Automatic sample separation system and sample separation method

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic sample separation system and a sample separation method. The automatic sample separation system comprises a working base station; the tail end of the mechanical arm is connected with the actuator, and the actuator is used for grabbing the sample bottle, the pipettor and the bottle cap and transferring a sample or a fixing agent and the like; the quick-change assembly comprises a quick-change mother disc arranged at the tail end of the mechanical arm and a quick-change son disc arranged on the actuator; the weighing device comprises a moving mechanism and a weighing module arranged on the moving mechanism, the moving mechanism controls the weighing module to move to the direct weighing station or the filtering weighing station of the weighing area in a matched mode, and switching between the filtering mode and the non-filtering mode is achieved. The sample separation system is preposed key equipment for automatic analysis and detection, can transfer samples from various sampling bottles with different specifications to a standard container suitable for automatic analysis, solves the compatibility problem of automatic analysis and detection on different sampling modes, supplements important links of an automatic laboratory, improves the automation level of the laboratory, and reduces the labor intensity of workers. And human resources are liberated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of environmental monitoring automation technology, in particular, to an automatic sampling system. In addition, the present invention also relates to a sampling method applied to the automatic sampling system. Background Art

[0002] Water quality testing laboratories test and evaluate source water, drinking water, industrial water, domestic water, etc., to warn of water pollution changes, ensure the safety of ecological environment and water quality, and protect public health. Water quality testing is a labor-intensive job with many operation links and heavy reliance on the experience and skills of the testers. The automation of testing technology is being promoted by a large number of companies, but the compatibility problem of the pre-sample bottles has not been well solved.

[0003] After water samples are collected through sampling tools and containers such as sample bottles, they are sent to the laboratory for testing and analysis. They need to be packaged into standard containers in advance so that they can be used with the automatic analysis system. Water samples are mostly sampled manually with the help of some commonly used auxiliary tools. This sampling method is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the labor and time costs are relatively expensive. In addition, manual sampling also has the disadvantages of low sampling accuracy and high possibility of human contamination. In order to improve the automation level of sampling processing, workstations are designed for pipetting and sampling to replace manual sampling. However, there are still problems such as complex equipment structure, poor applicability, and some operations still rely on manual labor, complicated operations, and low efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] The invention provides an automatic sample sorting system and a sample sorting method to solve the technical problems of the existing sample sorting workstation having a complex structure, relying on manual labor, complicated operation, poor applicability and low working efficiency.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic sample sorting system, comprising:

[0006] The supporting structure includes a work base, wherein the work base has a sample loading area for providing a sampling bottle, a sample loading area for providing a standard container of preset specifications, a weighing area for weighing the sampling bottle or the standard container, and a cover opening and closing station for opening or tightening the bottle cap. The standard container is used to receive the sample transferred from the sampling bottle when sample splitting is required;

[0007] A mechanical arm is arranged on the supporting structure, the end of the mechanical arm is used to connect with an actuator, and the actuator is used to grab a standard container or a sampling bottle or transfer a sample or absorb and release a fixative;

[0008] A quick-change assembly, comprising a quick-change mother plate arranged at the end of the mechanical arm and quick-change sub-plates respectively arranged at each actuator, wherein the quick-change mother plate is used for matching and connecting with the quick-change sub-plates;

[0009] The weighing device comprises a moving mechanism and a weighing module arranged on the moving mechanism. The weighing area has a direct weighing station and / or a filtering weighing station. The moving mechanism is used to control the weighing module to move to the filtering weighing station or to the direct weighing station.

[0010] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the automatic sampling system also includes a filter supply assembly for providing needle filters, including a filter supply tray and a driving mechanism, wherein the filter supply tray has a discharge structure, and the driving mechanism is used to output the needle filters in the filter supply tray to the discharge structure.

[0011] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the needle filters are arranged in a matrix on the filter supply disk; the driving mechanism includes a transverse pushing mechanism and a longitudinal pushing mechanism arranged on the filter supply disk, the transverse pushing mechanism is used to push the needle filters on the filter supply disk from the side away from the discharge structure to the side of the discharge structure, and the longitudinal pushing mechanism is used to push a row of needle filters located in the discharge structure toward the discharge direction of the discharge structure.

[0012] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the discharging structure includes a discharging track arranged on one side of the filter head supply disk along the action direction of the longitudinal pushing mechanism, and a filter head groove for matching the filtering part of the needle filter head is opened in the middle part of the discharging track along the discharging direction, and slide rails for matching the supporting part of the needle filter head are opened on both sides of the filter head groove of the discharging track, and the slide rails are connected to the filter head supply disk.

[0013] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, a limiting mechanism is provided on the discharge track for limiting or canceling the limiting of the needle filter head on the discharge track.

[0014] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the moving mechanism includes a slide rail and a telescopic mechanism arranged on one side of the slide rail along the length direction of the slide rail, the weighing module is slidably connected to the slide rail, and the movable end of the telescopic mechanism is connected to the weighing module.

[0015] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the actuator is a clamping mechanism or a pipette, the clamping mechanism includes a clamping jaw and a clamping member symmetrically arranged on the actuating member of the clamping jaw, the actuating member of the clamping jaw moves along the X direction, the clamping member is block-shaped, and a first arc structure with a first preset arc and / or a second arc structure with a second preset arc is provided on the clamping member, the axis of the first arc structure is located in the Y direction, and the axis of the second arc structure is located in the Z direction,

[0016] Alternatively, the clamping member is two or more clamping bars arranged along the Y direction or the Z direction.

