Automatic flushing production line and automatic flushing method for culture dishes

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic flushing production line and an automatic flushing method for culture dishes, and mainly relates to the technical field of plate culture automatic treatment. Comprising a workbench, a first station and a second station which are adjacent to each other are arranged on the peripheral side of the workbench, round openings penetrating through the workbench are formed in the first station and the second station respectively, an index plate is installed in the middle of the workbench, and at least four arc-shaped grooves for limiting culture dishes are formed in the peripheral side of the index plate. When the index plate stops, the arc-shaped groove corresponds to the round opening in position, an upper suction cup is installed above the round opening in a lifting mode, a lower suction cup is arranged in the round opening, a flushing assembly is arranged beside the round opening and comprises a connector, a coiled pipe and a spray head which are connected, and the connector has a swing stroke with the vertical axial direction. The method has the beneficial effects that the current bottleneck is broken through, a full-automatic, concise, consistent-operation and large-scale flat plate flushing method is realized, and the acquisition of strains is easier to control and quantify.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of automatic processing of plate culture, in particular to an automatic flushing production line and an automatic flushing method for culture dishes. Background Art

[0002] When culturing typical bacterial cellulose film-producing strains (such as Komagataeibacterxylinus and Enterobacter sp. FY-07), they first need to form a biofilm on a flat plate solid culture medium, which is then washed off with sterile water to serve as a seed solution for the fermentation and production of bacterial cellulose. Currently, in the culture process of the flat plate culture medium, the steps of coating, culturing, film formation, and elution all need to be completed manually. With the continuous advancement of visual recognition and automated control technologies in various fields, conceptualized automated production lines have emerged in clinical testing or large-scale drug / food microbiological testing scenarios. However, these new technologies are not suitable for the cultivation of bacterial cellulose.

[0003] The initial bacterial cellulose cultivation process is similar to that of other bacterial cultures, but the subsequent "elution" step is essential and crucial. After 24-72 hours of biofilm cultivation, the lids of each culture dish must be opened and the seed liquid collected by repeated rinsing with buffer or sterile water. This process is complex and lacks a proven protocol. If performed manually, the rinsing angle and duration are difficult to quantify, resulting in variable values ​​(CVs) of biofilm activity within a batch as high as 15–25%, directly impacting the yield and quality of subsequent bacterial cellulose fermentation. Furthermore, a 10L fermenter, for example, requires 200–300 90mm culture dishes. Manual operation requires 3-4 people working continuously for 6-8 hours, which is labor-intensive and prone to errors. As the volume of work increases, bacterial contamination increases exponentially. Therefore, manual operation is subject to inefficiency, large batch variability, and the risk of bacterial contamination. Furthermore, as the fermentation scale increases from 10L to 100L or above, the number of culture dishes must increase exponentially, making the existing operating method a bottleneck restricting process scalability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic culture dish washing production line and an automatic washing method, which breaks through the current bottleneck and realizes a fully automatic, simplified, consistent and scalable plate washing method, making it easier to control and quantify the acquisition of bacterial strains.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions: A culture dish automated washing production line comprises a workbench, wherein adjacent workstations 1 and 2 are provided on the periphery of the workbench, and circular openings penetrating the workbench are respectively provided on the workstations 1 and 2, and a dividing plate is centrally mounted on the workbench, and at least four arcuate grooves for limiting the positions of the culture dishes are provided on the periphery of the dividing plate, and when the dividing plate is stopped, the arcuate grooves correspond to the positions of the circular openings, an upper suction cup is installed for lifting above the circular opening, a lower suction cup is provided in the circular opening, and a washing assembly is provided on the side of the circular opening, wherein the washing assembly comprises a connected joint, a serpentine pipe and a nozzle, and the joint has an axially vertical swing stroke.

[0006] An upward supporting mounting frame is fixed to the corner end of the workbench next to the circular mouth, and a lifting module is installed on the mounting frame. The lifting module includes a lifting plate with a Z-direction reciprocating stroke, and a vertically extending vertical shaft is rotatably installed on the lifting plate. The vertical shaft is driven by a stepper motor, and the bottom end of the vertical shaft is connected to a joint so that the joint has a swing stroke.

[0007] The lifting module also includes a vertical plate fixed relative to the mounting frame, and a slide rail and a lead screw are installed on the inner side of the lifting plate along the Z direction. The slide rail is provided with a slider that cooperates with it, and the lead screw is provided with a nut that cooperates with it. The nut and the slider are both fixed on the vertical plate.

[0008] The mounting frame is also provided with an opening cylinder body, the bottom end of which is telescopically matched with an opening cylinder rod, and the bottom end of which is fixed to the upper suction cup.

[0009] A hanging bracket fixed relative to the workbench is provided below the circular mouth, a sliding seat is fixed to one end of the hanging bracket close to the side of the workbench, an arc-shaped sliding bracket is provided on the sliding seat, the arc-shaped bracket is an arc structure of not less than 120 degrees, the top of the arc-shaped bracket is installed with the bottom of the lower suction cup, an arc-shaped gear ring is provided on the arc-shaped bracket, a lower gear driven by a motor is rotatably installed on the hanging bracket, and the lower gear is engaged with the arc-shaped gear ring.

