Gradient dilution device
The gradient dilution device automates liquid transfer between a gun tip box and microplate, addressing manual pipetting errors and achieving accurate, efficient concentration preparation for chemical and biological testing.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421551711.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-02
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-31
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-07-02
AI Technical Summary
Manual pipetting during gradient dilution processes is prone to errors and inefficient, requiring repeated use of a pipette, which affects the accuracy of concentration preparation.
A gradient dilution device with a gun tip box, microplate, and pipetting mechanism, utilizing a displacement assembly to automate the movement of pipetting assemblies between the gun tip box and microplate for controlled liquid transfer, achieving gradient dilution through intermittent movements along the X and Z directions.
Automates the gradient dilution process, reducing human error and enabling precise, efficient preparation of solutions with varying concentrations for chemical and biological testing.
Smart Images
Figure CN222267194U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of gradient dilution technology, in particular to a gradient dilution device. Background Art
[0002] Gradient dilution is a method of achieving the desired concentration through multiple dilution processes. For example, take 1mL of stock solution and add 9mL of water. At this time, the stock solution is diluted 10 times. Then take 1mL from the diluted solution and add 9mL of water. At this time, the stock solution is diluted 100 times, and so on, until the stock solution is diluted to the desired concentration. Gradient dilution can prepare a series of solutions of different concentrations, so as to simultaneously test the chemical and biological effects at different concentrations and obtain more accurate detection or experimental results.
[0003] When performing gradient dilution, liquids are usually pipetted manually using a pipette. However, as mentioned above, the pipette needs to be used repeatedly for multiple times during gradient dilution, and manual operation is prone to errors. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a gradient dilution device to automatically perform a gradient dilution process.
[0005] To achieve this object, the gradient dilution device provided by the present disclosure includes: a gun tip box, the gun tip box has a plurality of gun tip jacks arrayed along the X direction and the Y direction, wherein the X direction is perpendicular to the Y direction; a microplate, the microplate and the gun tip box are arranged along the X direction, the microplate has a plurality of holes arrayed along the X direction and the Y direction; and a pipetting mechanism, the pipetting mechanism includes: a pipetting assembly, the pipetting assembly includes a plurality of pipette guns arranged along the Y direction, the bottom of the pipette gun has a gun tip interface; and a displacement assembly, the pipetting assembly is arranged on the displacement assembly, and the displacement assembly is configured to drive the pipetting assembly to move along the X direction and the Z direction, wherein the Z direction is perpendicular to both the X direction and the Y direction.
[0006] In the present disclosure, the term "Z direction" may be understood as a vertical direction, and the term "X direction" and the term "Y direction" may be understood as two directions perpendicular to each other in a horizontal plane.
[0007] According to the gradient dilution device disclosed in the present invention, the displacement assembly can drive the pipetting assembly to move between the gun tip box and the microplate. When the pipetting assembly is located above the gun tip box, the displacement assembly can also drive the pipette gun in the pipetting assembly to move downward so that the pipette gun and the gun tip in the gun tip box are connected to each other; when the pipetting assembly is located above the microplate, the displacement assembly can also drive the pipette gun in the pipetting assembly to move downward so as to absorb the liquid in the wells in the microplate, or discharge the liquid in the gun tip into the wells of the microplate. Through the intermittent movement of the pipetting assembly along the X direction on the microplate, the gradient dilution of the liquid in the microplate can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a gradient dilution device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
[0009] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a gun tip box and a gun tip placed in the gun tip box provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
[0010] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a microplate provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
[0011] Figure 4 A top view of a base plate provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure and a tip box, a waste material box, and a microplate placed on the base plate is shown.
[0012] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a gradient dilution device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein the gradient dilution device removes the support member and the X-direction component.
[0013] Reference numerals:
[0014] 1. Bottom plate; 11. First area; 111. First placement position; 112. First gun tip box limiting groove; 113. Second gun tip box limiting groove; 12. Second area; 121. Second placement position; 122. First microplate limiting groove; 123. Second microplate limiting groove; 13. Third area;
[0015] 2. Gun tip box; 21. Gun tip;
[0016] 3. Waste material box;
[0017] 4. Microplate; 41. Holes;
[0018] 5. Liquid transfer mechanism; 51. Liquid transfer assembly; 511. Liquid transfer gun; 52. Displacement assembly; 521. X-axis moving component; 522. Z-axis moving component; 53. Control board; 54. Control motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Figure 1Schematic diagram of the gradient dilution device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the present disclosure defines an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, wherein the Z direction can be understood as a vertical direction, and both the X direction and the Y direction are located in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other. As an example, the X direction can be understood as Figure 1 The front-to-back direction in the Y direction can be understood as Figure 1 The left and right direction in .
