Automatic Dispensing System and Method for Preventing Culture Medium Coagulation

Abstract

This invention discloses an automated culture medium anti-coagulation dispensing system and method, relating to the field of culture medium dispensing technology. The dispensing system includes a workbench, a constant-temperature heating chamber, a culture medium dispensing module, a heating pipeline module, a control module, and a petri dish storage mechanism. The constant-temperature heating chamber has a built-in culture medium source, and the culture medium is delivered through the dispensing module. The heating pipeline module adopts a multi-stage insulation design to ensure constant-temperature flow of the culture medium within the pipeline. The petri dish storage mechanism achieves automatic loading and unloading through a rotating three-dimensional storage unit, and uses a coding and scanning device for label management. The control module integrates and regulates the insulation temperature, dispensing flow rate, and pipeline heating temperature. This invention solves the problems of culture medium coagulation and blockage, poor dispensing accuracy, and the risk of human contamination in traditional technologies through full-process temperature control and automated dispensing, significantly improving dispensing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of culture medium dispensing technology, specifically relating to an automatic dispensing system and method for preventing culture medium from solidifying. Background Technology

[0002] Culture media are artificially prepared nutrients for the growth and maintenance of microorganisms, plant and animal tissues. They generally contain water, nitrogen sources, inorganic salts (including trace elements), carbon sources, and growth factors (vitamins, amino acids, bases, antibiotics, pigments, hormones, and serum, etc.). In the field of pharmaceutical microbiology testing, accurate dispensing of culture media is a crucial step in ensuring the accuracy of experimental results. Traditional culture media dispensing mainly relies on manual operation or semi-automated equipment, which has the following technical drawbacks:

[0003] 1. Culture media are prone to localized solidification in the delivery pipeline due to temperature drops, leading to pipeline blockage or uneven dispensing. 2. Manual pouring method results in large dispensing errors, making it difficult to guarantee dispensing accuracy and easily contaminating the culture media. 3. Existing equipment lacks a fully integrated temperature control design, requiring multiple manual interventions from culture media insulation and pipeline delivery to dispensing, resulting in low production efficiency.

[0004] It should be noted that this part of the present invention only provides background technology related to the present invention, and does not necessarily constitute prior art or known technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides an automatic dispensing system and method for preventing culture medium from solidifying, which at least solves the problem in the prior art that culture medium is prone to local solidification in the delivery pipeline due to temperature drop, leading to pipeline blockage or uneven dispensing.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present invention provides an automatic culture medium anti-coagulation dispensing system, comprising a workbench, a constant temperature heating chamber, a culture medium dispensing module, a heating pipeline module, a control module, and a petri dish storage mechanism; the constant temperature heating chamber is disposed on the workbench, and a first heating chamber within the constant temperature heating chamber contains a culture medium source; the culture medium dispensing module is disposed within the constant temperature heating chamber, with one end of the culture medium dispensing module connected to the culture medium source; the heating pipeline module is disposed outside the constant temperature heating chamber, penetrating the constant temperature heating chamber and connecting to the other end of the culture medium dispensing module, and is used to inject continuously heated culture medium into petri dishes; the control module is connected to the constant temperature heating chamber, the culture medium dispensing module, and the heating pipeline module, and is used to control the insulation temperature of the constant temperature heating chamber, the preset flow rate of the culture medium dispensing module, and the heating temperature of the heating pipeline module; the petri dish storage mechanism is disposed on one side of the constant temperature heating chamber and is used to output or retrieve petri dishes.

[0007] Preferably, the heating pipeline module includes a heating plate, a heat-conducting plate, and multiple delivery pipelines; the heating plate is disposed outside the constant temperature heating chamber; the heat-conducting plate is disposed on the heating plate, and the heat-conducting plate and the heating plate together form a second heating cavity; multiple delivery pipelines are laid in the second heating cavity, one end of the multiple delivery pipelines is connected to the culture medium source through the culture medium dispensing module, and the other end is injected into the petri dish with continuously heated culture medium through the liquid injection needle; the heating plate abuts against the first side of the multiple delivery pipelines, the heat-conducting plate abuts against the two outermost delivery pipelines, and multiple layers of heat insulation are also provided on the outside of the heat-conducting plate and the second side of the multiple delivery pipelines.

[0008] Preferably, the multi-layer heat insulation layer includes a first high-temperature heat insulation board, a first high-temperature heat-resistant material, a second high-temperature heat insulation board, and a second high-temperature heat-resistant material; the exterior of the heat-conducting plate is provided with stacked first high-temperature heat insulation boards and first high-temperature heat-resistant materials; the second high-temperature heat insulation board and the second high-temperature heat-resistant material are detachably stacked on the second side of multiple conveying pipelines to seal the second heating cavity.

