A fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine and its working method

Abstract

This invention discloses a fully automated liquid-based cytology slide preparation and staining machine, comprising a frame, a turntable assembly, a lateral movement assembly, a lifting assembly, a push rod assembly, a solenoid valve assembly, a waste collection assembly, and a waste liquid collection assembly. The turntable assembly integrates sample bottles, pipette tips, slide clamps, and sedimentation baskets, enabling multi-channel sample loading. The lateral movement assembly and the lifting assembly work together to perform pipetting, sample addition, filter placement and removal, and staining operations. The push rod assembly drives the turntable assembly to perform centrifugal slide preparation. The solenoid valve assembly controls the actions of each actuator. The waste collection assembly and waste liquid collection assembly respectively achieve centralized treatment of waste and waste liquid. This invention integrates centrifugal slide preparation and automatic staining functions. The equipment has a compact layout and small footprint. It uses standard consumables and operates fully automatically. The multi-channel design improves slide preparation and staining efficiency, solving the technical problems of high cost and limited functionality of existing TCT equipment and cumbersome processes and high operational requirements of LCT equipment. It is suitable for liquid-based cytology testing scenarios in pathology departments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical testing equipment technology, specifically to a fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine and its working method. Background Technology

[0002] Liquid-based cytology testing is an important tool in clinical pathological diagnosis, widely used in cervical cancer screening, body fluid cytology analysis, and other scenarios. Currently, the mainstream liquid-based cytology technologies are divided into two categories: transmembrane filtration (TCT) and natural sedimentation (LCT), both of which have significant technical limitations. Membrane tube filtration TCT equipment has high consumable costs, poor slide preparation effect on blood and mucous specimens, and can only complete smear preparation, cannot achieve automated staining, requires manual operation afterward, and is inefficient. The natural settling LCT equipment has a complicated process, takes a long time, requires a high level of professional experience from operators, and involves a lot of labor intensity. At the same time, the consumable components are complex and the equipment manufacturing cost is high, making it difficult to meet the needs of pathology departments for efficient and low-cost use.

[0003] In addition, existing equipment generally suffers from low functional integration, large footprint, and insufficient automation, which cannot meet the needs of the pathology department for compact spatial layout and fully unmanned operation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine and its operating method, thereby solving the technical problems of high cost and limited functionality of existing TCT equipment and cumbersome processes and high operational requirements of LCT equipment.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine includes a frame, on which a turntable assembly, a transverse movement assembly, and a lifting assembly are provided; The turntable assembly includes a turntable body, sample bottles, pipette tips, slide clamps, sedimentation baskets, and a rotating shaft. The sample bottles, pipette tips, and sedimentation baskets are mounted on the turntable body, and the slide clamps are mounted on the sedimentation baskets. The turntable body is rotatably connected to the frame via the rotating shaft. The turntable body is connected to a centrifugation drive mechanism, which drives the turntable body to rotate to achieve centrifugal slide preparation. The sample bottles are used to load the samples to be tested, the pipette tips are used for sample extraction and transfer, and the slide clamps and sedimentation baskets work together to achieve cell sedimentation slide preparation. The turntable body achieves rotational positioning and centrifugal movement through the rotating shaft and the centrifugation drive mechanism. The lateral movement assembly includes left and right lateral movement plates, and the lifting assembly is mounted on the left and right lateral movement plates. The lifting assembly includes a lead screw assembly, a staining needle assembly, a pipette tip pick-up rod, and a filter screen pick-up rod. The staining needle assembly, pipette tip pick-up rod, and filter screen pick-up rod achieve vertical synchronous lifting and lowering through the lead screw assembly. The lead screw assembly drives vertical lifting and lowering, the pipette tip pick-up rod completes pipette tip gripping, sample addition, and waste unloading, the filter screen pick-up rod completes filter screen placement and waste disposal, and the staining needle assembly completes automated staining operations.

[0006] Preferably, the sample bottles, pipette tips, slide clips, and sedimentation baskets are designed with multi-channel grouping, with four items per group, arranged in parallel, for a total of six groups and 24 loading positions. Each group is evenly distributed along the circumference of the turntable body. This multi-channel design, with four items per group and a total of 24 items in six groups, improves testing efficiency.

[0007] Preferably, the system also includes a control unit and a solenoid valve assembly. The control unit controls and drives the traverse assembly, lifting assembly, push rod assembly, and turntable assembly through the solenoid valve assembly, achieving fully automated control of the entire process. The solenoid valve assembly is a pneumatic or electric control core, connected to the lifting assembly, push rod assembly, and turntable assembly respectively, enabling precise control of the actions of each mechanism. The equipment is equipped with a control unit that integrates sensors and a program control module, achieving fully automated operation of the entire process of consumable loading, sample addition, centrifugation, waste removal, and dyeing without manual intervention.