[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, the gradient dilution device of the present disclosure includes a tip box 2 and a microplate 4 arranged along the X direction, wherein the tip box 2 is configured to place the tip 21 of the pipette 511, and the microplate 4 is configured to place the stock solution and the diluent (such as water).
[0021] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the gun tip box 2 and the gun tip 21 is shown as an example. Figure 2 As shown, the gun tip box 2 includes a plurality of gun tip sockets arrayed along the X direction and the Y direction, the top of the gun tip sockets is open, and the axis of the gun tip sockets extends along the Z direction. The gun tip 21 can be inserted into the gun tip sockets from top to bottom and supported in the gun tip sockets.
[0022] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the microplate 4 is shown as an example. Figure 3 As shown, the microplate 4 includes a plurality of holes 41 arranged in an array along the X direction and the Y direction, and the holes 41 are configured to place the stock solution to be diluted and the diluent (such as water).
[0023] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 It can be seen that the gun tip box 2 and the microplate 4 in the present disclosure have compatible specifications. Specifically, the number and arrangement of the gun tip sockets in the gun tip box 2 are compatible with the number and arrangement direction of the holes 41 in the microplate 4.
[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, the gradient dilution device of the present disclosure also includes a pipetting mechanism 5 located above the gun tip box 2 and the microplate 4, the pipetting mechanism 5 includes a pipetting assembly 51 and a displacement assembly 52, wherein the pipetting assembly 51 includes a plurality of pipetting guns 511 arranged along the Y direction, the number of the pipetting guns 511 in the pipetting assembly 51 is adapted to the number of the gun tip sockets in the gun tip box 2 arranged along the Y direction, the bottom of the pipetting gun 511 has a gun tip interface, and the gun tip interface is configured to install the gun tip 21; wherein the pipetting assembly 51 is arranged on the displacement assembly 52, and the displacement assembly 52 is configured to drive the pipetting assembly 51 to move along the X direction and the Z direction.
[0025] It should be noted that the structure and control method of the pipette gun 511 belong to the prior art and will not be described in detail here.
[0026] When the gradient dilution device of the present disclosure is used, the displacement assembly 52 drives the pipetting assembly 51 to move between the tip box 2 and the microplate 4. When the pipetting assembly 51 is located above the tip box 2, the displacement assembly 52 drives the pipette gun 511 in the pipette assembly 51 to move downward, so that the pipette gun 511 is connected to the tip 21 in the tip box 2. When the liquid transfer assembly 51 is located above the microplate 4, the displacement assembly 52 drives the liquid transfer gun 511 in the liquid transfer assembly 51 to move downward so as to absorb the stock solution in the hole in the microplate 4, then the displacement assembly 52 drives the liquid transfer assembly 51 to reset upward, then the displacement assembly 52 drives the liquid transfer assembly 51 to move along the Y direction so that the gun tip 21 is aligned with the next row of holes 41, the displacement assembly 52 drives the liquid transfer assembly 51 to move downward, discharges the stock solution in the gun tip 21 into the diluent, and after the stock solution and the diluent are evenly mixed, re-absorbs the diluted liquid, then the displacement assembly 52 drives the liquid transfer assembly 51 to reset upward and move to the next row of holes, repeating the above process until the liquid of the expected concentration is obtained in the hole 41. Thus, through the intermittent movement of the liquid transfer assembly 51 along the X direction on the microplate 4, the gradient dilution of the liquid in the microplate 4 can be achieved.