[0009] Preferably, the heat-conducting plate is made of 6061 aluminum alloy, the first and second high-temperature resistant heat insulation plates are made of LCP, the first high-temperature resistant material is made of high-temperature resistant bakelite, and the second high-temperature resistant material is made of 304 stainless steel.

[0010] Preferably, the culture medium dispensing module includes multiple peristaltic pumps, and multiple delivery pipelines are connected to the multiple peristaltic pumps one by one.

[0011] Preferably, the culture medium source includes multiple replaceable culture medium conical flasks, which are arranged in a matrix within the first heating chamber, and multiple peristaltic pumps are connected to the multiple culture medium conical flasks one by one.

[0012] Preferably, the plate storage mechanism includes a base, a plate storage unit, a plate discharge track, and a plate return track. The base is mounted on a workbench. The plate storage unit has multiple circumferentially arranged stacked plate rows. The plate storage unit is rotatably mounted on the top surface of the base. A through-hole plate discharge port and a through-hole plate return port are respectively opened on the top surface of the base. The first end of the plate discharge track passes through one side of the base and is vertically opposite to the plate discharge port. The second end of the plate discharge track extends to the outside of the base. The first end of the plate return track passes through one side of the base and is vertically opposite to the plate return port. The second end of the material track extends to the outside of the base; the flat plate discharge track and the flat plate return track are parallel to each other; the flat plate discharge track is equipped with a sliding flat plate discharge module slider, and the flat plate discharge port is also equipped with a discharge separation device, which is used to separate the bottom flat plate in a stacked flat plate row through the flat plate discharge port to the flat plate discharge module slider; the flat plate return track is equipped with a sliding flat plate return module slider, and the flat plate return port is also equipped with a return lifting device, which is used to lift a single flat plate of the flat plate return module slider through the flat plate return port to the bottom of a stacked flat plate row.

[0013] Preferably, the flat plate storage mechanism further includes an inkjet printer and a flat plate scanner; the inkjet printer is located above the flat plate discharge track and is used to print codes on the flat plates on the slider of the flat plate discharge module; the flat plate scanner is used to scan the printed codes on the flat plates.

[0014] Preferably, the dispensing system further includes a plate transfer mechanism, which is located between the second end of the plate discharge track and the heating pipeline module. The plate transfer mechanism is used to transfer the plate between the second end of the plate discharge track and the heating pipeline module.

[0015] Secondly, the present invention provides an automatic dispensing method for preventing the solidification of culture medium, the dispensing method being applied to the aforementioned automatic dispensing system for preventing the solidification of culture medium, the dispensing method comprising:

[0016] S102. Place the culture medium source into the first heating chamber of the constant temperature heating box, and set the constant temperature heating box temperature using the control module.

[0017] S104. Connect the culture medium dispensing module to the constant temperature heating box and the heating pipeline module in sequence, and set the heating temperature of the heating pipeline module in the control module.

[0018] S106. Output the plate through the plate storage mechanism;

[0019] S108 The control module controls the preset flow rate of the culture medium dispensing module, so that the heating pipeline module injects continuously heated culture medium into the petri dish.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0021] 1. This invention employs a multi-stage constant temperature control technology that coordinates a constant temperature heating chamber and a pipeline heating module, effectively preventing the solidification of the culture medium during transmission and dispensing, and significantly reducing the risk of pipeline blockage. Without the heating system, the pipeline blockage rate reaches 100% after 8 dispensings within 3 minutes; with this system, there is no pipeline blockage after 100 consecutive dispensings. This invention solves the problems of blockage and uneven dispensing caused by temperature drop in traditional dispensing methods, ensuring the continuity and reliability of the dispensing process.

[0022] 2. This invention uses a peristaltic pump combined with a precision temperature control system to dispense culture media, achieving a high degree of dispensing accuracy control. When using this system, the standard deviation of the culture media volume in the petri dish is ≤0.3mL, which is much lower than the standard deviation of ≥1.5mL for manual dispensing. This solves the problems of low accuracy and large differences in manual dispensing and ensures the consistency of the culture media volume in each batch of petri dishes.

