Glass slide coating machine and glass slide coating method

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of glass slide coating, in particular to a glass slide coating machine which comprises a slide holder and an infusion device. The slide holder is used for placing a glass slide; the infusion device is arranged above the slide holder and is used for quantitatively conveying coating liquid to the glass slide; the liquid conveying device comprises a mechanical arm, a liquid conveying pipe and a pump; the liquid inlet end of the infusion tube is connected with coating liquid, and the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is fixed on the mechanical arm; the infusion tube is controlled by the pump to convey the coating liquid to the glass slide; the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is driven by the mechanical arm to move, and coating liquid is instilled to glass slides at different positions. The glass slide coated by the glass slide coating machine disclosed by the invention is thin in coating layer, and the coating layer does not fall off in the subsequent slide preparation process, so that a sample does not fall off; only one surface of the glass slide is provided with a thin coating layer, so that adjacent glass slides cannot be adhered together when the glass slide is stored; and the coating liquid is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of glass slide coating, and in particular to a glass slide coating machine. Background Art

[0002] Ordinary glass slides coated with adhesion coating can significantly improve their adhesion to cells or tissue sections.

[0003] Patent CN117486500A discloses a device for processing glass slides, which has an innovative glass slide holder structure and stirring structure. By placing a support frame for the glass slides and a support plate installed on the upper edge of the arc-shaped structure of the reactor, the glass slides are placed above the stirring paddle in an array in a vertical arrangement, achieving mechanical stirring and immersion without causing damage to the glass slides, thereby realizing mass production of glass slides modified with surface coating compounds.

[0004] Patent 202220329120.6 discloses a slide rack and a slide coating device, which is not easy to cause scratches or marks on the entire slide when installing or removing the slide, which is conducive to ensuring that the coated area of ​​the slide is intact and undamaged.

[0005] It can be seen that in the prior art, when coating a glass slide, the glass slide is placed vertically on a glass slide rack and the entire glass slide is immersed in a coating solution for coating. The problems are: 1. The coating layer of the finished glass slide is too thick, and it is easy to fall off during the later preparation process; 2. There is coating solution on both sides of the glass slide, and the adjacent slides are easy to stick together after being boxed, which is easy to be damaged during use, which is inconvenient.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a slide coating machine with controllable coating liquid volume and single-side coating of the slide, so as to solve the problem of sample detachment during the slide preparation process and the slides sticking together during storage. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention provides a slide coating machine to solve the problem of sample detachment during slide making and slides sticking together during slide storage.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned object, on the one hand, the present invention provides a glass slide coating machine, comprising a slide table, an infusion device and a coating liquid bottle, wherein the coating liquid is placed in the coating liquid bottle, the slide table is used to place the glass slide, and the infusion device is arranged above the slide table and is used to quantitatively deliver the coating liquid to the glass slide; The infusion device includes a robotic arm, an infusion tube and a peristaltic pump; the liquid inlet end of the infusion tube is connected to the coating liquid bottle, and the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is fixed on the robotic arm. The coating liquid is transported to the slide through the infusion tube, and the amount of coating liquid transported is controlled by the peristaltic pump. The liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is driven by the robotic arm to move to different positions.

[0009] Furthermore, the infusion device includes a robotic arm, an infusion tube and a peristaltic pump; the liquid inlet end of the infusion tube is connected to the coating liquid bottle, the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is fixed on the robotic arm, the coating liquid is transported to the slide through the infusion tube, and the amount of coating liquid transported is controlled by the peristaltic pump, and the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is moved to different positions by the robotic arm.

[0010] Furthermore, the robot arm includes: an X arm, a Y arm and a Z arm, the X arm is movably mounted on one side of the slide table, the Y arm is movably mounted on the X arm, the Z arm is movably mounted on the Y arm, and the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is fixed on the Z arm.

[0011] Furthermore, the peristaltic pump is configured to rotate in the forward direction according to the forward pulse signal received from the controller, so as to deliver a set amount of coating liquid to the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube.

[0012] Furthermore, the peristaltic pump is also configured to rotate in the reverse direction according to a reverse pulse signal received from the controller to recover excess coating liquid.

[0013] Furthermore, the infusion device is 1-4 groups.

[0014] Furthermore, a first glass slide position is provided on the slide stage, and the shape of the first glass slide position is adapted to the glass slide and is used to fix the glass slide.

[0015] Furthermore, a slide box position is provided on the slide stage for fixing the slide box.

[0016] Furthermore, the slide box is provided with a fixed second slide position, the shape of which matches the slide and is used to fix the slide.