[0027] Figure 4 FIG. 1 shows a top view of a base plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure and a gun tip box 2, a waste material box 3 and a microplate 4 placed on the base plate 1. Figure 4 As shown, the gradient dilution device of the present disclosure comprises a bottom plate 1 located in a horizontal plane, the bottom plate 1 having at least a first area 11 and a second area 12, wherein the first area 11 and the second area 12 are arranged along the X direction, one or more gun tip boxes 2 are placed in the first area 11, and one or more microplates 4 are placed in the second area 12. Figure 1 As shown, there are multiple pipetting components 51 in the present disclosure, and the multiple pipetting components 51 are arranged along the Y direction, and the displacement component 52 is also configured to simultaneously drive the multiple pipetting components 51 to move. Therefore, the gradient dilution device of the present disclosure can perform gradient dilution on the stock solutions in multiple microplates 4 at the same time.
[0028] like Figure 4 As shown, the first area 11 has a plurality of first placement positions 111 arranged along the Y direction, and the first placement position 111 is configured to place a tip box 2. The second area 12 has a plurality of second placement positions 121 arranged along the Y direction, and the second placement position 121 is configured to place a microplate 4. The first placement positions 111 correspond to the second placement positions 121 one by one, so that the pipette gun 511 in the pipetting assembly 51 can move back and forth between the first placement position 111 and the second placement position 121.
[0029] like Figure 4As shown, the first area 11 has a first gun tip box limiting groove 112 and a second gun tip box limiting groove 113 with different orientations. Specifically, the long side of the first gun tip box limiting groove 112 is parallel to the Y direction, and the short side is parallel to the X direction. The long side of the second gun tip box 2 is parallel to the X direction, and the short side is parallel to the Y direction. Similarly, the second area 12 has a first microplate limiting groove 122 and a second microplate limiting groove 123 with different orientations. Specifically, the long side of the first microplate limiting groove 122 is parallel to the Y direction, and the short side is parallel to the X direction. The long side of the second microplate limiting groove 123 is parallel to the X direction, and the short side is parallel to the Y direction. The orientation of the first gun tip box limiting groove 112 is the same as that of the first microplate limiting groove 122, and the orientation of the second gun tip box limiting groove 113 is the same as that of the second microplate limiting groove 123.
[0030] The gun tip box 2 can have two placement positions with different orientations in each first placement position 111, and the microplate 4 can have two placement positions with different orientations in the second placement position 121. Figure 4 In the three columns on the left, the gun tip box 2 is placed in the first gun tip box limiting groove 112, and the microplate 4 is placed in the first microplate limiting groove 122. In the rightmost column, the gun tip box 2 is placed in the second gun tip box limiting groove 113, and the microplate 4 is placed in the second microplate limiting groove 123.
[0031] Since the gun tip box 2 and the microplate 4 are usually rectangular, by setting different limiting groove directions, liquids with different concentration ranges can be formed in the microplate 4. For example, when the long side of the microplate 4 extends along the X direction, there can be 12 liquids with different concentrations in the microplate 4. When the long side of the microplate 4 extends along the Y direction, there are 8 liquids with different concentrations in the microplate 4.
[0032] like Figure 4 As shown, the gradient dilution device also includes a third area 13, the first area 11, the second area 12 and the third area 13 are arranged along the X direction, and a waste box 3 is provided in the third area 13. The waste box 3 is configured to accommodate discarded gun tips 21 and / or liquid. After the gradient dilution of the liquid in the microplate 4 is completed, the gun tip 21 on the pipette 511 can be discarded in the waste box 3. In addition, the discarded liquid during the gradient dilution process can also be poured into the waste box 3.
[0033] It should be noted that the arrangement order of the first area 11, the second area 12 and the third area 13 can be adjusted as needed, for example Figure 4 In the figure, the first region 11, the third region 13 and the second region 12 are arranged in sequence.
[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the bottom plate 1 has a user operation side ( Figure 4 The user can operate the gradient dilution device on the user operation side, such as moving the gun tip box 2, the microplate 4, etc. In the present disclosure, the second area 12 is closer to the user operation side than the first area 11 and the third area 13, so that the user can conveniently take and place the microplate 4.
[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the displacement assembly 52 includes an X-direction moving component 521 and a Z-direction moving component 522. The Z-direction moving component 522 is arranged on the X-direction moving component 521, and the X-direction moving component 521 drives the Z-direction moving component 522 to move in the X direction. The pipetting assembly 51 is arranged on the Z-direction moving component 522, and the Z-direction moving component 522 drives the pipetting assembly 51 to move in the Z direction.