[0010] The lower suction cup has two stop travel positions based on the arc-shaped sliding of the arc frame: a horizontal position and an inclined position. The horizontal position is when the suction cup opening of the lower suction cup is coplanar with the bracket, and the inclined position is when the arc frame slides outward until the suction cup opening of the lower suction cup is tilted downward relative to the vertical plane; The arc frame has at least two action modes based on its arc sliding: Swing mode: Executed on 1 station, the lower suction cup is in a horizontal position, and the arc frame swings within 1-3 degrees; Dumping mode: Executed on stations 1 and 2, it switches the lower suction cup from a horizontal position to an inclined position.

[0011] The side of the workbench is also provided with a loading port, which corresponds to a certain arc-shaped groove when the dividing plate stops. A loading trough is docked below the loading port, and one end of the top side of the loading trough is docked with the loading port. A loading notch is provided at the bottom of the loading trough corresponding to the loading port. A loading plate is installed for lifting between the loading notch and the loading port. A semicircular arc-shaped baffle is provided on the side of the loading plate away from the loading port. The loading plate cooperates with the dividing plate to have a loading stroke that rises at intervals. The outer end of the loading trough is provided with a feeding push plate with a horizontal stroke along its length.

[0012] The side of the workbench is also provided with a feeding port, which corresponds to a certain arc groove when the dividing plate stops. A feeding trough is provided below the feeding port, and the middle part of the top side of the feeding trough is connected with the feeding port, and a feeding notch is provided at the bottom of the feeding trough corresponding to the feeding port. A feeding plate is installed between the feeding notch and the feeding port for lifting. The feeding plate cooperates with the dividing plate to have a feeding stroke that descends at intervals. One end or both ends of the feeding trough is provided with a shifting push plate with a horizontal stroke along its length direction.

[0013] The transposition push plate is set as one, and a material basket cooperating with it is provided in the material discharge trough. The material basket includes several material barrels arranged and fixed in the same direction. The material barrels are straight-cylinder structures that are passed through from top to bottom. The material barrels are provided with hollow mesh holes in the height direction, and the inner diameter of the material barrels is adapted to the size of the culture dish.

[0014] The outer side of the circular opening is provided with a hanging groove fixed under the workbench, and a liquid collecting box is placed in the hanging groove. The top of the liquid collecting box is an open structure. The liquid collecting box is provided with a downward extending liquid collecting pipe on the side away from the workbench, and a tank body is connected to the bottom of the liquid collecting pipe.

[0015] A method for automatically flushing culture dishes, using an automated culture dish flushing production line, comprises the following steps: The culture dish is loaded onto the workbench and is constrained by the arc groove of the indexing plate; The culture dish enters station 1, the upper suction cup opens the lid of the culture dish, the lower suction cup fixes the culture dish, and the flushing component injects 5-15mL of sterile water into the culture dish to obtain a flushing solution; The culture dish enters the second station, the upper suction cup opens the cover of the culture dish, the lower suction cup fixes the culture dish, and the flushing component injects 10-30mL of sterile water into the culture dish to obtain the secondary flushing solution, i.e., the bacterial suspension; The culture dish follows the indexing plate and leaves the workbench.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: Through the installation of stations 1 and 2, a secondary rinse process is achieved for the culture dishes. Station 1 is used to rinse the culture medium surface once, removing dead bacteria, free bacteria, extracellular polysaccharide debris, and metabolic inhibitors on the culture medium surface, leaving behind highly active live bacteria firmly embedded in the cellulose network, thereby improving the purity and live bacteria ratio of the second bacterial suspension and reducing the risk of subsequent fermentation tanks being contaminated by foreign bacteria or metabolic inhibitors. The mycelium rinsed off at station 2 is used for subsequent production and cultivation. Based on the dual-station continuous operation and segmented processing, foreign bacteria and impurities are quickly removed, and highly active bacterial liquid is collected to achieve automated operation. The amount of sterile water and time can be precisely unified to ensure consistent operation of each piece of culture medium, improve operational accuracy, and ensure that the production of bacterial liquid can be managed and controlled, providing a reliable premise for achieving refined parameter control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is an overall schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 It is an overall schematic diagram of the present invention (relative to Figure 1 (reverse side view).

[0019] Figure 3 It is a bottom schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the split state of the feeding channel of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 It is a top view of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 This invention Figure 5 AA cross-sectional structure diagram.

[0023] Figure 7 This invention Figure 6 A partial schematic diagram of the upper part.

[0024] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the flushing path of the inclined culture dish according to the present invention.

[0025] Reference numerals shown in the accompanying drawings: 1. Workbench; 2. Indexing plate; 3. Workstation slot; 4. Bracket; 5. Round mouth; 6. Lower suction cup; 7. Hanging bracket; 8. Sliding seat; 9. Curved frame; 10. Slide bar; 11. Curved gear ring; 12. Lower gear; 13. Mounting frame; 14. Cylinder body with cover; 15. Upper suction cup; 16. Vertical plate; 17. Slide rail; 18. Slider; 19. Lifting plate; 20. Vertical shaft; 21. Joint; 2 2. Serpentine tube; 23. Hanging trough; 24. Liquid collecting box; 25. Liquid collecting pipe; 26. Feeding trough; 27. Feeding notch; 28. Feeding plate; 29. ​​Feeding cylinder; 30. Arc baffle; 31. Feeding push plate; 32. Feeding cylinder; 33. Unloading trough; 34. Unloading notch; 35. Unloading cylinder; 36. Unloading plate; 37. Material basket; 38. Transposition push plate; 39. Side oil cylinder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Below in conjunction with specific embodiment, further set forth the present invention.Should be understood that these embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not used in limiting the scope of the present invention.In addition, should be understood that after reading the content taught by the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms fall within the scope limited by the application equally.

