Recognition system based on biological sample in vacuum

Abstract

The utility model provides an identification system based on a biological sample in vacuum, comprising: a sample shuttle, the sample shuttle having a plurality of placement points, a biological sample ring being stored in each placement point, and the sample shuttle and the biological sample ring having chromatic aberration; the sensor is used for collecting a reflective signal when the sample shuttle is located at a detection point; and the control system is in communication connection with the sensor and is used for receiving the light reflecting signal, judging whether the biological sample ring is stored in each placement point or not and controlling the sensor to execute a collection action when the sample shuttle is located at a detection point. Through the identification system provided by the invention, the problem that storage resources and operation cost are wasted due to the fact that the sample shuttle misses the placement of the biological sample is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of cryo-electron microscopy analysis equipment, and in particular to an identification system based on biological samples in a vacuum. Background Art

[0002] In cryo-electron microscopy, biological samples usually need to be quickly frozen and stored in a vacuum environment to maintain their structure and function. Sample shuttles are widely used to store frozen biological samples and deliver large quantities of biological samples to a vacuum chamber. In actual operation, operators may forget to put biological samples into the sample shuttle, resulting in an empty sample shuttle. The number of biological samples that can be stored in a sample shuttle at one time is limited, which undoubtedly wastes storage resources and transmission costs. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the above problems, the utility model provides an identification system based on biological samples in vacuum to solve the problem that the sample shuttle misses biological samples, resulting in waste of storage resources and transmission costs.

[0004] The technical solution of the utility model is:

[0005] A recognition system based on biological samples in vacuum, comprising:

[0006] A sample shuttle, wherein the sample shuttle has a plurality of placement points, each of which stores a biological sample circle, and there is a color difference between the sample shuttle and the biological sample circle;

[0007] A sensor, used for collecting a reflected light signal when the sample shuttle is at a detection point;

[0008] The control system is connected to the sensor for receiving the reflected light signal and determining whether the biological sample circle is stored in each of the placement points, and controlling the sensor to perform a collection action when the sample shuttle is at a detection point.

[0009] As one of the preferred solutions, the system further includes:

[0010] A display system is connected to the control system to display information on whether there is a biological sample circle in each placement point in the sample shuttle.

[0011] As one of the preferred solutions, the sample shuttle and the biological sample ring are both made of oxygen-free copper, and the outer peripheral surface of the sample shuttle is coated with a coating.

[0012] As one of the preferred solutions, the coating is a molybdenum disulfide coating.

[0013] As one of the preferred solutions, the control system has an analysis unit, which is used to analyze and compare the amount of reflected light from the sample shuttle and the biological sample circle.

[0014] As one of the preferred solutions, the system further includes a position sensor, which is installed in the area where the detection point is located.

[0015] As one of the preferred solutions, the control system has a timing unit, and the timing unit is used to determine the detection point according to the time taken by the sample shuttle to reach the detection point.

[0016] As one of the preferred solutions, when the biological sample circle in the sample shuttle is at the detection point, the sensor is directly opposite to the opening of the sample shuttle.

[0017] As one of the preferred solutions, the sensor includes any one of a photoelectric sensor, a color sensor and a spectral sensor.

[0018] As one of the preferred solutions, the display system is a human-machine interface.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following advantages:

[0020] The utility model proposes an identification system based on biological samples in a vacuum, comprising: a sample shuttle, the sample shuttle having a plurality of placement points, each of which stores a biological sample circle, and there is a color difference between the sample shuttle and the biological sample circle; a sensor, used for collecting a reflected light signal when the sample shuttle is at a detection point; a control system, which is communicatively connected with the sensor, used for receiving the reflected light signal, and determining whether the biological sample circle is stored in each of the placement points, and controlling the sensor to perform a collection action when the sample shuttle is at a detection point.

[0021] By adopting the technical solution of the present application, when the sample shuttle is at the detection point, the control system sends a command to control the sensor to start collecting the reflected light signal of the sample shuttle, the sensor scans the sample shuttle and collects the reflected light signal of the sample shuttle and the biological sample circle in the sample, and transmits the reflected light signal to the control system, the control system identifies and determines whether there are different amounts of reflected light in the sample shuttle, when it is determined that there is a difference in reflection, it means that the biological sample circle is stored in the placement point of the sample shuttle, when no difference in reflection is identified, it can be known that the biological sample circle is not stored in the placement point of the sample shuttle. In this way, the system can detect whether the biological sample is missing in the sample shuttle sent into the vacuum chamber, effectively avoiding the sample shuttle being empty due to the operator not putting in the biological sample, and increasing unnecessary operating costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the present application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0023] Figure 1 It is an overall structural diagram of an identification system based on biological samples in a vacuum according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Description of reference numerals:

[0025] 1. Biological sample circle; 2. Sample shuttle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0027] Reference Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The overall structural framework diagram of the identification system based on biological samples in vacuum of the present application is shown. Figure 1 As shown, a recognition system based on biological samples in a vacuum comprises: a sample shuttle 2, wherein the sample shuttle 2 has a plurality of placement points, each of which stores a biological sample circle 1, and there is a color difference between the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1; a sensor, which is used to collect a reflected light signal when the sample shuttle 2 is at a detection point; and a control system, which is communicatively connected with the sensor, and is used to receive the reflected light signal, and determine whether the biological sample circle 1 is stored in each of the placement points, and when the sample shuttle 2 is at a detection point, control the sensor to perform a collection action.

[0028] Specifically, in the field of vacuum cryo-electron microscopy, frozen biological samples are often loaded into biological sample circles 1, and multiple biological sample circles 1 are stored one by one in a sample shuttle 2, and then the sample shuttle 2 loaded with multiple biological sample circles 1 is sent to the electron microscope chamber for storage for observation. In this process, the sample shuttle 2 has multiple placement points, each of which should be placed with a biological sample circle 1. The sample shuttle 2 is usually taken out of the sample cup and sent to the vacuum chamber through a transmission system.

[0029] Among them, the position of the sensor is fixed, and the control system has the function of controlling the sample shuttle 2 to perform one-dimensional movement through the transmission device. Therefore, the sample shuttle 2 can perform one-dimensional movement through the control system to achieve that each placement point in the sample shuttle 2 is at the detection point where the sensor is located, thereby realizing the detection of whether there is a biological sample circle 1 at the placement point.

[0030] During the process of transferring the sample shuttle 2 into the vacuum chamber, due to the color difference between the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1, the color difference makes the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1 have obvious differences in color and / or reflective properties. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether the biological sample is missed by identifying the reflective information.

[0031] In this embodiment, a sensor is provided in the area where the detection point is located. The sensor can collect the reflective characteristics between the inside of the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample, and identify and compare the reflective differences between the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1 through the control system. For example, by analyzing the color value, reflection amount and reflection intensity of the reflected light, the system can determine whether any biological sample circle 1 is missed.

[0032] In some embodiments, the sensor includes any one of a photoelectric sensor, a color sensor, and a spectral sensor. The light emitted by the light source of the photoelectric sensor is reflected by the object to be tested (the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1) and received by the photosensitive element, so that the reflected light signal of the object to be tested can be obtained. The color sensor can collect the color value of the surface of the object to be tested, and identify the color by comparing the reflected signal with the three primary colors of RGB to obtain the reflected light signal of the object to be tested. The spectral sensor can collect the spectral distribution of the reflected light of the object to be tested, provide the spectral information of the surface of the object to be tested, and thus obtain the reflected light signal of the object to be tested.

[0033] In this way, the optical signal can be converted into an electrical signal through a variety of reflective sensors, and the reflective signal is transmitted to the control system for processing and identification, and the intensity of the reflected light corresponding to the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1 is compared.

[0034] It can be known that the reflected light signal may include information such as reflected light intensity, reflected light color, reflectivity, reflected light quantity, etc. By judging the leakage situation through the reflected light signals between objects, it is possible to reduce misjudgment caused by visual errors.

[0035] Preferably, the control system has an analysis unit, which is used to analyze and compare the amount of light reflected by the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1. In this embodiment, the data collected by the sensor can be processed in the analysis unit by corresponding algorithms, such as image processing, color recognition, spectral analysis, etc. The sensor outputs the collected data to the analysis unit for processing and analysis, and the characteristics of the light reflected signal can be extracted, and the light reflected signal of the sample shuttle 2 and the light reflected signal of the biological sample circle 1 can be further compared and judged. If the light reflected contrast meets the preset contrast value, it is judged that the biological sample circle 1 has been placed in the sample shuttle 2; if the light reflected contrast is lower than the preset contrast value, it is judged that there is a missing situation.

[0036] It can be known that when there is a biological sample circle 1, the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1 will reflect different colors or brightness under light irradiation. Therefore, when there is a reflection difference, it can be considered that there is a biological sample circle 1 in the placement point; each placement point should be placed with a biological sample circle 1. When all / some placement points do not have a reflection signal difference, or when the contrast value is zero, that is, the reflection signal of the biological sample circle 1 in the placement point is not collected, it can be considered that the biological sample circle 1 is not placed at all or is not completely placed in the sample shuttle 2, thereby judging that the biological sample circle 1 is missed or missing.