[0017] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a method for coating a glass slide, using the above-mentioned coating machine, including a droplet amount adjustment step, wherein the droplet amount adjustment step is as follows: S1, send a pulse signal to the peristaltic pump through the controller; S2. Under the control of the pulse signal in step S1, the peristaltic pump transports the coating solution from the coating solution bottle to the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube; S3. According to the droplet situation at the outlet of the infusion tube, the rotation angle of the peristaltic pump under a pulse signal is adjusted to thereby control the amount of droplets at the outlet of the infusion tube.

[0018] Furthermore, each group of infusion devices simultaneously adjusts the droplet volume so that the infusion volume of each infusion device is consistent.

[0019] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The glass slide coating machine of the present invention uses a peristaltic pump to make the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube drip out a controllable amount of coating liquid, and after free fall, it is spread flat on the glass slide just below the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube, so as to obtain a glass slide with a round, uniform, and thin layer of coating liquid coated on one side. The coated glass slide has a thin coating layer, which will not fall off in the subsequent slide making process, so the sample will not fall off; and, the glass slide has a thin coating layer on only one side, so adjacent glass slides will not stick together when stored; at the same time, the coating process saves coating liquid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative labor.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the glass slide coating machine of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the slide box of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the mechanical arm of the present invention.

[0022] in: 1. Slide coating machine; 2. Slide table; 3. Infusion device; 4. Robotic arm; 5. Peristaltic pump; 6. Liquid outlet; 7. First slide position; 8. Slide box position; 9. Slide box; 10. Second slide position; 11. Coating liquid bottle; 12. Waste liquid box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are 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 creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1As shown, the present invention provides a glass slide coating machine 1, comprising a slide table 2, an infusion device 3 and a coating liquid bottle 11, wherein the coating liquid is placed in the coating liquid bottle 11, the slide table 2 is used to place the slide, and the infusion device 3 is arranged above the slide table 2, and is used to quantitatively deliver the coating liquid to the slide. The infusion device 3 comprises a mechanical arm 4, an infusion tube and a peristaltic pump 5; the liquid inlet end of the infusion tube is connected to the coating liquid bottle 11, and the liquid outlet end 6 of the infusion tube is fixed on the mechanical arm 4, the coating liquid is transported to the slide through the infusion tube, and the amount of the coating liquid delivered is controlled by the peristaltic pump 5, and the liquid outlet end 6 of the infusion tube is driven by the mechanical arm 4 to move to different positions.

[0025] It is understood that the glass slide is placed horizontally on the slide table 2, and the infusion device 3 is arranged above the slide table 2. The coating liquid is freely dropped from the infusion device 3 onto the glass slide, and a circular coating liquid layer is formed on the surface of the glass slide. Since the amount of the coating liquid droplets is small and drips from a high place, the coating liquid layer formed is very thin. After the coating liquid dries, it becomes a commercialized adhesive glass slide.

[0026] It can be understood that the adhesion glass slide produced in this embodiment has a small adhesion coating (i.e., coating liquid layer) and a thin coating.

[0027] It is generally known to those skilled in the art that, whether it is a tissue section or a cell smear, generally only a portion of the area with a diameter of 1-1.5 mm is used, so when coating the slide, only the target position can be coated, and the non-slide area does not need to be coated. Even if the entire area of ​​the slide is coated, only a small portion of it is used.

[0028] Therefore, this embodiment provides a glass slide coating machine 1, which only coats the area used for slide preparation. That is, only the part where tissue or cells need to be fixed is coated. The advantages of this are, firstly, it can save coating liquid; secondly, the coating area on the glass slide is small and the coating is thin, which can prevent the glass slides from sticking together during storage.

[0029] It can be understood that the present embodiment adopts the coating method of allowing droplets of coating liquid to freely fall onto the glass slide, and therefore an infusion tube is required as a passage for delivering the coating liquid; a peristaltic pump 5 is also required to control the infusion volume of the coating liquid; and the robotic arm 4 is used to control the liquid outlet, that is, the position of the liquid outlet end 6 of the infusion tube, for dripping the coating liquid onto the glass slides at different positions.

[0030] Further, such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the robot arm includes: an X-arm, a Y-arm and a Z-arm. The X-arm is movably mounted on one side of the slide stage, the Y-arm is movably mounted on the X-arm, the Z-arm is movably mounted on the Y-arm, and the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is fixed on the Z-arm.

[0031] It can be understood that the X arm can drive the Y arm to move in the X direction, the Y arm can drive the Z arm to move in the Y direction, and the Z arm can drive the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube to move in the Z direction. Through the movement in three directions, the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube can be moved to any position and height of the slide stage, so as to realize coating of the glass slide at any position on the slide stage and control the dripping state of the coating liquid by height.

[0032] It can be understood that the greater the droplet height, the larger the area of ​​the droplet after touching the glass slide, and the thinner the coating, and the smaller the droplet height, the smaller the area of ​​the droplet after touching the glass slide, and the thicker the coating. Therefore, by changing the height of the liquid outlet end 6 of the infusion tube through the mechanical arm 4 and controlling the droplet height, the size of the coating area and thickness can be adjusted.

