A colony screening operation platform and screening process
By designing a colony screening platform, multiple colonies can be selected simultaneously using a screening needle that combines a lifting column and a rotating drum. Combined with disposable needles and a vision camera, this solves the problems of low efficiency and cross-contamination in existing technologies, and improves the speed and accuracy of colony screening.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510168504.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-27
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-02-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing colony screening technologies are inefficient. Traditional manual screening is time-consuming and labor-intensive, while automatic screening equipment can only screen one colony at a time and poses a risk of cross-infection. Existing improvement solutions have not significantly improved screening efficiency.
A colony screening platform was designed, including a moving platform, a lifting column, a rotating drum, and screening needles. Through the cooperation of the lifting column and the rotating drum, multiple colonies can be selected simultaneously by the screening needles. Disposable needles are used to avoid cross-contamination. The screening speed is improved by combining a visual camera and computer recognition.
Simultaneous screening of multiple colonies significantly improves screening speed and efficiency, avoids cross-infection, and reduces operating costs.
Smart Images

Figure CN119979295B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of microbial colony screening technology, specifically to a colony screening operation platform and screening process. Background Technology
[0002] Different types of bacteria, under specific culture conditions, will form colonies with different characteristics, such as size, shape, color, edge, surface condition, and elevation. Screening for colonies with specific characteristics helps in in-depth research on various bacterial properties and functions. For example, screening for colonies that can grow under specific environmental conditions allows for the study of the bacteria's adaptation mechanisms to that environment; screening for colonies with special metabolic capabilities, such as those that can decompose specific substances, allows for the exploration of their metabolic pathways and the characteristics of related enzymes; selecting colonies from the edge of the inhibition zone often yields bacteria with certain drug resistance, allowing for the study of their resistance mechanisms and providing a basis for clinical treatment and prevention of bacterial infections.
[0003] In microbiological research and applications, it is often necessary to obtain pure cultures, that is, cultures containing only one type of microorganism. By screening individual colonies, they can be inoculated into new culture media for cultivation, thereby obtaining a pure culture represented by that colony. This avoids interference from other microorganisms and facilitates in-depth research and accurate analysis of that microorganism. In scientific research, medicine, environmental protection, and other fields, it is necessary to screen for strains with specific functions. For example, in antibiotic development, strains capable of producing specific antibiotics need to be selected from a large number of mixed microbial communities; in environmental pollution control, strains capable of degrading specific pollutants need to be selected; and in drug development and production, strains capable of producing specific drugs need to be selected, etc., to meet different research and application needs.
[0004] Traditional colony selection involves researchers manually selecting colonies from petri dishes and transferring them to fresh culture media on well plates. This manual process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, inefficient, and inaccurate, resulting in high research and production costs. Existing automated colony selection technologies utilize visual technology to acquire and locate target colonies, then automatically transfer them to the well plates via an automated moving device and selection needles. However, to avoid cross-contamination, existing technologies using metal selection needles require repeated sterilization, as illustrated in patent CN218059015U, which describes an automated colony selection device. This increases screening time and limits efficiency. Alternatively, disposable plastic needles can effectively prevent cross-contamination, as seen in patent CN108641903B, which describes an automated colony selector that uses disposable needles, eliminating the sterilization step and thus improving screening efficiency. However, in existing technologies, whether it is a sterilized automatic colony screening structure or an automatic colony screening structure with replaceable needles, only one colony can be selected each time. The screening of colonies is achieved through a large number of repetitive actions. Although some existing technologies have improved the colony screening structure, operation process and steps, and shortened the selection time interval, the efficiency improvement is limited by selecting only one colony each time, which limits the further improvement of screening efficiency. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems in the prior art mentioned above and to provide a colony screening operation platform and screening process.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:
[0007] A colony screening platform, comprising:
[0008] The platform can be raised, lowered, and moved horizontally.
[0009] Several lifting columns pass vertically through the movable platform and move vertically.
