Full-automatic sample adding device

Abstract

The invention provides a full-automatic sample adding device. The full-automatic sample adding device comprises a sample suction head 110, a plunger pump 120 and a lifting driving mechanism 130, the sample suction head 110 is used for sucking negative pressure, sucking a TIP head, sucking a sample and adding the sample under the control of the plunger pump 120, and the lifting driving mechanism 130 is used for controlling the moving distance of the sample suction head 110. Therefore, full-automatic sample suction and sample adding are realized, the sample suction volume and the sample adding volume can be accurately controlled, manual operation is not needed, the operation difficulty is reduced, the labor cost is reduced, standardization and batch production are realized, and the sample adding efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of medical devices, and more particularly to a fully automatic sample adding device. Background Art

[0002] In order to analyze and detect in vitro liquid samples such as blood and urine, during the detection process, a professional person (e.g., a doctor in the clinical laboratory) needs to manually open the lid of a sample tube (e.g., a blood collection tube), and then use a pipette to aspirate the liquid sample in the sample tube and manually add the sample to an analysis instrument, a test strip, a reagent card, a reagent kit, etc. for sample analysis and detection.

[0003] However, this sample adding method has disadvantages such as high operation complexity, high operation difficulty, large manual workload, inability to achieve standardization and batch processing, and low efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a fully automatic sample adding device.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a fully automatic sample adding device, which includes a sampling head 110, a plunger pump 120, and a lifting drive mechanism 130. The sampling head 110 is configured to suck negative pressure, suck a TIP head, aspirate a sample, and add a sample under the control of the plunger pump 120, and the lifting drive mechanism 130 is configured to control the moving distance of the sampling head 110.

[0006] In some alternative embodiments, the sampling head 110 has a front end 110a and a tail end 110b, and the front end 110a has a spike for piercing the sealing film of the sample tube.

[0007] In some alternative embodiments, in a direction from the tail end 110b to the front end 110a, the sampling head 110 includes a connecting section 111, a boss 112, and a sampling section 113.

[0008] In some alternative embodiments, the plunger pump 120 includes a plunger chamber 121 and a plunger rod 122. The plunger rod 122 is sleeved inside the plunger chamber 121. The plunger rod 122 has a first end 122a. The extending directions of the plunger chamber 121 and the plunger rod 122 are a first direction. The connecting section 111 includes a partial first connecting section 1111 extending along the first direction and a second connecting section 1112 extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second connecting section 1112, the boss 112, and the sampling section 113 extend along the second direction.

[0009] In some alternative embodiments, the first connecting section 1111 is fixedly and sealingly connected to the plunger chamber 121. The pipette tip 110 is a hollow pipe structure inside, and the plunger rod 122 can move along the first direction within the plunger chamber 121 and the first connecting section 1111.

[0010] In some alternative embodiments, the lifting drive mechanism is used to drive the pipette tip 110 to move along the second direction.

[0011] In some alternative embodiments, the plunger rod 122 further has a second end 122b opposite to the first end 122a, and the plunger pump 120 further includes a plunger sensing piece 123 fixedly arranged at the second end 122b.

[0012] In some alternative embodiments, the fully automatic pipetting device is further provided with a first in-place sensor 150, and the first in-place sensor 150 is used to identify whether the pipette tip 110 and the plunger pump 120 reach the initial position in the second direction.

[0013] In some alternative embodiments, the fully automatic pipetting device is further provided with a second in-place sensor 160, and the second in-place sensor 160 is used to identify whether the plunger rod 122 reaches the initial position in the first direction.

[0014] In some alternative embodiments, the fully automatic pipetting device is further provided with an X-ring 230, an O-ring 240 and a negative pressure seal ring 250;

[0015] The inner wall of the first connecting section 1111 in contact with the plunger rod 122 is provided with a first groove, and the plunger rod 122 slides along the first groove in the first connecting section 1111 along the first direction. The X-ring 230 is arranged at the first groove for realizing the moving seal between the first connecting section 1111 and the plunger rod 122;

[0016] The O-ring 240 is arranged at the end face of the plunger chamber 121 close to the first connecting section 1111 for realizing the static seal between the plunger chamber 121 and the first connecting section 1111;

[0017] The negative pressure seal ring 250 is arranged at the sampling section 113 of the pipette tip 110 for forming a negative pressure seal between the pipette tip 110 and the surface to be sampled when the sampling section contacts the surface to be sampled.