[0017] On the other hand, a sample sorting method is also provided, which is applied to any of the above automatic sample sorting systems, wherein the working base further includes a fixative placement area for placing a fixative, and the sample sorting method comprises:

[0018] A1. The robotic arm takes the sampling bottle to the weighing area, selects the sampling bottle with the required sample quantity according to the weight, and opens the cover at the cover opening and closing station;

[0019] A2. The robot arm grabs the standard container and transfers it to the weighing module. Depending on whether the sample separation needs to be filtered, the mobile mechanism controls the weighing module to move to the filtering weighing station or the direct weighing station. If it is at the direct weighing station, the robot arm grabs the sampling bottle and pours the sample into the standard container until the sample in the standard container reaches the preset weight; if it is at the filtering weighing station, the end effector of the robot arm is replaced with a pipette to absorb the sample, filter it through a needle filter head, and transfer the sample to the standard container. Repeat the process until the sample in the standard container reaches the preset weight.

[0020] A3. Determine whether fixative needs to be added to the sample. If not, complete the sample splitting. If it needs to be added, replace the actuator at the end of the robotic arm with a pipette to absorb the fixative in the fixative placement area and add it to the standard container to complete the sample splitting.

[0021] A4. Repeat steps A1-A3 until all sampling bottles are divided.

[0022] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, step A1 also includes: determining the liquid level according to the weight and specifications of the sampling bottle, and if the liquid level affects the pouring of the sample, controlling the sampling bottle to pour out a preset amount of sample.

[0023] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the sampling bottle and the standard container are respectively provided with independent identification marks, and the switch cover station is provided with an identification device. Step A2 also includes: the identification device respectively identifies the identification mark of the standard container and the identification mark of the sampling bottle, and associates the current identification mark of the sampling bottle and the current identification mark of the standard container.

[0024] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] After loading materials to each area of ​​the work platform, the action can be started. The robot arm is used to grab the sampling bottle or standard container for transfer or to open the bottle cap at the cover opening and closing station. By setting a quick-change mother plate on the robot arm and a quick-change sub-plate on each actuator, the robot arm can be quickly connected or disconnected with any actuator. At the same time, the air path connection between the robot arm and the actuator is completed through the quick-change component, so that the robot arm can quickly match and connect the required actuator on the work platform to realize operations such as sample bottle grabbing, sample transfer, and fixative addition, and greatly improve the execution efficiency. When the sampling bottle needs to be sampled and does not need to be filtered, the robot arm clamps it to the cover opening and closing station to open the bottle cap, and the sample after opening the bottle cap is The bottle is transferred to the preset area, and the robot arm then clamps the standard container from the sample discharging area to the cover opening and closing station to open the cover, and then transferred to the direct weighing station in the weighing area. The robot arm clamps the sampling bottle and pours the sample into the standard container, and controls the pouring amount based on the cooperation of the weighing module. The sampling bottle is transferred back to the preset area, and the standard container is transferred to the cover opening and closing station. If fixative needs to be added, the robot arm replaces the actuator with a pipette gun based on the quick-change component, takes a disposable gun tip in the gun tip placement area, and then takes an appropriate amount of fixative from the fixative placement area and adds it to the standard container. The robot arm switches back to the clamping mechanism, closes the cover of the standard container and transfers it back to its original position. The sampling bottle is transferred to the cover opening and closing station to close the cover and transfer it back to its original position. If no fixative needs to be added, the standard container is closed and transferred back to its original position. The sample bottle is transferred to the cover opening and closing station, and then transferred back to its original position after the cover is closed; when the sample needs to be filtered and sampled, the robotic arm clamps the sampling bottle to the cover opening and closing station to open the bottle cap, and the sample bottle with the opened bottle cap is transferred to the preset area. The robotic arm clamps the standard container from the lower sample area to the cover opening and closing station to open the cover, and then transfers it to the direct weighing station and places it on the weighing module. The weighing module is moved by the moving mechanism so that the standard container is located at the filtering and weighing station; the robotic arm replaces the pipette gun and takes the gun head, moves it to the sampling bottle to take a sample, and then transfers it to the filtering and weighing station to start filtering, repeats the sampling and filtering, and cooperates with the weighing module to measure the accurate sample addition amount. After completion, refer to the above content to perform the execution action of adding or not adding the fixative to complete the sample separation; this automatic sample separation The system can realize standardized sample sorting and packaging processing for sample bottles of various specifications, and efficiently realize pre-treatment processes such as filtration and fixative addition, effectively improve the convenience and accuracy of subsequent detection, and effectively solve the problem that the specifications of laboratory sample bottles are diverse and difficult to unify, and the workload of subsequent manual processing is large; by setting a mobile mechanism in conjunction with a weighing module, the filtering operation is realized in conjunction with a needle filter head during the sample sorting and metering process, and the switching between the filtering mode and the non-filtering mode is realized by switching the position of the weighing module back and forth. Compared with the operation mode of disassembling and replacing the filter head in the prior art, it is more flexible and has a higher degree of structural integration, which greatly simplifies the execution action, makes the sample sorting process highly integrated, and greatly improves the sample sorting efficiency.

