Multifunctional small pipetting station

Abstract

The invention discloses a multifunctional small pipetting station, and belongs to the technical field of enzymology and microbiology, the multifunctional small pipetting station comprises a machine body, the machine body is provided with a pipetting module moving along a vertical direction, a sliding base is arranged below the pipetting module, the upper end of the sliding base is provided with two groups of translation carrying platforms capable of moving along a first direction, and the translation carrying platforms are arranged on the machine body. Each translation carrying table is provided with at least two bearing grooves formed in the moving direction of the translation carrying table. Wherein the sliding base can move in the second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, so that the pipetting module can be in butt joint with the bearing grooves respectively. According to the multifunctional small pipetting station, by arranging the two sets of pipetting platforms arranged side by side, the pipetting path can be shortened, any two functional units can be connected through the shortest distance, and the working efficiency can be effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of enzymology and microbiology, and in particular relates to a multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid progress of science and technology, the experimental operations of enzymology and microbiology have become more and more complex and diversified, and are no longer limited to the previous small-scale experimental mode of simply operating a number of samples. Today, researchers need to face more complex research objects, such as enzyme activity determination, microbial cultivation and screening, analysis of complex microbial communities, and research on various microbial metabolites. At the same time, the number of samples required for the experiment is also increasing, involving the comprehensive application of multiple experimental techniques. It is necessary to explore new enzymatic reaction conditions, screen microbial strains with specific functions, or evaluate the environmental adaptability of microorganisms through multi-channel and diversified large-scale experiments. As an important tool for completing these complex operations, the importance of the pipetting workstation is self-evident.

[0003] Currently, a micro-pipetting workstation generally consists of two parts: a pipetting module that can move in the vertical direction and a pipetting platform that can move in the lateral direction. The pipetting operation is achieved through the coordination between the up and down movement of the pipetting module and the lateral movement of the pipetting platform.

[0004] However, since the various functional slots on the pipetting platform are arranged in a row, the pipetting platform needs to be moved back and forth when each process function is connected, resulting in a long moving path. In addition, since the various functional slots are moved horizontally at the same time, they cannot be operated individually, resulting in frequent shutdowns and low efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, we propose a multifunctional small pipetting station to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problem of low efficiency of the prior art liquid transfer workstation and to propose a multifunctional small liquid transfer station.

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

[0008] A multifunctional small-sized pipetting station comprises a body, a pipetting module moving in a vertical direction is mounted on the body, a sliding base is arranged below the pipetting module, two groups of translation platforms moving in a first direction are mounted on the upper end of the sliding base, and each of the translation platforms is provided with at least two bearing grooves arranged along the moving direction of the translation platform;

[0009] The sliding base can move in the second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, so that the liquid transfer module can be docked with each carrying groove respectively.

[0010] Preferably, the first direction is a left-right direction, and the second direction is a front-back direction.

[0011] Preferably, a Z-axis motor is installed in the body, and a screw assembly for driving the pipetting module to move in a vertical direction is installed at the output end of the Z-axis motor.

[0012] Preferably, a Y-axis motor is installed in the body, and a belt assembly for driving the sliding base to move along the second direction is installed at the output end of the Y-axis motor.

[0013] Preferably, an X-axis motor is installed inside the sliding base, and a gear for driving the translation platform to move along the first direction is installed at the output end of the X-axis motor, and a rack meshing with the gear is fixedly installed on the translation platform.

[0014] Preferably, a slide groove is provided at the lower end of the translation platform along its sliding direction, and a sliding block corresponding to the slide groove is installed at the upper end of the sliding base.

[0015] Preferably, matching limit grooves and limit bars are respectively provided on the side walls of the two translation platforms that are close to each other, the rack is installed on the inner side of the translation platform, and the slide groove is opened on the outer side of the translation platform.

[0016] Preferably, it also includes a central groove provided on the inner bottom wall of the bearing groove, a receiving groove provided on the inner walls around the bearing groove, and a connecting groove for connecting the central groove and the receiving groove; a driving member is rotatably installed in the central groove, and a sliding bar is slidably installed in the connecting groove, and the driving member is used to drive the sliding bar to move in the connecting groove;

[0017] A clamping plate is installed at the upper end of the sliding bar, and the receiving groove is used to store the clamping plate. The 384 board 6 is fixed by the cooperation of the four clamping plates.