[0037] In some embodiments, the photoelectric sensor can generally perform scanning and acquisition, continuously scan each placement point in the sample shuttle, and output a corresponding reflected light signal. In this embodiment, the sample shuttle 2 can be placed horizontally, the sample shuttle 2 has an opening, and multiple placement points located in the opening are arranged along the length direction. The multiple placement points can gradually approach the detection point along its moving path. As the sample shuttle 2 moves, the biological sample circle 1 in each placement point in the sample shuttle 2 moves one by one to the detection point where the sensor is located, and each placement point is scanned to detect whether there is a biological sample circle 1 at the placement point. Among them, the sensor is installed at the location where the set detection point is located.

[0038] Further, when the biological sample circle 1 in the sample shuttle 2 is at the detection point, the sensor is directly opposite to the opening of the sample shuttle 2. In this embodiment, the sample shuttle 2 has an opening, the biological sample circle 1 is placed at the opening, and the sensor is placed at a position where it can accurately scan the inside of the opening of the sample shuttle 2.

[0039] Exemplarily, the sensor is placed on the top of the sample shuttle 2 , facing the opening, and the sensor scans the surface of the sample shuttle 2 from above, thereby ensuring that the collection range of the sensor can cover the biological sample circle 1 in the opening of the sample shuttle 2 .

[0040] It can be understood that the specific placement position of the sensor can be determined according to the shape, size and opening position of the sample shuttle 2.

[0041] In this embodiment, the sensor is triggered when the sample shuttle 2 is at the detection point, wherein the detection point can be a certain position on the path that the sample shuttle 2 needs to take when it moves into the vacuum chamber. The operator can set this position according to the actual operating environment. When the sample shuttle 2 is at the detection point, it can be regarded that the staff has considered that the sample shuttle 2 has been loaded with the biological sample circle 1 and needs to be sent into the vacuum chamber for storage. Therefore, by performing the detection at the appropriate time, it is possible to avoid performing the detection during or before the assembly of the sample shuttle 2, and avoid false detection caused by premature detection.

[0042] Most importantly, the environment in which the preset detection point is located can provide stable lighting conditions and viewing angle conditions, so that a clearer reflected light signal can be obtained, minimizing the interference of the external environment (including moving operators) on the sensor signal when the sample shuttle 2 is collecting in an inappropriate area, thereby improving the recognition accuracy of the sensor.

[0043] After the analysis unit determines that the biological sample ring 1 is missing or missing, it is transmitted to the control system, and the control system transmits the relevant information to the display system, and prompts the operator to place the biological sample ring 1 through the display system. The display system can be a touch screen interface, an LED display screen or other types of displays, which are used to display warning information or prompts to the operator. The warning information or prompts may include sound prompts, text prompts, graphical interface displays or other prompts suitable for user understanding.

[0044] In this way, by judging whether the sample shuttle 2 has missed any biological samples, the system can effectively reduce the costs caused by operator errors and avoid the phenomenon of invalid or inefficient operation of the equipment due to forgetting to load or not completely loading the biological samples. The system has a simple composition, is easy to operate and maintain, improves work efficiency, improves the operating efficiency of the cryo-electron microscope equipment, saves detection resources, has good compatibility, and can be adapted to different types of cryo-electron microscope equipment.

[0045] It should be noted that the control system of this embodiment can be a PLC console. The PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) console performs judgment and execution. PLC is a controller dedicated to industrial automation. In the cryo-electron microscope system, PLC can control and monitor various devices, dispatch and coordinate the operation of various subsystems. For example, PLC can realize the transmission control, temperature control, vacuum system, cooling system, detection system, etc. of the sample shuttle 2, and can monitor the status of each device to ensure the stable operation of the cryo-electron microscope equipment.

[0046] In the transmission control, the PLC controls the corresponding transmission equipment, such as the sample shuttle conveyor (manipulator) to clamp the sample shuttle 2 and transfer it to the vacuum chamber according to the preset path and speed. Therefore, the acquisition can be triggered based on time or position. Specifically, based on the moving speed of the manipulator and the distance to the preset detection point, the PLC control system calculates the time required to reach the detection point through the timing unit. When the manipulator starts to move, the timing is started. After the preset time, it can be considered that the manipulator has reached the detection point. After confirming that it has reached the detection point, the control system automatically sends a command to activate the sensor and start collecting the reflection signal.

[0047] In some embodiments, the detection point can be automatically acquired by an encoder on the manipulator. Usually in modern cryo-EM equipment, the encoder installed on the manipulator can monitor the position of the manipulator in real time and feed the position information back to the control system. The PLC can obtain the current position of the manipulator by reading the signal of the encoder, and the PLC can determine whether the detection point has been reached.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises a position sensor installed in the area where the detection point is located. The position sensor is provided to detect whether the biological shuttle reaches the detection point, thereby being unaffected by parameters such as the moving path or speed of the manipulator.