[0008] Preferably, the frame is also equipped with a waste material recovery component and a waste liquid recovery component. The waste material recovery component is positioned corresponding to the pipette tip and filter screen removal rods, and the waste liquid recovery component is positioned corresponding to the turntable assembly. The waste material recovery component is positioned at the unloading position of the pipette tip and filter screen to centrally collect waste consumables; the waste liquid recovery component collects waste liquid generated during the film preparation and dyeing processes to avoid contamination.

[0009] Preferably, the lifting assembly also includes a guide seat, and the screw assembly drives the staining needle assembly, the pipette tip rod, and the filter rod to move vertically and synchronously along the guide seat.

[0010] Preferably, the rack is a floor-standing frame structure, with all components compactly arranged inside the rack. This provides a mounting platform for each component, and the compact layout reduces the equipment's footprint, adapting to the space requirements of pathology departments.

[0011] Preferably, the lateral movement assembly further includes a pump assembly, which drives the left and right lateral movement plates to move left and right.

[0012] The operating method of this fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine includes the following steps: S1: Load consumables, place the sample bottle and pipette on the turntable body, and place the slide clip on the sedimentation basket; S2: The push rod motor drives the guide shaft to rise, lifting the film clamp to a horizontal position; the turntable body rotates, transferring the first set of samples to the designated workstation; S3: The lifting component rises, the pipette rod grabs the pipette tip, the horizontal component moves the pipette tip to the corresponding sample bottle to make a hole and take liquid, and then moves it to the slide clamp to drain the liquid. After repeating the process of adding samples to the same group, the pipette tip is transferred to the waste recycling component for unloading. S4: The support ring descends, the lifting component resets, the turntable body starts centrifugation, and the cell sedimentation and slide preparation are completed; S5: After centrifugation is complete, the lifting assembly rises, the filter rod grabs the filter screen and transfers it to the waste recycling assembly for unloading; S6: The staining needle assembly extends into the settling chamber of the slide clamp to perform the staining and cleaning process; S7: After staining is complete, the equipment issues a prompt signal, and the process ends.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this invention are: (1) High functional integration: It integrates centrifugation and automatic staining functions, replacing the traditional step-by-step operation, and realizing full automation of liquid-based cytology detection; (2) Strong spatial adaptability: The compact floor-standing layout greatly reduces the equipment footprint and is suitable for the space-constrained scenarios in pathology departments; (3) Convenient and efficient operation: It uses standard consumables and does not require manual intervention after loading, reducing labor intensity and operational threshold; (4) Improved detection efficiency: The multi-channel group design can process 24 samples at a time, significantly improving the efficiency of slide preparation and staining; (5) Cost optimization: It simplifies the structure of consumables, reduces usage costs, and at the same time, the equipment structure is simplified, reducing manufacturing costs; (6) Wide range of applications: It is compatible with various specimen types, improves the slide preparation effect of blood and mucous specimens, and enhances detection accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the turntable assembly structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting assembly and the lateral movement assembly of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the push rod assembly structure of the present invention; In the diagram: 100, frame; 200, turntable assembly; 201, turntable body; 202, sample bottle; 203, pipette tip; 204, slide clamp; 205, sedimentation basket; 206, rotating shaft; 300, transverse assembly; 301, left and right transverse plates; 310, solenoid valve assembly; 320, pump assembly; 400, lifting assembly; 410, lead screw assembly; 420, staining needle assembly; 430, filter screen picker rod; 440, pipette tip picker rod; 450, guide seat; 500, push rod assembly; 501, support ring; 502, push rod motor; 503, guide shaft; 610, waste material recovery assembly; 620, waste liquid recovery assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: Example: Figure 1-4 As shown, a fully automatic liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine includes a frame 100, a turntable assembly 200, a transverse assembly 300, a lifting assembly 400, a push rod assembly 500, a solenoid valve assembly 310, a waste recycling assembly 610, and a waste liquid recycling assembly 620. The frame 100 adopts a floor-standing metal frame, and the components are installed in layers inside the frame 100, with a compact layout. The turntable assembly 200 includes a turntable body 201, sample bottles 202, pipette tips 203, tablet holders 204, sedimentation baskets 205, and a rotating shaft 206. The sample bottles 202, pipette tips 203, and sedimentation baskets are evenly distributed on the turntable body 201. The tablet holders 204 are snapped onto the sedimentation baskets 205. The turntable body 201 is rotatably connected to the frame 100 through the rotating shaft 206 and is driven by a centrifugal drive mechanism, which can realize positioning rotation and centrifugal movement. The transverse assembly 300 includes left and right transverse plates 301, which move along the horizontal guide rails of the frame 100. The lifting assembly 400 is mounted on the left and right transverse plates 301 and includes a lead screw assembly 410, a staining needle assembly 420, a pipette tip rod 440, and a filter rod 430. The lead screw assembly 410 drives the lifting assembly 400 to move vertically, while the staining needle assembly 420, pipette tip rod 440, and filter rod 430 move synchronously. The transverse assembly also includes a pump assembly 320, which drives the left and right transverse plates 301 to move left and right. The lifting assembly also includes a guide seat 450, and the lead screw assembly 410 drives the staining needle assembly 420, pipette tip rod 440, and filter rod 430 to move vertically and synchronously along the guide seat 450.