[0010] The rotating drum is horizontally connected to the lower end of the lifting column and rotates horizontally.
[0011] The screening needle is vertically rotatably connected to the lower end of the rotating drum and swings vertically.
[0012] Furthermore, it also includes:
[0013] A disposable needle, wherein the screening needle is inserted into the inner side of the upper end of the disposable needle;
[0014] A needle plate for placing disposable needles, with the horizontal spacing between the disposable needles on the needle plate being the same as the spacing between the lifting columns on the movable platform;
[0015] A waste bin for collecting used disposable needles is provided, with an annular protrusion on the outer ring side of the upper end of the disposable needle; the upper wall of the waste bin is provided with several racket-shaped needle removal holes; the number of needle removal holes is the same as that of the lifting column and the spacing is the same.
[0016] Furthermore, the screening needle is a hollow tubular structure; a flexible tube is connected to the upper end of the screening needle, the flexible tube passes upward through the rotating drum and the lifting column, there is a gap between the flexible tube and the inner side of the rotating drum, the flexible tube is fixedly connected to the lifting column, and an airbag is connected to the upper end of the flexible tube.
[0017] Furthermore, the upper side of the active platform is provided with parallel support plates, the airbag is located on the upper side of the support plates, and the upper end of the hose passes through the support plates and is connected to the airbag; the upper side of the support plates is provided with a liftable pressure frame that applies pressure to the airbag, and the pressure frame is located on the upper side of the airbag.
[0018] Furthermore, a lead screw and a fourth servo motor for driving the lead screw to rotate are vertically rotatably mounted on the upper center of the support plate; the lead screw passes through the pressure frame and is threadedly connected to the center of the pressure frame, and a pressure plate corresponding to the airbag is provided on the lower edge of the pressure frame.
[0019] Furthermore, it also includes a platform; a gate-shaped left and right linear module is provided above the platform; a front and back linear module is provided on the upper side of the platform to move the left and right linear module back and forth; it also includes a square cylinder, a movable platform that rises and falls vertically inside the square cylinder, and an automatic telescopic rod is connected between the movable platform and the upper wall of the square cylinder; the left and right linear module allows the square cylinder to move left and right above the platform; a culture dish, a well plate containing new culture medium, and a vision camera corresponding to the culture dish are placed on the upper side of the platform.
[0020] Furthermore, the movable platform has a hollow structure, and a vertical rack is provided on one side of the lifting column; the movable platform is provided with a first gear that meshes with the rack and a first servo motor that drives the first gear to rotate.
[0021] Furthermore, the upper outer ring of the rotating drum is provided with a gear ring, and the lower end of the lifting column is provided with a second gear that meshes with the gear ring and a second servo motor that drives the second gear to rotate.
[0022] Furthermore, the upper end of the screening needle is provided with a U-shaped frame, which is rotatably connected to the lower end of the rotating drum. A third gear is connected to one side of the U-shaped frame, and a fourth gear meshing with the third gear and a third servo motor driving the fourth gear to rotate are provided at the lower end of the rotating drum.
[0023] This invention provides the following technical solution: a screening process for a colony screening operation platform, comprising the following steps:
[0024] S1. Move the activity table above the area of colonies to be selected;
[0025] S2. Rotate the drum horizontally and swing the screening needle vertically until the lower end of the screening needle is vertically aligned with the colony to be selected;
[0026] S3. After the lower end of each screening needle is aligned with the colony, the lifting column connected above the screening needle is raised or lowered so that the lower ends of each screening needle are at the same height.
[0027] S4. The moving platform descends so that the lower end of the screening needle reaches the colony, and multiple colonies are selected at the same time;
[0028] S5. The moving platform carries multiple colonies to the upper side of the new culture medium. During the movement, the lifting column resets, the rotating drum rotates, and the screening needle swings so that the lower end of the screening needle corresponds to the upper side of each independent new culture medium; then the colonies are released.