[0027] Example 1:

[0028] This example designs a production line for fully automatic, closed, and large-scale processing of culture dishes during the elution of strains. Its main structure includes: Operation module, loading module, and unloading module.

[0029] The device is used in a sterile environment and can be installed in a sealed laboratory, a negative pressure sterile workshop, or in an external enclosure to achieve a sterile environment inside the enclosure. It can be flexibly configured according to scale.

[0030] (1) Operation module The operation module includes a workbench 1, which is fixedly installed in a sterile box or other enclosed space that meets sterile conditions.

[0031] The workbench 1 adopts a square metal table top, which is convenient for symmetrically setting the processing positions. A dividing plate 2 is set in the center above the workbench 1. The dividing plate 2 adopts the dividing plate 2 equipment of the existing technology (only the disk part of the dividing plate 2 is reflected in the figure to facilitate the display of other structures). It is based on the motor drive to achieve intermittent pauses at the set angle, and each rotation stops accurately at the preset position, so as to complete the fixed action at each preset position.

[0032] The indexing plate 2 is provided with four arcuate slots around its perimeter. These slots have an arc greater than 180 degrees and a diameter adapted to the size of the culture dish, constraining the dish within the slots as it rotates with the indexing plate 2. Due to the four slots, the indexing plate 2 is configured to stop every 90° of rotation, with the stop position located in the center of one side of the workbench 1, achieving precise, rhythmic production.

[0033] Based on the above structure, this production line adopts a double-station loading and unloading and double-station operation structure, that is, two flushing operations are completed independently at two stations in succession to achieve the design of production rhythm.

[0034] The sides of the arc-shaped groove are thickened to adapt to the height of the culture dish, thereby increasing the contact area with the culture dish. A cushion layer is provided on the inner side of the arc-shaped groove to prevent the culture dish from being scratched.

[0035] The workbench 1 has workstation slots 3 in the center of its four sides that are cocircular with the arcuate slot. These slots are used for loading and unloading materials and provide a mounting location for the workpiece. These slots are of a universal shape for ease of processing. They include a semicircular bottom whose size matches the size of the arcuate slot. The width of the rim of the slot on the side of the workbench 1 matches the diameter of the bottom.

[0036] Each time the indexing plate 2 stops, the arc groove corresponds to the workstation slot 3 up and down, and the workstation slot 3 exposes the culture dish in the arc groove, making it convenient for operation and loading and unloading.

[0037] The two adjacent workstation slots 3 are a loading port and a unloading port respectively. The lower portion of the loading port is used to cooperate with a loading module, and the lower portion of the unloading module is used to cooperate with a unloading module.

[0038] The other two adjacent workstation slots 3 are used for flushing, and a bracket 4 is fixed in these two workstation slots 3. The top surface of the bracket 4 is coplanar with the workbench 1. The bracket 4 can support the culture dish that reaches the workstation slot 3. A circular opening 5 is provided in the middle of the bracket 4. The circular opening 5 is coaxial with the bottom of the corresponding workstation slot 3 to facilitate the operation of making way in the center of the bottom. Ear plates are provided on both sides of the bracket 4. Fasteners that cooperate with the bottom surface of the workbench 1 are passed through the ear plates. The fasteners include common fasteners such as screws. The fasteners are used to fix the bracket 4 to the workstation slot 3 to achieve a detachable independent component. The above structure can support the culture dish located in the workstation slot 3 through the bracket 4, and an operable space is exposed in the center of the bottom. By installing an independent component - the bracket 4 in the workstation slot 3, the bracket 4 can be assembled and disassembled, and the size of the central circular opening 5 can be adjusted as needed.

[0039] The uniformly structured workstation slots 3 facilitate processing and enable the free configuration of multiple functions, thus achieving modular assembly. Brackets 4 are installed at locations where processing is required, supporting the culture dish and leaving space at the bottom for other components to move, in accordance with the possible operating movements of the culture dish.

[0040] A hanging bracket 7 is provided below the bracket 4 and is fixedly mounted relative to the workbench 1. The top side of the hanging bracket 7 is fixed to the bottom surface of the workbench 1 by fasteners. A sliding seat 8 is fixed to one end of the hanging bracket 7 close to the side of the workbench 1. A U-shaped groove is provided on one side of the sliding seat 8 close to the side of the workbench 1. Relative slide grooves are provided on both sides of the U-shaped groove. An arc frame 9 slidingly matched with the sliding seat 8 is passed through the U-shaped groove. Slide bars 10 slidably connected to the slide groove are provided on both sides of the arc frame 9. The slide groove, slide bar 10 and arc frame 9 are all coaxial arcs, and the arc frame 9 and slide bar 10 are an arc structure of not less than 120 degrees.

[0041] A lower gear 12 is rotatably mounted on the bracket 7, and a lower motor for driving the lower gear 12 is also fixed on the bracket 7. An arc-shaped gear ring 11 meshing with the lower gear 12 is provided on the side of the arc-shaped frame 9 close to the axis of the dividing plate 2, and the arc-shaped frame 9 is driven based on the lower gear 12.