[0023] 3. This invention integrates constant temperature storage, pipeline insulation, and automated pumping and dispensing, and can be linked with the petri dish storage to achieve automatic loading and unloading. It realizes fully automated operation from culture medium insulation to precise pouring, solving the problems of low efficiency, easy contamination, and reliance on manual intervention in traditional methods, and greatly improving the efficiency and hygiene safety of dispensing operations. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a portion of the packaging system provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the flat plate storage mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the discharge separation device of the flat plate storage mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the material return lifting device of the flat plate storage mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the heating pipeline module provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6A three-dimensional structural diagram of the heating pipeline module after removing the second high-temperature resistant heat insulation plate and the second high-temperature resistant material, provided for an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the heating pipeline module provided in an embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a top view of the packaging system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0034] 100. Workbench;

[0035] 200. Flatware storage mechanism; 201. Base; 202. Flatware automated storage system; 203. Flatware discharge port; 204. Flatware return port; 205. Flatware discharge track; 206. Flatware discharge module slider; 207. Flatware return track; 208. Flatware return module slider; 209. Discharge separation device; 210. Anti-fall cylinder; 211. Separation gripper; 212. Return lifting device; 213. Lifting assembly; 214. Recycling gripper; 215. Inkjet printer; 216. Flatware barcode scanner; 217. Control panel;

[0036] 300. Culture medium dispensing module;

[0037] 400. Heating pipeline module; 401. Heating plate; 402. Heat-conducting plate; 403. Delivery pipeline; 404. Liquid injection needle; 405. First high-temperature resistant heat insulation plate; 406. First high-temperature resistant material; 407. Second high-temperature resistant heat insulation plate; 408. Second high-temperature resistant material;

[0038] 500. Control module;

[0039] 600. Constant temperature heating chamber; 601. Culture medium source;

[0040] 700. Flatbed transplanting mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0041] In this invention, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "up," "down," "left," and "right" are generally understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the directions shown in actual applications.

[0042] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0043] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0044] The endpoints and any values ​​of the ranges disclosed herein are not limited to the precise ranges or values, and should be understood to include values ​​close to these ranges or values. For numerical ranges, the endpoint values ​​of the various ranges, the endpoint values ​​of the various ranges and individual point values, and individual point values ​​can be combined with each other to obtain one or more new numerical ranges, which should be considered as specifically disclosed herein. The terms "optional" and "discretionary" mean that they may or may not be included (or may or may not be present).

[0045] This invention provides an automated dispensing system for preventing culture medium coagulation, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 8 As shown, the system includes a workbench 100, a constant temperature heating chamber 600, a culture medium dispensing module 300, a heating pipeline module 400, a control module 500, and a petri dish storage mechanism 200. The constant temperature heating chamber 600 is mounted on the workbench 100, and a first heating chamber within the constant temperature heating chamber 600 contains a culture medium source 601. The culture medium dispensing module 300 is located within the constant temperature heating chamber 600, with one end of the dispensing module 300 connected to the culture medium source 601. The heating pipeline module 400 is located outside the constant temperature heating chamber 600 and extends through... The constant temperature heating chamber 600 is connected to the other end of the culture medium dispensing module 300. The heating pipeline module 400 is used to inject continuously heated culture medium into the petri dish. The control module 500 is connected to the constant temperature heating chamber 600, the culture medium dispensing module 300, and the heating pipeline module 400. It is used to control the heat preservation temperature of the constant temperature heating chamber 600, the preset flow rate of the culture medium dispensing module 300, and the heating temperature of the heating pipeline module 400. The petri dish storage mechanism 200 is located on one side of the constant temperature heating chamber 600 and is used to output or retrieve the petri dishes.

[0046] This invention solves the problems of culture medium solidification and blockage, poor dispensing accuracy, and risk of human contamination in traditional technologies by using full-process temperature control and automated dispensing, thus greatly improving dispensing efficiency.

[0047] Preferably, such as Figures 5 to 7As shown, the heating pipeline module 400 includes a heating plate 401, a heat-conducting plate 402, and multiple delivery pipelines 403. The heating plate 401 is disposed outside the constant temperature heating chamber 600. The heat-conducting plate 402 is disposed on the heating plate 401, and the heat-conducting plate 402 and the heating plate 401 together form a second heating cavity. Multiple delivery pipelines 403 are laid in the second heating cavity. One end of the multiple delivery pipelines 403 is connected to the culture medium source 601 through the culture medium dispensing module 300, and the other end is injected into the petri dish with continuously heated culture medium through the liquid injection needle 404. The heating plate 401 abuts against the first side of the multiple delivery pipelines 403, and the heat-conducting plate 402 abuts against the two outermost delivery pipelines 403. Multiple layers of heat insulation are also provided on the outside of the heat-conducting plate 402 and the second side of the multiple delivery pipelines 403.

