Integrated reagent tray

Abstract

The invention discloses an integrated reagent tray, and relates to the technical field of biochemical inspection equipment. Comprising a tray body and a reagent hole site, and further comprises a semiconductor refrigeration module, and the cold end and the bottom of the hole site are filled with a graphene heat-conducting silicone grease layer with the thickness of 1.2 mm-1. 5 mm; the planetary gear self-locking mechanisms are arranged on the two sides of the tray, the modulus of a sun gear of each planetary gear self-locking mechanism is 0.5, and a planetary gear is connected with a titanium alloy reset spring with the rigidity of 2.5 N / mm; an RFID composite identification base is arranged at the bottom of the hole and is wrapped with a waterproof layer containing 3.5%-4.2% of nano silicon dioxide; and honeycomb microtextures with the side length of 0.1 mm are etched on the inner walls of the holes. Through multi-dimensional collaborative design of extreme parameters, instrument centrifugal resonance errors are eliminated, micron-sized dynamic locking and extreme temperature control are realized, the problems of reagent wall hanging and corrosion prevention pain points are thoroughly solved, and the automatic sample adding precision is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical and biochemical testing equipment technology, and more specifically, to an integrated reagent tray. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of in vitro diagnostics (IVD), such as biochemical analysis, immunoluminescence, and nucleic acid detection, reagent trays are core components that support reagent bottles, test tubes, and other containers. During the operation of automated analytical instruments, reagent trays not only need to provide physical support but also often need to work with the instrument to perform multiple functions, including refrigeration and preservation, reagent level monitoring, and information reading.

[0003] Existing reagent trays suffer from several technical shortcomings: First, in terms of temperature control, conventional cooling bases typically use ordinary silicone grease for heat conduction. Limited by the application process, this results in high thermal resistance, and the grease is prone to drying and displacement under long-term high-frequency vibration, leading to reduced cooling efficiency. Second, the locking mechanisms between existing reagent trays and biochemical analyzers often employ simple snap-fits or pins. During high-speed centrifugation or needle puncture, these mechanisms can easily generate minute displacement resonances, affecting sample dispensing accuracy. Third, during use, reagents occasionally drip into the reagent holes. Highly corrosive biochemical reagents can easily damage the RFID chip reading module at the bottom, and residual reagent on the hole walls is difficult to clean. Fourth, due to the smooth hole walls, the inability to expel gas during reagent bottle insertion often creates a "cylinder effect," preventing the reagent bottle from being fully inserted. Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field for a reagent tray that can solve these multiple technical problems and possesses extremely high integration and stability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an integrated reagent tray that is highly integrated, has extremely strong structural stability, precise temperature control, and excellent anti-corrosion and anti-wall-sticking properties.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is: an integrated reagent tray, comprising a rectangular tray body and a plurality of reagent holes arrayed on the top surface of the tray body, characterized in that the reagent tray further comprises: A semiconductor cooling module is embedded in the inner bottom surface of the tray body. The semiconductor cooling module includes a Peltier element made of bismuth telluride, and a graphene thermally conductive silicone grease layer with a thickness of 1.2mm-1.5mm is filled between the cold end of the Peltier element and the bottom of the reagent well. A planetary gear self-locking mechanism is provided on both sides of the tray body for fixing to an external biochemical analyzer. The planetary gear self-locking mechanism includes a central sun gear, three evenly distributed planet gears, and an external gear ring. The central sun gear has a module of 0.5, 12 teeth, and a pressure angle of 20 degrees. The central shaft of the planet gear is connected to a titanium alloy return spring with a stiffness coefficient of 2.5 N / mm. An RFID composite identification base is integrally formed at the bottom of each reagent well. The RFID composite identification base is wrapped with a polyurethane waterproof layer, and the waterproof layer is doped with 3.5%-4.2% by mass of nano-silica particles and 0.5%-0.8% of silane coupling agent KH-550. The surface anti-fouling structure has a honeycomb microtexture etched on the inner wall of each reagent well. The honeycomb microtexture has a single side length of 0.1 mm, a depth of 0.05 mm, and a micro-protrusion spacing of 0.02 mm between two adjacent honeycomb units.

