Biological sample dehydration system

Abstract

The utility model provides a biological sample dehydration system which comprises a premixing container, a sample container, a waste liquid container and a first solvent container, and the first solvent container is used for containing absolute ethyl alcohol; the second solvent container is used for containing ultrapure water; the first solvent pump is used for extracting a certain amount of absolute ethyl alcohol from the first solvent container into the premixing container; the second solvent pump is used for pumping a certain amount of ultrapure water from the second solvent container into the premixing container; and the control unit is used for controlling the operation time of the first solvent pump and the second solvent pump so as to control the amount of absolute ethyl alcohol extracted by the first solvent pump and the amount of ultrapure water extracted by the second solvent pump. The time for preparing the biological sample is shortened through automatic control, and the preparation efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of biological sample preparation, and in particular to a biological sample dehydration system. Background Art

[0002] Dehydration in a broad sense refers to the loss of water from a substance. In the biomedical field, tissues or cells containing a large amount of water need to be dehydrated before being used for optical, electron microscopy and pathological observations, and the water in them is replaced with an embedding agent to facilitate sectioning and long-term storage. Since water and paraffin or epoxy resins commonly used as embedding agents are incompatible, the embedding agent cannot completely penetrate into the tissue or cell. Therefore, a dehydrating agent is needed to replace the water in the sample, which is then replaced by the embedding agent for subsequent sectioning and staining experiments. Commonly used dehydrating agents include ethanol, acetone, n-butanol and cyclohexanone. Among them, ethanol has become the most widely used dehydrating agent due to its low price, low toxicity and less extraction of components such as lipids in the sample.

[0003] In the dehydration process, in order to prevent the sample from shrinking and deforming when it suddenly enters high-concentration ethanol, gradient concentrations of 50%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% ethanol are usually used for gradual dehydration. For example, in the related art, Chinese utility model patent CN 210165667 U discloses "a biological sample dehydration device", which uses negative pressure suction to dehydrate biological samples, but mainly for tiny samples and is manually operated; for another example, utility model patent CN2304121 Y discloses an "automatic stepless dehydration device for transmission electron microscope samples", which uses a hydraulic pressure difference to make the concentration of the dehydrating agent rise in a smooth curve, which makes the entire process uncontrollable and time-consuming.

[0004] Considering the characteristics of the above systems, it is necessary to design a biological sample dehydration system that integrates the characteristics of easy operation, high degree of automatic control and simple structure. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present application aims to provide a biological sample dehydration system, which can shorten the time of preparing biological samples and improve the preparation efficiency through automated control.

[0006] This application specifically adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A biological sample dehydration system, characterized in that it comprises:

[0008] A premixing container, wherein the premixing container is used to prepare dehydrating agents of different concentrations;

[0009] A sample container, which is disposed below the premix container and connected to the premix container via a pipeline, and is used to hold a biological sample;

[0010] A waste liquid container, which is disposed below the sample container and is connected to the sample container via a pipeline;

[0011] A first solvent container, wherein the first solvent container is used to contain anhydrous ethanol;

[0012] A second solvent container, wherein the second solvent container is used to hold ultrapure water;

[0013] a first solvent pump, the first solvent pump being used to extract anhydrous ethanol from the first solvent container into the premix container;

[0014] a second solvent pump, the second solvent pump being used to draw ultrapure water from the second solvent container into the premix container; and

[0015] A control unit is used to control the running time of the first solvent pump and the second solvent pump so as to control the amount of anhydrous ethanol pumped by the first solvent pump and the amount of ultrapure water pumped by the second solvent pump.

[0016] Further, a first solenoid valve is provided on the pipeline between the premix container and the sample container;

[0017] A second solenoid valve is provided on the pipeline between the sample container and the waste liquid container;

[0018] The first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve can be controlled to open or close by the control unit.

[0019] Furthermore, the premix container is provided with a first cover;

[0020] The sample container is provided with a second cover.

[0021] Furthermore, the premix container is provided with a temperature controller, and the sample container is also provided with a temperature controller.

[0022] Furthermore, the premix container is provided with an agitator with adjustable speed;

[0023] The sample container is provided with a centrifuge with adjustable speed.

[0024] Furthermore, a sample basket is arranged in the sample container, and a porous structure is arranged on the side wall and the bottom of the sample basket.