[0018] To solve the problems of high operation complexity, high operation difficulty, large manual workload, inability to achieve standardization, batch processing, and low efficiency in the existing sample addition methods, the full-automatic sample addition device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a sampling head 110, a plunger pump 120, and a lifting drive mechanism 130. Among them, the sampling head 110 is used to suck negative pressure, suck TIP heads, sample, and add samples under the control of the plunger pump 120, and the lifting drive mechanism 130 is used to control the moving distance of the sampling head 110. Thus, full-automatic sampling and sample addition are achieved, and the sampling volume and sample addition volume can be accurately controlled. No manual operation is required, the operation difficulty is reduced, the labor cost is reduced, standardization and batch processing are achieved, and the sample addition efficiency is improved. Description of the Drawings

[0019] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by reading the detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments with reference to the following drawings. The drawings are only for the purpose of showing the specific embodiments and are not considered to be a limitation of the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment 100 of the full-automatic sample addition device according to the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the full-automatic sample addition device 100 according to the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 3 is a process 300 of a sample addition method for adding samples using the full-automatic sample addition device 100 according to the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4 is another process 400 of a sample addition method for adding samples using the full-automatic sample addition device 100 according to the present disclosure.

[0024] Explanation of the Reference Numerals:

[0025] 110 - Pipette tip; 110a - Front end; 110b - Rear end; 111 - Connection section; 1111 - First connection section; 1112 - Second connection section; 112 - Boss; 113 - Sampling section; 120 - Plunger pump; 121 - Plunger chamber; 122 - Plunger rod; 122a - First end; 122b - Second end; 123 - Plunger induction sheet; 124 - Second motor; 125 - Second rack; 126 - Second gear; 130 - Lifting drive mechanism; 131 - First motor; 132 - First rack; 140 - TIP head; 150 - First in-place sensor; 160 - Second in-place sensor; 170 - Support plate; 180 - Guide rod; 190 - Sensor fixing plate; 200 - Connection plate; 210 - Flexible cable; 220 - Plug-in terminal interface; 230 - Star-shaped sealing ring; 240 - O-ring; 250 - Negative pressure sealing ring. Detailed implementation manners

[0026] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0027] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other. The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0028] It should be understood that in the description of the present disclosure, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0029] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0030] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as "installed", "connected", "linked", "fixed", etc. shall be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the first feature being "above" or "below" the second feature may include the direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the situation where the first and second features are not in direct contact but in contact through additional features therebetween. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over", and "on top of" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "below", "beneath", and "underneath" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

[0032] Refer to the following Figure 1 , where Figure 1 is a perspective schematic view of an embodiment 100 of a full-automatic sampling device according to the present disclosure.

[0033] As Figure 1 shown, the full-automatic sampling device 100 may include: a sampling head 110, a plunger pump 120, and a lifting drive mechanism 130. Among them:

[0034] The sampling head 110 provides functions of sucking negative pressure, sucking the TIP head 140, sampling, and adding samples (or discharging samples). The sampling head 110 includes a front end 110a and a tail end 110b. The front end 110a of the sampling head 110 has a spike, which can pierce the sealing structure (such as a sealing film) of the sample tube. The head (or sampling section) of the sampling head 110 near the front end 110a can be adaptively designed according to the shape and size of the TIP head 140 to be sucked, so as to fix the TIP head 140 on the head of the sampling head 110.

[0035] Exemplarily, the head of the sampling head 110 may be conical and cooperate with and seal the TIP head 140. As Figure 1 shown, for good stability, the inner wall of the tail of the TIP head 140 to be sucked has a first taper, and the outer wall of the head (or sampling section) of the sampling head 110 has a taper adapted to the first taper of the inner wall of the tail of the TIP head 140. After the up and down movement of the TIP head 140 and the sampling head 110, the outer wall of the head of the sampling head 110 can be stuck in the inner wall of the tail of the TIP head 140.

[0036] To achieve the function of the pipette tip 110 sucking negative pressure, in the direction from the tail end 110b to the front end 110a, the pipette tip 110 may include a connecting section 111, a boss 112, and a sampling section 113 (i.e., the sampling part of the pipette tip 110 close to the front end 110a). Among them, the connecting section 111 and the boss 112 are connected through a groove, and a sealing ring is fixed through the above groove to achieve the sealing between the connecting section 111 and the boss 112. The material of the pipette tip 110 can be selected as SUS 304 according to wear resistance and service life. The boss 112 and the sampling section 113 can also be connected through a groove, and a sealing ring is fixed through the above groove to achieve the sealing between the boss 112 and the sampling section 113.

