Simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample adding

Abstract

The simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample adding is designed, the head end of the sample adding device is provided with a corresponding blocking structure, during moving, blocking can be conducted through the arranged blocking cover, and during sample adding, the blocking cover can be directly opened, so that the problem that other samples are polluted due to dripping of liquid in the moving process can be effectively solved, and the sample adding efficiency is improved. Meanwhile, a mechanical track can be controlled to correspondingly move one by one from a sample pore plate and a male sample pore plate according to needs through a designed specified path, and a plurality of pipetting devices are arranged at the same time, so that sample adding of a plurality of sample pores or a single sample pore can be realized by controlling synchronous and asynchronous movement of the pipetting devices; meanwhile, through the arranged pipetting device, the problem that in the pipetting process, due to vibration of the device, liquid in the pipetting device falls off, and other samples are polluted can be effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical devices, and particularly to a simple mechanical device for nucleic acid sample addition during clinical PCR experiments. Background Art

[0002] Nucleic acid sample addition is a key step in PCR tests. The process can be simply understood as follows: First, open the sample tube, use a pipette gun to aspirate a quantitative specimen, and then extract the sample nucleic acid according to the laboratory SOP regulations. Then, use a micropipette tip to add the above-mentioned extracted nucleic acid sample (template) to the previously prepared amplification reagent system (enzymes, primers, etc.), and then load it onto the machine for subsequent amplification reactions. The process of nucleic acid sample addition is extremely cumbersome but very important. It must be ensured that there is a one-to-one correspondence, without misplacement or cross-contamination. This process will directly affect the timeliness and accuracy of the detection results and is an essential part of reflecting the true clinical status of patients and diagnosing diseases.

[0003] However, in clinical nucleic acid testing work, due to the large number of samples to be processed, the traditional sample addition process is particularly cumbersome. Especially when using 8-tube strips or 96-well plates, the well positions are dense and numerous, which not only easily leads to misalignment of well positions but also may cause cross-contamination between adjacent samples. These problems not only consume time and effort but also greatly reduce the detection efficiency, bringing a significant burden to clinical work.

[0004] To solve these problems, batch nucleic acid sample addition devices have emerged. These devices do provide convenience for medical staff to a certain extent. However, there are still some problems in the sampling process of existing nucleic acid sample addition devices. Specifically, during the movement of the tip of the sample addition head, due to mechanical vibration, liquid may drop, which not only causes waste of samples but also may contaminate other samples. At the same time, the current fully automatic nucleic acid amplifiers are expensive. Therefore, the current nucleic acid sample addition devices still need to be further improved.

[0005] Therefore, a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition is needed to solve the above technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention discloses a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid loading, the head end of the loading device has a corresponding blocking structure, when moving, it can be blocked by the provided blocking cover, and can be directly opened when loading, which can effectively prevent the dripping of liquid during the movement from causing contamination to other samples. At the same time, through the designed specified path, it can control the mechanical trajectory to move one by one from the sample well plate and the stand-by reagent well plate as needed, and a plurality of pipetting devices are provided at the same time, and the loading of multiple sample wells or a single sample well can be achieved by controlling the synchronous and asynchronous movement of the pipetting devices.

[0007] In order to achieve the above technical effects, on the one hand, the present invention designs a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid loading, comprising: a desktop, a support assembly, a support plate, and a liquid transfer device; a square groove is provided in the middle of the upper end of the desktop, a sample well plate is detachably mounted on the square groove, a first slide groove is provided on the other side of the square groove, the support assembly is mounted on the first slide groove, the support plate is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the support assembly, and the liquid transfer device is movably mounted on the lower end of the support plate;

[0008] The pipetting device includes an outer sleeve, a pipette, and an electric push rod; the outer sleeve is a hollow structure, the electric push rod is fixedly installed on the inner upper end of the outer sleeve, the pipette is fixedly installed on the push rod upper end of the electric push rod, a negative pressure pump is fixedly installed inside the pipette, a negative pressure tube is installed at the front end of the negative pressure pump, a limit block is fixedly installed in the middle of the outer wall of the pipette, a pull wire is fixedly installed at the lower end of the limit block, and the end of the connection wire is fixedly connected to the inner side of a blocking plate arranged at the end of the outer sleeve through a rotating shaft; the pull wire is controlled to tighten or loosen the pull wire by controlling the up and down movement of the electric push rod, thereby controlling the closing and opening of the blocking plate;

[0009] Furthermore, the pipetting devices are provided with at least 8 devices to meet different sample addition needs;