[0036] It should be noted that the structures and control methods of the X-axis moving component 521 and the Z-axis moving component 522 are both prior art and will not be described in detail. As an example, the X-axis moving component 521 and the Z-axis moving component 522 can be belt components, screw components, and gear rack components driven by a motor.
[0037] like Figure 5 As shown, the pipetting assembly 51 also includes a control board 53 and a control motor 54 connected to the control board 53 and driving the control board 53 to move up and down. The control board 53 is connected to the pipetting gun 511 to control the pipetting gun 511 to absorb or discharge liquid.
[0038] The above is a description of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Through the above description of the disclosed embodiments, professionals and technicians in the field can implement or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to professionals and technicians in the field. The general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but will conform to the widest range consistent with the principles and novelties disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A gradient dilution device, characterized in that: The gradient dilution device comprises: A gun tip box (2), the gun tip box (2) having a plurality of gun tip insertion holes arranged in an array along an X direction and a Y direction, wherein the X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other; A microplate (4), wherein the microplate (4) and the gun tip box (2) are arranged along the X direction, and the microplate (4) has a plurality of holes (41) arrayed along the X direction and the Y direction; and A liquid transfer mechanism (5), wherein the liquid transfer mechanism (5) comprises: A liquid transfer assembly (51), the liquid transfer assembly (51) comprising a plurality of liquid transfer guns (511) arranged along the Y direction, the bottom of the liquid transfer gun (511) having a gun tip interface; and A displacement component (52), the pipetting component (51) being arranged on the displacement component (52), the displacement component (52) being configured to drive the pipetting component (51) to move along the X direction and the Z direction, wherein the Z direction is perpendicular to both the X direction and the Y direction.
2. The gradient dilution device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gradient dilution device also includes: A base plate (1), the base plate (1) having a first area (11) and a second area (12) arranged along the X direction, the first area (11) being configured to place one or more gun tip boxes (2), and the second area (12) being configured to place one or more microplates (4).
3. The gradient dilution device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first area (11) has a plurality of first placement positions (111) arranged along the Y direction, and the first placement position (111) is configured to place one of the gun tip boxes (2); The second area (12) has a plurality of second placement positions (121) arranged along the Y direction, and the second placement positions (121) are configured to place one of the microplates (4).
4. The gradient dilution device according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are a plurality of the pipetting components (51), and the plurality of the pipetting components (51) are arranged along the Y direction. The displacement component (52) is also configured to drive the plurality of the pipetting components (51) to move simultaneously.
5. The gradient dilution device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first area (11) has a first gun tip box limiting groove (112) and a second gun tip box limiting groove (113) facing in different directions; The second area (12) has a first microplate limiting groove (122) and a second microplate limiting groove (123) facing in different directions; The orientation of the first gun tip box limiting groove (112) is the same as the orientation of the first microplate limiting groove (122), and the orientation of the second gun tip box limiting groove (113) is the same as the orientation of the second microplate limiting groove (123).
6. The gradient dilution device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The specifications of the gun tip box (2) are compatible with the specifications of the microplate (4).
7. The gradient dilution device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom plate (1) also has: A third area (13), wherein the first area (11), the second area (12) and the third area (13) are arranged along the X direction, and a waste material box (3) is arranged in the third area (13), and the waste material box (3) is configured to accommodate discarded gun tips (21) and / or liquid.
8. The gradient dilution device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The bottom plate (1) has a user operation side, and the second area (12) is closer to the user operation side than the first area (11) and the third area (13).
9. The gradient dilution device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The displacement assembly (52) comprises: X-direction moving part (521); and A Z-direction moving component (522), wherein the Z-direction moving component (522) is arranged on the X-direction moving component (521), and the X-direction moving component (521) drives the Z-direction moving component (522) to move in the X-direction; and the pipetting component (51) is arranged on the Z-direction moving component (522), and the Z-direction moving component (522) drives the pipetting component (51) to move in the Z-direction.
10. The gradient dilution device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipetting assembly (51) further comprises: controlling a motor (54); and A control board (53), the control board (53) being connected to the control motor (54), the control motor (54) driving the control board (53) to move along the Z direction so that the pipette gun (511) absorbs or discharges liquid.