[0026] In addition to the above-described purposes, features and advantages, the present invention has other purposes, features and advantages. The present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The drawings constituting a part of this application are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a working base according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a mechanical arm according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a filter head supply assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a quick-change sub-disk of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a quick-change master disc according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of an actuator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a weighing device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Fig.10 It is a flow chart of the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Legend:

[0039] 1. Working platform; 101. Sample unloading area; 102. Discarded gun tip area; 103. Bottle cap recovery area; 104. Discarded filter head area; 105. Accessories area; 106. Gun tip storage area; 107. Weighing module; 108. Moving mechanism; 1081. Slide rail; 1082. Telescopic mechanism; 109. Bottle cap placement area; 110. Open and close cover station; 111. Identification device; 112. First clamping mechanism; 113. Second clamping mechanism; 114. Pipette gun; 115. Tube extraction area; 116. Transfer area; 117. Sample loading area; 118. Stand; 119. Fixative placement area; 2. Robotic arm; 21. Main body; 22. Quick change assembly; 3. Filter head supply assembly; 31. Mounting frame; 32. Horizontal pushing mechanism; 33. Vertical pushing mechanism; 34. Discharging structure; 4. Controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different ways as defined and covered below.

[0041] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the automatic sample sorting system of this embodiment includes:

[0042] The supporting structure includes a working platform 1, wherein the working platform 1 has a sample loading area 117 for providing a sampling bottle, a sample lowering area 101 for providing a standard container of preset specifications, a weighing area for weighing the sampling bottle or the standard container, and a cover opening and closing station 110 for opening or tightening the bottle cap. The standard container is used to receive the sample transferred from the sampling bottle when sample splitting is required; the standard container is used as a sample splitting bottle;

[0043] A mechanical arm 2 is arranged on the supporting structure, and the end of the mechanical arm 2 is used to connect with an actuator, and the actuator is used to grab a standard container or a sampling bottle or transfer a sample or absorb and release a fixative;

[0044] The quick-change assembly 22 includes a quick-change mother plate arranged at the end of the robot arm 2 and quick-change daughter plates respectively arranged at each actuator, and the quick-change mother plate is used for matching and connecting with the quick-change daughter plates;

[0045] The weighing device includes a moving mechanism 108 and a weighing module 107 arranged on the moving mechanism 108. The weighing area has a direct weighing station and a filtering weighing station. The moving mechanism 108 is used to control the weighing module 107 to move to the filtering weighing station or to the direct weighing station.

[0046] The working platform 1 is the action execution range of the robot arm 2; the unloading area 101 is used to place the unloading basket, and the loading area 117 is used to place the loading basket; the actuator is a clamping mechanism or a pipette 114, and the working platform 1 also has a tip storage area 106 for providing disposable tips and a fixative placement area 119 for placing fixatives. The tip storage area is provided with a tip box to accommodate disposable tips;

[0047] It should be understood that the supporting structure is a machine table / cabinet, and the supporting structure is also provided with a controller 4 electrically connected to the robot arm 2, which can be a touch screen, buttons, etc., and there is no limitation on it.

[0048] It should be noted that the cover opening and closing station 110 is provided with a fixing mechanism for fixing the bottle body of the sampling bottle or the standard container, and the robot arm 2 can tighten or loosen and transfer the bottle cap of the sample bottle through the actuator.

[0049] Optionally, the automatic sampling system includes a conveyor belt, which can be set in the sample loading area 117 and / or the sample loading area 101. Taking the sample loading area 117 as an example, a limiting component is also set on the conveyor belt. When the sample loading basket needs to be conveyed to the designated position for sampling by the conveyor belt, the positioning of the sample loading basket is achieved by blocking the sample loading basket by the limiting component to facilitate the grabbing of the sampling bottle by the robotic arm. When the sampling bottles in the sample loading basket are finished, the sample loading basket is released by the limiting component, and the sample loading basket continues to be conveyed forward. Further, a locking tongue is provided on the sample loading basket, and a locking buckle is provided on the limiting component. When the sample loading basket reaches the designated position, the locking tongue on the sample loading basket and the locking buckle on the limiting component are automatically fastened to prevent the sample loading basket from deviating from the designated position in the subsequent sample loading process, thereby improving the reliability of the sample loading; when the sample loading basket is released, the locking tongue and the locking buckle are automatically disengaged under the forward driving force of the conveyor belt, and the sample loading basket continues to be conveyed forward.