[0025] Furthermore, the sample basket is provided with a sample basket cover, and a porous structure is provided on the top of the sample basket cover.

[0026] Furthermore, a partition frame is provided in the sample basket, and a partition plate is provided on the partition frame.

[0027] Furthermore, a glass slide basket is arranged in the sample container, and a plurality of glass slides are placed in the glass slide basket.

[0028] Furthermore, the first solvent pump and the second solvent pump are peristaltic pumps.

[0029] Beneficial effects of this application:

[0030] In the present application, the control unit can automatically control the running time of the first solvent pump and the second solvent pump, so that different amounts of anhydrous ethanol and ultrapure water can be drawn into the premixing tank at different running times to form ethanol solutions of different concentrations to achieve the purpose of automatic gradient dehydration. At the same time, the premixing container with adjustable rotation speed can quickly mix the liquid to form a uniform dehydration solvent; the sample container with adjustable rotation speed allows the sample to fully contact the dehydrating agent and effectively prevents the sample from floating or precipitating. The device reduces the sample heterogeneity and non-repeatability caused by human operation, and has the characteristics of automation, simplicity and high efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a biological sample dehydration system according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a detachable and assembled sample basket in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a glass slide basket in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0034] In the figure: 1 premix container, 2 sample container, 3 waste liquid container, 4 first solvent container, 5 second solvent container, 6 first solvent pump, 7 second solvent pump, 8 first liquid pipe, 9 second liquid pipe, 10 first cover, 11 second cover, 12 first solenoid valve, 13 second solenoid valve, 14 stirrer, 15 centrifuge, 16 partition plate, 17 sample basket, 18 sample basket cover, 19 partition rack, 20 partition plate; 21 slide basket, 22 slide;

[0035] 100 control unit, 101 single chip microcomputer, 102 voltage reducer, 103 first relay, 104 second relay, 105 third relay, 106 fourth relay. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0037] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0038] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, "multiple" or "several" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0039] Reference Figure 1 , the present application provides a biological sample dehydration system, comprising:

[0040] A premixing container 1, wherein the premixing container 1 is used to prepare dehydrating agents of different concentrations;

[0041] A sample container 2, wherein the sample container 2 is disposed below the premix container 1 and is connected to the premix container 1 through a pipeline, and the sample container 2 is used to hold a biological sample;

[0042] A waste liquid container 3, wherein the waste liquid container 3 is disposed below the sample container 2 and is connected to the sample container 2 via a pipeline;

[0043] A first solvent container 4, wherein the first solvent container 4 is used to contain anhydrous ethanol;

[0044] A second solvent container 5, wherein the second solvent container 5 is used to contain ultrapure water;

[0045] A first solvent pump 6, the first solvent pump 6 is used to extract anhydrous ethanol from the first solvent container 4 into the premix container 1;

[0046] a second solvent pump 7, the second solvent pump 7 is used to pump ultrapure water from the second solvent container 5 into the premix container 1; and

[0047] The control unit 100 is used to control the running time of the first solvent pump 6 and the second solvent pump 7 so as to control the amount of anhydrous ethanol pumped by the first solvent pump 6 and the amount of ultrapure water pumped by the second solvent pump 7 .

[0048] Specifically, the control unit 100 in the present application can control the running time of the first solvent pump 6 and the second solvent pump 7 respectively. It can be understood that when the first solvent pump 6 and the second solvent pump 7 extract a certain amount of liquid per unit time, the control unit 100 can control the extraction of a fixed amount of solvent by controlling the running time of the two solvent pumps to achieve the purpose of preparing solutions of different concentrations. It can be understood that the amount of solvent extracted per unit time by the first solvent pump 6 and the second solvent pump 7 can be achieved by those skilled in the art through existing technical means.

[0049] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 The control unit 100 at least includes a single-chip microcomputer 101 that can be programmed and achieve the control purpose, and a voltage reducer 102 connected to the single-chip microcomputer 101 and an external power supply, wherein the voltage reducer 102 is used to protect the single-chip microcomputer 101 from burning the single-chip microcomputer 101 due to excessive power supply voltage. It also includes at least four relays, wherein the first relay 103 is used to connect and control the first solvent pump 6, and the second relay 104 is used to connect and control the second solvent pump 7. The relay is used to control the start extraction time of the solvent pump, thereby controlling the extraction amount of the solvent.