[0010] Furthermore, a sealing block is fixedly installed on the blocking plate; infrared sensors are fixedly installed on both sides of the lower end of the outer sleeve; a connecting block is fixedly installed on the upper end of the outer sleeve, a sleeve is fixedly installed on the upper end of the connecting block, and the sleeve is slidably installed on the lower end of the support plate;

[0011] Furthermore, a plurality of second slide grooves are provided in a linear array at the lower end of the support plate, the outer sleeve is movably mounted on the second slide groove, and a motor is mounted at the outer end of the support plate outside the second slide groove corresponding to the position of the second slide groove;

[0012] Further, the support assembly includes: a support platform and an electric telescopic rod; the support platform is installed on the first slide slot, the upper end of the support platform is fixedly installed with the electric telescopic rod; the end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly installed with the support plate;

[0013] Furthermore, a pressure sensor is fixedly installed inside the square groove at the upper end of the desktop. Inside the square groove and at the upper end of the desktop, a control panel is fixedly arranged. At both sides of the lower end of the desktop, storage lockers are fixedly installed, and support pads are fixedly installed at the ends of the table legs inside the storage lockers.

[0014] On the other hand, the present invention discloses a control method for a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition, including the following steps:

[0015] S1: First, define the initial position of the pipetting device, which is defined as the position where the sample well plate is installed inside the square groove; the operation is to install the sample well plate on the sliding grooves on both sides of the upper end of the desktop and press it to the bottom until it contacts and presses the pressure sensor;

[0016] S2: According to the sample addition requirements, select the number of movements n of the pipetting device;

[0017] S3: Control the sample addition trajectory through the control panel for sample addition. The trajectory during sample addition is divided into reciprocating displacements; the corresponding sample addition is achieved through the reciprocating displacements.

[0018] Furthermore, during sample addition in S3, when the sample well plates on both sides are the same (such as 96-well plates), assuming the distance between the sample well plates is a and the distance between the sample well plates in the first row on both sides is L, then the general formula for the trajectory during reciprocating displacement is L + 2(n - 1)a; the general formula for the complex trajectory is (2n - 1)a + L;

[0019] When the sample well plates on both sides are different (such as a single-row plate and a multi-row plate); then the general formula for the forward trajectory during reciprocating displacement is L + (n - 1)a; the general formula for the backward trajectory is 2(n - 1)a + L.

[0020] Furthermore, during sample addition in S3, the negative pressure pump in the pipetting device is used for extraction and sample addition, and at the same time, the electric push rod controls the reciprocating movement. When the pressure sensor detects an object for a period of time, the electric push rod stops and the negative pressure pump works.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0022] The present invention designs a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition. The head end of the sample addition device has a corresponding sealing structure. During movement, the sealing cover can be used for sealing, and it can be directly opened during sample addition, effectively preventing the problem of liquid dripping during movement from contaminating other samples. At the same time, through the designed specified path, it can control the mechanical trajectory to move one by one from the sample well plate and the public sample well plate as needed. Meanwhile, multiple pipetting devices are provided. By controlling the synchronous and asynchronous movements of the pipetting devices, sample addition to multiple sample wells or a single sample well can be achieved. At the same time, the pipetting devices provided can effectively prevent the liquid in the pipetting device from dropping due to the vibration of the device itself during pipetting, causing contamination of other samples.

[0023] Meanwhile, the present invention discloses a control method for a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition. Through this control method, sample addition selection between different sample well plates can be achieved, and the overall control process is simple. It can not only effectively achieve the purpose of pipetting, but also save programs, and is convenient and practical. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for describing the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

[0025] Figure 1 It is an overall structural schematic diagram of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a front view of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition;

[0027] Figure 3 It is an overall bottom structural schematic diagram of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition;

[0028] Figure 4 It is an overall structural schematic diagram of the pipetting device of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a sectional view of the pipetting device of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition;

[0030] Figure 6 It is a sectional view of the placement hole part of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition.

[0031] In the drawings, the list of components represented by each reference numeral is as follows:

[0032] 1 - Desktop, 11 - Square groove, 111 - Pressure sensor, 12 - Locker, 13 - Support pad, 14 - Baffle, 15 - First chute, 2 - Support assembly, 21 - Support table, 22 - Electric telescopic rod, 3 - Support plate, 31 - Pipetting device, 311 - Outer sleeve, 312 - Connecting block, 313 - Sleeve, 314 - Infrared sensor, 315 - Electric push rod, 316 - Pipette, 317 - Negative pressure pump, 318 - Negative pressure pipe, 319 - Limit block, 320 - Pull wire, 321 - Rotating shaft, 322 - Sealing plate, 3221 - Sealing block; 32 - Motor, 33 - Second chute, 4 - Sample hole plate, 5 - Control panel, 51 - Button, 6 - Tip holder, 7 - Placement hole, 71 - Trash can, 72 - Spring, 73 - Clamping block. Detailed implementation manner