[0006] Preferably, the tray body is made of a blend of polycarbonate and glass fiber, wherein the glass fiber accounts for 18%-20% by mass, and antioxidant 1010 is added at 1.5% by mass of the total weight.

[0007] Preferably, a miniature cooling fan is connected below the hot end of the semiconductor cooling module. The miniature cooling fan has five asymmetrically distributed sickle-shaped blades with an air-facing tilt angle of 16.5 degrees and an air-exhausting tilt angle of 22.3 degrees.

[0008] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. This invention overcomes the bottleneck of conventional thermal conductive materials by limiting the graphene thermal conductive grease layer to 1.2mm-1.5mm. This specific thickness ensures the continuity of the phonon heat transfer network inside the graphene while providing sufficient buffer margin, perfectly solving the problem of microscopic morphology thermal stress at the cold end of the cooling system.

[0009] 2. A unique approach was adopted, incorporating a self-locking mechanism using planetary gears with a module of 0.5 and a specific number of teeth, combined with a titanium alloy return spring with a stiffness of 2.5 N / mm. This combination of specific parameters generates progressive frictional damping when the tray is inserted into the biochemical analyzer, completely eliminating resonance through the rotation and revolution of the planetary gears, achieving insertion accuracy down to the micrometer level.

[0010] 3. The protective layer of the RFID base uses a precise ratio of 3.5%-4.2% nano-silica and KH-550. Without affecting the penetration rate of the 13.56MHz high-frequency radio signal, it forms a dense lotus leaf water-repellent effect, which can resist immersion in 10mol / L strong acid and strong alkali reagents for up to 72 hours.

[0011] 4. A honeycomb-like microstructure of a specific size (0.1 mm side length and 0.05 mm depth) was etched on the inner wall of the reagent well using a femtosecond laser. This micron-sized structure cleverly traps air, forming a Cassie-Baxter air cushion state, which prevents overflowing reagents from adhering to the well wall. At the same time, it breaks the gas seal under the "cylinder effect", making the insertion and removal of reagent bottles smoother. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall three-dimensional structure of an integrated reagent tray according to the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the planetary gear self-locking mechanism on the side of the tray body of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 This is an electron microscopic magnified schematic diagram of the honeycomb microtexture on the inner wall of the reagent well site of the present invention.

[0015] Figure descriptions: 1-Tray body, 2-Reagent port, 3-Semiconductor cooling module, 4-Graphene thermal conductive silicone grease layer, 5-Planetary gear self-locking mechanism, 51-Central sun gear, 52-Planetary gear, 53-External gear ring, 54-Titanium alloy return spring, 6-RFID composite identification base, 7-Honeycomb micro-texture, micro cooling fan, 9-Wave-shaped shock-absorbing pad, RGB status indicator light strip, 11-Annular rib, 12-Drainage guide groove. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0018] Secondly, the present invention is described in detail with reference to the schematic diagrams. When detailing the embodiments of the present invention, for ease of explanation, the cross-sectional views illustrating the device structure may be partially enlarged, not according to the usual scale. Furthermore, the schematic diagrams are merely examples and should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, actual fabrication should include three-dimensional spatial dimensions of length, width, and depth.

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] like Figures 1-3 As shown, the present invention provides an integrated reagent tray.

[0021] Example 1: Overall Structure and Material Selection; like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, an integrated reagent tray includes a rectangular tray body 1 and a plurality of reagent wells 2 arrayed on the top surface of the tray body 1. The tray body 1 needs to withstand the impact forces from extremely frequent biochemical instrument probe loading, thus imposing stringent requirements on its rigidity and toughness.

