Full-automatic cell wax block preparation device

Abstract

The invention provides a full-automatic cell wax block preparation device, and relates to the field of wax block preparation device.The full-automatic cell wax block preparation device comprises a case, a support is installed in the case, the support is provided with a centrifugal chamber, sliding rails are symmetrically arranged on the left side and the right side of the top of the support, and the centrifugal chamber is located between the two sliding rails; the tops of the sliding rails are in sliding fit with bases, and a portal frame is connected between the two bases. According to the full-automatic cell wax block preparation device, the sliding rail, the base and the sliding seat are arranged, the base is magnetically suspended above the sliding rail through the conveying belt, the magnet, the iron sheet and the electromagnet embedded in the sliding seat, preliminary movement is formed, and follow-up fine adjustment is facilitated. A screw driven by a motor penetrates through the base and is matched with a small electric push rod, an arc-shaped piece and a ball bead, so that the fine adjustment effect is achieved. And secondary movement adjustment is achieved, positioning deviation caused by inertia during movement of the portal frame is avoided, and the positioning accuracy is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wax block preparation equipment, specifically to a fully automated cell wax block preparation equipment. Background Technology

[0002] The common practice for processing fluid-containing cells involves directly smearing the fluid-containing cells onto a glass slide for microscopic observation. However, the limitations of this conventional technique for creating ordinary smears are becoming increasingly apparent. Cell paraffin blocks, on the other hand, involve extracting cells from the fluid and fixing them in paraffin wax, creating a form similar to tissue sections. This method overcomes the problems associated with ordinary smears and also avoids damage or loss of the smear.

[0003] The basic steps for preparing cell paraffin blocks are as follows: Pour the extracted body fluid into a test tube, centrifuge the test tube at high speed for a period of time, remove the supernatant containing interfering components such as blood from the top of the test tube, and allow the collected liquid cells to form cell clumps; carefully peel off the intact cell clumps, wrap them in water-permeable filter paper, and go through a series of steps such as fixation, dehydration, clearing, staining, paraffin infiltration, cooling, and embedding. Then, cut the embedded paraffin block into thin slices of about 5μm using a microtome, thus finally completing the cell paraffin block.

[0004] A cell block fabrication machine is required during the fabrication process. However, existing equipment has the following problems: 1. Traditional gantry cranes are prone to positioning deviation due to inertia during high-speed liquid transfer, affecting the accuracy of micro-liquid transfer. 2. Existing equipment performs centrifugation and paraffin infiltration in separate steps, causing temperature fluctuations in the cell precipitate, which affects the embedding quality. Therefore, a new type of cell block fabrication machine has been developed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a fully automated cell wax block preparation device, which solves the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0007] (II) Technical Solution

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution: a fully automated cell block preparation device, comprising a chassis, a support installed inside the chassis, a centrifuge chamber provided on the support, slide rails symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the top of the support, the centrifuge chamber located between the two slide rails, a base slidably fitted on the top of the slide rails, a gantry frame connected between the two bases, and a pipetting module slidably fitted on the gantry frame.

[0009] The centrifuge chamber is equipped with a rotary centrifuge module, which includes a rotating platform, a placement box, and a wax block preparation tube. The placement box is fixedly installed on the rotating platform, and the wax block preparation tube is connected to the placement box.

[0010] The slide rail is equipped with a conveyor belt, the base is located above the slide rail, the bottom of the base is connected to a slide block, the lower half of the slide block extends into the slide rail, the bottom of the slide block is connected to a pair of iron plates, multiple magnets are evenly arranged on the outer surface of the conveyor belt, the magnets are located between the two iron plates, and an electromagnet is installed in the slide block. When the electromagnet is energized, a repulsive force is generated between it and the magnet.

[0011] The base has a through slot, through which a screw rod passes. Two slots are symmetrically opened on the inner wall of the slot. A small electric actuator is installed in the slot, with the movable end of the small electric actuator facing the screw rod and connected to an arc-shaped piece. A ball is installed on the inner side of one of the arc-shaped pieces, and the ball can extend into the threaded groove of the screw rod.