[0033] Embodiment 1

[0034] In this embodiment, the present invention designs a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition, including: a desktop 1, a support assembly 2, a support plate 3, and a pipetting device 31; a square groove 11 is provided in the middle of the upper end of the desktop 1, and a sample hole plate 4 is detachably installed on the square groove 11. A first chute 15 is provided on the other side of the square groove 11, and the support assembly 2 is installed on the first chute 15. The upper end of the support assembly 2 is fixedly installed with the support plate 3, and the lower end of the support plate 3 is movably installed with the pipetting device 31; by setting the pipetting device 31, it can effectively prevent the liquid in the pipetting device 31 from dropping due to the vibration of the device itself during the pipetting process, causing the problem of contamination of other samples.

[0035] The pipetting device 31 includes an outer sleeve 311, a pipette 316, and an electric push rod 315; the outer sleeve 311 is of a hollow structure, the electric push rod 315 is fixedly installed at the upper end inside the outer sleeve 311, the upper end of the push rod of the electric push rod 315 is fixedly installed with the pipette 316, a negative pressure pump 317 is fixedly installed inside the pipette 316, a negative pressure pipe 318 is installed at the front end of the negative pressure pump 317, a limiting block 319 is fixedly installed in the middle of the outer side wall of the pipette 316, a pull wire 320 is fixedly installed at the lower end of the limiting block 319, and the end of the connecting wire is fixedly connected to the inner side of a sealing plate 322 rotatably arranged at the end of the outer sleeve 313 through a rotating shaft 321; by controlling the up and down movement of the electric push rod 315, the pull wire 320 is tightened or loosened, thereby controlling the closing and opening of the sealing plate 322; through the provided sealing cover, it can be sealed and can be directly opened during sample addition, which can effectively prevent the problem of liquid dripping during movement from contaminating other samples. At the same time, through the designed specified path, it can move corresponding to the sample well plate and the common sample well plate 4 one by one as needed. At the same time, multiple pipetting devices 31 are provided, and by controlling the synchronous and asynchronous movements of the pipetting devices 31, sample addition to multiple sample wells or a single sample well can be achieved; specifically, the movement process of the pipetting device 31 is as follows: control the electric push rod 315 to move downward, then the pipette 316 moves downward simultaneously, which will drive the limiting block 319 to move downward, causing the pull wire 320 and the sealing plate 322 to lose their interaction, and the sealing plate 322 opens. At this time, the pipette 316 can be opened, and then the negative pressure pump 317 works to generate pressure to squeeze out the liquid inside the pipette 316, completing one sample addition operation.

[0036] At the same time, in this embodiment, a sealing block 3221 is fixedly installed on the sealing plate 322; through the provided sealing block 3221, no gap will be generated between the sealing plates 322, which can effectively form a division and can effectively prevent contaminating the samples passing by below during movement; at the same time, infrared sensors 314 are fixedly installed on both sides of the lower end of the outer sleeve 313. Through the provided infrared sensors 314, the specific position can be sensed, so that the electric push rod 315 will not continuously work and move downward continuously; a connecting block 312 is fixedly installed at the upper end of the outer sleeve 313, and a sleeve 313 is fixedly installed at the upper end of the connecting block 312. The sleeve 313 is slidably installed at the lower end of the support plate 3; the sliding installation method of the sleeve 313 is installed through a motor screw structure.

[0037] Specifically, a number of second sliding grooves 33 are linearly arrayed at the lower end of the support plate 3. The outer sleeve 313 is movably installed on the second sliding grooves 33. A motor is installed at the outer end of the support plate 3 outside the second sliding grooves 33 corresponding to the positions of the second sliding grooves 33. The outer sleeve 313 is driven by the motor to slide, thereby realizing the movement of the liquid transfer device 31. In this embodiment, the motor screw mechanism belongs to the prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0038] Embodiment 2