[0037] The plunger pump 120 may include a plunger chamber 121 and a plunger rod 122. The plunger rod 122 is sleeved inside the plunger chamber 121, and the plunger rod 122 has a first end 122a. The extending direction of the plunger chamber 121 and the plunger rod 122 (as Figure 1 shown, the left-right direction) is the first direction.

[0038] The pipette tip 110 is a 90-degree corner pipette tip. Among them, the connecting section 111 includes a partial first connecting section 1111 extending along the first direction and a partial second connecting section 1112 extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (as Figure 1 shown, the up-down direction). The second connecting section 1112, the boss 112, and the sampling section 113 extend along the second direction.

[0039] The first connecting section 1111 of the pipette tip 110 is fixedly and sealingly connected to the plunger chamber 121.

[0040] The pipette tip 110 is an internally hollow pipe structure, and the plunger rod 122 can move along the first direction within the plunger chamber 121 and the first connecting section 1111. That is, it can be understood that there is gas communication between the pipette tip 110 and the plunger chamber 121. Furthermore, the air pressure inside the plunger chamber 121 and the pipette tip 110 can be controlled by the movement of the plunger rod 122, and further, the pipette tip 110 can be controlled to suck or add samples, as well as the specific volume of sucking or adding samples.

[0041] The lifting drive mechanism 130 is used to drive the pipette tip 110 and the plunger pump 120 to move along the second direction (as Figure 1 shown, the up-down direction), that is, the pipette tip 110 can move along the second direction under the drive of the lifting drive mechanism 130.

[0042] Exemplarily, as Figure 1 shown, the lifting drive mechanism 130 may include a first motor 131, a first rack 132, and a first gear ( Figure 1 not shown in the figure). The first rack 132 extends along the second direction (asFigure 1 As shown, it extends in the up-down direction. The first motor 131 is energized to rotate, and its output shaft can drive the first gear to rotate. The teeth of the first gear mesh with the teeth of the first rack 132. The rotational movement of the first gear is transmitted to the first rack 132 through the tooth engagement, and then the first rack 132 moves linearly along its length direction (such as Figure 1 As shown, in the up-down direction). The first rack 132 is meshed and connected with the plunger chamber 121. Since the pipette tip 110 is fixedly connected to the plunger chamber 121, the linear movement of the first rack 132 drives the plunger chamber 121 and the pipette tip 110 to move in the second direction (such as Figure 1 As shown, in the up-down direction).

[0043] Optionally, as Figure 1 shown, the plunger rod 122 further has a second end (or tail) 122b opposite to the first end 122a, and the plunger pump 120 may further include a plunger induction piece 123 fixedly arranged at the second end 122b. The plunger chamber 121 correspondingly has a third end 121a and a fourth end 121b respectively corresponding to the first end 122a and the second end 122b of the plunger rod 122.

[0044] Optionally, the automatic pipetting device 100 may further be provided with a first in-place sensor 150.

[0045] Wherein:

[0046] The first in-place sensor 150 is used to identify whether the pipette tip 110 and the plunger pump 120 reach the initial position in the second direction. Optionally, the initial position of the pipette tip 110 and the plunger pump 120 in the second direction is the initial position where the pipette tip 110 and the plunger pump 120 are farthest from the front end 110a in the second direction (such as Figure 1 shown, which can be understood as the uppermost position, or the topmost position). The first in-place sensor 150 may be fixedly arranged relative to the lifting drive mechanism 130 and is arranged at the position farthest from the front end 110a in the second direction. The first in-place sensor 150 can be used to detect the part of the pipette tip 110 and the plunger pump 120 in the direction farthest from the front end 110a, indicating that the pipette tip 110 and the plunger pump 120 reach the initial position in the second direction, that is, reach the uppermost position. Subsequently, the movement distance and direction of the pipette tip 110 and the plunger pump 120 in the second direction can be accurately controlled by controlling the first motor 131.

[0047] Optionally, the automatic pipetting device 100 may further be provided with a second in-place sensor 160. The second in-place sensor 160 is used to identify whether the plunger rod 122 reaches the initial position in the first direction.