[0050] It should be noted that the premix container 1, sample container 2 and waste liquid container 3 in the present application should be arranged from top to bottom, wherein the flow of the liquid is determined by the gravity acting on the liquid. The premix container 1 and sample container 2 are metal containers with adjustable temperature, and the waste liquid container 3 can be a corrosion-resistant glass container, plastic container or metal container. The three can be mounted and fixed by a bracket or other existing technical structures.

[0051] Reference Figure 1 It can be understood that a first solenoid valve 12 is also provided on the pipeline between the premix container 1 and the sample container 2;

[0052] A second solenoid valve 13 is also provided on the pipeline between the sample container 2 and the waste liquid container 3;

[0053] The first solenoid valve 12 and the second solenoid valve 13 can be controlled to open or close by the control unit 100 .

[0054] Specifically, the control unit 100 further includes a third relay 105 and a fourth relay 106, wherein the third relay 105 is electrically connected to the first solenoid valve 12, and the fourth relay 106 is electrically connected to the second solenoid valve 13. The third relay 105 can control the first solenoid valve 12 to open after the solution in the premix container 1 is prepared, so that the prepared solution enters the sample container 2 for dehydration. The fourth relay 106 can control the second solenoid valve 13 to open after dehydration in the sample container 2 for a period of time, so that the waste liquid flows into the waste liquid container 3.

[0055] It can be understood that the first relay 103, the second relay 104, the third relay 105 and the fourth relay 106 can operate in a certain time sequence and time interval according to the program pre-compiled in the single-chip computer 101, thereby controlling the solvent pump and the solenoid valve to operate or open and close in the corresponding time sequence and time interval, so as to achieve the purpose of preparing dehydration solutions with different high concentrations and automatically dehydrating according to different concentration gradients.

[0056] Reference Figure 1 and 2 It can be understood that the premix container 1 is provided with a first cover 10;

[0057] The sample container 2 is provided with a second cover 11 .

[0058] Specifically, the first cover 10 should be provided with an opening through which the first liquid pipe 8 and the second liquid pipe 9 can pass, or provided with an interface connected to the first liquid pipe 8 and the second liquid pipe 9. The provision of the first cover 10 can prevent the liquid in the premix container 1 from splashing out, thereby ensuring the accuracy of solution preparation.

[0059] The second cover 11 should be provided with an opening for the pipeline to pass through or an interface for connecting the pipeline. The second cover 11 can also prevent liquid from splashing out and prevent external impurities from entering the sample container 2 to contaminate the sample.

[0060] It can be understood that the premix container 1 is provided with a temperature controller, and the sample container 2 is also provided with a temperature controller.

[0061] Specifically, the temperature controller described in the present application is used to adjust and stabilize the temperature of the liquid in the premix container 1 and the sample container 2, specifically, the temperature controller heats the liquid and stabilizes it at a certain temperature, or cools the liquid and stabilizes it at a certain temperature. The temperature controller may include a semiconductor refrigeration module (thermoelectric module) and a regulating module, wherein the semiconductor refrigeration module (thermoelectric module) is a thermal control module with both heating and cooling effects, and the surface temperature is changed by electric current, so that the set target temperature can be continuously maintained (temperature regulation).

[0062] Reference Figure 1 It can be understood that the premixing container 1 is provided with a stirrer 14;

[0063] A centrifuge 15 is arranged in the sample container 2 .

[0064] It should be noted that the agitator 14 and the centrifuge 15 in the present application can both be set with a rotation speed, wherein the agitator 14 can mix the solution in the premix container 1 evenly, and the centrifuge 15 can dehydrate the sample in the sample container 2 in a timely manner.

[0065] Reference Figure 1 and 2 It can be understood that a sample basket 17 is provided in the sample container 2 .

[0066] Specifically, the size of the sample basket 17 can be configured according to the volume of the sample, so as to place the sample to be dehydrated, and facilitate the sample to be placed in or taken out of the sample container 2. In addition, it should be noted that when the centrifuge 15 is set in the sample container 2, the sample basket 17 can be placed in the centrifuge 15, and the sample basket 17 can be fixed by existing technical means to prevent it from being separated from the centrifuge 15.