[0049] In combination with the above embodiments, when the control system is a PLC console for a cryo-electron microscope, the display system can be a human-machine interface (HMI), and the operator can monitor the equipment status, set parameters, view prompt information, etc. through the HMI.

[0050] In a further technical solution, the sample shuttle 2 and the biological sample circle 1 are both made of oxygen-free copper, and the outer peripheral surface of the sample shuttle 2 is coated with a coating. In this embodiment, due to its excellent thermal conductivity, in the sample shuttle 2 of the cryo-electron microscope, the biological sample circle 1 and the sample shuttle 2 made of oxygen-free copper can quickly reach and maintain a low temperature state. Among them, oxygen-free copper is rose gold in its natural state. Coating the sample shuttle 2 on the periphery can make the reflective properties of the sample shuttle 2 and oxygen-free copper have obvious differences under the same environmental conditions, and maintain the cold-keeping performance of the sample shuttle 2.

[0051] Exemplarily, the coating may include a composite coating made of copper alloy / aluminum alloy, such as bronze or brass, wherein the aluminum alloy exhibits silvery white or other metallic colors and has similar thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance as oxygen-free copper while having different color characteristics.

[0052] Preferably, the sample shuttle 2 includes a left plate, a right plate and a middle plate, and molybdenum disulfide is plated on the inner surfaces of the left plate and the right plate and the entire surface of the middle plate. Molybdenum disulfide is usually gray-black or dark gray, and exhibits good lubricity, chemical stability and thermal conductivity. Therefore, the molybdenum disulfide coating makes the surface of the sample shuttle 2 smooth and reduces friction, while the interior of the sample shuttle 2 appears black as a whole, so that the interior of the sample shuttle 2 forms a strong reflective contrast with the biological sample, thereby improving the sensor recognition accuracy.

[0053] The working principle of the utility model is as follows:

[0054] The operation object of this embodiment is a frozen biological sample. The frozen biological sample is placed in the card slot of the sample shuttle 2, and the sample shuttle 2 is placed inside the sample cup.

[0055] 1. System preparation stage: Ensure vacuum and freezing state, place the frozen biological sample in the card slot of sample shuttle 2, and then place sample shuttle 2 in a sample cup filled with liquid nitrogen.

[0056] 2. Transfer stage: The control system controls the manipulator to take the sample shuttle 2 out of the sample cup and transfer it into the vacuum chamber.

[0057] 4. Biological sample detection stage: During the transmission process, the sensor is used to collect whether there is a biological sample in the sample shuttle 2 transmitted to the detection point.

[0058] 5. Result display stage: The analysis unit of the control system analyzes the reflected light signal of the sensor and displays the analysis result on the display interface, prompting the operator whether there is a biological sample in the sample shuttle 2 in time.

[0059] 6. The operator can return the sample shuttle 2 to the sample cup to fill it with biological samples or continue working according to work needs.

[0060] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0061] It should also be noted that, in this article, the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inside", "outside", etc. is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the utility model and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the utility model. In addition, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Moreover, the term "include" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or terminal device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or terminal device.

[0062] The above is a detailed introduction to the identification system based on biological samples in vacuum provided by the present application. The principles and implementation methods of the present application are described in detail using specific examples. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the present application, and the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the present application, there will be different forms of changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here, and the obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A recognition system based on biological samples in vacuum, characterized in that: include: A sample shuttle, wherein the sample shuttle has a plurality of placement points, each of which stores a biological sample circle, and there is a color difference between the sample shuttle and the biological sample circle; A sensor, used for collecting a reflected light signal when the sample shuttle is at a detection point; The control system is connected to the sensor for receiving the reflected light signal and determining whether the biological sample circle is stored in each of the placement points, and controlling the sensor to perform a collection action when the sample shuttle is at a detection point.

2. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system further comprises: A display system is connected to the control system to display information on whether there is a biological sample circle in each placement point in the sample shuttle.

3. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample shuttle and the biological sample ring are both made of oxygen-free copper, and the outer peripheral surface of the sample shuttle is coated with a coating.

4. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 3, characterized in that: The coating is a molybdenum disulfide coating.

5. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system has an analysis unit for analyzing and comparing the amount of reflected light from the sample shuttle and the amount of reflected light from the biological sample circle.

6. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system further comprises a position sensor installed in the area where the detection point is located.

7. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system has a timing unit, and the timing unit is used to determine the detection point according to the time taken by the sample shuttle to reach the detection point.

8. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the biological sample circle in the sample shuttle is at the detection point, the sensor is directly opposite to the opening of the sample shuttle.

9. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor includes any one of a photoelectric sensor, a color sensor and a spectral sensor.

10. The identification system based on biological samples in vacuum according to claim 2, characterized in that: The display system is a human-machine interface.

Images