[0048] In a specific embodiment, such as Figures 5 to 7 As shown, the heating pipeline module 400 adopts an inverted L-shaped integral structure design, including a vertical support section and a horizontal conveying section. Specifically, the heating plate 401 is fixedly mounted on the outer wall (top surface) of the constant temperature heating chamber 600 via its vertical support section, and its horizontal conveying section extends outward. The heat-conducting plate 402 is tightly attached to the heating plate 401, and its structure is also inverted L-shaped and its spatial direction is perpendicular to the heating plate 401, thus forming a semi-enclosed second heating cavity with the heating plate 401, which is open on the top and outer side (i.e., the side away from the constant temperature heating chamber 600) and closed on the other three sides.

[0049] In a specific embodiment, such as Figures 5 to 7 As shown, multiple delivery pipelines 403 adopt the same inverted L-shaped integrated design, with most of their entirety located within the second heating chamber. The bottom of their vertical support extends through the wall of the constant temperature heating chamber 600 into the interior of the first heating chamber, communicating with the culture medium source 601 via the culture medium dispensing module 300. Their horizontal delivery sections are entirely placed within the second heating chamber. The heating plate 401 is in close contact with the first side of the delivery pipeline 403 (near the inner wall of the constant temperature heating chamber 600) to achieve direct heat conduction. The multi-layer heat insulation layer, made of high-temperature resistant material, covers the outer surface of the heat-conducting plate 402 and the second side of the delivery pipeline 403 (away from the inner wall of the constant temperature heating chamber 600), and itself also forms an inverted L-shaped covering structure.

[0050] In a specific embodiment, such as Figures 5 to 7As shown, the heating pipeline module 400 adopts an inverted L-shaped overall structure design. Through a compact vertical-horizontal layout, it maximizes heat conduction efficiency. The heating plate 401 and the heat-conducting plate 402 enclose a semi-enclosed second heating cavity, allowing the inverted L-shaped delivery pipeline 403 to be fully embedded within it. The heating plate 401 directly contacts the inner side of the pipeline to achieve efficient heat conduction. At the same time, multiple layers of insulation wrap the outer surface of the heat-conducting plate 402 and the outer side of the pipeline to form an inverted L-shaped insulation layer. This structure, through the synergistic effect of physical isolation and multi-layer insulation, minimizes heat loss and ensures that the culture medium in the delivery pipeline 403 is always in a uniform and stable constant temperature state. This completely solves the problem of culture medium solidification and blockage caused by temperature fluctuations in traditional dispensing, ensuring the reliability of continuous automated dispensing throughout the entire process.

[0051] Preferably, such as Figures 5 to 7 As shown, the multi-layer heat insulation layer includes a first high-temperature heat insulation board 405, a first high-temperature heat-resistant material 406, a second high-temperature heat insulation board 407, and a second high-temperature heat-resistant material 408; the heat-conducting plate 402 is provided with stacked first high-temperature heat insulation boards 405 and first high-temperature heat-resistant materials 406 on its outer surface; the second high-temperature heat insulation board 407 and the second high-temperature heat-resistant material 408 are detachably stacked on the second side of the multiple conveying pipelines 403 to seal the second heating cavity.

[0052] In a specific embodiment, such as Figures 5 to 7 As shown, a first high-temperature resistant insulation plate 405 and a first high-temperature resistant material 406 are stacked on the outside of the heat-conducting plate 402 to form a highly efficient thermal barrier structure, minimizing heat loss from the external environment and ensuring a highly stable and uniform temperature within the second heating cavity. The semi-enclosed cavity design greatly facilitates the installation, laying, and subsequent maintenance and replacement of multiple delivery pipelines 403, significantly improving the system's maintainability. The second heating cavity is sealed by a removable inverted L-shaped insulation layer (the second high-temperature resistant insulation plate 407 and the second high-temperature resistant material 408), ensuring convenient maintenance while ultimately achieving highly efficient thermal insulation of the cavity and minimizing heat loss to the environment.

[0053] Preferably, the heat-conducting plate 402 is made of 6061 aluminum alloy, the first high-temperature heat-insulating plate 405 and the second high-temperature heat-insulating plate 407 are made of LCP, the first high-temperature resistant material 406 is made of high-temperature resistant bakelite, and the second high-temperature resistant material 408 is made of 304 stainless steel.