[0029] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:
[0030] This invention can select multiple colonies simultaneously each time, significantly improving the speed and efficiency of colony screening; the screening needle of this invention can rotate and swing, thereby corresponding to colonies at various positions within a circular range, ensuring the accuracy of colony screening; the lifting column ensures that the lower end of the swinging screening needle is at the same height, ensuring synchronous and efficient selection of colonies. Attached Figure Description
[0031] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.
[0032] Figure 2 This is a front view schematic diagram of the present invention.
[0033] Figure 3 This is a top view of the present invention.
[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the square tube connection structure of the present invention.
[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the square tube of the present invention.
[0036] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the screening structure of the present invention.
[0037] Figure 7 This is a front view schematic diagram of the screening structure of the present invention.
[0038] Figure 8 This is a first-view perspective three-dimensional structural diagram of the movable platform and support plate of the present invention.
[0039] Figure 9 This is a second-view perspective three-dimensional structural diagram of the movable platform and support plate of the present invention.
[0040] Figure 10 This is a first-view schematic diagram of the connection structure of the lifting column, rotating drum and screening needle of the present invention.
[0041] Figure 11This is a second-view schematic diagram of the connection structure of the lifting column, rotating drum, and screening needle of the present invention.
[0042] Figure 12 This is a third-view schematic diagram of the connection structure of the lifting column, rotating drum, and screening needle of the present invention.
[0043] Figure 13 for Figure 12 Enlarged view of the middle section.
[0044] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the disposable needle of the present invention.
[0045] In the diagram: 1. Movable platform; 2. Lifting column; 3. Rotary drum; 4. Screening needle; 5. Disposable needle; 6. Tube; 7. Support plate; 8. Airbag; 9. Pressing frame; 10. Column hole; 11. Rack; 12. First gear; 13. First servo motor; 14. Limiting plate; 15. Gear ring; 16. Second gear; 17. Second servo motor; 18. U-shaped frame; 19. Third gear; 20. Fourth gear; 21. Third servo motor 21. Machine; 22. Notch; 23. Support rod; 24. Pressure plate; 25. Lead screw; 26. Fourth servo motor; 27. Outer ring frame; 28. Square cylinder; 29. Automatic telescopic rod; 30. Movable seat; 31. Balance block; 32. Annular protrusion; 33. Platform; 34. Left and right linear modules; 35. Front and rear linear modules; 36. Petri dish; 37. Vision camera; 38. Orifice plate; 39. Waste bin; 40. Needle plate; 41. Needle removal hole. Detailed Implementation
[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the invention and are not intended to limit the invention; that is, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.
[0047] It should be noted that relational terms such as "first," "second," "third," and "fourth" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
[0048] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.
[0049] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the term "provided with" should be interpreted broadly. For example, the object "provided with" can be a part of the main body, or it can be separately arranged from the main body and connected to the main body. This connection can be a detachable connection or a non-detachable connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention through specific circumstances.
[0050] Specific embodiments of the colony screening platform and screening process provided by this invention:
[0051] Please see Figure 1-14 The colony screening operation platform includes a platform 33, a movable platform 1, several lifting columns 2, a rotating cylinder 3, a screening needle 4, a square cylinder 28, disposable needles 5, a needle plate 40, and a waste bin 39.
[0052] A gate-shaped left-right linear module 34 is provided above the platform 33; a front-back linear module 35 is provided on the upper side of the platform 33 to move the left-right linear module 34 back and forth; the linear module structure driven by linear motion is prior art and will not be described in detail in this embodiment. A culture dish 36, a well plate 38 for containing new culture medium, and a vision camera 37 corresponding to the culture dish 36 are placed on the upper side of the platform 33. Specifically, a vertical plate is provided on the upper rear edge of the platform 33, and a horizontal plate is provided on the front side of the upper end of the vertical plate. The vision camera 37 is installed at the front end of the horizontal plate; a support platform is provided on the upper side of the support platform, and a light plate is provided on the upper side of the support platform. The culture dish 36 is placed on the upper side of the light plate, and the vision camera 37 is located on the upper side of the culture dish 36.