[0033] Further, such as Figure 1 As shown, the peristaltic pump 5 is configured to rotate in the forward direction according to the forward pulse signal received from the controller, and deliver a set amount of coating liquid to the liquid outlet end 6 of the infusion tube.

[0034] It is understood that in the coating method of the present invention, the size and thickness of the coating layer depend on the amount of the coating solution dripped onto the glass slide. A large amount of dripped solution results in a large coating layer area and a large thickness; a small amount of dripped solution results in a small coating layer area and a thin thickness. The size of the coating solution droplet can be determined based on the required coating layer size and thickness, as well as the properties of different coating solutions.

[0035] The peristaltic pump can accurately control the liquid volume. The pulse signal sent by the controller controls the forward rotation of the peristaltic pump. The size of the pulse signal determines the angle of the forward rotation of the peristaltic pump, and then controls the amount of coating liquid delivered by the infusion tube. Therefore, by changing the size of the pulse signal sent by the controller, the required amount of coating liquid can be accurately output.

[0036] The controller is a conventional device, and any controller capable of controlling the rotation of a peristaltic pump can be applied to this embodiment.

[0037] Further, such as Figure 1 As shown, the peristaltic pump 5 is also configured to rotate in the reverse direction according to the reverse pulse signal received from the controller to recover the excess coating liquid.

[0038] It can be understood that the infusion function of the peristaltic pump is directional, and liquid can be transported in different directions through forward and reverse rotation.

[0039] It is understandable that during coating, the coating liquid must first fill the entire infusion tube before it can drip and be coated. After the coating is completed, the coating liquid in the infusion tube needs to be transported back to the coating liquid bottle 11. There are two reasons. First, in order to recycle the coating liquid and save raw materials; second, the coating liquid is a viscous liquid, which remains in the infusion tube. As the liquid evaporates, it will solidify in the infusion tube, causing the infusion tube to be blocked and damaging the coating machine. Therefore, by setting the peristaltic pump to rotate in the opposite direction, the coating liquid remaining in the infusion tube is transported back to the coating liquid bottle 11, which not only cleans the infusion tube and avoids damage to the coating machine, but also recycles the coating liquid and saves raw materials.

[0040] Further, such as Figure 1 As shown, the infusion device 3 is group 1-4.

[0041] It is understandable that the more infusion devices 3 there are, the higher the production efficiency. Taking into account the volume of the coating machine and the production requirements, the infusion devices 3 of this embodiment are 1-4 groups, and one pulse signal can produce 1-4 slides at the same time.

[0042] Further, such as Figure 1 As shown, a first glass slide position 7 is provided on the slide stage 2. The shape of the first glass slide position 7 is adapted to the glass slide and is used to fix the glass slide.

[0043] It is understandable that the mechanical arm 4 changes the position of the liquid outlet end 6 of the infusion tube according to a fixed step, thereby fixing the position of the slide glass, facilitating the control of the position where the droplets fall, and forming the coating layer at a position convenient for tissue sectioning or cell adhesion.

[0044] Further, such as Figure 1 As shown, a slide box position 8 is provided on the slide stage 2 for fixing a slide box 9 .

[0045] It can be understood that by providing the slide box position 8 and the slide box 9, the working efficiency can be improved.

[0046] Specifically, the slides to be coated can be placed on the slide box 9 in advance or when the coating machine is working. After a batch of slides are coated, the slide box 9 with the slides already placed can be directly placed on the slide box position 8 to continue coating without having to wait for the coated slides to be removed one by one and then placing the slides to be coated on the slide table 2, thereby saving time.

[0047] Further, such as Figure 2 As shown, the slide box 9 is provided with a fixed second slide position 10, the shape of which is adapted to the slide and is used to fix the slide.

[0048] It is understandable that the fixed second slide position 10 is provided so that the coating droplets can accurately drip onto the slide when coating the slide. It is generally known to those skilled in the art that the mechanical arm 4 changes the position of the liquid outlet end 6 of the infusion tube according to a fixed step. Therefore, the position of the slide is fixed, which facilitates the control of the position where the droplets fall, so that the coating layer is formed at a position that is convenient for tissue sectioning or cell adhesion.

[0049] Preferably, after coating, the glass slide or the glass slide box 9 is placed in an oven for baking and drying.

[0050] It is understandable that the adhesive coating needs to be dried. After the coating is completed, the slide or slide box 9 is placed in an oven for baking and drying, which saves time.