[0042] A lower suction cup 6 is fixed to the top of the arc-shaped frame 9. The suction cup body adopts a conventional multi-zone circular suction cup with a soft lip, made of nitrile rubber or silicone rubber. The lower suction cup 6 is connected to a negative pressure system to switch between adsorption and release of the culture dish. Depending on the site conditions, if it is a production workshop, it can be directly connected to the workshop's air source system, and the vacuum and normal pressure conversion can be controlled by a valve. For small-scale operations, a diaphragm vacuum pump, vacuum tank, and solenoid valve can be used to form a negative pressure system. By connecting the air path to the lower suction cup 6, the switching between adsorption and release can be achieved.

[0043] The arc frame 9 is driven by the lower gear 12 and can move along an arc trajectory through the circular opening 5. When the arc frame 9 is at the bottom of its stroke, the suction cup opening is coplanar with the top surface of the bracket 4 and the top surface of the workbench 1, and can adsorb the bottom of the culture dish at this position to achieve the grasping of the culture dish. When the arc frame 9 slides along the arc, it can drive the culture dish to move synchronously with the lower suction cup 6 at the top of the arc frame 9.

[0044] For ease of description, the following two stroke positions are defined: Horizontal position: When the suction cup opening of the lower suction cup 6 is coplanar with the bracket 4, the position of the suction cup is defined as the horizontal position.

[0045] Inclined position: When the curved frame 9 slides outward until the suction cup opening (of the lower suction cup 6) is tilted downward 30 degrees relative to the vertical plane, it is defined as the inclined position. In this position, the culture dish grasped by the lower suction cup 6 is also tilted downward 15-30 degrees. This facilitates flushing and / or pouring liquids outward.

[0046] The arc frame 9 has at least two action modes based on its arc sliding: Shaking mode: when the lower suction cup 6 is in a horizontal position, the arc frame 9 swings within 1-3 degrees, causing the culture dish to shake slightly; Tipping mode: the arc frame 9 slides along its arc sliding stroke within an arc range of 120 degrees, so that the lower suction cup 6 switches between the horizontal position and the inclined position, completing the culture dish from being horizontally square on the workbench 1 to being located outside the workbench 1 and upright and tilted outward by 15-30 degrees.

[0047] An upward supporting mounting frame 13 is fixed at the corner position adjacent to the workbench 1 and the bracket 4. The mounting frame 13 includes an upright side and a horizontal side. The bottom of the upright side is connected to the workbench 1 and is located at the corner end of the workbench 1, and the top of the upright side is connected to one end of the horizontal side, so that the mounting frame 13 constitutes a semi-door structure on one side of the workbench 1.

[0048] The mounting frame 13 (horizontal side) is fixedly mounted with a cover-opening cylinder 14, which is an oil cylinder. The bottom end of the cover-opening cylinder 14 is telescopically coupled with an cover-opening cylinder rod. An upper suction cup 15 is mounted on the bottom end of the cover-opening cylinder rod. The upper suction cup 15 is coaxially corresponding to the circular opening 5 of the bracket 4. Based on the drive of the cover-opening oil cylinder, the upper suction cup 15 can have a lifting stroke, and the movement from bottom to top is the cover-opening stroke, and the movement from top to bottom is the cover-closing stroke, which respectively cooperates with the adsorption and release of the upper suction cup 15 to realize the actions of grasping and lifting the culture dish cover, as well as releasing it after putting it down.

[0049] For the upper suction cup 15 and the lower suction cup 6, please refer to the following for specific selection: Suction cup part: Use Φ60mm food-grade silicone rubber annular soft lip suction cup, -50kPa vacuum + 3N floating pre-pressure + 0.2s quick exhaust solenoid valve, it can safely, quickly and repeatedly adsorb Φ90mm culture dishes. The bottom can adapt to the bottom position of the workpiece by making use of the rise and fall of the arc frame 9, or a suction cup with a spring shock-absorbing floating mechanism can be used, with a spring preload of 3N + a linear bearing guide sleeve to ensure that the suction cup floats within ±3mm in the Z direction and fits the undulations of the bottom of the dish.

[0050] Negative pressure system: Vacuum pump: -65kPa, peak flow rate 5Lmin - ¹ Vacuum tank: 0.5L, stable pressure and prevent instantaneous pressure loss Solenoid valve: 3 / 2 way, normally closed, power supply 24VDC, with quick exhaust function, releases vacuum within 0.2s, convenient for quick dish placement.

[0051] Sensor: Vacuum switch set point -45kPa (±3kPa hysteresis), output PNP; if it is lower than the set value, an alarm "not sucked" will be issued.

[0052] A lifting module is installed on the upright side of the mounting frame 13, and the lifting module includes a vertical plate 16, a slider 18, a slide rail 17, a lifting plate 19, and a lead screw; The side of the vertical plate 16 close to the mounting frame 13 is fixed to the upright side of the mounting frame 13 by fasteners, and a lead screw is rotatably installed in the center of the inner side of the lifting plate 19. A lead screw motor for driving the lead screw is installed on the top of the lifting plate 19. Vertical and parallel slide rails 17 are respectively provided on both sides of the lead screw motor. The slide rails 17 are equipped with sliders 18, and the lead screw is equipped with a nut. The nut and the slider 18 are both fixed on the vertical plate 16. The slider 18 is arranged in two rows, upper and lower, so that the stroke of the lifting plate 19 is more stable.