[0012] Preferably, the inner side of the wax block preparation tube is provided with a heat-conducting mesh bag, the wax block preparation tube is embedded with a temperature-conducting rod, the placement box is provided with a heating box, the heating box is provided with upper and lower cavities, the upper cavity is provided with a heating unit, the lower cavity is provided with a sensing component, the sensing component is connected to the temperature-conducting rod, the top of the heat-conducting mesh bag has an extension, the extension extends into the heating box and is connected to the heating unit.

[0013] Preferably, the sensing component includes a tension detection unit, a spring, an iron sheet, and an iron rod. The tension detection unit is installed on the top of the inner wall of the lower cavity. The bottom of the tension detection unit is connected to a spring, the lower end of the spring is connected to an iron sheet, the iron rod is located directly below the iron sheet, the upper end of the temperature-conducting rod is connected to the iron rod, and a wire extends outward from the bottom of the tension detection unit.

[0014] Preferably, the copper wire of the conductor is exposed and wrapped around the surface of the iron rod.

[0015] Preferably, the screw has raised portions between the threaded grooves, the raised portions are distributed along the spiral line of the threaded grooves, and the raised portions are curved.

[0016] Preferably, the wax block preparation tube, the heat-conducting mesh bag, the heat-conducting rod, and the material with good thermal conductivity are made of materials, and the heat-conducting mesh bag contains woven fabric.

[0017] Preferably, the front of the chassis is equipped with a display and operation screen, and an observation window is installed on the front of the chassis.

[0018] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0019] This invention provides a fully automated device for preparing cell paraffin blocks. It has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1. This fully automated cell paraffin block preparation device features a slide rail, base, and slide block. A conveyor belt, magnets, iron plates, and an electromagnet embedded in the slide block allow the base to be magnetically levitated above the slide rail, enabling faster initial movement and facilitating subsequent fine-tuning. A motor-driven screw runs through the base, working in conjunction with a small electric actuator, an arc-shaped plate, and ball bearings to achieve fine-tuning. This secondary movement adjustment prevents positioning deviations caused by inertia during gantry movement, improving positioning accuracy.

[0021] 2. This fully automated cell paraffin block preparation device features a temperature-conducting mesh inside the paraffin block preparation tube, with a heating box inside the placement box. The heating box contains a heating unit, a tension detection unit, a spring, an iron plate, and an iron rod. The bottom of the tension detection unit is electrically connected to a copper wire wound around the iron rod. The temperature-conducting rod transfers heat to the iron rod, increasing its resistance and weakening the magnetic field on the iron plate. This, in turn, reduces the tension received by the tension detection unit, thus detecting the internal temperature of the paraffin block preparation tube and facilitating user operation. This device heats the reagent tube during centrifugation, preventing excessive temperature fluctuations in the cell precipitate during paraffin block preparation, which could negatively impact embedding quality. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional view of the structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the chassis of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a partial structural illustration of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the base of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating centrifugal module structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the screw structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the tube structure for preparing the wax block according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 9 For the present invention Figure 8 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle.

[0031] In the diagram: 1. Chassis, 11. Display and operation screen, 12. Observation window, 13. Centrifuge chamber, 2. Rotary centrifuge module, 21. Placement box, 211. Heating box, 22. Wax block preparation tube, 23. Heat-conducting mesh bag, 24. Fabric, 25. Temperature-conducting rod, 3. Slide rail, 31. Conveyor belt, 32. Magnet, 4. Base, 41. Through groove, 42. Small electric actuator, 43. Arc plate, 44. Ball, 5. Gantry, 6. Plugging module, 7. Slide, 71. Iron sheet, 8. Screw, 81. Raised part, 9. Tension detection unit, 91. Spring, 92. Iron sheet, 93. Iron rod, 10. Heating unit. Detailed Implementation

[0032] This invention provides an automated device for preparing cell paraffin blocks, such as... Figure 1-9 As shown, the device includes a chassis 1, within which a bracket is fixedly installed. A centrifuge chamber 13 is fixedly installed on the bracket. Slide rails 3 are symmetrically arranged and fixedly installed on the left and right sides of the top of the bracket. The centrifuge chamber 13 is located between two slide rails 3. A base 4 is slidably fitted onto the top of each slide rail 3. A gantry frame 5 is fixedly installed between the two bases 4. A pipetting module 6 is slidably fitted onto the gantry frame 5. This device is also equipped with a TIP head holder, controller, temperature control module, etc., for use in the cell block preparation step. However, these modules are the same as the pipetting module 6, all being conventional techniques. This solution does not introduce any innovation; therefore, the specific structure and connection methods are not described in detail.