[0051] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a method for coating a glass slide, using the above-mentioned coating machine, including a droplet amount adjustment step, wherein the droplet amount adjustment step is as follows: S1, send a pulse signal to the peristaltic pump through the controller; S2. Under the control of the pulse signal in step S1, the peristaltic pump transports the coating solution from the coating solution bottle to the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube; S3. According to the droplet situation at the outlet of the infusion tube, the rotation angle of the peristaltic pump under a pulse signal is adjusted to thereby control the amount of droplets at the outlet of the infusion tube.

[0052] As mentioned above, the size and thickness of the coating layer depends on the amount of coating liquid dripped onto the glass slide. If the amount of liquid dripped is large, the coating layer area is large and the thickness is large; if the amount of liquid dripped is small, the coating layer area is small and the thickness is thin. Therefore, it is necessary to set the peristaltic pump before coating so that a pulse signal controls the peristaltic pump to rotate at a suitable angle. At this angle, the infusion tube transports a certain amount of coating liquid to the liquid outlet, and the droplets formed by the certain amount of coating liquid at the liquid outlet fall on the glass slide, which can produce a coating layer size and thickness that meets the requirements.

[0053] Moreover, the size and thickness of the coating layer are also related to the properties of the coating solution itself. When a coating solution with high viscosity and a coating solution with low viscosity form a coating layer of the same size and thickness, the amount of droplets is different. Therefore, before each coating, or when changing to a different coating solution, the above droplet amount adjustment step needs to be performed first, so that the amount of coating solution droplets meets the requirements for the thickness and size of the coating layer for this batch of production.

[0054] Preferably, each group of infusion devices 3 performs the droplet amount adjustment step simultaneously, so that the infusion amount of each infusion device 3 is consistent.

[0055] It is understandable that in order to make the product quality uniform and the coating layer reach the same thickness and area, it is necessary to debug each liquid assembly device at the same time so that the amount of coating liquid delivered is the same and the droplets of the same volume are dripped, so as to achieve the purpose of producing adhesive glass slides with uniform coating area and thickness.

[0056] Preferably, Figure 1 As shown, it also includes a waste liquid box 12 for receiving the coating liquid dripping during the debugging step.

[0057] It is understandable that when the debugging step is carried out, coating liquid will drip from the liquid outlet end 6 of the infusion tube. A waste liquid box 12 is provided to receive the coating liquid dripping from the debugging step and to place the contaminated slide table 2.

[0058] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0059] The embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation modes, which are merely illustrative rather than restrictive. Under the guidance of the present invention, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention and the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A slide coating machine, characterized in that: It includes a slide table, an infusion device and a coating liquid bottle, wherein the coating liquid is placed in the coating liquid bottle, the slide table is used to place the glass slide, and the infusion device is arranged above the slide table and is used to quantitatively deliver the coating liquid to the glass slide; The infusion device includes a robotic arm, an infusion tube and a peristaltic pump; the liquid inlet end of the infusion tube is connected to the coating liquid bottle, and the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is fixed on the robotic arm. The coating liquid is transported to the slide through the infusion tube, and the amount of coating liquid transported is controlled by the peristaltic pump. The liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is driven by the robotic arm to move to different positions.

2. The slide coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mechanical arm includes: an X arm, a Y arm and a Z arm, the X arm is movably mounted on one side of the carrier stage, the Y arm is movably mounted on the X arm, and the Z arm is movably mounted on the Y arm; The liquid outlet end of the infusion tube is fixed on the Z arm.

3. The slide coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The peristaltic pump is configured to rotate in the forward direction according to the forward pulse signal received from the controller, and deliver a set metered amount of coating liquid to the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube.

4. The slide coating machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The peristaltic pump is also configured to rotate in the reverse direction according to a reverse pulse signal received from the controller to recover excess coating liquid.

5. The slide coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The infusion set is 1-4 sets.

6. The slide coating machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The slide table is provided with a first slide position, the shape of which matches the slide and is used to fix the slide.

7. The slide coating machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a slide box; a slide box position is arranged on the slide table for fixing the slide box.

8. The slide coating machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The slide box is provided with a fixed second slide position, the shape of which matches the slide and is used to fix the slide.

9. A method for coating a slide, characterized in that: The coating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprises a droplet amount adjustment step, wherein the droplet amount adjustment step is as follows: S1, send a pulse signal to the peristaltic pump through the controller; S2. Under the control of the pulse signal in step S1, the peristaltic pump transports the coating solution from the coating solution bottle to the liquid outlet end of the infusion tube; S3. According to the droplet situation at the outlet of the infusion tube, the rotation angle of the peristaltic pump under a pulse signal is adjusted to thereby control the amount of droplets at the outlet of the infusion tube.

10. The method for coating a slide according to claim 9, characterized in that: Each group of infusion devices simultaneously adjusts the drop volume to make the infusion volume of each infusion device consistent.

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