[0053] A vertical shaft 20 is rotatably mounted on the front side of the lifting plate 19 via a bearing. A stepper motor, fixed to the lifting plate 19, is mounted above the vertical shaft 20. This stepper motor is connected to the vertical shaft 20 via a speed reducer, enabling precise control of the rotation of the vertical shaft 20. A joint 21 is mounted at the bottom end of the vertical shaft 20. This joint 21 is equipped with a flow control valve (needle valve or precision ball valve). A serpentine tube 22 is connected to this joint 21. This serpentine tube 22 is a bamboo tube with an inner tube, allowing for quick adjustment to the desired shape and angle, allowing for precise settings of the flushing angle and position. Its flexible flexure facilitates easy avoidance.

[0054] A nozzle is installed at the end of the serpentine tube 22 for spraying water line water flow.

[0055] The connector 21 is connected to a liquid inlet pipe, which is used to connect to a sterile water tank to provide sterile water for flushing. It can also be connected to a liquid return pipe.

[0056] The above joint 21, serpentine tube 22 and nozzle constitute a flushing assembly.

[0057] like Figure 8As shown, when the vertical shaft 20 swings back and forth with a small amplitude, the water spraying direction of the nozzle can be driven to change. When the vertical shaft 20 rotates clockwise toward the side of the workbench 1, the water spraying direction of the nozzle is offset to the right. When the vertical shaft 20 rotates counterclockwise toward the side away from the workbench 1, the water spraying direction of the nozzle is offset to the left. Therefore, when combined with the lifting and lowering of the lifting plate 19 and the reciprocating rotation of the vertical shaft 20, the water spraying direction of the nozzle can achieve a Z-shaped movement within the range of the upright inclined culture dish, fully taking into account the range of the culture medium and washing off the biofilm.

[0058] Therefore, the following can be summarized: (1) By raising and lowering the lifting plate 19, the position of the nozzle of the flushing assembly can be adjusted up and down, thereby changing the height position of the entire assembly. (2) By rotating the vertical shaft 20, the flushing assembly can be swung inward or outward. The swing amplitude can be flexibly set according to the action requirements. When it swings above the bracket 4, it can fill the culture dish located in the bracket 4 with water. When it swings to the outside of the station slot 3, it can rinse the upright and tilted culture dish. It can also be moved to the side of the lifting plate 19 when the machine is stopped or when necessary, away from the workbench 1.

[0059] The outer side of the bracket 4 is provided with a hanging groove 23 docking with the corresponding station slot 3, and a liquid collecting box 24 is placed in the hanging groove 23. The top of the liquid collecting box 24 is an open structure, and the open structure is used to receive the liquid poured from the culture dish.

[0060] The side of the hanging groove 23 close to the workbench 1 is fixed to both sides of the edge of the station slot 3 by bolts to fix the hanging groove 23. The structure of the hanging groove 23 is convenient for supporting the liquid collection box 24 and for quickly taking and placing the liquid collection box 24.

[0061] The liquid collecting box 24 is provided with a liquid collecting pipe 25 extending downward on the side away from the workbench 1. A tank body is connected below the liquid collecting pipe 25 to collect the bacterial liquid through the tank body. The tank body can be provided with a stirring element inside according to different workstations to slowly mix the collected liquid.

[0062] This module transfers the culture dishes to two different brackets 4 according to the beat through the rotation of the indexing plate 2, thereby realizing the operation of the culture dishes.

[0063] For the convenience of description, a station slot 3 close to the loading port is defined as station 1, and a station slot 3 close to the unloading port is defined as station 2.

[0064] A No. 1 tank is arranged on station 1, and a No. 2 tank is arranged on station 2. A stirring element is set in the No. 2 tank to slowly stir, collect and evenly collect the collected bacterial liquid to obtain a milky white bacterial suspension.

[0065] Based on different workstations, this module performs the following processing methods on the culture dishes: After the culture dish enters the arc groove on the indexing plate 2 at the loading port, the rotation of the indexing plate 2 drives the culture dish to flow among station 1 → station 2 → unloading port in sequence.

[0066] When the culture dish is at station 1, station 1 performs the following operations: The lower suction cup 6 is in a horizontal position, and negative pressure is activated to adsorb the center of the bottom surface of the culture dish to achieve the grabbing of the culture dish; The upper suction cup 15 falls until it contacts the culture dish cover, and after the negative pressure is started to adsorb the culture dish cover, the upper suction cup 15 grabs the culture dish cover and rises to complete the opening of the cover; The flushing assembly falls (driven by the descending lifting plate 19), and the serpentine tube 22 rotates toward the workbench 1 until the nozzle is above the culture dish (driven by the clockwise rotation of the vertical shaft 20), and sterile water is injected into the culture dish, and then the flushing assembly is reset in the reverse direction (waiting for the next action cycle); Start the arc frame 9 to swing up and down, with an amplitude of 1-2 degrees, and the suction cup drives the culture dish to shake slightly up and down within 5mm for 5-8 seconds. The arc frame 9 rises until the suction cup is in an inclined position, driving the mouth of the culture dish to tilt outward at an angle of 30 degrees to pour out, taking away the free bacteria, metabolic waste and soluble pigments that are not firmly attached, to prevent them from mixing into the target bacterial suspension during the second rinse; The liquid collecting box 24 at station 1 collects the poured out primary flushing liquid, which eventually enters tank 1 for temporary storage through the liquid collecting box 24. A sensor can be set in the tank entrance or the collecting box to detect that OD600 should be ≤0.05. Otherwise, the shaking time or water volume is insufficient, and the shaking time or water injection volume should be increased; The arc frame 9 is reset until the suction cup is in its horizontal position, and the upper suction cup 15 falls until the culture dish cover falls on the culture dish. The suction cup releases the culture dish cover and lifts it up to reset. The lower suction cup 6 releases the adsorption of the culture dish at the same time, completing the operation of one station.