[0039] In this embodiment, the support plate 3 can be supported by the provided support assembly 2. At the same time, the support assembly 2 can move up and down to adjust the vertical position of the liquid transfer device 31 to meet the needs of sample addition. Specifically, the support assembly 2 includes a support table 21 and an electric telescopic rod 22. The support table 21 is installed on the first sliding groove 15, and the electric telescopic rod 22 is fixedly installed at the upper end of the support table 21. The end of the electric telescopic rod 22 is fixedly installed with the support plate 3. By controlling the telescopic movement of the electric telescopic rod 22, the lifting of the support plate 3 is controlled, thereby realizing the displacement control of the liquid transfer device 31. At the same time, the support table 21 is fixedly installed.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, based on the movement of the liquid transfer device 31 described in Embodiment 1, which is relatively fixed, it is necessary to ensure that the initial position of the liquid transfer device 31 and the position of the inner hole of the sample well plate 4 are on the same axis. Otherwise, deviation will occur, resulting in liquid transfer failure. At the same time, it can also be used as the initial position point (i.e., the reset point) to ensure the smooth implementation of liquid transfer. To ensure the above process, a pressure sensor 111 is fixedly installed inside the square groove 11 at the upper end of the tabletop 1. By setting the pressure sensor 111, the position of the sample well plate 4 after being fixed can be sensed in real time. The closer the position is fixed to the front, the greater the pressure. The position of the sample well plate 4 is detected through the feedback of the pressure. At the same time, the moving and fixing method of the sample well plate 4 can be in the form of damped sliding or fixed by external limiting means, such as bolts, screw nuts, etc. In addition, a control panel 5 is fixedly arranged on the upper end of the tabletop 1 inside the square groove 11. By setting the control panel 5, the work of each component can be controlled, and it can also serve as a control center for controlling the work of the device. The working methods of the control panel 5 and the control elements belong to the prior art and will not be elaborated here. At the same time, storage cabinets 12 are fixedly installed on both sides of the lower end of the tabletop 1, and support pads 13 are fixedly installed at the ends of the table legs inside the storage cabinets 12. The provided storage cabinets 12 can be used to store items.

[0041] Embodiment 3

[0042] In this embodiment, based on the nucleic acid pipetting device described in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, in this embodiment, the problem of pipette tip replacement is further solved by adding a pipette tip replacement device. In this embodiment, pipette tip holders 6 are detachably installed on both sides of the square groove 11. Pipette tips of a pipette are installed on the pipette tip holders 6, and this method is manually added. At the same time, in the middle of the desktop 1, several placement holes 7 are opened above the control panel 5. A spring 72 is installed by opening a hole on the inner side wall of the placement hole 7. A clamping block 73 is fixedly connected to the end of the spring. The pipette and the pipette tip are pressed and installed by the downward movement of the pipetting device 31 and then used. After use, the pipetting device 31 moves to a position corresponding to the placement hole and then moves downward, gradually squeezing the clamping block 73 (the clamping block 73 is a wedge-shaped structure, with an inclined surface at the upper end and a flat surface at the lower end). At this time, the spring 72 is compressed. Until the pipette moves a specific distance, the clamping block 73 pops out and clamps the installation part of the pipette and the tip. Then the pipetting device 31 moves upward, and under the action of the clamping block, the pipette tip is removed and directly falls into the trash can 71 slidably installed at the lower end of the desktop 1, completing one installation and removal operation of the pipette tip. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the diameter between the clamping blocks on the placement hole 7 is between the diameter of the pipette tip and the diameter of the front connection part of the pipette.

[0043] Embodiment 4

[0044] A control method for a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid pipetting includes the following steps:

[0045] S1: First, define the initial position of the pipetting device 31 (i.e., the initial position described in Embodiment 2), and then define the position for installing the sample well plate 4 inside the square groove 11. The operation is to install the sample well plate 4 on the sliding grooves on both upper sides of the desktop 1 and press it to the bottom until it contacts and presses the pressure sensor 111. (At this time, the definition is completed and it enters the working state. If the pressure of the pressure sensor 111 is less than the preset value, it is defaulted not to enter the working state)

[0046] S2: According to the pipetting requirements, select the number of movements n of the pipetting device 31. For example, for pipetting a single well plate, it can be placed at any position, and at the same time, according to the corresponding pipetting device 31, it is started. Different pipetting requirements can be achieved by controlling multiple motors to work simultaneously or differently.

[0047] S3; Control the sample addition trajectory through the control panel 5 for sample addition. The trajectory during sample addition is divided into reciprocating displacement; the corresponding sample addition is achieved through reciprocating displacement. The sample addition settings here need to be set according to different situations, mainly divided into two cases; one is: during sample addition, when both sides are the same sample well plate 4 (such as a 96-well plate), assuming the distance between the sample well plates 4 is a, and the distance between the first row of sample well plates 4 on both sides is L, then during reciprocating displacement, the general formula for the forward trajectory is L + 2(n - 1)a; the general formula for the reverse trajectory is (2n - 1)a + L;

[0048] The other is: when the sample well plates 4 on both sides are different (such as a single-row plate and a multi-row plate); then during reciprocating displacement, the general formula for the forward trajectory is L + (n - 1)a; the general formula for the reverse trajectory is 2(n - 1)a + L. Different movement path trajectories can be selected according to needs. At the same time, during sample addition, the negative pressure pump 317 in the liquid transfer device 31 is used for extraction and sample addition, and the electric push rod 315 controls the reciprocating movement. When the pressure sensor 111 detects an object for a period of time, the electric push rod 315 stops and the negative pressure pump 317 works. Through this control method, the sample addition selection between different sample well plates 4 can be realized, and the overall control process is simple. It can not only effectively achieve the purpose of liquid transfer, but also save programs and is convenient and practical.