[0054] In a specific embodiment, 6061 aluminum alloy is a high-quality aluminum alloy product produced through a heat treatment and pre-stretching process. The 6061 aluminum alloy heat-conducting plate 402, with its excellent thermal conductivity, enables rapid and uniform heat transfer from the heating plate 401 to the pipeline. LCP plastic raw material (Liquid Crystal Polymer) is a new type of polymer material that exhibits liquid crystal properties in the molten state. The LCP material heat insulation plate covers the outer surface of the heat-conducting plate 402 and the outside of the pipeline, effectively blocking heat leakage by utilizing its extremely low thermal conductivity and heat resistance temperature above 260°C. Bakelite is the first type of plastic to be put into industrial production. Its chemical name is phenolic plastic, abbreviated as PF. High-temperature resistant Bakelite is used as the first heat insulation layer bonded to the LCP heat insulation plate, leveraging its low thermal conductivity and electrical insulation properties to enhance the heat preservation effect. 304 is a general-purpose stainless steel that is widely used in the manufacture of equipment and components requiring good comprehensive performance. Due to its excellent mechanical strength, processing performance, and corrosion resistance, 304 stainless steel is specially selected for the second high-temperature resistant material 408 (outer shell) position, which requires repeated disassembly and reassembly. It provides the necessary physical protection while ensuring that the detachable design is reliable and durable in actual use.

[0055] Preferably, such as Figure 1 As shown, the culture medium dispensing module 300 includes multiple peristaltic pumps, and multiple delivery pipelines 403 are connected to the multiple peristaltic pumps one by one.

[0056] In a specific embodiment, each peristaltic pump is equipped with a dedicated delivery pipeline 403, achieving the core advantage of multi-channel independent dispensing. On the one hand, this ensures strict isolation of different culture media during delivery, completely avoiding the risk of cross-contamination; on the other hand, it enables the system to handle the dispensing tasks of multiple petri dishes simultaneously, significantly improving operational efficiency. Each peristaltic pump can independently adjust its flow rate parameters, and combined with constant temperature, effectively ensures dispensing accuracy.

[0057] Preferably, such as Figure 1 As shown, the culture medium source 601 includes multiple replaceable culture medium conical flasks, which are arranged in a matrix within the first heating chamber, and multiple peristaltic pumps are connected to the multiple culture medium conical flasks one by one.

[0058] In a specific embodiment, such as Figure 1As shown, this invention employs multiple independently replaceable conical flasks of culture medium arranged in a matrix (preferably a 2*3 matrix) within a constant temperature heating chamber 600, with each flask connected to a peristaltic pump. This achieves a modular, highly parallel dispensing architecture, maximizing the utilization of the constant temperature chamber's space capacity to support simultaneous processing of multiple culture media or large-scale tasks. It also ensures strict isolation between dispensing channels, completely avoiding the risk of cross-contamination. Furthermore, the independent replacement design of each conical flask significantly reduces downtime for maintenance, substantially improving the flexibility and efficiency of continuous system operation, providing a core guarantee for the automated dispensing of large-scale, multi-variety culture media.

[0059] Preferably, such as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the flat plate storage mechanism 200 includes a base 201, a flat plate storage unit 202, a flat plate discharge track 205, and a flat plate return track 207. The base 201 is mounted on the workbench 100. The flat plate storage unit 202 has multiple circumferentially arranged stacked flat plates. The flat plate storage unit 202 is rotatably mounted on the top surface of the base 201. A through flat plate discharge port 203 and a through flat plate return port 204 are respectively opened on the top surface of the base 201. The first end of the flat plate discharge track 205 passes through one side of the base 201 and is vertically opposite to the flat plate discharge port 203. The second end of the flat plate discharge track 205 extends to the outside of the base 201. The first end of the flat plate return track 207 passes through one side of the base 201 and is vertically opposite to the flat plate return port 204. The second end of the flat plate return track 207 extends to the outside of the base 201; the flat plate discharge track 205 and the flat plate return track 207 are parallel to each other; the flat plate discharge track 205 is provided with a sliding flat plate discharge module slider 206, and the flat plate discharge port 203 is also provided with a discharge separation device 209, which is used to separate the bottom flat plate in a stacked flat plate column through the flat plate discharge port 203 to the flat plate discharge module slider 206; the flat plate return track 207 is provided with a sliding flat plate return module slider 208, and the flat plate return port 204 is also provided with a return lifting device 212, which is used to lift a single flat plate of the flat plate return module slider 208 through the flat plate return port 204 to the bottom of a stacked flat plate column.

[0060] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, in a specific embodiment, the flat plate storage unit 202 is rotatably mounted on the top surface of the base 201. It has 8 rows of stacked flat plates arranged evenly in the circumference. Each row of flat plates can vertically stack 40 standard flat plates to form a high-density storage space.