[0067] Reference Figure 2 It can be understood that the side walls and the bottom of the sample basket 17 are provided with a porous structure.

[0068] Specifically, a porous structure is provided on the side wall of the sample basket 17, so that the liquid can be filtered out in time after the sample basket 17 is dehydrated or taken out.

[0069] Reference Figure 2 It can be understood that a sample basket cover 18 is provided in the sample basket 17, and a porous structure is provided on the top of the sample basket cover 18.

[0070] Specifically, the sample basket cover 18 is used to prevent the sample from falling from the sample basket 17, and the top of the sample basket cover 18 is configured as a porous structure to allow the dehydrating agent to enter the sample basket 17 for dehydration.

[0071] Reference Figure 2 It can be understood that a partition frame 19 is provided in the sample basket 17 .

[0072] Specifically, the partition rack 19 is in a grid shape as a whole, and the partition rack 19 can be adjusted to a suitable size according to the size of the sample block.

[0073] Reference Figure 2 It can be understood that a partition plate 20 is provided on the partition frame 19 .

[0074] Specifically, the partition plate 20 is also provided with a porous structure, which enables the solution to pass through the partition plate 20. At the same time, the partition plate 20 is placed on the partition frame 19 to prevent the movement of small samples or the misalignment of a large number of samples.

[0075] Reference Figure 3 It is understandable that the sample container 2 may also be provided with a glass slide basket 21 , in which a plurality of glass slides 22 are placed.

[0076] Specifically, the sample basket 17 is replaced by the glass slide basket 21, and the side wall of the glass slide basket 21 is also provided with a porous structure, which is convenient for timely filtering out the liquid when the glass slide basket 21 is taken out, wherein at least two partition plates 16 are also placed in the glass slide basket 21, and the partition plates 16 are provided with a multi-tooth structure, which can separate the space by placing the glass slide 22.

[0077] It can be understood that the first solvent pump 6 and the second solvent pump 7 can be peristaltic pumps.

[0078] Peristaltic pumps have the advantages of no pollution, high precision, low shear force, good sealing and simple maintenance.

[0079] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A biological sample dehydration system, characterized in that: include: A premixing container, wherein the premixing container is used to prepare dehydrating agents of different concentrations; A sample container, which is disposed below the premix container and connected to the premix container via a pipeline, and is used to hold a biological sample; A waste liquid container, which is disposed below the sample container and is connected to the sample container via a pipeline; A first solvent container, wherein the first solvent container is used to contain anhydrous ethanol; A second solvent container, wherein the second solvent container is used to hold ultrapure water; a first solvent pump, the first solvent pump being used to extract anhydrous ethanol from the first solvent container into the premix container; a second solvent pump, the second solvent pump being used to draw ultrapure water from the second solvent container into the premix container; as well as A control unit is used to control the running time of the first solvent pump and the second solvent pump so as to control the amount of anhydrous ethanol pumped by the first solvent pump and the amount of ultrapure water pumped by the second solvent pump.

2. A biological sample dehydration system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first solenoid valve is provided on the pipeline between the premix container and the sample container; A second solenoid valve is provided on the pipeline between the sample container and the waste liquid container; The first solenoid valve and the second solenoid valve can be controlled to open or close by the control unit.

3. A biological sample dehydration system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The premix container is provided with a first cover; The sample container is provided with a second cover.

4. A biological sample dehydration system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The premix container is provided with a temperature controller, and the sample container is also provided with a temperature controller.

5. A biological sample dehydration system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The premixing container is provided with a stirrer with adjustable speed; The sample container is provided with a centrifuge with adjustable speed.

6. A biological sample dehydration system according to claim 5, characterized in that: A sample basket is arranged in the sample container, and a porous structure is arranged on the side wall and the bottom of the sample basket.

7. A biological sample dehydration system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The sample basket is provided with a sample basket cover, and a porous structure is provided on the top of the sample basket cover.

8. A biological sample dehydration system according to claim 7, characterized in that: A partition frame is arranged in the sample basket, and a partition plate is arranged on the partition frame.

9. A biological sample dehydration system according to claim 5, characterized in that: A glass slide basket is arranged in the sample container, and a plurality of glass slides are placed in the glass slide basket.

10. The biological sample dehydration system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first solvent pump and the second solvent pump are peristaltic pumps.

Images