[0050] The working principle of the automatic sampling system is as follows: after loading materials in various areas of the working platform 1, the action can be started. The robot arm 2 is used to grab the sampling bottle or standard container for transfer or to open the bottle cap at the cover opening and closing station 110. By setting a quick-change mother disk on the robot arm 2 and setting a quick-change sub-disk on each actuator, the robot arm 2 can be quickly connected or disconnected with any actuator. At the same time, the air path connection between the robot arm 2 and the actuator is completed through the quick-change component 22, so that the robot arm 2 can quickly match and connect the required actuator on the working platform 1 to realize operations such as sample bottle grabbing, sample transfer, and fixative addition, and greatly improve the execution efficiency; when the sampling bottle needs to be sampled and does not need to be filtered and separated When sampling, the robot arm 2 clamps it to the cover opening and closing station 110 to open the bottle cap, and transfers the sampled bottle with the opened bottle cap to the preset area. The robot arm 2 then clamps the standard container from the sample lowering area 101 to the cover opening and closing station 110 to open the cover, and then transfers it to the direct weighing station in the weighing area. The robot arm 2 holds the sampling bottle and pours the sample into the standard container. Based on the cooperation of the weighing module 107 to control the pouring amount, the sampling bottle is transferred back to the preset area, and the standard container is transferred to the cover opening and closing station 110. If a fixative needs to be added, the robot arm 2 replaces the actuator with a pipette gun 114 based on the quick-change component 22, takes a disposable gun tip in the gun tip placement area, and then takes an appropriate amount of fixative from the fixative placement area 119 and adds it to the standard container. The robot arm 2 The clamping mechanism is switched back to close the cover of the standard container and transfer it back to its original position, the sampling bottle is transferred to the cover opening and closing station 110, the cover is closed and transferred back to its original position. If no fixative is needed, the standard container is closed and transferred back to its original position, and the sampling bottle is transferred to the cover opening and closing station 110, the cover is closed and transferred back to its original position; when the sample needs to be filtered and sampled, the robotic arm 2 clamps the sampling bottle to the cover opening and closing station 110 to open the bottle cap, and transfers the sampling bottle with the bottle cap opened to a preset area, the robotic arm 2 clamps the standard container from the sample lowering area 101 to the cover opening and closing station 110 to open the cover, and then transfers it to the direct weighing station and places it on the weighing module 107, and the weighing module 107 is moved by the moving mechanism 108 so that the standard container is located at the filtering and weighing station ; The robotic arm 2 replaces the pipette gun 114 and takes the gun tip, moves it to the sampling bottle to take a sample, and then transfers it to the filtering and weighing station to start filtering, repeats the sampling and filtering, and cooperates with the weighing module 107 to measure the accurate sample addition amount. After completion, refer to the above content to perform the execution action of adding or not adding a fixative to complete the sample sorting; this automatic sample sorting system can realize standardized sample sorting and packaging processing for samples of various specifications, convert irregular original sample bottles into sample sorting bottles of uniform specifications, and efficiently realize pre-treatment processes such as filtration and fixative addition, effectively improve the convenience and accuracy of subsequent detection, and effectively solve the problem that the specifications of laboratory sample bottles are diverse and difficult to unify, and the workload of subsequent manual processing is large;Through the filter head supply assembly 3, the drive mechanism controls the needle filter head in the filter head supply tray to be output to the discharge structure 34. At the same time, based on the cooperation of the discharge structure 34 with the weighing module 107 and the mechanical arm 2, a large number of automatic supply of needle filter heads is realized, which greatly optimizes the supply scheme of needle filter heads and effectively solves the problems of low efficiency, high cost and low degree of cooperation with system equipment in manual operation; by setting the moving mechanism 108 to cooperate with the weighing module 107, the filtering operation is realized in the process of sample separation and metering in cooperation with the needle filter head, and the switching between the filtering mode and the non-filtering mode is realized by switching the position of the weighing module 107 back and forth. Compared with the operation mode of disassembling and replacing the filter head in the prior art, it is more flexible, the structural integration is higher, the execution action is greatly simplified, the sample separation process is highly integrated, and the sample separation efficiency is greatly improved. ;

[0051] The preset area may be the original position. In this embodiment, a transfer area 116 is set based on the preset area to perform transfer of sampling bottles or sub-sample bottles.

[0052] It should be understood that the work base 1 is also provided with a work area for placing each actuator;

[0053] In one embodiment, the clamping mechanism includes a clamping jaw and a clamping member of an actuator symmetrically arranged on the clamping jaw; the opening and closing of the clamping jaw can be driven by any one of electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical drive, and this embodiment takes an electric clamping jaw as an example; the actuator of the clamping jaw moves along the X direction, the clamping member is block-shaped, and a first arc structure with a first preset arc and / or a second arc structure with a second preset arc is provided on the clamping member, wherein the axis of the first arc structure is located in the Y direction, and the axis of the second arc structure is located in the Z direction, with reference to Figure 7The first arc structure and the second arc structure have different curvatures. When used vertically, the second arc structure with a smaller curvature at the end is used to clamp and open the bottle cap. When the clamping mechanism is used in the horizontal direction, it is used to clamp the sample bottle and cooperate with the movement and rotation of the robotic arm 2 to perform various actions; the clamping member can also be two or more clamping bars arranged along the Y direction or the Z direction, which have a larger gap than the block-shaped clamping member and can clamp sampling bottles with larger bottle sizes; it is understandable that the stroke of the clamping claws in the prior art cannot cover all sampling bottle sizes. In this embodiment, the first clamping mechanism 112 and the second clamping mechanism 113 are respectively placed in the working area, and each of them has the above-mentioned two clamping members, so that the automatic sample sorting system is more applicable and can process sampling bottles of various specifications / sizes in the prior art; based on the quick-change components matched with the clamping mechanism and the robotic arm, the robotic arm and the actuator are quickly connected and Separation greatly improves the execution efficiency of the steps; wherein, the quick-change mother disk has a center column and steel balls evenly distributed circumferentially on the side walls of the center column, the quick-change sub-disk is provided with a center hole corresponding to the center axis, and the inner wall of the center hole is provided with a groove corresponding to the steel balls, the quick-change sub-disk and the quick-change mother disk are also respectively provided with a sealing cavity and an air path channel provided in the sealing cavity; after the robot arm 2 controls the quick-change mother disk to move until the center column is inserted into the center hole, the positive pressure of the air path is controlled to make the steel balls pop out of the embedded grooves to achieve a clamping fit, thereby completing the connection between the robot arm 2 and the actuator, and disconnecting the air path connection makes the steel balls retract, thereby realizing the separation of the robot arm 2 and the actuator; the steel balls at the connection are squeezed or pressed into the connection by controlling the air pressure to clamp or release the quick-change sub-disk, and combined with the movement of the robot arm, the actuators such as the clamping mechanisms can be quickly replaced, thereby realizing the opening of sample bottles with different bottle mouth sizes and the clamping of sampling bottles of different sizes and specifications, effectively improving the execution efficiency.

