushing chamber 212 are provided inside the bottom plate 21. The transmission chamber 211 is located in the middle of the bottom plate 21. The transmission mechanism 50 is arranged in the transmission chamber 211. The transmission chamber 211 is located outside the pushing chamber 212. The pushing assembly 40 is arranged in the pushing chamber 212. A through groove 213 connected to the pushing chamber 212 is provided on the top of the bottom plate 21.

[0041] A slide plate 214 is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the base plate 21 , and the slide plate 214 is slidably assembled inside the slide groove 14 , so that the base plate 21 can slide on the support 13 .

[0042] An inverted conical bucket 221 is fixedly installed on the top of the inner side of the frame 22, and the positioning component 30 is located directly below the conical bucket 221. The conical bucket 221 can shield the positioning component 30 from above to ensure that the microplate can be accurately placed between multiple positioning components 30.

[0043] refer to Figure 7 The positioning assembly 30 includes a positioning plate 31, a telescopic sleeve 32 and a mounting plate 33. The positioning plate 31 is arranged at the end of the telescopic sleeve 32 and can rotate up and down relative to the telescopic sleeve 32. A triangular groove 311 is opened on the side wall of the positioning plate 31 along its length direction. The mounting plate 33 is slidably assembled inside the through groove 213. The telescopic sleeve 32 is arranged on the mounting plate 33. The mounting plate 33 slides in the through groove 213, so that the telescopic sleeve 32 pushes the positioning plate 31 to approach or move away from the microporous plate, and when the positioning plate 31 is close to the microporous plate, as the telescopic sleeve 32 is compressed, the mounting plate 33 can be pushed to rotate at the end of the telescopic sleeve 32, so that the triangular groove 311 is stuck on the outside of the edge of the microporous plate, and then the side and top of the microporous plate are positioned at the same time.

[0044] refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 The telescopic sleeve 32 includes a mounting cylinder 321, a slide cylinder 322 and a first spring 323. The mounting cylinder 321 is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the mounting plate 33, and the slide cylinder 322 is slidably assembled inside the mounting cylinder 321. The first spring 323 is arranged between the mounting cylinder 321 and the slide cylinder 322. The first spring 323 is compressed or released in the mounting cylinder 321 and the slide cylinder 322 so that the slide cylinder 322 can be telescoped inside the mounting cylinder 321. A mounting seat 312 is fixedly mounted on the upper part of the side wall of the positioning plate 31. The end of the slide cylinder 322 away from the mounting cylinder 321 is rotatably assembled inside the mounting seat 312, and a second torsion spring is arranged between the slide cylinder 322 and the mounting seat 312, so that the positioning plate 31 can be kept in a vertical state when it is not subjected to the extrusion force of the first spring 323, so as to better position the microplate.

[0045] refer to Fig. 9 The pushing assembly 40 includes a lead screw 41 and a push plate 42. The lead screw 41 is rotatably installed inside the pushing chamber 212, and one end of the lead screw 41 extends into the transmission chamber 211. The push plate 42 is slidably assembled in the pushing chamber 212, and the push plate 42 is threadedly connected to the outside of the lead screw 41. The bottom end of the mounting plate 33 passes through the through groove 213 and is fixed on the push plate 42. By rotating the lead screw 41, the push plate 42 is pushed to move in the pushing chamber 212, which can drive the mounting plate 33 to slide along the through groove 213.

[0046] refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Fig. 9 and Fig.10The transmission mechanism 50 includes an active bevel gear 51, a driven bevel gear 52, a transmission gear 53, a rack 54 and a second spring 55. The active bevel gear 51 is rotatably assembled in the transmission chamber 211. The driven bevel gear 52 is fixedly installed at the end of the lead screw 41 and meshes with the active bevel gear 51. The transmission gear 53 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the active bevel gear 51 and is located below the bottom plate 21. The rack 54 is arranged inside the detection chamber 11 and meshes with the transmission gear 53. The second spring 55 is arranged between the rack 54 and the support 13, and the second spring 55 is in a compressed state to ensure that a thrust is always applied to the rack 54 so that the rack 54 remains meshed with the transmission gear 53.

[0047] When the tray 20 moves along the support 13, the rack 54 will push the transmission gear 53 to rotate, and the transmission gear 53 will drive the active bevel gear 51 to rotate, and then push the driven bevel gear 52 to rotate to rotate the lead screw 41 to push the push plate 42 to move, so that the microplate is automatically positioned when the tray 20 moves into the detection chamber 11, and the microplate is automatically released when the tray 20 moves out of the detection chamber 11. The rack 54 is supported by the second spring 55, so that the rack 54 can move backward by squeezing the second spring 55 and separate from the transmission gear 53. When the push plate 42 cannot continue to move, the rack 54 will not affect the continuous movement of the transmission gear 53 and the tray 20.

[0048] refer to Figure 5 and Fig.10 A limit block 541 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the rack 54, and the limit block 541 is slidably assembled in the transverse groove 15, which can limit the rack 54 so that the rack 54 can only move left and right under the push of the transmission gear 53, and cannot be tilted.