[0053] The left and right linear module 34 enables the upper part of the square cylinder 28 to move horizontally left and right above the platform 33; the rear side of the square cylinder 28 is connected to a movable seat 30 that moves left and right along the left and right linear module 34, and the rear side of the movable seat 30 is connected to a balance block 31. The balance block 31 makes the front and rear sides of the movable seat 30 evenly stressed, so that the left and right movement of the movable seat 30 and the square cylinder 28 is more stable and smooth.
[0054] The movable platform 1 can move vertically and horizontally; following the square cylinder 28, the movable platform 1 moves horizontally under the action of the left and right linear modules 34 and the front and rear linear modules 35, which can correspond to the petri dish 36, well plate 38, etc., to facilitate accurate selection and release of colonies.
[0055] The movable platform 1 moves vertically up and down inside the square tube 28. The movable platform 1 has a circular disc structure. The outer ring of the movable platform 1 is connected to an outer ring frame 27, which is square on the outside and round on the inside. Vertical guide rods are provided at the four corners of the inner side of the square tube 28. The guide rods pass through the outer ring frame 27. The four corners of the outer ring frame 27 are provided with light holes. The outer ring frame 27 moves up and down along the guide rods through the light holes.
[0056] An automatic telescopic rod 29 connects the movable platform 1 to the upper wall of the square cylinder 28; four automatic telescopic rods 29 are provided, operating synchronously. The automatic telescopic rods 29 are electrically operated; specifically, the telescopic end of the automatic telescopic rod 29 is directly connected to the upper center of the edge of the outer ring frame 27; the telescopic end of the automatic telescopic rod 29 extends and retracts, driving the outer ring frame 27 and the movable platform 1 to rise and fall. After the movable platform 1 rises, it has a vertical gap with the equipment on the upper side of the platform 33, allowing it to move freely; after descending, it can contact or cooperate with various equipment on the upper side of the platform 33, such as the petri dish 36 and the perforated plate 38.
[0057] Several lifting columns 2 vertically pass through the movable platform 1 and move vertically. The cross-section of the lifting column 2 is rectangular. The movable platform 1 is provided with several column holes 10 corresponding to the lifting columns 2 for the lifting columns 2 to pass through. The cross-section of the column holes 10 is rectangular, so that the lifting columns 2 can only move up and down and cannot rotate horizontally. The lifting columns 2 are evenly distributed on the movable platform 1. In this embodiment, there are three lifting columns 2, which are evenly distributed around the circumference of the movable platform 1.
[0058] The movable platform 1 has a hollow structure, and both the upper and lower walls of the movable platform 1 have column holes 10. One side of the lifting column 2 has a vertical groove, and a vertical rack 11 is installed in the groove. The movable platform 1 has a first gear 12 that meshes with the rack 11 and a first servo motor 13 that drives the first gear 12 to rotate. There are three sets of first gears 12 and first servo motors 13, which drive the three lifting columns 2 to rise and fall respectively.
[0059] The upper and lower ends of the lifting column 2 are equipped with limit plates 14. The cross-sectional area of the limit plates 14 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the lifting column 2 and larger than the cross-sectional area of the column hole 10, so as to realize the lifting limit of the lifting column 2 and prevent the lifting column 2 from detaching from the movable platform 1.
[0060] The rotating drum 3 is horizontally rotatably connected to the lower end of the lifting column 2 and rotates horizontally. A rotating support is provided on the lower side of the lifting column 2 to support the horizontal rotation of the rotating drum 3. The inner side of the upper end of the rotating drum 3 is horizontally rotatably connected to the rotating support, which supports the rotating drum 3 to rotate around its own vertical center. A gear ring 15 is provided on the outer ring side of the upper end of the rotating drum 3. A second gear 16 meshing with the gear ring 15 and a second servo motor 17 driving the second gear 16 to rotate are provided on the lower end of the lifting column 2.