[0054] In one embodiment, the automatic sampling system further includes a filter supply assembly 3 for providing needle filters, including a filter supply tray and a driving mechanism. The filter supply tray has a discharge structure 34. The driving mechanism is used to output the needle filter in the filter supply tray to the discharge structure 34. It should be noted that the weighing module 107 is located below the discharge structure when it is moved to the filter weighing machine by the moving mechanism. When performing filtration sampling, the mechanical arm controls the liquid transfer gun to take liquid and then inserts it into the needle filter of the discharge structure for liquid transfer. The filtered sample is directly filtered into the standard container below; by setting the filter supply assembly, the drive mechanism controls the needle filter in the filter supply tray to be output to the discharge structure. At the same time, based on the cooperation of the discharge structure with the weighing module 107, the mechanical arm, etc., a large number of automatic supply of needle filters is realized, the needle filter supply solution is greatly optimized, and the problems of low manual operation efficiency, high cost, and low degree of coordination with system equipment are effectively solved;

[0055] The filter head supply assembly may be a vibration plate, and the filter head supply plate is vibrated by a driving mechanism; this is achieved by referring to the vibration plate in the prior art.

[0056] In some embodiments, the filter supply tray is square or rectangular, and the needle filters are arranged in a matrix on the filter supply tray; the driving mechanism includes a transverse pushing mechanism 32 and a longitudinal pushing mechanism 33 arranged on the filter supply tray, the transverse pushing mechanism 32 is used to push the needle filters on the filter supply tray from the side away from the discharge structure 34 to the side of the discharge structure 34, and the longitudinal pushing mechanism 33 is used to push a row of needle filters located at the discharge structure 34 in the discharge direction of the discharge structure 34. Taking the direction in the attached figure as an example, the discharge structure 34 is at the filter supply tray. The left side of the filter supply plate extends downward, and can drive the needle filter heads in the leftmost column outward as a whole. When the needle filter heads in the leftmost column are pushed out of the filter supply plate to the discharge structure 34, the needle filter heads of the filter supply plate are pushed from right to left as a whole by the horizontal pushing mechanism 32. After they are in place, the needle filter heads are continuously output by the vertical pushing mechanism 33. Compared with the scheme using a vibration plate supply, this structure occupies less space, and the action process is simpler and more streamlined, which improves efficiency and reduces precision requirements, and is more low-noise, energy-saving, and optimizes the working environment.

[0057] Furthermore, the discharge structure 34 includes a discharge track arranged on one side of the filter supply disk along the action direction of the longitudinal pushing mechanism 33, and a filter head groove for matching the filtering part of the needle filter head is opened in the middle part of the discharge track along the discharge direction, and slide rails for matching the supporting part of the needle filter head are opened on both sides of the filter head groove of the discharge track, and the slide rails are connected to the filter supply disk; the discharge track is located directly above one of the moving positions of the weighing module 107, and after the filter head is pushed to the discharge structure 34, it can cooperate with the pipette gun 114 on the discharge structure 34 to complete the filtration. After the filtration and sampling is completed, the used needle filter head is pushed by the subsequent output needle filter head and is moved out of the discharge structure 34 for disposal.

[0058] It should be noted that the filter head supply plate is a semi-enclosed structure, including a mounting frame 31 and a cover plate. The cover plate can be installed and removed for easy loading. The upper cover plate shielding part is hidden in the attached figure for structural display; the longitudinal pushing mechanism 33 and the transverse pushing mechanism 32 are realized by a conveyor belt. The longitudinal pushing mechanism 33 uses the protrusions arranged on the surface of the conveyor belt to drive a row of needle filter heads adjacent to it to move; the transverse pushing mechanism 32 is respectively provided with a conveyor belt on the upper and lower sides of the filter head supply plate, and a paddle is connected between the two conveyor belts. A plurality of paddle plates are arranged at intervals, and the spacing matches the size of the needle filter head. The action of the conveyor belt pushes each row of needle filter heads to move to the left as a whole through the paddle plate, and the output of the needle filter head is realized through the cooperation of the transverse pushing mechanism 32 and the longitudinal pushing mechanism 33. The structure is simple and the implementation cost is low. Compared with the scheme using a vibration disk supply, this structure occupies less space, and the action process is simpler and more streamlined, which improves efficiency and reduces precision requirements, and is more low-noise, energy-saving, and optimizes the working environment;

[0059] In one embodiment, a limiting mechanism is provided on the discharge track for limiting or canceling the limiting of the needle filter on the discharge track; the limiting mechanism can be a push rod mechanism such as an electric push rod, a pneumatic push rod, etc., and a baffle plate or other structure can be provided at the moving end of the push rod according to actual needs to limit the needle filter of the discharge structure, so that the pushed-out needle filter is located directly above the weighing and filtering station after pressing against the limiting mechanism, ensuring that the pipette gun is inserted into the needle filter at this position and that the sample falls into the standard container after filtration and sampling.