[0049] Working principle: The tray 20 is pushed out of the detection chamber 11 to the outside of the ELISA instrument body 10 by the electric push rod, and the microplate is placed on the bottom plate 21 of the tray 20. The tray 20 is put into the detection chamber 11 again by the electric push rod, and the transmission gear 53 is driven by the rack 54 to rotate, so that the transmission gear 53 drives the active bevel gear 51 to rotate, and the active bevel gear 51 simultaneously drives the four driven bevel gears 52 to rotate, so that each lead screw 41 simultaneously pushes the push plate 42 outside thereof to move, and multiple positioning plates 31 gather toward the microplate at the same time. First, the two positioning plates 31 on the left and right sides contact the microplate, push the microplate to the middle part of the bottom plate 21 in the left and right direction and compress the telescopic sleeve 32, and then the two positioning plates 31 on the front and back sides contact the microplate, push the microplate to the middle part of the bottom plate 21 in the front and back direction and compress the telescopic sleeve 32, so as to complete the center positioning of the microplate;

[0050] Since the telescopic sleeve 32 rotates at a position slightly above the side of the positioning plate 31, as the force exerted by the telescopic sleeve 32 on the positioning plate 31 gradually increases, the positioning plate 31 is pushed to rotate at the end of the telescopic sleeve 32, so that the triangular groove 311 is stuck on the outside of the edge of the micro-well plate, and then the side and top of the micro-well plate are positioned at the same time;

[0051] As the positioning of the microplate is completed, the push plate 42 cannot move further, thereby restricting the lead screw 41, the driven bevel gear 52, the driving bevel gear 51 and the transmission gear 53 from rotating further, so that the transmission gear 53 pushes the rack 54 to move backward along the transverse groove 15 and separate from the transmission gear 53 during continuous movement, and compresses the second spring 55 to prevent the rack 54 from affecting the movement of the transmission gear 53 and the tray 20, so that after the microplate is positioned, the tray 20 can be put into the detection chamber 11 to detect the enzyme in the microplate;

[0052] When the tray 20 is pushed out of the detection chamber 11, the rack 54 pushes the transmission gear 53 to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the push plate 42 retreats away from the microplate and automatically releases the positioning, so that the staff can take out the microplate after the tray 20 is sent out.

[0053] In the present invention, the microplate can be automatically positioned when the tray 20 enters the detection chamber 11, and the microplate can be automatically released when the tray 20 is sent out of the detection chamber 11, without the need for staff to operate the positioning of the microplate alone. In the positioning of the microplate, the top edge of the microplate can be positioned by the positioning plate 31, and the microplate can be positioned from the side and top at the same time, effectively preventing the microplate from sliding up and down between the positioning plates 31 due to vibration during detection.

[0054] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and vary the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A microplate reader positioning mechanism, comprising a microplate reader body and a tray, characterized in that: A detection cavity is provided in the main body of the microplate reader, and the opening of the detection cavity is located on the side wall of the main body of the microplate reader, and the tray is slidably assembled in the detection cavity; The tray is provided with four positioning components for positioning the microplate and a pushing component for pushing the positioning components to move; The positioning assembly includes a positioning plate and a telescopic sleeve. The telescopic sleeve is horizontally arranged and can move on the tray, and one end of the telescopic sleeve close to the center of the tray is rotatably assembled at a position slightly above the side wall of the positioning plate. A triangular groove is provided on the side of the positioning plate away from the telescopic sleeve so that the positioning plate can be stuck on the outside of the edge of the top of the microplate. The push assembly includes a lead screw and a push plate. The lead screw is rotatably connected in the tray. The push plate is slidably assembled in the tray and threadedly connected to the outside of the lead screw, and can drive the telescopic sleeve to move. A transmission mechanism is provided between the tray and the main body of the microplate reader, which can drive the lead screw to rotate when the tray moves, so as to push the push plate to move; The tray includes a bottom plate and a frame, the frame is fixedly mounted on the bottom plate, a support fixed on the main body of the microplate reader is arranged at the bottom of the detection cavity, a slide groove is opened inside the support along its length direction, a slide plate is fixedly mounted at the bottom of the bottom plate, and the slide plate is slidably assembled inside the slide groove; The bottom plate is provided with a transmission cavity and a push cavity, the transmission cavity is located in the middle of the bottom plate, the lead screw and the push plate are both located in the transmission cavity, and one end of the lead screw extends into the transmission cavity; The transmission mechanism includes an active bevel gear, a driven bevel gear, a transmission gear, a rack and a second spring. The active bevel gear is rotatably assembled in the transmission cavity. The driven bevel gear is fixedly installed at the end of the lead screw and meshes with the active bevel gear. The transmission gear is fixedly installed at the bottom of the active bevel gear and is below the base plate. The rack is arranged inside the detection cavity and meshes with the transmission gear. The second spring is arranged between the rack and the support, and the second spring is in a compressed state.

2. The microplate reader positioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A through slot communicating with the pushing cavity is formed on the top of the bottom plate. The positioning assembly also includes a mounting plate. The bottom end of the mounting plate passes through the through slot and is fixed on the pushing plate. The telescopic sleeve is arranged on the mounting plate.

3. The microplate reader positioning mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The telescopic sleeve comprises a mounting cylinder, a sliding cylinder and a first spring. The mounting cylinder is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the mounting plate, the sliding cylinder is slidably assembled inside the mounting cylinder, and the first spring is arranged between the mounting cylinder and the sliding cylinder.

4. The microplate reader positioning mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: A mounting seat is fixedly mounted on the upper portion of the side wall of the positioning plate, one end of the slide cylinder away from the mounting cylinder is rotatably mounted inside the mounting seat, and a second torsion spring is arranged between the slide cylinder and the mounting seat.

5. The microplate reader positioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the detection cavity is provided with a transverse groove which is perpendicular to the support, and the bottom of the rack is fixedly installed with a limit block, which is slidably assembled in the transverse groove.

6. The microplate reader positioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: An inverted conical bucket is fixedly installed on the top of the inner side of the frame, and the positioning component is located directly below the conical bucket.

7. The microplate reader positioning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The main body of the microplate reader is provided with a cover plate located at the opening of the detection cavity. The cover plate is rotatably assembled on the main body of the microplate reader, and a first torsion spring is provided between the cover plate and the main body of the microplate reader.

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