[0067] When the culture dish is at station 2, station 2 performs the following operations: The lower suction cup 6 is in a horizontal position, and negative pressure is activated to adsorb the center of the bottom surface of the culture dish to achieve the grabbing of the culture dish; The upper suction cup 15 falls until it contacts the culture dish cover, and after the negative pressure is started to adsorb the culture dish cover, the upper suction cup 15 grabs the culture dish cover and rises to complete the opening of the cover; Start the arc frame 9 and extend it upward toward the outside of the workbench 1 until the suction cup is in an inclined position, and the culture dish to be grasped is with the opening facing downward and inclined at an angle of 30 degrees relative to the vertical plane; The flushing assembly adjusts its position and posture until the nozzle approaches and is located on the top of the culture dish; The nozzle sprays water to rinse the surface of the culture medium, descending while rinsing. As it descends, the vertical shaft 20 is activated to swing back and forth slightly, and the serpentine tube 22 and the nozzle follow the swing, causing the nozzle to swing horizontally within the range of the culture dish, so that the flushing path covers the surface of the culture medium from top to bottom in a Z-shape. The swing amplitude gradually increases (maximum when reaching the middle of the culture medium), and then decreases again, adapting to the circular surface of the culture medium. The secondary flushing liquid that falls is collected by the liquid collection box 24 and collected in the No. 2 tank. Based on slow stirring, a milky white suspension of bacteria is obtained; The arc frame 9 is reset until the suction cup is in its horizontal position, and the upper suction cup 15 falls until the culture dish cover falls on the culture dish. The suction cup releases the culture dish cover and lifts it up to reset. The lower suction cup 6 releases the adsorption of the culture dish at the same time, completing the operation of the two stations.

[0068] By processing the culture dishes in succession through the above two continuous workstations, the culture medium is rinsed twice. The first rinse is a slow-flow water injection on the plane with slight shaking, which removes dead bacteria, free bacteria, extracellular polysaccharide debris and metabolic inhibitors on the surface of the culture medium, leaving behind live bacteria with high activity and firmly embedded in the cellulose network, thereby improving the purity and live bacteria ratio of the second bacterial suspension and reducing the risk of subsequent fermentation tanks being contaminated by foreign bacteria or metabolic inhibitors. At the same time, the single-rinsing liquid collected in tank No. 1 can be used for microscopic examination / plate verification, live bacteria count reference, low-temperature temporary storage or direct disposal. Microscopic examination can help quickly determine whether there is foreign bacteria or bacteriophage contamination. If used for live bacteria count reference, pour the count after gradient dilution to obtain the "free bacteria concentration", which is compared with the second "membrane-bound bacteria" to assist in evaluating the distribution status of the bacteria.

[0069] The target bacterial liquid is obtained from the second flushing and can be used for subsequent culture and production.

[0070] Based on double-station continuous operation, it can quickly eliminate foreign bacteria and impurities, collect highly active bacterial liquid, and realize automated operation. The amount, path and time of sterile water used for flushing can be precisely unified to ensure consistent operation of each culture medium, improve operational accuracy, and ensure that bacterial liquid production is manageable and controllable, providing a reliable premise for achieving refined parameter control.

[0071] (2) Loading module The loading module includes a loading trough 26 extending in a straight line. The width of the loading trough 26 is adapted to the width of a culture dish and can accommodate culture dishes arranged in a single row. One end of the top side of the loading trough 26 is fixedly docked with the edge of the loading port. The bottom of the loading trough 26 near the workbench 1 is provided with a loading notch 27 corresponding to the upper and lower sides of the loading port. A loading plate 28 is provided above the loading notch 27 and is lifted and lowered relative to the loading notch. A loading cylinder 29 is provided below the loading notch 27 and is fixedly mounted relative to the loading trough 26. The top of the loading cylinder 29 is equipped with a loading cylinder rod. The top of the loading cylinder rod is fixed to the bottom surface of the loading plate 28. The loading plate 28 is a circular plate. The loading plate 28 has an ascending and descending stroke based on the fixation of the loading cylinder rod.

[0072] A semicircular arc-shaped baffle 30 is provided on one side of the loading plate 28 away from the loading port, for shielding the stacked culture dishes at this position.

[0073] The loading plate 28 is configured to rise at equal intervals corresponding to the beat interval of the indexing plate 2. Each rise is the thickness of a culture dish, and the time interval between successive rises corresponds to the rotation interval of the indexing plate 2. The bottom end of the loading plate 28 is coplanar with the bottom of the loading trough 26, and the top end of the loading plate 28 is coplanar with the tray and the workbench 1. This facilitates the movement of culture dishes on the loading plate 28 onto the workbench 1 as the indexing plate 2 rotates, and also facilitates the transfer of materials to other workstations.