[0060] In one embodiment, the working base 1 also has a discard area for accommodating used needle filters and / or gun tips; specifically, the discard area includes a gun tip discard area 102 and a filter tip discard area 104, and the filter tip discard area 104 is arranged below the end of the discharge structure 34 to receive the used needle filter tips moved out of the discharge structure 34; the gun tip discard area 102 is arranged at a preset position of the working base 1. It should be noted that a push rod structure is provided at the end of the pipette 114, which can push out the gun tip to be discarded after use and make it fall into the gun tip discard area 102.

[0061] In one embodiment, the moving mechanism 108 includes a slide rail 1081 and a telescopic mechanism 1082 arranged on one side of the slide rail along the length direction of the slide rail 1081. The weighing module 107 is slidably connected to the slide rail 1081. The movable end of the telescopic mechanism 1082 is connected to the weighing module 107. The telescopic mechanism 1082 can be implemented by an electric push rod, an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, etc., and there is no restriction on it. It is preferably a simplified structure and low-cost implementation method; sensors are arranged at both ends of the bottom of the weighing module 107. The device is slidably connected to the slide rail 1081 to ensure accurate weight measurement at each position; before placing a standard container or a sampling bottle, the weighing module 107 should be located at a direct weighing station away from the side of the discharge structure 34. When placing a standard container, the moving mechanism 108 controls the movement to the filtration weighing station below the discharge structure 34 according to the filtration requirements, and moves back to the direct weighing station after the filtration and sampling is completed. It can be understood that there is no obstruction above the direct weighing station so that the robot arm 2 can complete operations such as clamping, placing, and transferring the sample bottles.

[0062] It should be noted that the working base 1 is also provided with an accessories area 105, which is provided with accessories of various specifications for installation on the weighing module 107 and cooperation with sampling bottles, centrifuge tubes or other containers of different specifications; the working base 1 is also provided with a bottle cap placement area 109, which is used to temporarily place unscrewed bottle caps; the working base 1 is also provided with a tube extraction area 115, which realizes the tube extraction process for bottle caps with straws; the middle position of the working base 1 is a robot base 118, which is used to install the robot arm 2.

[0063] On the other hand, the preferred embodiment further provides a sample sorting method, which is applied to the above-mentioned automatic sample sorting system. The sample sorting method comprises:

[0064] A1. The robotic arm takes the sampling bottle to the weighing area, selects the sampling bottle with the required sample quantity according to the weight, and opens the cover at the cover opening and closing station;

[0065] A2. The robot arm grasps the standard container and transfers it to the weighing module 107. The moving mechanism controls the weighing module 107 to move to the filtering weighing station or the direct weighing station according to whether the sample separation needs to be filtered. If it is located at the direct weighing station, the robot arm grasps the sampling bottle and pours the sample into the standard container. This operation is repeated until the sample in the standard container reaches a preset weight. If it is located at the filtering weighing station, the end effector of the robot arm is replaced with a pipette gun to absorb the sample, filter it through a needle filter, and transfer the sample to the standard container. This operation is repeated until the sample in the standard container reaches a preset weight.

[0066] A3. Determine whether fixative needs to be added to the sample. If not, complete the sample splitting. If it needs to be added, replace the actuator at the end of the robotic arm with a pipette to absorb the fixative in the fixative placement area and add it to the standard container to complete the sample splitting.

[0067] A4. Repeat steps A1-A3 until all sampling bottles are divided.

[0068] In one embodiment, step A1 further includes: determining the liquid level according to the weight and specifications of the sampling bottle, and if the liquid level affects the pouring of the sample, controlling the sampling bottle to pour out a preset amount of sample.

[0069] In one embodiment, the sampling bottle and the standard container are respectively provided with independent identification marks, and the switch cover station is provided with an identification device. Step A2 also includes: the identification device respectively identifies the identification mark of the standard container and the identification mark of the sampling bottle, and associates the identification mark of the current sampling bottle and the identification mark of the current standard container.

[0070] This sampling method uses an automatic sampling system to achieve standardized sampling and packaging processing for samples of various specifications, and realizes pre-treatment processes such as filtration and adding fixatives, which facilitates subsequent testing processes. The processing process is based on automation, which not only reduces labor costs, but also reduces the workload of subsequent testing processes.

[0071] Embodiment 1

[0072] In this embodiment, reference Fig.10 , the sampling methods specifically include:

[0073] S1. Loading: that is, correctly load the loading basket, unloading basket, gun head box and filter head supply tray;

[0074] It is understandable that before the robot arm 2 starts to perform an action, each working module should be reset;

[0075] S2. The robot arm 2 takes the sampling bottle to the weighing area in the sample loading area 117 to determine whether the weight meets the standard. If so, go to step S3. If not, the robot arm 2 takes the sampling bottle back to its original position and goes to step S19.