[0033] A rotary centrifuge module 2 is installed inside centrifuge chamber 13. The rotary centrifuge module 2 includes a rotating platform, a placement box 21, and a wax block preparation tube 22. A large motor is fixedly installed at the bottom of the inner wall of the centrifuge chamber, and the drive shaft of the large motor is fixedly connected to the rotating platform. The placement box 21 is fixedly installed on the rotating platform, and the wax block preparation tube 22 is fixedly inserted into the placement box 21. In use, a reagent cartridge containing bodily fluids is placed into the wax block preparation tube 22. The large motor then drives the rotating platform to rotate at high speed.

[0034] A conveyor belt 31 is fixedly installed inside the slide rail 3. The base 4 is suspended above the slide rail 3. A slide block 7 is welded to the bottom of the base 4. The lower half of the slide block 7 extends into the slide rail 3. A pair of iron plates 71 are welded to the bottom of the slide block 7.

[0035] Multiple magnets 32 are fixedly installed at equal intervals on the outer surface of the conveyor belt 31, with each magnet 32 ​​positioned between two iron plates 71. An electromagnet is fixedly embedded in the slide block 7. When the electromagnet is energized, a repulsive force is generated between it and the magnets 32. Since the magnets 32 are positioned between the iron plates 71, the iron plates 71 are attracted by the magnets 32. When the conveyor belt 31 moves the magnets 32, the magnets 32 attract and pull the iron plates 71, driving the slide block 7 to move the base 4 along the slide rail 3. Magnetic levitation is achieved through the interaction of magnetic forces, making the movement of the base 4 on the slide rail 3 more efficient, thus achieving the initial movement objective.

[0036] The base 4 has a through slot 41, through which a screw 8 passes. A small motor is fixedly installed inside the bracket of the housing 1, and the drive shaft of the small motor is welded to the end of the screw 8.

[0037] Two through grooves 41 are symmetrically opened on the inner wall of the through groove 41. A small electric actuator 42 is fixedly installed in the through groove 41. The movable end of the small electric actuator 42 faces the screw 8 and is welded with an arc-shaped piece 43. A ball ball 44 is installed on the inner side of one of the arc-shaped pieces 43. The ball ball 44 can extend into the thread groove of the screw 8.

[0038] When the base 4 moves to the designated range, the small electric actuator 42 immediately extends, and the two arc-shaped plates 43 clamp the screw 8, with the ball bearing 44 embedded in the screw 8. This immediately restricts the movement of the base 4, preventing it from moving too far from the designated coordinate position. Then, precision adjustment begins. The arc-shaped plates 43, the ball bearing 44, and the screw 8 work together to form a structure similar to a ball screw. The small motor slowly drives the screw 8 to rotate, and the ball bearing 44 moves along the thread groove of the screw 8, thereby controlling the slow back-and-forth movement of the base 4.

[0039] To further improve accuracy, a GPS positioning unit 1 is fixedly installed inside the base 4, and a GPS positioning unit 2 is fixedly installed along the length direction at the bottom of the inner wall of the slide rail 3. The GPS positioning unit 2 corresponds to the specified coordinate position. The GPS positioning unit 1 and the GPS positioning unit 2 work together to sense whether the base 4 has moved to the specified position.

[0040] A heat-conducting mesh bag 23 is fixedly installed inside the wax block preparation tube 22. A heat-conducting rod 25 is embedded inside the wax block preparation tube 22. A heating box 211 is fixedly installed inside the placement box 21. The heating box 211 has upper and lower cavities. A heating unit 10 is fixedly installed in the upper cavity. The top of the heat-conducting mesh bag 23 has an extension that extends into the heating box 211 and contacts the heating unit 10. The heating unit 10 starts to heat the heat-conducting mesh bag 23 when it reaches a certain temperature.