[0074] The outer end of the feeding trough 26 is provided with a feeding cylinder body 32 fixedly mounted relative to it, and the end of the feeding cylinder body 32 close to the feeding port is provided with a feeding cylinder rod that is telescopically matched with it, and the inner end of the feeding cylinder rod is fixed with a feeding push plate 31. The size of the feeding push plate 31 is adapted to the cross-section of the feeding trough 26, and pushes the stacked culture dishes toward the upper feeding port for feeding.

[0075] Through the loading module, multiple stacks of culture dishes are placed in a row on the loading trough 26, and the innermost stack of culture dishes is pushed onto the loading plate 28 through the feeding push plate 31. The loading plate 28 pushes the culture dishes upward one by one, so that the culture dish at the top of the support plate is located at the loading port and can be driven to rotate by the arc groove of the dividing plate 2, realizing the circulation on the two workstations.

[0076] This module completes the automatic loading action, realizes continuous loading, and continuously feeds materials for automated processing.

[0077] (3) Cutting module The unloading module includes a unloading trough 33 located below the unloading port, the unloading trough 33 extends in a straight line, and the middle part of the top side edge of the unloading trough opening is fixed correspondingly below the unloading port, and the bottom of the unloading trough 33 is provided with a unloading notch 34 corresponding to the unloading port, and a unloading cylinder body 35 is provided below the unloading notch 34 and fixedly installed relative to the unloading trough 33, and the top end of the unloading cylinder body 35 is provided with a unloading cylinder rod that cooperates with the unloading cylinder rod, and a unloading plate 36 is fixed to the top end of the unloading cylinder rod, so that the unloading plate 36 can obtain a stroke of rising and falling between the unloading port and the unloading notch 34, so as to support the culture dish that falls into the unloading trough 33.

[0078] During its descent, the unloading plate 36 descends at intervals in sync with the rotation of the indexing plate 2, each descending by the thickness of one culture dish. At the bottom of its descent, the unloading plate 36 is coplanar with the bottom of the unloading trough 33. It then ascends and returns to being coplanar with the workbench 1 before descending again. By descending at equal intervals, the unloading plate 36 gradually picks up the culture dishes that have been transferred to the unloading port.

[0079] A matching basket 37 is located within the feed chute 33. This basket 37 comprises several fixed, oriented barrels, each extending vertically through the barrels and featuring a straight, hollowed-out mesh structure to reduce weight and prevent the risk of petri dishes leaking. The inner diameter of each barrel is tailored to the size of the petri dishes. The basket 37 holds the petri dishes in a stack, each positioned within the barrel and moving with the basket 37. This prevents the smooth glassware, such as the petri dishes, from slipping and breaking.

[0080] One end of the feeding trough 33 is provided with a side oil cylinder 39 fixed relative to it, and the inner end of the side oil cylinder 39 is horizontally telescopically cooperated with a side cylinder rod, and the end of the side cylinder rod is fixed with a shifting push plate 38. The shape of the shifting push plate 38 is adapted to the cross-section of the feeding trough 33. The material basket 37 is pushed along the length direction of the feeding trough 33 as a whole by the shifting push plate 38. Each push causes a barrel to be located below the feeding port, so that the empty barrel is located outside the feeding plate 36, and the fallen culture dishes are restrained, so that multiple rows of culture dishes can be continuously received.

[0081] During the specific operation, first align one barrel of the basket 37 with the discharge port, and the discharge plate 36 rises from the bottom of the barrel until the initial height is coplanar with the workbench 1; the culture dish moved to the discharge port by the dividing plate 2 falls on the discharge plate 36 (or falls on the top layer of a stack of culture dishes supported by the discharge plate 36), and as the discharge plate 36 descends, it continuously makes room for the next culture dish and stacks them on the tray; when the discharge plate 36 falls to the height of the bottom of the discharge trough 33, the shifting push plate 38 pushes inward to align the next empty barrel with the discharge port, and the next discharge and receiving cycle is carried out.

[0082] When the basket 37 moves, the tray is located below it and is coplanar with the bottom of the feed trough 33, thereby assisting in supporting the movement of the culture dish.

[0083] This module completes the automated unloading action, and is efficient and reasonable in unloading and collecting culture dishes, completing the entire process of culture dish processing.

[0084] This system automates the rinsing process in bacterial cellulose production, including automatic loading and unloading, as well as automated lid opening, rinsing, and closing. The combined use of primary and secondary rinses yields a high-purity, high-quality bacterial suspension. In addition to bacterial cellulose production and fermentation processes, solid plate seed preparation is also applicable to strains requiring strict genetic control, spore propagation, or functional phenotypic screening, such as filamentous fungi (Penicillium and Rhizopus), lactic acid bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus), and actinomycetes. In large-scale industrial fermentation, this method can significantly improve strain quality and fermentation stability.