[0018] Preferably, the two sliding bars distributed along the front and rear directions are both embedded with a first permanent magnet at one end close to the driving member, and the two sliding bars distributed along the left and right directions are both embedded with a second permanent magnet at one end close to the driving member, and the magnetic poles of the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet are opposite;

[0019] A third permanent magnet is embedded on the left and rear side walls of the driving member, and a fourth permanent magnet is embedded on the right and front side walls of the driving member. The magnetic poles of the third permanent magnet and the fourth permanent magnet are opposite. The driving member is rotatably installed in the center groove. When the driving member rotates, the third permanent magnet and the fourth permanent magnet can correspond to the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet respectively.

[0020] Preferably, it further comprises a partition, a plurality of paving grooves matching with the clamping plate are opened on the side wall of the partition, and a cushion block is installed at the bottom of the partition.

[0021] In summary, the technical effects and advantages of the present invention are as follows: the multifunctional small-scale pipetting station, by setting up two sets of side-by-side pipetting platforms, can shorten the pipetting path, so that any two functional units can be connected through the shortest distance, which can effectively improve work efficiency.

[0022] In addition, the present invention can more conveniently fix and adjust the position of the 384 board by setting a driving member and a sliding bar, thereby further improving efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the translation stage and the bearing slot in the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the sliding base and the translation stage in the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the sliding base in the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the translation stage in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of magnetic pole distribution of the driving member and the sliding bar in the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the partition in the present invention;

[0031] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the position relationship of the splints in the present invention;

[0032] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the use status of the present invention.

[0033] In the figure: 1. body; 2. pipetting module; 3. translation stage; 4. sliding base; 6. 384 plate;

[0034] 21. Z-axis motor; 22. Screw assembly; 32. Loading slot; 33. X-axis motor; 41. Y-axis motor; 42. Belt assembly; 43. Connecting frame; 44. Slider; 53. Driving member; 54. Partition;

[0035] 311, limit strip; 312, limit slot; 313, slide slot; 331, gear; 332, rack;

[0036] 511, receiving groove; 512, connecting groove; 513, center groove; 521, sliding bar; 522, splint; 541, giving way groove; 542, pad. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.

[0038] like Figure 1-10 As shown, a multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station includes a body 1, on which a liquid transfer module 2 moving in a vertical direction is installed, and the liquid transfer module 2 includes a liquid transfer pump for sucking and releasing liquid to achieve the purpose of transferring liquid. A sliding base 4 is provided below the liquid transfer module 2, and two groups of translation platforms 3 that can move in a first direction are installed on the upper end of the sliding base 4, and each translation platform 3 is provided with at least two bearing grooves 32 arranged along the moving direction of the translation platform 3. When the translation platform 3 moves along the first direction, the bearing grooves 32 on the translation platform 3 can move to the right below the liquid transfer module 2 or be misaligned with the liquid transfer module 2. Thereby, the bearing grooves 32 on the translation platform 3 can be switched so that the bearing grooves 32 on the translation platform 3 can all be docked with the liquid transfer module 2.

[0039] The sliding base 4 can move in the second direction, and the movement of the sliding base 4 can adjust the position of the translation platform 3 in the second direction, so that both translation platforms 3 can dock with the liquid transfer module 2. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. In a specific embodiment, in order to be consistent with the characteristics of the existing model and to reduce the proportion of the front and rear dimensions of the fuselage, the first direction is set to the left and right direction, and the second direction is set to the front and rear direction. The liquid transfer module 2 can dock with each bearing slot 32 respectively.

[0040] Compared with the prior art, the switching between the translation platform 3 and the translation platform 3 only requires a unit of longitudinal movement, and the load-bearing slot 32 located on the same translation platform 3 only requires a unit of lateral movement. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the switching between any two load-bearing slots 32 only requires a unit of distance. When performing a pipetting operation, it is necessary to perform a pipetting or a plate-laying operation, in which the subdivided steps include but are not limited to discarding old gun tips, installing new gun tips, taking liquid, pipetting, etc., and the steps are interchangeable according to different experimental requirements. However, the platform in the prior art moves along a single line, specifically: the discarded gun tip box, the gun tip storage box, the liquid taking plate and the pipetting plate are spread out along a straight line, and because in the process of taking liquid, each step is interconnected, and according to different operating steps, the platform needs to be moved repeatedly, resulting in a complicated route.