[0076] S3. The robot 2 transfers the sampling bottle to the cover switch station 110 to open the cover; the liquid level of the sampling bottle is determined according to the specification and weight of the sampling bottle, and whether the liquid level affects the pouring of the sample. If the pouring of the sample is affected, the robot 2 clamps the original sample bottle and pours out a preset amount of sample; wherein the work base 1 is provided with a water tank, and the discharged sample is poured into the water tank;

[0077] After opening the cap, the robot arm 2 places the bottle cap of the sampling bottle in the bottle cap placement area 109;

[0078] S4. The robotic arm 2 transfers the sampling bottle to the transfer area 116;

[0079] S5. The robot arm 2 picks up the standard container in the sample discharging area 101 and takes it to the cover opening and closing station 110 to open the bottle cap of the standard container; wherein, the sampling bottle and the standard container are respectively provided with independent identification marks, and the cover opening and closing station 110 is provided with an identification device 111, and the identification device 111 respectively identifies the identification mark of the standard container and the identification mark of the sampling bottle, and associates the identification mark of the current sampling bottle with the identification mark of the current standard container. After the samples are separated, each standard container can be associated with the corresponding sampling bottle, and data management is more convenient and fast

[0080] S6. The moving mechanism 108 moves the weighing module 107 to the weighing area, and the robot arm 2 clamps the standard container to the weighing module 107;

[0081] S7. Determine whether the liquid needs to be filtered. If so, go to step S8. If not, go to step S701.

[0082] S701. Robotic arm 2 grabs the sampling bottle and pours the sample into the standard container;

[0083] S702. After the sample is poured, the robot arm 2 grabs the sampling bottle and transfers it to the cover opening and closing station 110, and then goes to step S14;

[0084] S8. The moving mechanism 108 moves the weighing module 107 to below the discharge structure 34, and the pushing mechanism causes the needle filter in the filter supply tray to be output to the discharge structure 34 and located above the weighing module 107;

[0085] It should be noted that after each position movement, a zeroing command is sent to the weighing device to prevent weighing deviation caused by movement;

[0086] S9. The end of the robot arm 2 is replaced with a pipette 114, and the robot arm 2 controls the pipette 114 to pick up the tip in the tip box in the tip storage area 106;

[0087] S10. The robot arm 2 controls the pipette 114 to absorb the sample into the sampling bottle;

[0088] S11. After the absorption is completed, transfer to the top of the standard container;

[0089] S12. The pipette gun 114 is inserted into the needle filter and begins filtering and transferring the liquid;

[0090] S13. After the liquid transfer is completed, the robot 2 controls the liquid transfer gun 114 to be pulled out, and determines whether the liquid transfer needs to be continued. If so, go to step S10. If not, the robot 2 is transferred to the tip discarding area 102, the push structure pushes out the tip, and the moving mechanism 108 moves the weighing module 107 to the weighing area, and go to step S14;

[0091] S14. Determine whether a fixative needs to be added to the standard container. If so, go to step S141; if not, go to step S15;

[0092] S141. Determine whether the end effector of the robot arm 2 is the pipette gun 114. If so, go to step S152. If not, replace the actuator with the pipette gun 114 and go to step S152.

[0093] S142. The robot arm 2 controls the pipette 114 to pick up the pipette tip in the tip storage area 106;

[0094] S143. The pipette 114 absorbs the fixative in the fixative storage area;

[0095] S144. After the aspiration is completed, a fixative is added to the standard container;

[0096] S145. The robot arm 2 controls the pipette gun 114 to discard the tip to the tip discarding area 102, and the actuator is replaced with an adapted clamping mechanism, and the process goes to step S15;

[0097] S15. The robot arm 2 closes the cover of the sampling bottle at the cover opening and closing station 110;

[0098] S16. The robot arm 2 transfers the sampling bottle to the original position of the sample loading area 117;

[0099] S17. Robot arm 2 grabs the standard container to the cover switch station 110 to close the cover;

[0100] S18. The robot arm 2 transfers the standard container to the original position of the lower sample area 101;

[0101] S19. Determine whether there are still sample bottles to be divided. If so, go to step S2. If not, the process ends. It can be understood that the working module is reset before and after the process ends.

[0102] Embodiment 2

[0103] The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that Fig.10 The sampling method step S2 further comprises:

[0104] If the weight meets the standard, determine whether it is necessary to separate the samples. If so, go to step S3. If not, go to step S201.

[0105] S201. The robot 2 transfers the sampling bottle to the cover switch station 110 to open the cover; wherein, after opening the cover, the robot 2 transfers the bottle cap of the sampling bottle to the bottle cap recovery area 103 to achieve efficient use of resources;

[0106] S202. The robot arm 2 grabs the standard cover in the lower sample area 101 to the cover switch station 110 and covers the sampling bottle and tightens it;

[0107] S203. Transfer the current sampling bottle as a standard container to the sample lowering area 101, and go to step S20;

[0108] That is, when the sampling bottle does not need to be divided, the robot arm 2 clamps it to the cover opening and closing station 110, replaces the original bottle cover with a standard cover, and then transfers it to the sample discharging area 101.

[0109] Furthermore, the work base 1 is also provided with a bottle cap recovery area 103. When the original sample bottle does not need to be sampled, it is replaced with a standard cap, and the robotic arm 2 transfers the bottle cap of the sampling bottle to the bottle cap recovery area 103, so as to fully realize the effective utilization of resources.