[0048] Optionally, the initial position of the plunger rod 122 in the first direction is the initial position where the plunger rod 122 is closest to the first end 122a in the first direction (as Figure 1 shown, it can be understood as the rightmost position).

[0049] The second in-place sensor 160 can be arranged at the position of the fourth end 121b of the plunger chamber 121 closest to the second end 122b of the plunger rod 122. In this way, if the plunger rod 122 moves towards the first end 122a and finally the plunger sensing piece 123 arranged at the second end 122b of the plunger rod 122 reaches the position of the second in-place sensor 160 (i.e., the fourth end 121b), the second in-place sensor 160 detects the target, indicating that the plunger rod 122 reaches the initial position in the first direction, the plunger rod 122 discharges the gas in the plunger chamber 121, and then a negative pressure is formed in the sampling head 110. Subsequently, through the control of the plunger pump 120, the movement distance and direction of the plunger rod 122 in the first direction can be precisely controlled, and then the sampling or sample ejection of the sampling head 110 can be controlled, and the sampling or sample ejection can be precisely quantified and controlled, realizing the adjustable sampling volume and the adjustable sample addition (or sample ejection) volume.

[0050] Specifically, as Figure 1 shown, the plunger pump 120 may further include a second motor 124, a second rack 125, and a second gear 126. Among them, the second rack 125 extends in the first direction. When the second motor 124 is energized and rotates, its output shaft can drive the second gear 126 to rotate. The teeth of the second gear 126 mesh with the teeth of the second rack 125. The rotational movement of the second gear 126 is transmitted to the second rack 125 through the meshing of the tooth shapes. Then, the second rack 125 makes a linear movement along its length direction (as Figure 1 shown, the left-right direction). The plunger rod 122 is meshed and connected with the second rack 125. The linear movement of the second rack 125 drives the plunger rod 122 to move in the first direction (as Figure 1 shown, the left-right direction). Furthermore, through the control of the second motor 124, the movement distance and direction of the plunger rod 122 in the first direction can be precisely controlled, and then the sampling or sample ejection of the sampling head 110 can be controlled, and the sampling or sample ejection can be precisely quantified and controlled, realizing the adjustable sampling volume and the adjustable sample addition (or sample ejection) volume.

[0051] Optionally, the fully automatic sample addition device 100 may further include a support plate 170 and a guide rod 180. The support plate 170 cooperates with the plunger chamber 121 to provide a positioning reference and structural support for each functional part, and complete the assembly and installation of each functional part. Among them, the functional parts, the guide rod 180 and the first rack 132 of the lifting drive mechanism 130 are arranged on the support plate 170, and the functional part, the plunger rod 122 is arranged in the plunger chamber 121.

[0052] Here, the guide rod 180 is used to provide support and guidance for the sampling head 110 and the first rack 132.

[0053] Optionally, the fully automatic sampling device 100 may further include: a sensor fixing plate 190 and a connecting plate 200. Here, the sensor fixing plate 190 is used to fix and support the second in-place sensor 160, and the connecting plate 200 is used to fix and support the first motor 131.

[0054] Optionally, as Figure 1 shown, the fully automatic sampling device 100 may further include a flexible flat cable 210, which is a flexible cable used for internal connection within the fully automatic sampling device 100. One end of the flexible flat cable 210 is connected to an external control device, and the other end is connected to various electronic components inside the fully automatic sampling device 100, such as the plunger pump 120, the lifting drive mechanism 130, the first in-place sensor 150, the second in-place sensor 160, etc. That is, the external control device can send control instructions to various electronic components inside the fully automatic sampling device 100 through the flexible flat cable 210, and conversely, the electronic components inside the fully automatic sampling device 100 can also feedback messages to the external control device.

[0055] Optionally, the fully automatic sampling device 100 may further include a plug-in terminal interface 220. The plug-in terminal interface 220 is the corresponding terminal interface for the flexible flat cable 210, and the power supply lines, data lines, etc. of various electronic components in the automatic sampling device can be connected to the plug-in terminal interface 220.

[0056] Optionally, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 is Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of the fully automatic sampling device 100 shown in Figure 2 As shown, the fully automatic sampling device 100 may further include a star-shaped seal ring 230, an O-ring seal 240, and a negative pressure seal ring 250.