[0061] In a specific embodiment, such as Figures 2 to 4As shown, the discharge separation device 209 includes an anti-fall cylinder 210 and a separation gripper 211. When a specific plate array rotates to directly above the plate discharge port 203, the device initiates the separation action. First, the anti-fall cylinder 210, located above the plate discharge port 203, extends its piston rod to abut against the second layer of plates, thereby limiting and fixing all plates in the plate array from the second layer to the top layer to prevent the upper plates from falling. Subsequently, the separation gripper 211, located below the plate discharge port 203, opens, releasing the support for the bottom plate. At this time, the bottom plate falls through the plate discharge port 203 under the action of gravity to the plate discharge module slider 206, while the clamping action of the anti-fall cylinder 210 ensures that the upper plates remain suspended. After a single discharge is completed, the separation gripper 211 resets and closes, the anti-fall cylinder 210 retracts, and the entire plate array descends one layer.

[0062] In a specific embodiment, such as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the return lifting device 212 includes a lifting component 213 and a recovery gripper 214. The recovery gripper 214 is located below the flat plate return port 204, and the lifting component 213 is located on the flat plate return module slider 208. When the flat plate return module slider 208 carries the finished flat plate and moves until it reaches below the flat plate return port 204, the lifting component 213 rises, vertically pushing the flat plate into the flat plate return port 204. The flat plate continues to rise until it is 2mm below the gripper fingers of the recovery gripper 214. At this time, the recovery gripper 214 located below the flat plate return port 204 opens, and the stacked flat plates fall onto the flat plate of the lifting component. The lifting component 213 rises further until the bottom of the bottom flat plate of the lifting component exceeds the gripper fingers of the recovery gripper 214. Then, the recovery gripper 214 closes and supports the stacked flat plates, and the lifting component 213 descends to reset the flat plate return module slider 208.

[0063] Optionally, the lifting assembly 213 can be driven by a linear module, and the recovery gripper 214 can be driven by a cylinder.

[0064] Preferably, such as Figure 2 As shown, the flat plate storage mechanism 200 also includes an inkjet printer 215 and a flat plate scanner 216; the inkjet printer 215 is located above the flat plate discharge track 205 and is used to print codes on the flat plates on the flat plate discharge module slider 206; the flat plate scanner 216 is used to scan the printed codes on the flat plates.

[0065] like Figure 2As shown, in a specific embodiment, the inkjet printer 215 is fixedly installed above the flat plate discharge track 205, with its printhead vertically facing the track plane. When the flat plate discharge module slider 206, carrying the separated single-layer flat plates, moves to the inkjet printing station, the inkjet printer 215 sprays a unique identification code on the bottom of the flat plate according to the instructions from the host computer. The flat plate scanner 216 is located between the second end of the discharge track and the second end of the return track. The position of the flat plate scanner 216 can be set such that whenever a flat plate is inkjet printed, the flat plate will be scanned on the flat plate discharge module slider 206 below or to the side of the flat plate scanner 216. Inkjet printing and scanning give each flat plate a unique identification, facilitating verification of consistency with task instructions and forming a full-process tracking chain for the sample database.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, in a specific embodiment, the plate storage mechanism 200 also includes an operation screen 217, which is located on the other side of the base 201. The operation screen 217 can be controlled by a host computer or by human-computer interaction, thereby controlling the feeding and return of the plate.

[0067] Preferably, such as Figure 8 As shown, the dispensing system also includes a plate transfer mechanism 700, which is located between the second end of the plate discharge track 205 and the heating pipeline module 400. The plate transfer mechanism 700 is used to transfer the plate between the second end of the plate discharge track 205 and the heating pipeline module 400.

[0068] like Figure 8 As shown, in a specific embodiment, the plate transfer mechanism 700, as a transfer unit connecting the plate discharge terminal and the heating pipeline module 400, can adopt the following two preferred implementation schemes: a high-precision multi-axis articulated robot or a modular linear module system. In the multi-axis robot scheme, its end effector is equipped with an adsorption suction cup or flexible gripper, which realizes the transfer of the plate along any trajectory in three-dimensional space through multi-degree-of-freedom motion; the linear module scheme adopts an orthogonally arranged XYZ three-axis slide, driven by a servo motor with a synchronous belt or ball screw, to move the plate carrier precisely along a preset path.

[0069] It is understood that the specific structure of the plate transfer mechanism 700 can refer to the common structure of the prior art, as long as the plate can be transferred between the second end of the plate discharge track 205 and the heating pipeline module 400. The present invention has no particular limitations.