Claims

1. A culture dish automatic washing production line, characterized in that: It includes a workbench, and adjacent workstations 1 and 2 are provided on the circumference of the workbench. Workstations 1 and 2 are respectively provided with circular openings that pass through the workbench. A dividing plate is installed in the center of the workbench. The circumference of the dividing plate is provided with at least 4 arc-shaped grooves for limiting the culture dishes. When the dividing plate is stopped, the arc-shaped grooves correspond to the positions of the circular openings. An upper suction cup is installed above the circular opening for lifting, and a lower suction cup is provided in the circular opening. A flushing assembly is provided on the side of the circular opening. The flushing assembly includes a connected joint, a serpentine pipe and a nozzle, and the joint has an axially vertical swing stroke.

2. The automated culture dish washing production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: An upward supporting mounting frame is fixed to the corner end of the workbench next to the circular mouth, and a lifting module is installed on the mounting frame. The lifting module includes a lifting plate with a Z-direction reciprocating stroke, and a vertically extending vertical shaft is rotatably installed on the lifting plate. The vertical shaft is driven by a stepper motor, and the bottom end of the vertical shaft is connected to a joint so that the joint has a swing stroke.

3. The automated culture dish washing production line according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting module also includes a vertical plate fixed relative to the mounting frame, and a slide rail and a lead screw are installed on the inner side of the lifting plate along the Z direction. The slide rail is provided with a slider that cooperates with it, and the lead screw is provided with a nut that cooperates with it. The nut and the slider are both fixed on the vertical plate.

4. The automated culture dish washing production line according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting frame is also provided with an opening cylinder body, the bottom end of which is telescopically matched with an opening cylinder rod, and the bottom end of which is fixed to the upper suction cup.

5. The automated culture dish washing production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: A hanging bracket fixed relative to the workbench is provided below the circular mouth, a sliding seat is fixed to one end of the hanging bracket close to the side of the workbench, an arc-shaped sliding bracket is provided on the sliding seat, the arc-shaped bracket is an arc structure of not less than 120 degrees, the top of the arc-shaped bracket is installed with the bottom of the lower suction cup, an arc-shaped gear ring is provided on the arc-shaped bracket, a lower gear driven by a motor is rotatably installed on the hanging bracket, and the lower gear is engaged with the arc-shaped gear ring.

6. The automated culture dish washing production line according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lower suction cup has two stop travel positions based on the arc-shaped sliding of the arc frame: a horizontal position and an inclined position. The horizontal position is when the suction cup opening of the lower suction cup is coplanar with the bracket, and the inclined position is when the arc frame slides outward until the suction cup opening of the lower suction cup is tilted downward relative to the vertical plane; The arc frame has at least two action modes based on its arc sliding: Swing mode: Executed on 1 station, the lower suction cup is in a horizontal position, and the arc frame swings within 1-3 degrees; Dumping mode: Executed on stations 1 and 2, it switches the lower suction cup from a horizontal position to an inclined position.

7. The automated culture dish washing production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side of the workbench is also provided with a loading port, which corresponds to a certain arc groove when the dividing plate stops. A loading trough is docked below the loading port, and one end of the top side of the loading trough is docked with the loading port. A loading notch is provided at the bottom of the loading trough corresponding to the loading port. A loading plate is installed for lifting between the loading notch and the loading port. A semicircular arc baffle is provided on the side of the loading plate away from the loading port. The loading plate cooperates with the dividing plate to have a loading stroke that rises at intervals. The outer end of the loading trough is provided with a feeding push plate with a horizontal stroke along its length direction; and / or; The side of the workbench is also provided with a feeding port, which corresponds to a certain arc groove when the dividing plate stops. A feeding trough is provided below the feeding port, and the middle part of the top side of the feeding trough is connected with the feeding port, and a feeding notch is provided at the bottom of the feeding trough corresponding to the feeding port. A feeding plate is installed between the feeding notch and the feeding port for lifting. The feeding plate cooperates with the dividing plate to have a feeding stroke that descends at intervals. One end or both ends of the feeding trough is provided with a shifting push plate with a horizontal stroke along its length direction.

8. The automated culture dish washing production line according to claim 7, characterized in that: The transposition push plate is set as one, and a material basket cooperating with it is provided in the material discharge trough. The material basket includes several material barrels arranged and fixed in the same direction. The material barrels are straight-cylinder structures that are passed through from top to bottom. The material barrels are provided with hollow mesh holes in the height direction, and the inner diameter of the material barrels is adapted to the size of the culture dish.

9. The automated culture dish washing production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer side of the circular opening is provided with a hanging groove fixed under the workbench, and a liquid collecting box is placed in the hanging groove. The top of the liquid collecting box is an open structure. The liquid collecting box is provided with a downward extending liquid collecting pipe on the side away from the workbench, and a tank body is connected to the bottom of the liquid collecting pipe.

10. A method for automatically flushing a culture dish, characterized in that: The automated culture dish washing production line according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is used, and comprises the following steps: The culture dish is loaded onto the workbench and is constrained by the arc groove of the indexing plate; The culture dish enters station 1, the upper suction cup opens the lid of the culture dish, the lower suction cup fixes the culture dish, and the flushing component injects 5-15mL of sterile water into the culture dish to obtain a flushing solution; The culture dish enters the second station, the upper suction cup opens the cover of the culture dish, the lower suction cup fixes the culture dish, and the flushing component injects 10-30mL of sterile water into the culture dish to obtain the secondary flushing solution, i.e., the bacterial suspension; The culture dish follows the indexing plate and leaves the workbench.

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