[0041] In addition, more importantly, the existing pipetting platform has various functional units that move simultaneously, which undoubtedly leads to insufficient independence between the functional units and makes it impossible to maintain them separately. For example, during the pipetting process, the tip box cannot be replenished or replaced; and when the discarded tip box needs to be disposed of, the pipetting operation cannot be performed, resulting in a close connection between the functional units and difficulty in separating the steps, which undoubtedly limits the working efficiency of the pipetting station.

[0042] In this embodiment, different functional units can be installed on different translation platforms 3 as needed. For example, a gun tip storage box and a discarded gun tip box can be respectively set in the two bearing slots 32 of one translation platform 3, and a liquid collection plate and a liquid transfer plate can be respectively set in the two bearing slots 32 of another translation platform 3. When the liquid transfer module 2 is performing liquid transfer and plate laying operations, the staff can replenish the gun tip box or process the discarded gun tip box at the same time. When the liquid transfer module 2 is replacing the gun tip, the staff can replace the liquid transfer plate and the liquid collection plate.

[0043] It is precisely because the present invention improves the existing single platform into two parallel platforms that not only can the functional module units be operated independently, but also the moving path of the platform can be optimized, thereby greatly improving work efficiency.

[0044] The driving method in the present invention is as follows:

[0045] A Z-axis motor 21 is installed in the machine body 1 . A screw assembly 22 for driving the liquid transfer module 2 to move in a vertical direction is installed at the output end of the Z-axis motor 21 . The screw in the screw assembly 22 is threadedly connected to the liquid transfer module 2 .

[0046] A Y-axis motor 41 is installed in the machine body 1 . A belt assembly 42 for driving the sliding base 4 to move along the second direction is installed at the output end of the Y-axis motor 41 . The belt in the belt assembly 42 is fixedly connected to the sliding base 4 .

[0047] An X-axis motor 33 is installed inside the sliding base 4, and a connecting frame 43 is fixedly connected to the lower end of the sliding base 4. The X-axis motor 33 is fixedly installed on the connecting frame 43, and the belt 42 is also fixedly connected to the connecting frame 43, so that the belt 42 can drive the sliding base 4 to move forward and backward through the connecting frame 43. A gear 331 for driving the translation stage 3 to move along the first direction is installed at the output end of the X-axis motor 33, and a rack 332 meshing with the gear 331 is fixedly installed on the translation stage 3.

[0048] A slide groove 313 is provided at the lower end of the translation platform 3 along its sliding direction, and a slider 44 corresponding to the slide groove 313 is installed at the upper end of the sliding base 4. The slide groove 313 and the slider 44 are used to limit the translation platform 3 so that it can slide stably on the upper end of the sliding base 4.

[0049] Matching limit grooves 312 and limit bars 311 are respectively provided on the side walls of the two translation platforms 3 that are close to each other. The number of limit grooves 312 and limit bars 311 is set to at least one group, and the limit grooves 312 and limit bars 311 are evenly distributed on the two translation platforms 3 and matched with each other, so that the two translation platforms 3 can slide stably. The rack 332 is installed on the inner side of the translation platform 3, and the slide groove 313 is opened on the outer side of the translation platform 3. The two sliders 44 can fix the two translation platforms 3 from both sides so that they cannot move in the front-back direction, thereby ensuring the stable meshing between the gear 331 and the rack 332.