[0057] A groove is provided on the inner wall of the plunger rod 122 in contact with the portion of the sampling head 110 extending in the first direction. The plunger rod 122 can slide along the groove inside the sampling head 110 in the first direction. The star-shaped seal ring 230 is provided at the above-mentioned groove for realizing the moving seal between the sampling head 110 and the plunger rod 122. Since the contact area of the star-shaped seal ring is relatively large, the sealing performance between the plunger rod 122 and the sampling head 110 is relatively good when the plunger rod 122 is in motion.

[0058] The O-ring seal 240 is provided at the end face of the plunger chamber 121 close to the sampling head 110 for realizing the static seal between the plunger chamber 121 and the sampling head 110.

[0059] The negative pressure sealing ring 250 is arranged on the sampling section 113 of the sampling head 110, for example, at one end of the sampling section 113 far from the front end 110a, and is used to form a negative pressure seal between the sampling head 110 and the surface to be sampled (for example, the surface of the cavity containing the liquid sample or the surface of the cavity containing the diluent in the reagent kit) when the sampling head 110 contacts the surface to be sampled, so as to ensure the negative pressure during the sampling process.

[0060] Optionally, various performance parameters of the second motor 124 can be determined according to the moving speed of the plunger rod 122 in the first direction.

[0061] Optionally, as Figure 2 shown, the length of the plunger rod 122 consists of three parts: the effective functional length L1, the driving requirement length L2, and the structural requirement length L3.

[0062] Among them, the effective functional length L1 is determined according to the maximum sampling volume requirement.

[0063] The structural requirement length L3 is determined according to the structural support requirements of the plunger pump 120.

[0064] Since the plunger pump 120 itself also has the function of structural support, it needs to support the sensor fixing plate 190, the plunger induction piece 123, and the plug-in terminal interface 220. Therefore, the structural requirement length L3 can be designed according to the structural support requirements of the sensor fixing plate 190, the plunger induction piece 123, and the plug-in terminal interface 220.

[0065] The sampling process using the full-automatic sampling device 100 may include: sucking negative pressure, sucking samples, and adding samples (or discharging samples). Optionally, sucking diluent may also be included between sucking samples and adding samples.

[0066] This sampling process includes lifting movement (i.e., the sampling head 110 and the plunger pump 120 move along the second direction driven by the first motor 131) and left-right movement (i.e., the plunger pump 120 moves along the first direction driven by the second motor 124).

[0067] Here, the driving requirement length L2, that is, the length of the second rack 125, is determined according to the movement stroke of the left-right movement in the above sampling process.

[0068] Various performance parameters of the first motor 131 can be comprehensively determined according to the movement stroke of the lifting movement in the above sampling process and the downward pressure required for picking up the sampling head 110 and the TIP head 140. Such as the torque, holding torque, rotational speed, etc. of the first motor 131.

[0069] Next, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 which shows the use of such as Figure 1And a sample adding method flow 300 for adding samples by the fully automatic sample adding device 100 described in each of the above optional embodiments. This flow 300 is applicable to scenarios where a TIP head is required for sample adding. The sample adding method includes the following steps:

[0070] Step 301, place the TIP head to be aspirated under the sampling head 110.

[0071] Here, the TIP head to be aspirated can be manually moved under the sampling head 110.

[0072] Or automatically control the movement of the TIP head to be aspirated so that the TIP head to be aspirated is located under the sampling head 110.

[0073] It should be noted that here, the TIP head to be aspirated can be set in the reagent kit, and the TIP head 140 provided below the TIP head position set on the top of the reagent kit can be aspirated through the TIP head position.

[0074] Step 302, assemble the sampling head 110 with the TIP head 140 to form a sealed structure.

[0075] Specifically, by controlling the working parameters of the first motor 131 in the lifting drive mechanism 130, the sampling head 110 can be lowered to be assembled with the TIP head 140 to form a sealed structure. For example, the aspiration section 113 can be assembled with the tail of the TIP head 140.

[0076] Step 303, place the sampling position under the TIP head 140.

[0077] Here, the position of the sample to be aspirated is the sampling position. Specifically, the sampling position can be the sample position or the reagent position in the reagent kit that contains the sample or the reagent. The sample or the reagent in the reagent kit can be aspirated through the sample position or the reagent position.

[0078] Step 304, the plunger rod 122 in the plunger pump 120 moves to aspirate the liquid from the sampling position by using the TIP head 140.

[0079] Here, the liquid can be a liquid sample (e.g., blood) or a reagent (e.g., diluent).

[0080] Here, by controlling the working parameters of the plunger pump 120, the liquid can be aspirated from the sampling position by using the TIP head 140.