[0061] The second servo motor 17 is higher than the lower side of the lifting column 2, and the second servo motor 17 is located on a horizontal side at the lower end of the lifting column 2; the column hole 10 on the lower wall of the movable platform 1 is provided with a notch 22 that cooperates with the second servo motor 17 so that the second servo motor 17 can pass through. The second servo motor 17 can pass through the notch 22, reducing the vertical space occupied and making the structure more compact.
[0062] The screening needle 4 is vertically rotatably connected to the lower end of the rotating drum 3 and swings vertically. The upper end of the screening needle 4 is provided with a U-shaped frame 18. Specifically, the upper end of the screening needle 4 passes through the middle of the U-shaped frame 18. The two ends of the U-shaped frame 18 are rotatably connected to the two sides of the lower end of the rotating drum 3 along the same axis. A third gear 19 is connected to one side of the U-shaped frame 18. The lower end of the rotating drum 3 is provided with a fourth gear 20 that meshes with the third gear 19 and a third servo motor 21 that drives the fourth gear 20 to rotate.
[0063] The third servo motor 21 drives the fourth gear 20 to rotate, thereby driving the third gear 19, the U-shaped frame 18 and the screening needle 4 to rotate. This allows the screening needle 4, which was originally in a vertical position, to swing vertically and tilt at a certain angle, thus corresponding to more colonies in the culture dish 36. The second servo motor 17 drives the second gear 16 to rotate, thereby causing the gear ring 15 and the rotating cylinder 3 to rotate on their own under the lifting column 2. This causes the tilted screening needle 4 to rotate horizontally, so that the lower end of the screening needle 4 can correspond to all colonies within a circular area in the culture dish 36.
[0064] Each of the screening needles 4 on the lower side of each lifting column 2 can correspond to all colonies within a circular area in the culture dish 36. When the vertical screening needle 4 cannot correspond exactly to the colonies in the culture dish 36, the screening needle 4 can automatically correspond to the colonies to be selected by swinging, tilting and rotating horizontally, thus adapting to the need to select multiple colonies at the same time.
[0065] Because one screening needle 4 needs to correspond to one colony in the culture dish 36 at the same time; it is possible that the screening needle 4 can correspond to the colony without swinging, or it is possible that the screening needle 4 needs to swing at different angles to correspond to the colony. Therefore, when all the screening needles 4 on the lower side of the moving platform 1 are vertically corresponding to the colony, the lower ends of the screening needles 4 are generally at different heights. If the moving platform 1 moves the screening needles 4 down at this time, the lower ends of the screening needles 4 cannot reach the liquid surface of the culture dish 36 at the same time, which is not conducive to multiple screening needles 4 selecting colonies at the same time.
[0066] Therefore, after all the screening needles 4 are vertically aligned above the colonies, before the moving platform 1 descends, the height of the lower end of the screening needles 4 is adjusted by raising and lowering the lifting column 2. By raising and lowering the lifting column 2, the lower end height of all the screening needles 4 can be the same or similar. Then the moving platform 1 drives all the screening needles 4 to descend, so that the lower ends of all three screening needles 4 simultaneously reach the colony at the liquid surface of the culture dish 36, which is conducive to accurately and simultaneously obtaining colonies.
[0067] The screening process of the colony screening platform includes the following steps: The movable platform 1 is moved to the area of colonies to be selected, i.e., above the petri dish 36; the rotating drum 3 is rotated horizontally and the screening needles 4 are swung vertically until the lower end of the screening needles 4 corresponds vertically to the colonies to be selected; after the lower end of each screening needle 4 corresponds to the colony, the lifting column 2 connected above the screening needle 4 is raised or lowered so that the lower end of each screening needle 4 is at the same height; the movable platform 1 is lowered so that the lower end of the screening needle 4 is at the colony, and multiple colonies are selected at the same time; the movable platform 1 carries multiple colonies to the upper side of the new culture medium, i.e., the well plate 38. During the movement, the lifting column 2 is reset, the rotating drum 3 is rotated and the screening needles 4 are swung so that the lower end of the screening needles 4 corresponds to the upper side of each independent new culture medium; then the colonies are released.