[0022] In this embodiment, the material of the tray body 1 is strictly limited to a blend of polycarbonate (PC) and glass fiber (GF), with the glass fiber accounting for 18%-20% by mass. Through extensive tensile and impact fatigue tests, the inventors discovered that if the glass fiber content is below 18%, the tray is prone to creep deformation after long-term pressure, leading to hole displacement; if it is above 20%, although rigidity increases, the material becomes brittle, easily generating microcracks upon collision with the metal slot of the biochemical analyzer. With this formulation, an additional 1.5% of antioxidant 1010 (pentaerythritol ester) is added, effectively preventing the PC matrix from yellowing due to polymer chain breakage under long-term alternating low-temperature and room-temperature thermal shock, extending the tray's lifespan from the conventional 1 year to over 5 years.

[0023] Each of the four corners of the tray body 1 is provided with an anti-collision chamfer with a radius R of 4.5mm. This is an optimal chamfer that balances aesthetics and smoothness of guidance. The chamfer surface is coated with a 0.02mm-0.03mm thick polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) wear-resistant coating to ensure that even if friction occurs at the edge of the tray during blind insertion, it can still slide smoothly into the instrument track without generating abrasive debris that contaminates the clean biochemical testing environment.

[0024] Example 2: High-precision self-locking mechanism; This invention innovatively incorporates a planetary gear self-locking mechanism 5 on both sides of the tray body 1. Conventional reagent trays often rely on spring clips for locking, resulting in rapid force decay. This mechanism includes a central sun gear 51, three evenly distributed planetary gears 52, and an external gear ring 53. Crucially, the central sun gear 51 has a module of 0.5, 12 teeth, and a pressure angle of 20 degrees. This combination of parameters has irreplaceable technical significance: the 0.5 module combined with 12 teeth ensures that the outer diameter of the gear is precisely limited to within 7mm, significantly saving space on the narrow sides of the tray; simultaneously, the standard 20-degree pressure angle achieves optimal radial and tangential force distribution when transmitting locking torque.

[0025] The central shaft of planetary gear 52 is connected to a titanium alloy return spring 54 with a stiffness coefficient of 2.5 N / mm. Why must it be 2.5 N / mm? During the research and development process, the inventors discovered that the standard thrust of the push-pull cylinder of a biochemical analyzer is usually 30 N. If the spring stiffness is too high (e.g., exceeding 3.0 N / mm), it will cause difficulty in inserting the tray, requiring the operator to expend a great deal of physical strength; if the stiffness is too low (below 2.0 N / mm), it cannot resist the high-frequency micro-vibrations (usually between 50 Hz and 80 Hz) transmitted to the frame during the operation of the centrifuge module, causing the tray to loosen. 2.5 N / mm not only provides perfect locking damping, but the titanium alloy material also completely eliminates the risk of rusting and failure of traditional spring steel in a condensation environment.

[0026] Example 3: Temperature control and heat conduction system; To maintain the activity of the biochemical reagents, a semiconductor cooling module 3 is embedded in the inner bottom surface of the tray body 1, the core of which is a Peltier element made of bismuth telluride. Due to the machining tolerance between the cold end of the Peltier element and the bottom of the reagent orifice 2, a heat-conducting medium must be filled in.

[0027] This invention specifies the use of a graphene-coated thermal grease layer with a thickness strictly controlled between 1.2 mm and 1.5 mm. Ordinary thermal grease typically has a thermal conductivity of 2-4 W / m·K, while the thermal conductivity of grease with a single layer of graphene can reach 12 W / m·K. More importantly, thickness effect experiments are conducted:

Comparative Experiment 1: Effect of silicone grease thickness on cooling efficiency and stress

[0028] Cooling was initiated at the same ambient temperature (25℃), with the target well temperature set at 4℃. Test results: Group A, although exhibiting lower thermal resistance and cooling to 4℃ in just 180 seconds, suffered from a thin filler layer that couldn't absorb the thermal expansion and contraction caused by the temperature difference between the hot and cold ends of the semiconductor. After 1000 cycles, the silicone grease layer in Group A cracked, resulting in a sudden increase in thermal resistance. Group C, due to its excessive thickness, experienced a significant increase in thermal resistance, requiring 350 seconds to cool down, which was insufficient for emergency biochemical testing. Group B (the present invention) cooled down in 210 seconds and showed no performance degradation after 5000 thermal shocks. This demonstrates that 1.2mm-1.5mm is the only optimal range balancing thermal stress release and efficient heat conduction.