[0110] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic sample sorting system, characterized in that: include: The support structure comprises a working platform (1), wherein the working platform (1) has a sample loading area (117) for providing a sampling bottle, a sample lowering area (101) for providing a standard container of preset specifications, a weighing area for weighing the sampling bottle or the standard container, and a cover opening and closing station (110) for opening or tightening the bottle cover, wherein the standard container is used to receive the sample transferred from the sampling bottle when sample splitting is required; A mechanical arm (2) is arranged on the supporting structure, and the end of the mechanical arm (2) is used to connect with an actuator, and the actuator is used to grasp a standard container or a sampling bottle or to transfer a sample or to absorb and release a fixative; A quick-change assembly (22), comprising a quick-change mother disk arranged at the end of the mechanical arm (2) and quick-change sub-disks respectively arranged at each actuator, the quick-change mother disk being used for matching and connecting with the quick-change sub-disks; A weighing device comprises a moving mechanism (108) and a weighing module (107) arranged on the moving mechanism (108); the weighing area has a direct weighing station and / or a filtering weighing station; the moving mechanism (108) is used to control the weighing module (107) to move to the filtering weighing station or to the direct weighing station.

2. The automatic sample sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic sampling system also includes a filter supply assembly (3) for providing needle filters, including a filter supply tray and a drive mechanism, wherein the filter supply tray has a discharge structure (34), and the drive mechanism is used to output the needle filters in the filter supply tray to the discharge structure (34).

3. The automatic sample sorting system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The needle filters are arranged in a matrix on the filter supply disk; the driving mechanism comprises a transverse pushing mechanism (32) and a longitudinal pushing mechanism (33) arranged on the filter supply disk, the transverse pushing mechanism (32) being used to push the needle filters on the filter supply disk from a side away from the discharge structure (34) toward a side of the discharge structure (34), and the longitudinal pushing mechanism (33) being used to push a row of needle filters located on the discharge structure (34) toward the discharge direction of the discharge structure (34).

4. The automatic sample sorting system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The discharging structure (34) includes a discharging track arranged on one side of the filter supply plate along the action direction of the longitudinal pushing mechanism (33), a filter head groove for matching with the filtering part of the needle filter head is opened in the middle part of the discharging track along the discharging direction, and slide rails for matching with the supporting part of the needle filter head are opened on both sides of the filter head groove of the discharging track, and the slide rails are connected to the filter supply plate.

5. The automatic sample sorting system according to claim 4, characterized in that: A limiting mechanism is arranged on the discharge track, which is used to limit or cancel the limit of the needle filter head on the discharge track.

6. The automatic sample sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The moving mechanism (108) comprises a slide rail (1081) and a telescopic mechanism (1082) arranged on one side of the slide rail (1081) along the length direction of the slide rail (1081); the weighing module (107) is slidably connected to the slide rail (1081); and the movable end of the telescopic mechanism (1082) is connected to the weighing module (107).

7. The automatic sample sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The actuator is a clamping mechanism or a liquid transfer gun (114), the clamping mechanism comprising a clamping jaw and a clamping member symmetrically arranged on an actuating member of the clamping jaw, the actuating member of the clamping jaw moves along the X direction, the clamping member is block-shaped, a first arc-shaped structure with a first preset arc and / or a second arc-shaped structure with a second preset arc is provided on the clamping member, the axis of the first arc-shaped structure is located in the Y direction, and the axis of the second arc-shaped structure is located in the Z direction, Alternatively, the clamping member is two or more clamping bars arranged along the Y direction or the Z direction.

8. A sampling method, characterized in that: The automatic sample sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the working platform further comprises a fixative placement area for placing a fixative, and the sample sorting method comprises: A1. The robotic arm takes the sampling bottle to the weighing area, selects the sampling bottle with the required sample quantity according to the weight, and opens the cover at the cover opening and closing station; A2. The robot arm grabs the standard container and transfers it to the weighing module. Depending on whether the sample separation needs to be filtered, the mobile mechanism controls the weighing module to move to the filtering weighing station or the direct weighing station. If it is at the direct weighing station, the robot arm grabs the sampling bottle and pours the sample into the standard container until the sample in the standard container reaches the preset weight; if it is at the filtering weighing station, the end effector of the robot arm is replaced with a pipette to absorb the sample, filter it through a needle filter head, and transfer the sample to the standard container. Repeat the process until the sample in the standard container reaches the preset weight. A3. Determine whether the sample needs to be added with a fixative. If not, the sample is divided. If it is necessary, the actuator at the end of the robotic arm is replaced with a pipette to absorb the fixative from the fixative placement area and add it to the standard container to complete the sample division. A4. Repeat steps A1-A3 until all sampling bottles are divided.

9. The sample separation method according to claim 8, characterized in that: Step A1 also includes: determining the liquid level according to the weight and specifications of the sampling bottle, and if the liquid level affects the pouring of the sample, controlling the sampling bottle to pour out a preset amount of sample.

10. The sampling method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The sampling bottle and the standard container are respectively provided with independent identification marks, and the switch cover station is provided with an identification device. Step A2 also includes: the identification device respectively identifies the identification mark of the standard container and the identification mark of the sampling bottle, and associates the current identification mark of the sampling bottle and the current identification mark of the standard container.

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