[0068] In existing technologies, a vision camera 37 acquires colony images of a petri dish 36, then a computer identifies selectable colony locations within the image, and a mechanism moves to those locations to select colonies. This process only allows for the selection of one colony at a time, resulting in low efficiency. The colony selection platform of this embodiment can select multiple colonies at a time. While this increases the computational load on the computer, it shortens the selection time and significantly increases the number of colonies selected per batch, greatly improving selection efficiency. Because the simultaneous movement of multiple selection needles 4 disturbs the surface of the petri dish 36, the vision camera 37 needs to acquire a new colony image of the petri dish 36 after each selection. When the number of colonies in the petri dish 36 is insufficient, the petri dish 36 is replaced.
[0069] To avoid cross-contamination between multiple colony selections, this embodiment does not use disinfection. Instead, a tubular disposable needle 5 is used, with the lower end of the screening needle 4 inserted into the inner side of the upper end of the disposable needle 5. Cross-contamination is avoided by replacing the disposable needle 5.
[0070] New disposable needles 5 are placed on the needle plate 40. The horizontal spacing of the disposable needles 5 on the needle plate 40 is the same as the horizontal spacing of the lifting columns 2 on the movable platform 1. Since in this embodiment, only three lifting columns 2 and screening needles 4 are set, the number is small and the spacing is large, resulting in a large spacing between the disposable needles 5 placed on the needle plate 40. In other embodiments, when there are more lifting columns 2 and screening needles 4 set, the needle plate 40 with a smaller spacing between the disposable needles 5 can be set.
[0071] The lower end of the screening needle 4 is tapered, and the inner side of the disposable needle 5 is set to match the tapered shape of the screening needle 4. When the movable platform 1 descends, carrying the screening needle 4 without the disposable needle 5 in a vertical position, the lower end of the screening needle 4 extends into the disposable needle 5, and pressure is applied to achieve an interference fit, fixing the plastic disposable needle 5 to the outer side of the lower end of the screening needle 4. Then the movable platform 1 and the screening needle 4 rise and take away the new disposable needle 5.
[0072] To obtain colonies more stably, the colonies are stably removed from the culture dish 36 along with the screening needle 4. The screening needle 4 is a hollow tubular structure; a flexible tube 6 is connected to the upper end of the screening needle 4, and the flexible tube 6 passes upward through the rotating cylinder 3 and the lifting column 2. There is a gap between the flexible tube 6 and the inner side of the rotating cylinder 3. The flexible tube 6 is fixedly connected to the lifting column 2, and an air bag 8 is connected to the upper end of the flexible tube 6.
[0073] Support plates 7 are arranged parallel to each other on the upper side of the movable platform 1. Several support rods 23 are connected between the edge of the support plates 7 and the edge of the movable platform 1, and the support rods 23 are evenly distributed around the circumference. The airbag 8 is located on the upper side of the support plate 7, and the upper end of the hose 6 passes through the support plate 7 and connects to the airbag 8. The length of the hose 6 between the movable platform 1 and the support plate 7 is not less than the distance between the movable platform 1 and the support plate 7. The hose 6 serves to guide air and transmit gas pressure. When the lifting column 2 rises, the hose 6 can bend without affecting the transmission of internal gas. The adaptable deformation of the hose 6 also allows its lower end to not affect the swing of the screening needle 4 and to communicate with the screening needle 4.