[0041] A sensing component is installed in the lower cavity, and the sensing component is connected to the temperature conducting rod 25.

[0042] The sensing component includes a tension detection unit 9, a spring 91, an iron sheet 92, and an iron rod 93. The tension detection unit 9 is fixedly installed on the top of the inner wall of the lower cavity. The spring 91 is welded to the bottom of the tension detection unit 9. The iron sheet 92 is fixedly installed at the lower end of the spring 91. The iron rod 93 is located directly below the iron sheet 92. The upper end of the temperature-conducting rod 25 is fixedly inserted into the iron rod 93. A wire extends outward from the bottom of the tension detection unit 9.

[0043] The copper wire of the conductor is exposed and wrapped around the surface of the iron rod 93.

[0044] The reagent cylinder carrying bodily fluids is placed inside the heat-conducting mesh bag 23. The heat-conducting mesh bag 23 heats up the internal environment of the wax block preparation tube 22, and the temperature rises through the heat-conducting rod 25, causing the iron rod 93 to heat up. Originally, the copper wire was wrapped around the surface of the iron rod 93. The current passing through the copper wire creates a magnetic field around the iron rod 93. The magnetic field attracts the iron sheet 92 to descend, and the spring 91 is stretched, applying force to the tension detection unit 9.

[0045] When the temperature of the iron rod 9 rises and the copper wire comes into direct contact with the iron rod 9, the resistance of the copper wire increases with the temperature. The increased resistance leads to a decrease in current, which in turn weakens the magnetic field strength. Therefore, the value measured by the tensile force detection unit 9 becomes smaller. The temperature inside the wax block preparation tube 22 is determined based on the value fed back by the tensile force detection unit 9.

[0046] The voltage of the circuit described above is large enough and constant, which is sufficient to support the operation of the tensile force detection unit 9. Even if the resistance increases, it will affect the normal operation of the tensile force detection unit 9.

[0047] The screw 8 has raised portions 81 between its threaded grooves. The raised portions 81 are distributed along the helical line of the threaded grooves and are curved. This arrangement facilitates the contact between the ball bearing 44 and the surface of the raised portion 81 when the two arc-shaped plates 43 clamp the screw 8. The screw 8 deflects slightly, allowing the ball bearing 44 to quickly enter the threaded groove.

[0048] The device is made of a wax block preparation tube 22, a thermally conductive mesh bag 23, a thermally conductive rod 25, and a material with good thermal conductivity. A fabric 24 is placed inside the thermally conductive mesh bag 23. The fabric 34 serves as a buffer, preventing the thermally conductive mesh bag 23 from directly contacting the reagent tube.

[0049] A display and operation screen 11 is fixedly installed on the front of the chassis 1, and an observation window 12 is fixedly installed on the front of the chassis 1.

[0050] In summary, this fully automated cell paraffin block preparation device comprises a slide rail 3, a base 4, and a slide block 7. A conveyor belt 31, a magnet 32, an iron plate 71, and an electromagnet embedded in the slide block 7 magnetically levitate the base 4 above the slide rail 3, allowing for faster movement and initial adjustment. A motor-driven screw 8 runs through the base 4, which, in conjunction with a small electric actuator 42, an arc-shaped plate 43, and a ball bearing 44, enables fine-tuning. This secondary movement adjustment prevents positioning deviations caused by inertia during the movement of the gantry 5, thus improving positioning accuracy.