[0081] Specifically, the movement of the plunger rod 122 can be controlled to evacuate the gas in the plunger chamber 121, so as to form a negative pressure in the TIP head 140. Then, the movement of the plunger rod 122 is controlled to suck the liquid from the sampling position through the TIP head 140. The sucked sample or reagent can be kept within the TIP head 140 under the action of the negative pressure, so as to keep the liquid within the TIP head 140 before the sampling head 110 is transferred to the target sample adding position.

[0082] Step 305: Place the target sample adding position under the TIP head 140.

[0083] Here, the target sample adding position can be, for example, the sample adding area of the test strip, the detection area (or display area) of the test strip, the sample adding position set on the reagent kit, etc. The present disclosure does not make specific limitations thereto.

[0084] Specifically, the working parameters of the first motor 131 in the lifting drive mechanism 130 can be controlled here, so that the sampling head 110 moves upward to make the TIP head 140 leave the sampling position. Then, in a manual or automatic manner, the target sample adding position is placed directly below the TIP head 140 assembled under the sampling head 110 to facilitate subsequent sample adding operations.

[0085] Step 306: The plunger rod 122 in the plunger pump 120 moves to realize adding the liquid in the TIP head 140 to the target sample adding position.

[0086] Specifically, the working parameters of the second motor 124 in the plunger pump 120 can be controlled here, so that the plunger rod 122 moves to realize adding the liquid in the TIP head 140 to the target sample adding position. Optionally, the working parameters of the second motor 124 in the plunger pump 120 can also be controlled here, so that the plunger rod 122 moves to realize quantitatively adding the liquid in the TIP head 140 to the target sample adding position.

[0087] According to the sample adding method of the above steps 301 to 306, sample adding can be realized by using the TIP head.

[0088] Next, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 which shows a sample adding method flow 400 for sample adding by using the full-automatic sample adding device 100 as described above and in the above various optional embodiments. This flow 400 is applicable to a sample adding scenario without a TIP head. The sample adding method includes the following steps: Figure 1

[0089] Step 401: Place the sample sucking position of the reagent kit to be sampled under the sampling head 110.

[0090] ​Here, a manual or automatic control method can be adopted to place the reagent kit to be aspirated under the sampling head 110, and make the sample position on the reagent kit exactly under the sampling head 110.

[0091] Here, a sampling position is provided at the top of the reagent kit to be loaded with samples. Below the sampling position is a cavity, which can accommodate a sample liquid (e.g., blood) or a reagent (e.g., diluent).

[0092] Step 402: The sampling head 110 moves downward to form a sealed structure with the sampling position of the reagent kit.

[0093] Specifically, by controlling the operating parameters of the first motor 131 in the lifting drive mechanism 130, the sampling head 110 can be lowered so that the front sealing ring can form a sealed structure with the sampling position. For example, the sampling section 113 can be sealed to the sampling position.

[0094] Step 403: The plunger rod 122 in the plunger pump 120 moves to aspirate the liquid from the cavity under the sampling position by the sampling head 110.

[0095] Here, the liquid can be a liquid sample (e.g., blood) or a reagent (e.g., diluent).

[0096] Specifically, the movement of the plunger rod 122 can be controlled to evacuate the gas in the plunger chamber 121, so as to create a negative pressure in the sampling head 110. Then, the movement of the plunger rod 122 is controlled to aspirate the liquid from the cavity under the sampling position through the sampling head 110. The aspirated liquid can be kept within the sampling section of the sampling head 110 under the action of the negative pressure, so as to keep the liquid within the sampling section 113 of the sampling head 110 before the sampling head 110 is transferred to the target sample addition position.

[0097] Step 404: Place the target sample addition position under the sampling head 110.

[0098] Here, the target sample addition position can be, for example, the sample addition area of the test strip, the detection area (or display area) of the test strip, the sample addition position provided on the reagent kit, etc. The present disclosure does not make specific limitations thereto.

[0099] Specifically, here, by controlling the operating parameters of the first motor 131 in the lifting drive mechanism 130, the sampling head 110 can be moved upward to make the sampling head 110 leave the sampling position, and then, in a manual or automatic manner, the target sample addition position is placed exactly under the sampling section 113 of the sampling head 110 to facilitate subsequent sample addition operations.

[0100] Step 405: The plunger rod 122 in the plunger pump 120 moves to add the liquid in the sampling head 110 to the target sample addition position.