[0016] The push rod assembly 500 includes a support ring 501, a push rod motor 502, and a guide shaft 503. The support ring 501 corresponds to the position of the sinking basket below the film clamp 204. The push rod motor 502 drives the support ring 501 to rise and fall through the guide shaft 503, lifting or lowering the film clamp 204. The solenoid valve assembly 310 is electrically connected to the lifting assembly 400, the push rod assembly 500 and the turntable assembly 200 respectively, controlling the start and stop of each mechanism and the sequence of action; the waste material recovery assembly 610 is set at the unloading position of the pipette head 203 and the filter screen, and the waste liquid recovery assembly 620 is set below the turntable assembly 200 to collect waste liquid.

[0017] When the present invention is in operation, after the sample bottle 202, pipette head 203, and slide clamp 204 are loaded, the push rod motor 502 drives the support ring 501 to rise and lift the slide clamp 204, and the turntable body 201 rotates and positions itself; the lifting component 400 rises, the pipette head grabbing rod 440 grabs the pipette head 203, and after the sample is added, the waste material is unloaded; the support ring 501 descends, the lifting component 400 rises, and the turntable body 201 centrifuges and prepares the slides; then the filter screen grabbing rod 430 unloads the filter screen, the staining needle assembly 420 performs the staining process, and the equipment prompts when it is completed, and the whole process is completed automatically.

[0018] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Other variations and modifications are possible without departing from the technical solutions described in the claims.

Claims

1. A fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine, comprising a frame, characterized in that, The frame is equipped with a turntable assembly, a transverse assembly, and a lifting assembly; The turntable assembly includes a turntable body, sample bottles, pipette tips, slide clamps, sedimentation baskets, and a rotating shaft. The sample bottles, pipette tips, and sedimentation baskets are mounted on the turntable body, and the slide clamps are mounted on the sedimentation baskets. The turntable body is rotatably connected to the frame via the rotating shaft. The turntable body is connected to a centrifugal drive mechanism, which drives the turntable body to rotate to achieve centrifugal slide preparation. The transverse component includes left and right transverse plates, and the lifting component is installed on the left and right transverse plates. The lifting component includes a lead screw assembly, a staining needle assembly, a pipette tip rod, and a filter rod. The staining needle assembly, the pipette tip rod, and the filter rod achieve vertical synchronous lifting through the lead screw assembly.

2. The fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sample bottles, pipettes, tablet clips, and sedimentation baskets are designed with multi-channel grouping, with 4 items per group, distributed in parallel, for a total of 6 groups and 24 loading positions. Each group is evenly distributed along the circumference on the turntable body.

3. The fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame is also equipped with a push rod assembly, which includes a support ring, a push rod motor and a guide shaft. The support ring is correspondingly arranged with the settling basket below the film clamp. The push rod motor drives the support ring to rise and fall through the guide shaft. When the support ring rises, it lifts the settling basket to make the film clamp horizontal.

4. The fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a control unit and a solenoid valve assembly. The control unit controls and drives the traverse assembly, lifting assembly, push rod assembly and turntable assembly through the solenoid valve assembly to achieve fully automated control of the entire process.

5. The fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame is also equipped with a waste material recovery component and a waste liquid recovery component. The waste material recovery component is configured to correspond to the liquid transfer head rod and the filter screen rod, and the waste liquid recovery component is configured to correspond to the turntable component.

6. The fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting assembly also includes a guide seat, and the screw assembly drives the staining needle assembly, the pipette tip rod, and the filter rod to move vertically and synchronously along the guide seat.

7. The fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rack is a floor-standing frame structure, with all components compactly arranged inside the rack.

8. The fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lateral movement assembly also includes a pump assembly, which drives the left and right lateral movement plates to move left and right.

9. The operating method of a fully automated liquid-based cell preparation and staining machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Load consumables, place the sample bottle and pipette on the turntable body, and place the slide clip on the sedimentation basket; S2: The push rod motor drives the guide shaft to rise, lifting the sample holder to a horizontal position; the turntable body rotates, transferring the first set of samples to the designated workstation; S3: The lifting component rises, the pipette rod grabs the pipette tip, the horizontal component moves the pipette tip to the corresponding sample bottle to make a hole and take liquid, and then moves it to the slide clamp to drain the liquid. After repeating the process of adding samples to the same group, the pipette tip is transferred to the waste recycling component for unloading. S4: The support ring descends, the lifting component resets, the turntable body starts centrifugation, and the cell sedimentation and slide preparation are completed; S5: After centrifugation is complete, the lifting assembly rises, the filter rod grabs the filter screen and transfers it to the waste recycling assembly for unloading; S6: The staining needle assembly extends into the settling chamber of the slide clamp to perform the staining and cleaning process; S7: After staining is complete, the equipment issues a prompt signal, and the process ends.

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