[0051] Furthermore, a heat-conducting mesh bag 23 is installed inside the wax block preparation tube 22, and a heating box 211 is installed inside the placement box 21. The heating box 211 contains a heating unit 10, a tension detection unit 9, a spring 91, an iron sheet 92, and an iron rod 93. A copper wire is electrically connected to the bottom of the tension detection unit 9, and the copper wire is wound around the iron rod 93. Heat is transferred to the iron rod 93 via the heat-conducting rod 25. The increased temperature of the iron rod 93 raises the resistance of the copper wire, weakening the magnetic field strength received by the iron sheet 92, thus reducing the tension received by the tension detection unit 9. This achieves the function of detecting the internal temperature of the wax block preparation tube 22, facilitating user operation. This allows the wax block preparation tube 22 to be collected during centrifugation, and heats the reagent tube, preventing excessive temperature differences during wax block preparation that could cause large temperature fluctuations in the cell precipitate, affecting the embedding quality.

[0052] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A fully automated cell paraffin block preparation device, comprising a chassis (1), characterized in that: The chassis (1) is equipped with a bracket, the bracket has a centrifuge chamber (13), and slide rails (3) are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the top of the bracket. The centrifuge chamber (13) is located between the two slide rails (3). The top of the slide rails (3) is slidably fitted with a base (4), and a gantry frame (5) is connected between the two bases (4). The gantry frame (5) is slidably fitted with a pipetting module (6). The centrifuge chamber (13) is equipped with a rotating centrifuge module (2). The rotating centrifuge module (2) includes a rotating platform, a placement box (21), and a wax block preparation tube (22). The placement box (21) is fixedly installed on the rotating platform, and the wax block preparation tube (22) is connected to the placement box (21). The slide rail (3) is equipped with a conveyor belt (31), the base (4) is located above the slide rail (3), the bottom of the base (4) is connected to a slide block (7), the lower half of the slide block (7) extends into the slide rail (3), the bottom of the slide block (7) is connected to a pair of iron plates (71), multiple magnets (32) are arranged at equal intervals on the outer surface of the conveyor belt (31), the magnets (32) are located between two iron plates (71), an electromagnet is installed in the slide block (7), and when the electromagnet is energized, a repulsive force is generated between it and the magnet (32); The base (4) has a through groove (41) through which a screw (8) passes. Two through grooves (41) are symmetrically opened on the inner wall of the through groove (41). A small electric actuator (42) is installed in the through groove (41). The movable end of the small electric actuator (42) faces the screw (8) and is connected to an arc-shaped piece (43). A ball (44) is installed on the inner side of one of the arc-shaped pieces (43). The ball (44) can extend into the thread groove of the screw (8).

2. The fully automated cell paraffin block preparation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner side of the wax block preparation tube (22) is provided with a heat-conducting mesh bag (23), and a heat-conducting rod (25) is embedded in the wax block preparation tube (22). The placement box (21) is provided with a heating box (211). The heating box (211) has upper and lower cavities. The upper cavity is provided with a heating unit (10), and the lower cavity is provided with a sensing component. The sensing component is connected to the heat-conducting rod (25). The top of the heat-conducting mesh bag (23) has an extension that extends into the heating box (211) and is connected to the heating unit (10).

3. The fully automated cell wax block preparation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sensing component includes a tension detection unit (9), a spring (91), an iron sheet (92), and an iron rod (93). The tension detection unit (9) is installed on the top of the inner wall of the lower cavity. The bottom of the tension detection unit (9) is connected to the spring (91), the lower end of the spring (91) is connected to the iron sheet (92), the iron rod (93) is located directly below the iron sheet (92), the upper end of the temperature-conducting rod (25) is connected to the iron rod (93), and a wire extends outward from the bottom of the tension detection unit (9).

4. The fully automated cell paraffin block preparation device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The copper wire of the conductor is exposed and is wrapped around the surface of the iron rod (93).

5. The fully automated cell wax block preparation device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The screw (8) has a raised portion (81) between the thread grooves. The raised portion (81) is distributed along the spiral line of the thread groove and has a curved surface.

6. The fully automated cell wax block preparation device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The wax block preparation tube (22), the heat-conducting mesh bag (23), the heat-conducting rod (25), and the material with good thermal conductivity are all made of heat-conducting mesh bag (23) and the fabric (24) is placed inside the heat-conducting mesh bag (23).

7. The fully automated cell paraffin block preparation device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The front of the chassis (1) is provided with a display and operation screen (11) and an observation window (12) is installed on the front of the chassis (1).

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