[0074] The support plate 7 has a liftable three-panel pressure frame 9 on its upper side that applies pressure to the airbag 8. The outer end of the pressure frame 9 is located on the upper side of the airbag 8. The lower edge of the outer end of the pressure frame 9 has a pressure plate 24 corresponding to the upper side of the airbag 8. The lower side of the pressure plate 24 has a concave surface, which can apply pressure to the airbag 8 like a palm. A lead screw 25 and a fourth servo motor 26 that drives the lead screw 25 to rotate are vertically rotatably mounted on the upper center of the support plate 7. The lead screw 25 passes through the pressure frame 9 and is threaded to the center of the pressure frame 9. The center of the pressure frame 9 has a vertical threaded through hole that is threaded to the lead screw 25. The fourth servo motor 26 drives the lead screw 25 to rotate, which can raise and lower the pressure frame 9. The pressure plate 24 directly applies pressure and releases pressure to the airbag 8.
[0075] Disposable needle 5 replaces screening needle 4, with the lower end contacting the bacterial colony, thus avoiding cross-infection and eliminating the need for frequent disinfection.
[0076] Before colony selection, the pressure rack 9 descends, and the pressure plate 24 expels air from the air bladder 8, flattening it. The air bladder 8 undergoes elastic deformation, and the air inside is expelled through the tubing 6, the screening needle 4, and the disposable needle 5. When the movable stage 1 lowers the screening needle 4 and the disposable needle 5, the lower ends of all the disposable needles 5 descend to the colony level on the surface of the culture dish 36, causing the pressure rack 9 and the pressure plate 24 to rise. The air bladder 8 returns to its original position due to its own elasticity, creating a negative pressure within the tubing 6, the screening needle 4, and the disposable needle 5, drawing the colonies and a portion of the original culture medium from the culture dish 36 into the lower end of the disposable needle 5. When the movable stage 1 carries the disposable needle 5 to the upper side of the well plate 38, the pressure rack 9 descends, compressing and expelling the air from the air bladder 8, allowing the colonies inside the disposable needle 5 to be discharged into a separate, new culture medium within the well plate 38. Since the spacing between the independent new culture media in each well of the well plate 38 is small, the swingable and rotatable screening needle 4 in this embodiment can adjust the swing angle and horizontal rotation angle of the screening needle 4 so that the spacing between the lower ends of each disposable needle 5 matches the spacing between the wells of the well plate 38, thereby allowing the lower ends of the disposable needle 5 to extend into the upper inner side of the adjacent wells of the well plate 38.
[0077] Waste bin 39 collects used disposable needles 5. The outer ring side of the upper end of the disposable needle 5 is provided with an annular protrusion 32. The upper wall of waste bin 39 is provided with several racket-shaped needle removal holes 41. The number of needle removal holes 41 is the same as that of the lifting column 2 and the spacing is the same.
[0078] After emptying, the disposable needle 5 is moved to the upper side of the waste bin 39. The screening needle 4 and the disposable needle 5 are reset to the vertical position. First, corresponding to the larger part of the needle removal hole 41, the movable platform 1 moves the screening needle 4 and the disposable needle 5 down, through the larger part of the needle removal hole 41, until the disposable needle 5 is below the upper wall of the waste bin 39; then it moves horizontally to the smaller part of the needle removal hole 41, the width of which is greater than the outer diameter of the screening needle 4 and smaller than the outer diameter of the annular protrusion 32 at the upper end of the disposable needle 5. Therefore, at this time, the movable platform 1 moves the screening needle 4 upward, and the used disposable needle 5 will fall off from the lower outside of the screening needle 4 into the waste bin 39 under the obstruction of the upper wall of the waste bin 39. Then the screening needle 4 picks up a new disposable needle 5 on the upper side of the needle plate 40 for the next colony selection.