[0050] The inventors of the present invention, in the process of use, especially when transferring liquid from a 96-well plate to a 384-well plate, because the outer contours of the 96-well plate and the 384-well plate are the same size, but the hole positions of the 384-well plate are more concentrated, in order to match the gun tip gap of the liquid transfer module 2, the position of the 384-well plate must be adjusted and fixed, and most of the existing methods are to fix a corner of the 384-well plate by snaps, which is not strong enough and has low efficiency. In the present invention, in order to realize the need to adjust the position of the card block when transferring from a 96-well plate to a 384-well plate, there is still room for improvement in efficiency. In this embodiment, it also includes a central groove 513 provided on the inner bottom wall of the bearing groove 32, a receiving groove 511 provided on the inner walls around the bearing groove 32, and a connecting groove 512 for connecting the central groove 513 and the receiving groove 511; a driving member 53 is rotatably installed in the central groove 513, and a sliding bar 521 is slidably installed in the connecting groove 512, when the driving member 53 is used to drive the sliding bar 521 to move in the connecting groove 512. The upper end of the sliding bar 521 is provided with a clamping plate 522, which is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the sliding bar 521 by welding or other methods, or can be detachably mounted on the upper end of the sliding bar 521 by clamping or bolting. The receiving groove 511 is used to store the clamping plate 522, and the 384 plate 6 is fixed by the cooperation of the four clamping plates 522. In short, in this embodiment, a movable clamping plate 522 is respectively provided at the four positions inside the receiving groove 511, and the positions of the four clamping plates 522 are adjusted, so that the pipetting plate is fixed by the cooperation between the clamping plate 522 and the inner wall of the receiving groove 511. It should be particularly noted that in this embodiment, the position of the 384 plate 6 can be controlled by controlling the position of the clamping plate 522, so that it can be moved to different positions respectively, thereby facilitating pipetting.

[0051] The specific driving method is as follows:

[0052] The two sliding bars 521 distributed along the front and rear directions are both embedded with a first permanent magnet at one end close to the driving member 53, and the two sliding bars 521 distributed along the left and right directions are both embedded with a second permanent magnet at one end close to the driving member 53. The magnetic poles of the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet are opposite, namely the S pole and the N pole.

[0053] The third permanent magnet is embedded on the left and rear side walls of the driving member 53, and the fourth permanent magnet is embedded on the right and front side walls of the driving member 53. The magnetic poles of the third permanent magnet and the fourth permanent magnet are opposite, namely, the S pole and the N pole. The driving member 53 is rotatably mounted in the central groove 513. According to the principle that like poles repel each other and unlike poles attract each other, when the driving member 53 rotates, the third permanent magnet and the fourth permanent magnet can correspond to the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet respectively, and make the sliding bar 521 approach or move away from the driving member 53. In addition, since the magnets with the same poles on the driving member 53 are arranged adjacent to each other, when the driving member 53 rotates, the polarities of the magnets in two directions always remain unchanged.

[0054] Since the magnetic poles of the magnets corresponding to the front and rear of the driving member 53 are opposite, and the magnetic poles of the magnets corresponding to the left and right are opposite, and the magnetic poles on the opposite sliding bars 521 are the same, under the action of the driving member 53, the two opposite sliding bars 521 will always move one outward and one inward, thereby changing the position of the area defined by the four clamping plates 522, so that the 384 plate 6 can be moved to the upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right positions of the bearing slot 32 respectively, which can match the position relationship of the 96 plate transferred to the 384 plate 6.

[0055] For details, please refer to Figure 7 In the initial state, the magnets at the upper and right positions attract each other with opposite poles, while the magnets at the lower and left positions repel each other with the same poles. Therefore, at this time, the upper and right sliding bars 521 will move toward the middle, while the lower and left sliding bars 521 will move outward and be received in the receiving groove 511, so that the 384 plate 6 is fixed in the lower left position. Subsequently, after the driving member 53 rotates 90 degrees clockwise, the polarity of the magnets at the upper and lower positions remains unchanged, while the polarity of the magnets at the left and right positions becomes opposite. Therefore, the upper and left sliding bars 521 will move toward the middle, while the lower and right sliding bars 521 will move outward and be received in the receiving groove 511, so that the 384 plate 6 is fixed in the lower right position. By analogy, the fixing effect of the 384 plate 6 at different positions can be achieved.

[0056] In order to provide protection and a certain degree of isolation, the present application also includes a partition 54, on the side wall of which a plurality of make way grooves 541 matching the splint 522 are provided to facilitate the back and forth movement of the splint 522, a pad 542 is installed at the bottom of the partition 54, and a pad groove corresponding to the pad 542 is provided on the bottom wall of the bearing groove 32.