[0029] In conjunction with the cooling system, a miniature cooling fan connected below the hot end features five asymmetrically distributed sickle-shaped blades with an airflow tilt angle of 16.5 degrees and an exhaust tilt angle of 22.3 degrees. This non-integer variable cross-section angle design effectively disperses airflow vortices, providing a large airflow of 4.5 CFM while keeping wind noise below 22 decibels, creating a quiet laboratory environment. Example 4: RFID Protection and Surface Microtexture The RFID composite identification base 6 is integrally molded at the bottom of each reagent port 2, responsible for reading the label information on the bottom of the reagent bottle in real time. To prevent accidental dripping of highly corrosive reagents from damaging the chip, it is wrapped with a specially formulated polyurethane waterproof layer.

[0030] The waterproof layer contains 3.5%-4.2% by mass of nano-silica particles and 0.5%-0.8% by mass of silane coupling agent KH-550. The function of KH-550 is to bridge the inorganic nano-silica with the organic polyurethane macromolecular chains.

[0031] [Comparative Experiment 2: The Effect of Silica Doping on Signal Transmission and Corrosion Resistance] Coatings with different silica mass fractions were prepared and immersed in a 10% sodium hydroxide solution.

[0032] The results showed that when the nano-silica content was below 3.5%, the coating density was insufficient, and the RFID chip experienced a pin short circuit after immersion for 48 hours. When the doping content was above 4.2%, the coating exhibited a sudden change in dielectric constant, resulting in severe attenuation of the 13.56MHz high-frequency radio frequency signal, and the read success rate dropped from 99.9% to 85%. Only within the narrow range of 3.5%-4.2% could the coating possess both the acid and alkali resistance of a tempered glass film and achieve 100% lossless signal penetration.

[0033] Furthermore, solving the problems of reagent "wall adhesion" and "cylinder insertion / removal effect" is another major breakthrough of this invention. A honeycomb microtexture 7 is etched onto the inner wall of each reagent well 2 using a femtosecond ultrafast laser. The single side length of the microtexture is precisely 0.1 mm, the depth is 0.05 mm, and the spacing between adjacent units is 0.02 mm.

[0034] This biomimetic design perfectly replicates the microstructure of a lotus leaf surface. When tiny water droplets or serum reagents come into contact with the inner wall, they are lifted by the microtexture, exhibiting a typical Cassie-Baxter state (air cushion effect) with a contact angle greater than 150 degrees, displaying superhydrophobic properties. This not only completely eliminates reagent residue contamination, but more importantly, the micron-level interconnected gaps formed by the microtexture provide a "micro-venting channel" for reagent bottle insertion, completely breaking down the pressure seal within the orifice. This significantly reduces the resistance when the robotic gripper inserts the reagent bottle from approximately 15N to below 1.5N, greatly extending the lifespan of the biochemical analyzer's robotic arm.

[0035] Example 5: Flow Guiding and Vibration Reduction Auxiliary System Furthermore, the bottom surface of the tray body 1 is provided with a corrugated polyurethane foam shock-absorbing pad 9 with a foaming ratio of 15-20 times. The height difference between the crest and trough is limited to 1.2mm. This parameter can effectively absorb low-frequency vibrations in the 30Hz frequency band. The drainage channel 12 opened on the top surface has a drainage slope of 3.5-4.0 degrees, and its interior is coated with a hydrophilic titanium dioxide coating (contact angle <15 degrees). In the event of condensation or large-area reagent spillage, the liquid will be quickly guided along the grid channel to the waste liquid outlet at the rear of the tray under the combined action of capillary tension of the hydrophilic coating and gravity of the slope, and water will never accumulate on the tray surface.

[0036] In summary, the integrated reagent tray provided by this invention perfectly integrates mechanical self-locking, thermodynamic conduction, chemical corrosion protection of materials, and biomimetic microstructure of surface physics through a large number of stringent and even counterintuitive extremely narrow parameter constraints. The parameters of each component are both independent and undergo extremely complex synergistic effects, producing unexpected and outstanding technical results and completely subverting the design concept of traditional reagent trays.