[0079] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still make modifications to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments without creative effort, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A colony screening platform, characterized in that, include: The platform (1) is moved up, down, and horizontally. Several lifting columns (2) pass vertically through the movable platform (1) and move vertically; The rotating drum (3) is horizontally connected to the lower end of the lifting column (2) and rotates horizontally. The screening needle (4) is vertically rotatably connected to the lower end of the rotating drum (3) and swings vertically. Also includes: Disposable needle (5), the screening needle (4) is inserted into the inner side of the upper end of the disposable needle (5); A needle plate (40) for placing disposable needles (5) has a horizontal spacing between the disposable needles (5) placed on the needle plate (40) that is the same as the spacing between the lifting columns (2) on the movable table (1). Waste bin (39) for collecting used disposable needles (5), wherein the upper outer ring side of the disposable needle (5) is provided with an annular protrusion (32); the upper wall of the waste bin (39) is provided with a number of racket-shaped needle removal holes (41); the number of needle removal holes (41) is the same as that of the lifting column (2) and the spacing is the same; The screening needle (4) is a hollow tubular structure; the upper end of the screening needle (4) is connected to a hose (6), the hose (6) passes upward through the rotating drum (3) and the lifting column (2), the hose (6) has a gap with the inner side of the rotating drum (3), the hose (6) is fixedly connected to the lifting column (2), and the upper end of the hose (6) is connected to an airbag (8). The upper side of the active platform (1) is provided with parallel support plates (7), the airbag (8) is located on the upper side of the support plate (7), and the upper end of the hose (6) passes through the support plate (7) and is connected to the airbag (8); the upper side of the support plate (7) is provided with a liftable pressure frame (9) that applies pressure to the airbag (8), and the pressure frame (9) is located on the upper side of the airbag (8); The support plate (7) is vertically rotatably mounted on the upper center of the support plate (7) with a lead screw (25) and a fourth servo motor (26) that drives the lead screw (25) to rotate; the lead screw (25) passes through the pressure frame (9) and is threadedly connected to the center of the pressure frame (9); the lower edge of the pressure frame (9) is provided with a pressure plate (24) corresponding to the airbag (8). It also includes a platform (33); a door-shaped left and right linear module (34) is provided above the platform (33); a front and back linear module (35) is provided on the upper side of the platform (33) to move the left and right linear module (34) back and forth; it also includes a square cylinder (28), a movable platform (1) is vertically raised and lowered inside the square cylinder (28), and an automatic telescopic rod (29) is connected between the movable platform (1) and the upper wall of the square cylinder (28); the left and right linear module (34) makes the square cylinder (28) move left and right above the platform (33); a petri dish (36), a well plate (38) for containing new culture medium and a vision camera (37) corresponding to the petri dish (36) are placed on the upper side of the platform (33). The movable platform (1) is a hollow structure, and a vertical rack (11) is provided on one side of the lifting column (2); the movable platform (1) is provided with a first gear (12) that meshes with the rack (11) and a first servo motor (13) that drives the first gear (12) to rotate. The upper outer ring side of the rotating drum (3) is provided with a toothed ring (15), and the lower end of the lifting column (2) is provided with a second gear (16) that meshes with the toothed ring (15) and a second servo motor (17) that drives the second gear (16) to rotate. The upper end of the screening needle (4) is provided with a U-shaped frame (18), which is rotatably connected to the lower end of the rotating drum (3). A third gear (19) is connected to one side of the U-shaped frame (18), and a fourth gear (20) meshing with the third gear (19) and a third servo motor (21) driving the fourth gear (20) to rotate are provided at the lower end of the rotating drum (3).
2. The screening process of the colony screening operation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Move the activity table (1) above the area of colonies to be selected; S2. Rotate the drum (3) horizontally and swing the screening needle (4) vertically until the lower end of the screening needle (4) is vertically aligned with the colony to be selected; S3. After the lower end of each screening needle (4) corresponds to the colony, the lifting column (2) connected above the screening needle (4) is raised or lowered so that the lower ends of each screening needle (4) are at the same height. S4. The moving platform (1) descends so that the lower end of the screening needle (4) reaches the colony and selects multiple colonies at the same time; S5. The moving platform (1) carries multiple colonies to the upper side of the new culture medium. During the movement, the lifting column (2) is reset, the rotating drum (3) rotates and the screening needle (4) swings so that the lower end of the screening needle (4) corresponds to the upper side of each independent new culture medium; then the colonies are released.
Citation Information
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