[0057] It should be supplemented that the driving member 53 is connected to a rotating shaft, and a through hole corresponding to the rotating shaft is provided on the translation platform 3, so that the staff can control the rotation of the rotating shaft manually or electrically. In addition, it should be specifically explained that the rotating shaft and the driving member 53 are connected together through a one-way bearing. Only when the rotating shaft rotates in the same direction can the driving member 53 be driven to rotate continuously, and when the rotating shaft rotates in the opposite direction, the driving member 53 will not rotate. This arrangement can avoid the situation where the position of the 384 plate 6 is repeated during the movement. Because of the presence of the one-way bearing, the driving member 53 must rotate in a specific direction, so the position of the 384 plate 6 will also change according to a specific rule, thereby playing a fool-proof role and avoiding the situation where the 384 plate 6 is repeated due to repeated placement positions, resulting in repeated pipetting.

[0058] The above are only preferred specific implementation modes of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes according to the technical solutions and inventive concepts of the present invention within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station, comprising a body (1), on which a liquid transfer module (2) movable in a vertical direction is mounted, and a sliding base (4) is provided below the liquid transfer module (2), characterized in that: Two groups of translation platforms (3) capable of moving along a first direction are mounted on the upper end of the sliding base (4), and each of the translation platforms (3) is provided with at least two bearing grooves (32) arranged along the moving direction of the translation platform (3); The sliding base (4) is capable of moving in a second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, so that the liquid transfer module (2) can be docked with each carrying groove (32) respectively.

2. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first direction is the left-right direction, and the second direction is the front-back direction.

3. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 1, characterized in that: A Z-axis motor (21) is installed in the machine body (1), and a screw rod assembly (22) for driving the liquid transfer module (2) to move in a vertical direction is installed at the output end of the Z-axis motor (21).

4. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 1, characterized in that: A Y-axis motor (41) is installed in the machine body (1), and a belt assembly (42) for driving the sliding base (4) to move along the second direction is installed at the output end of the Y-axis motor (41).

5. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 1, characterized in that: An X-axis motor (33) is installed inside the sliding base (4); a gear (331) for driving the translation platform (3) to move along a first direction is installed at the output end of the X-axis motor (33); a rack (332) meshing with the gear (331) is fixedly installed on the translation platform (3).

6. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 5, characterized in that: A sliding groove (313) is provided at the lower end of the translation platform (3) along its sliding direction, and a sliding block (44) corresponding to the sliding groove (313) is installed at the upper end of the sliding base (4).

7. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 6, characterized in that: Matching limit grooves (312) and limit bars (311) are respectively provided on the side walls of the two translation platforms (3) that are close to each other, the rack (332) is installed on the inner side of the translation platform (3), and the slide groove (313) is opened on the outer side of the translation platform (3).

8. The multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a central groove (513) provided on the inner bottom wall of the bearing groove (32), a receiving groove (511) provided on the inner walls around the bearing groove (32), and a connecting groove (512) for connecting the central groove (513) and the receiving groove (511); a driving member (53) is rotatably installed in the central groove (513), and a sliding bar (521) is slidably installed in the connecting groove (512), when the driving member (53) is used to drive the sliding bar (521) to move in the connecting groove (512); A clamping plate (522) is installed at the upper end of the sliding bar (521), and the receiving groove (511) is used to receive the clamping plate (522). The 384 plate 6 is fixed by the cooperation of the four clamping plates (522).

9. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 8, characterized in that: A first permanent magnet is embedded in one end of the two sliding bars (521) distributed in the front and rear directions and close to the driving member (53), and a second permanent magnet is embedded in one end of the two sliding bars (521) distributed in the left and right directions and close to the driving member (53), wherein the magnetic poles of the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet are opposite; A third permanent magnet is embedded on the left and rear side walls of the driving member (53), and a fourth permanent magnet is embedded on the right and front side walls of the driving member (53). The magnetic poles of the third permanent magnet and the fourth permanent magnet are opposite. The driving member (53) is rotatably mounted in the central groove (513). When the driving member (53) rotates, the third permanent magnet and the fourth permanent magnet can correspond to the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet respectively.

10. A multifunctional small-sized liquid transfer station according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: It also comprises a partition plate (54), a side wall of which is provided with a plurality of paving grooves (541) matching with the clamping plate (522), and a cushion block (542) is installed at the bottom of the partition plate (54).

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