[0037] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, various modifications can be made and components can be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the features in the disclosed embodiments can be combined with each other in any manner. The lack of an exhaustive description of these combinations in this specification is merely for the sake of brevity and resource conservation. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An integrated reagent tray, comprising a rectangular tray body (1) and a plurality of reagent holes (2) arranged in an array on the top surface of the tray body (1). Its features are, The reagent tray also includes a semiconductor cooling module (3), which is embedded in the inner bottom surface of the tray body (1). The semiconductor cooling module (3) includes a Peltier element made of bismuth telluride, and a graphene thermally conductive silicone grease layer (4) with a thickness of 1.2mm-1.5mm is filled between the cold end of the Peltier element and the bottom of the reagent hole (2). The planetary gear self-locking mechanism (5) is set on both sides of the tray body (1) for fixing with the external biochemical analyzer. The planetary gear self-locking mechanism (5) includes a central sun gear (51), three evenly distributed planet gears (52) and an external gear ring (53). The central sun gear (51) has a module of 0.5, a number of teeth of 12, and a pressure angle of 20 degrees. The central shaft of the planet gears (52) is connected to a titanium alloy return spring (54) with a stiffness coefficient of 2.5 N / mm. An RFID composite identification base (6) is integrally formed at the bottom of each of the reagent holes (2). The RFID composite identification base (6) is wrapped with a polyurethane waterproof layer, and the waterproof layer is doped with nano silica particles with a mass fraction of 3.5%-4.2% and silane coupling agent KH-550 with a mass fraction of 0.5%-0.8%. The surface anti-wall structure has a honeycomb microtexture (7) etched on the inner wall of each reagent well (2). The honeycomb microtexture (7) has a single side length of 0.1 mm, a depth of 0.05 mm, and a micro-protrusion spacing of 0.02 mm between two adjacent honeycomb units.

2. The integrated reagent tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tray body (1) is made of a blend of polycarbonate and glass fiber, wherein the glass fiber accounts for 18%-20% of the mass, and antioxidant 1010 is added to the blend at a mass of 1.5%.

3. The integrated reagent tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The semiconductor cooling module (3) is connected to a miniature cooling fan below its hot end. The miniature cooling fan has five asymmetrically distributed sickle-shaped fan blades, each with an air-facing tilt angle of 16.5 degrees and an air-exhausting tilt angle of 22.3 degrees.

4. An integrated reagent tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pallet body (1) has a chamfer at each of its four corners. The radius R of the chamfer is 4.5 mm, and the chamfer surface is coated with a polytetrafluoroethylene wear-resistant coating with a thickness of 0.02 mm to 0.03 mm.

5. An integrated reagent tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom surface of the tray body (1) is provided with four sets of arrayed wave-shaped shock-absorbing pads (9). The wave-shaped shock-absorbing pads (9) are made of foamed polyurethane with a foaming ratio of 15-20 times and a height difference of 1.2 mm between the peaks and troughs.

6. An integrated reagent tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end of the tray body (1) is embedded with an RGB status indicator light strip. The light strip is covered with an epoxy resin diffuser with a light transmittance of 85%-88%. The surface of the diffuser is provided with a V-shaped light guide groove with an included angle of 60 degrees.

7. An integrated reagent tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top edge of the reagent port (2) is provided with a ring-shaped rib (11). The cross-section of the ring-shaped rib (11) is semi-circular with a radius of 0.8 mm, which is used to form an interference fit with the sealing gasket of the external reagent bottle.

8. An integrated reagent tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top surface of the tray body (1) is also provided with a grid-shaped drainage channel (12). The bottom of the drainage channel (12) has a drainage slope that slopes towards the rear of the tray body (1). The angle of the drainage slope is 3.5 degrees to 4.0 degrees.

9. An integrated reagent tray according to claim 8, characterized in that: The inner surface of the drainage channel (12) is coated with a titanium dioxide hydrophilic coating, so that the water droplet contact angle on the surface is less than 15 degrees.

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