[0049] The preferred embodiments of the present invention disclosed above are only used to help illustrate the present invention. The preferred embodiments do not describe all the details in detail, nor limit the invention to the specific embodiments described.

Claims

1. A simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition, characterized in that, Desktop, support component, support plate, pipetting device; a square groove is formed in the middle of the upper end of the desktop, a sample hole plate is detachably installed on the square groove, a first chute is formed on the other side of the square groove, the support component is installed on the first chute, the support plate is fixedly installed at the upper end of the support component, and the pipetting device is movably installed at the lower end of the support plate; The pipetting device includes an outer sleeve, a pipette tube, and an electric push rod; the outer sleeve is a hollow structure, the electric push rod is fixedly installed at the upper end inside the outer sleeve, the upper end of the push rod of the electric push rod is fixedly installed with the pipette tube, a negative pressure pump is fixedly installed inside the pipette tube, a negative pressure tube is installed at the front end of the negative pressure pump, a limiting block is fixedly installed in the middle of the outer side wall of the pipette tube, a pull wire is fixedly installed at the lower end of the limiting block, and the end of the connecting wire is fixedly connected to the inner side of a sealing plate rotatably arranged at the end of the outer sleeve through a rotating shaft; by controlling the up and down movement of the electric push rod to control the tightening or loosening of the pull wire, thereby controlling the closing and opening of the sealing plate.

2. The simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition according to claim 1, wherein A sealing block is fixedly installed on the sealing plate; infrared sensors are fixedly installed on both sides of the lower end of the outer sleeve; a connecting block is fixedly installed at the upper end of the outer sleeve, and a sleeve is fixedly installed at the upper end of the connecting block, and the sleeve is slidably installed at the lower end of the support plate.

3. The simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition according to claim 1, characterized in that, A plurality of second chutes are linearly arranged in an array at the lower end of the support plate, the outer sleeve is movably installed on the second chutes, and a motor is installed at the outer end of the support plate corresponding to the second chutes on the outer side of the second chutes.

4. The simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support component includes: a support table and an electric telescopic rod; the support table is installed on the first chute, and the electric telescopic rod is fixedly installed at the upper end of the support table; the end of the electric telescopic rod is fixedly installed with the support plate.

5. The simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition according to claim 1, characterized in that A pressure sensor is fixedly installed inside the square groove at the upper end of the desktop, a control panel is fixedly arranged on the upper end of the desktop inside the square groove, storage cabinets are fixedly installed on both sides of the lower end of the desktop, and support pads are fixedly installed at the ends of the table legs inside the storage cabinets.

6. The control method of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Including the following steps: S1: First, define the initial position of the pipetting device, which is defined as the position where the sample hole plate is installed inside the square groove; the operation is to install the sample hole plate on the chutes on both sides of the upper end of the desktop and press it to the bottom until it touches and presses the pressure sensor; S2: According to the sample addition requirements, select the number of movements n of the pipetting device; S3; Control the sample addition trajectory through the control panel for sample addition. The trajectory during sample addition is divided into reciprocating displacements; the corresponding sample addition is achieved through the reciprocating displacements.

7. The control method of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that, When both sides are the same sample hole plates during the sample addition in S3, assuming the distance between the sample hole plates is a and the distance between the first row of sample hole plates on both sides is L, then the general formula for the trajectory during reciprocating displacement is L + 2(n - 1)a; the general formula for the complex trajectory is (2n - 1)a + L; When the sample hole plates on both sides are different; then the general formula for the forward trajectory during reciprocating displacement is L + (n - 1)a; the general formula for the complex trajectory is 2(n - 1)a + L.

8. The control method of a simple mechanical device for clinical nucleic acid sample addition according to claim 1, characterized in that, When adding samples in S3, the negative pressure pump in the pipetting device is used for extraction and sample addition, and at the same time, the electric push rod controls the reciprocating movement. When the pressure sensor detects an object for a period of time, the electric push rod stops and the negative pressure pump works.

Images