[0101] Specifically, here, the operating parameters of the second motor 124 in the plunger pump 120 can be controlled to move the plunger rod 122 to achieve adding the liquid in the sampling section 113 of the sampling head 110 to the target sample adding position. Optionally, here, the operating parameters of the second motor 124 in the plunger pump 120 can also be controlled to move the plunger rod 122 to achieve quantitatively adding the liquid in the TIP head 140 to the target sample adding position.

[0102] According to the sample adding method of the above steps 401 to 405, the sample adding scenario without using a TIP head can be achieved for sample adding.

[0103] It should be noted that the implementation details and technical effects of each step in the sample adding method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can refer to the descriptions of other embodiments in the present disclosure, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0104] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a program segment, or a part of code, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks shown may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combinations of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified functions or operations, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0105] The units or modules involved in the embodiments described in the present disclosure can be implemented in software or in hardware. Among them, the name of the unit or module does not constitute a limitation to the unit or module itself in some cases.

[0106] The above description is only the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and the description of the applied technical principles. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of disclosure involved in the present disclosure is not limited to the technical solutions formed by the specific combination of the above technical features, but also covers other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above disclosure concept. For example, the technical solutions formed by mutually replacing the above features with the (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A fully automatic sample adding device, comprising: A sample suction head (110), a plunger pump (120) and a lifting drive mechanism (130), wherein the sample suction head (110) is used to suck negative pressure, suck TIP head, suck sample and add sample under the control of the plunger pump (120), and the lifting drive mechanism (130) is used to control the moving distance of the sample suction head (110).

2. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 1, wherein: The sample suction head (110) has a front end (110a) and a rear end (110b), and the front end (110a) has a sharp thorn for piercing the sealing film of the sample tube.

3. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 2, wherein: From the rear end (110b) to the front end (110a), the sample suction head (110) comprises a connecting section (111), a boss (112) and a sample suction section (113).

4. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 3, wherein: The plunger pump (120) comprises a plunger cavity (121) and a plunger rod (122), wherein the plunger rod (122) is sleeved inside the plunger cavity (121), the plunger rod (122) has a first end (122a), and the extension direction of the plunger cavity (121) and the plunger rod (122) is a first direction. The connecting section (111) comprises a first connecting section (1111) extending along the first direction and a second connecting section (1112) extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second connecting section (1112), the boss (112) and the sample suction section (113) extend along the second direction.

5. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 4, wherein: The first connecting section (1111) is fixedly and sealedly connected to the plunger cavity (121); the sample suction head (110) is an internal hollow pipe structure; and the plunger rod (122) can move along the first direction within the plunger cavity (121) and the first connecting section (1111).

6. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 4, wherein: The lifting drive mechanism is used to drive the sample suction head (110) to move along the second direction.

7. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 6, wherein: The plunger rod (122) also has a second end (122b) opposite to the first end (122a), and the plunger pump (120) further includes a plunger sensor plate (123) fixedly disposed on the second end (122b).

8. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 7, wherein: The fully automatic sample loading device is also provided with a first in-place sensor (150), and the first in-place sensor (150) is used to identify whether the sample suction head (110) and the plunger pump (120) have reached an initial position in the second direction.

9. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 4, wherein: The fully automatic sample loading device is further provided with a second in-place sensor (160), and the second in-place sensor (160) is used to identify whether the plunger rod (122) has reached an initial position in the first direction.

10. The fully automatic sample loading device according to claim 4, wherein: The fully automatic sample adding device is also provided with a star-shaped sealing ring (230), an O-shaped sealing ring (240) and a negative pressure sealing ring (250); The inner wall of the first connecting section (1111) contacting the plunger rod (122) is provided with a first groove, and the plunger rod (122) slides along the first direction in the first connecting section (1111) along the first groove, and a star-shaped sealing ring (230) is provided at the first groove to achieve a motion seal between the first connecting section (1111) and the plunger rod (122); The O-type sealing ring (240) is arranged on the end surface of the plunger cavity (121) close to the first connecting section (1111) and is used to achieve static sealing between the plunger cavity (121) and the first connecting section (1111); The negative pressure sealing ring (250) is arranged on the sample suction section (113) of the sample suction head (110) and is used to form a negative pressure seal between the sample suction head (110) and the surface to be sucked when the sample suction section contacts the surface to be sucked.

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