[0070] Preferably, the control module 500 may include a first temperature control unit, a second temperature control unit, and an electrical control unit. The first temperature control unit is electrically connected to the constant temperature heating chamber 600 and is used to set and maintain the insulation temperature of the first heating chamber. The second temperature control unit is electrically connected to the heating pipeline module 400 and is used to set and maintain the heating temperature of the second heating chamber (which may be the same as the temperature of the first heating chamber or finely adjusted as needed). The electrical control unit is electrically connected to the culture medium dispensing module 300 (multiple peristaltic pumps) and is used to set and control the preset flow rate of the culture medium dispensing module 300.

[0071] In a specific embodiment, the control module 500 may be a computing and processing unit such as a PLC, CPU, GPU, FPGA, microcontroller, host computer, or a combination thereof. The present invention does not limit its specific hardware implementation form, as long as it can perform the temperature control, flow rate control, and system coordination functions.

[0072] In a specific embodiment, the control module 500 has an adaptive dispensing function: based on the petri dish size information (or preset parameters) obtained by the petri dish scanner 216, the electronic control unit can automatically adjust the preset flow rate of the culture medium dispensing module 300 (peristaltic pump) to ensure that the volume of culture medium injected into petri dishes of different sizes accurately meets the requirements, thereby effectively improving dispensing accuracy and adaptability.

[0073] This invention provides an automated dispensing method for preventing culture medium from solidifying. The dispensing method is applied to the aforementioned automated dispensing system for preventing culture medium solidification. The dispensing method includes:

[0074] S102. Place the culture medium source 601 in the first heating chamber of the constant temperature heating box 600, and set the heat preservation temperature of the constant temperature heating box 600 by the control module 500.

[0075] S102 specifically includes: opening the door of the constant temperature heating chamber 600, placing multiple conical flasks containing melted culture medium (i.e., culture medium source 601) into the first heating chamber of the constant temperature heating chamber 600; closing the door of the constant temperature heating chamber 600, and setting and maintaining the internal temperature (e.g., 48°C) through the control module 500.

[0076] S104. Connect the culture medium dispensing module 300 to the constant temperature heating box 600 and the heating pipeline module 400 in sequence, and set the heating temperature of the heating pipeline module 400 by the control module 500.

[0077] S104 specifically includes: connecting the peristaltic pump inlet of the culture medium dispensing module 300 to the culture medium conical flask via the delivery pipeline 403; then passing the delivery pipeline 403 through the wall of the constant temperature heating chamber 600 and placing the delivery pipeline 403 inside the second heating chamber; installing a second high-temperature resistant heat insulation plate 407 and a second high-temperature resistant material 408 on the second side of the delivery pipeline 403 of the heating pipeline module 400 to seal the second heating chamber; and setting the heating temperature of the heating pipeline module 400 (synchronized with the temperature of the constant temperature heating chamber 600) via the control module 500.

[0078] S106. Output the plate through the plate storage mechanism 200;

[0079] S106 specifically includes: the flat plate storage mechanism 200 rotates the flat plate storage unit 202 to the target stack of flat plates and aligns it with the flat plate discharge port 203; the discharge separation device 209 separates the bottom flat plate to the flat plate discharge module slider 206; the slider carries the flat plate to the inkjet printer 215 to complete the marking and printing, and the marking is verified by the flat plate scanner 216.

[0080] Between S106 and S108, there is also S107: the plate discharging module slider 206 transports the inkjet-printed plate to the end of the track; the plate transfer mechanism 700 (robot / multi-axis module) grabs the plate from the plate discharging module slider 206 and transfers it to a position below the liquid injection needle 404 of the heating pipeline module 400.

[0081] S108, the control module 500 controls the preset flow rate of the culture medium dispensing module 300, so that the heating pipeline module 400 injects continuously heated culture medium into the petri dish.

[0082] S108 is followed by S110: After the packaging is completed, the flat plate transfer mechanism 700 transfers the flat plate to the flat plate return module slider 208; the return lifting device 212 lifts the flat plate through the flat plate return port 204 to the bottom of the stacking column of the flat plate storage 202.

[0083] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. Within the scope of the inventive concept, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention, including combinations of various technical features in any other suitable manner. These simple modifications and combinations should also be considered as the content disclosed in the present invention and are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic dispensing system for preventing culture medium coagulation, characterized in that, include: Workbench; A constant temperature heating chamber is set on the workbench, and the first heating chamber inside the constant temperature heating chamber has a culture medium source; A culture medium dispensing module is disposed inside the constant temperature heating box, and one end of the culture medium dispensing module is connected to the culture medium source; A heating pipeline module is located outside the constant temperature heating chamber, passing through the constant temperature heating chamber and connecting to the other end of the culture medium dispensing module. The heating pipeline module is used to inject continuously heated culture medium into the petri dish. A control module, connected to the constant temperature heating chamber, the culture medium dispensing module, and the heating pipeline module, is used to control the heat preservation temperature of the constant temperature heating chamber, the preset flow rate of the culture medium dispensing module, and the heating temperature of the heating pipeline module. A petri dish storage mechanism is located on one side of the constant temperature heating box and is used to output or retrieve petri dishes; The heating pipeline module includes: A heating plate is disposed outside the constant temperature heating box; A heat-conducting plate is disposed on the heating plate, and the heat-conducting plate and the heating plate together form a second heating cavity; Multiple delivery pipelines are laid in the second heating chamber. One end of each delivery pipeline is connected to the culture medium source through the culture medium dispensing module, and the other end is injected into the petri dish with continuously heated culture medium through a liquid injection needle. The heating plate abuts against the first side of the multiple conveying pipes, the heat-conducting plate abuts against the two outermost conveying pipes, and multiple layers of heat insulation are provided on the outside of the heat-conducting plate and the second side of the multiple conveying pipes. The multilayer insulation layer includes: The heat-conducting plate is provided with a first high-temperature resistant heat insulation board and a first high-temperature resistant material on its outer surface. The second high-temperature resistant heat insulation board and the second high-temperature resistant material are detachably stacked on the second side of the multiple conveying pipelines to seal the second heating cavity; The culture medium dispensing module includes multiple peristaltic pumps, and the multiple delivery pipelines are connected to the multiple peristaltic pumps one by one; The plate storage mechanism includes: The base is set on the workbench; The flat plate storage unit has multiple circumferentially arranged stacked flat plates. The flat plate storage unit is rotatably mounted on the top surface of the base. The top surface of the base is provided with a through flat plate outlet and a through flat plate return outlet. A flat plate discharge track, wherein the first end of the flat plate discharge track passes through one side of the base and is vertically opposite to the flat plate discharge port, and the second end of the flat plate discharge track extends to the outside of the base; The flat plate return track has its first end passing through one side of the base and facing the flat plate return port vertically, and its second end extending to the outside of the base; the flat plate discharge track and the flat plate return track are parallel to each other. The plate discharge track is equipped with a sliding plate discharge module slider, and the plate discharge port is equipped with a discharge separation device for separating the bottom plate in a stacked plate column through the plate discharge port to the plate discharge module slider; the plate return track is equipped with a sliding plate return module slider, and the plate return port is equipped with a return lifting device for lifting a single plate from the plate return module slider through the plate return port to the bottom of a stacked plate column.

2. The automatic dispensing system for preventing culture medium coagulation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat-conducting plate is made of 6061 aluminum alloy, the first high-temperature heat-resistant insulation plate and the second high-temperature heat-resistant insulation plate are made of LCP, the first high-temperature resistant material is made of high-temperature bakelite, and the second high-temperature resistant material is made of 304 stainless steel.

3. The automatic dispensing system for preventing culture medium coagulation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The culture medium source includes multiple replaceable culture medium conical flasks, which are arranged in a matrix within the first heating chamber. The multiple peristaltic pumps are connected to the multiple culture medium conical flasks one by one.

4. The automatic dispensing system for preventing culture medium coagulation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plate storage mechanism also includes: A coding machine is installed above the flat plate dispensing track and is used to print codes on the flat plate on the slider of the flat plate dispensing module. A flat surface barcode scanner is used to scan barcodes on flat surfaces after inkjet printing.

5. The automatic dispensing system for preventing culture medium coagulation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dispensing system also includes a plate transfer mechanism, which is located between the second end of the plate discharge track and the heating pipeline module. The plate transfer mechanism is used to transfer the plate between the second end of the plate discharge track and the heating pipeline module.

6. An automatic dispensing method for preventing culture medium from solidifying, characterized in that, The dispensing method is applied to the culture medium anti-coagulation automatic dispensing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, and the dispensing method includes: S102. Place the culture medium source into the first heating chamber of the constant temperature heating box, and set the constant temperature heating box temperature using the control module. S104. Connect the culture medium dispensing module to the constant temperature heating box and the heating pipeline module in sequence, and set the heating temperature of the heating pipeline module in the control module. S106. Output the plate through the plate storage mechanism; S108 The control module controls the preset flow rate of the culture medium dispensing module, so that the heating pipeline module injects continuously heated culture medium into the petri dish.

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