Transfer mechanism and nucleic acid sequencing system

Abstract

The utility model provides a transfer mechanism and a nucleic acid sequencing system. The transfer mechanism comprises two supporting frames which are oppositely arranged, and a first optical axis and a second optical axis which are connected with the two supporting frames, the first optical axis and the second optical axis are arranged in parallel along a first direction; a load plate is further included, the load plate is in sliding fit with the first optical axis and the second optical axis, and a fault-tolerant gap exists between the load plate and the second optical axis in the first direction; the driving mechanism is located on the side, away from the second optical axis, of the first optical axis and used for driving the load plate to slide. According to the technical scheme, the single-side driving mechanism is adopted to drive the load plate, and the fault-tolerant rate between the second optical axis far away from the driving mechanism and the load plate is ensured through the arranged fault-tolerant gap, so that the single-side driving mechanism is ensured to drive the load plate smoothly, the jamming condition is reduced, and the service life of the load plate is prolonged. And thus, the stability of the load plate during movement is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of biological detection technology, and in particular to a transfer mechanism and a nucleic acid sequencing system. Background Art

[0002] In existing biological detection instruments, some transfer mechanisms are needed to transfer objects or chips. In order to achieve miniaturization of biological detection instruments, these transfer mechanisms are often driven by a single-side drive. Utility Model Content

[0003] The present application provides a transfer mechanism and a nucleic acid sequencing system to improve the smoothness of the movement of the transfer mechanism and reduce jamming.

[0004] The present application provides a transfer mechanism, which includes: two supporting frames arranged opposite to each other, and a first optical axis and a second optical axis connecting the two supporting frames; the first optical axis and the second optical axis are arranged in parallel along a first direction;

[0005] It also includes a load plate, wherein the load plate is slidably matched with the first optical axis and the second optical axis respectively, and there is a fault tolerance gap between the load plate and the second optical axis along the first direction;

[0006] The device also includes a driving mechanism, which is located on a side of the first optical axis away from the second optical axis and is used to drive the load plate to slide.

[0007] In the above technical solution, a single-sided driving mechanism is used to drive the load plate, and a fault tolerance gap is set to ensure the fault tolerance between the second optical axis away from the driving mechanism and the load plate, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the single-sided driving mechanism when driving the load plate, reducing the jamming situation, and further improving the stability of the load plate during movement.

[0008] In a specific possible implementation scheme, the load plate includes a plate body and a slider, wherein the slider is provided with a hollow structure for being mounted on the second optical axis, and along the first direction, there is a fault-tolerant gap between the side wall of the hollow structure and the second optical axis.

[0009] In a specific possible implementation manner, the hollow structure is a waist-shaped hole, the length direction of the opening of the waist-shaped hole is along the first direction, and there is the fault-tolerant gap between two opposite side walls of the waist-shaped hole along the first direction and the second optical axis.

[0010] In a specific possible implementation scheme, the hollow structure is a U-shaped notch; the opening direction of the U-shaped notch is along the first direction, and along the first direction, there is the fault-tolerant gap between the side wall of the U-shaped notch and the second optical axis.

[0011] In a specific implementation scheme, two opposite side walls of the U-shaped notch respectively abut against the second optical axis and limit the load plate in a second direction; wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the two support frames.

[0012] In a specific possible implementation manner, the load plate further comprises a bushing arranged on the plate body, the bushing is provided with a hole matching the shape of the first optical axis; the first optical axis is passed through the hole and can slide relatively.

[0013] In a specific possible implementation manner, the driving mechanism is a screw driving mechanism.

[0014] In a specific possible implementation scheme, the screw drive mechanism includes a drive motor, a screw connected to the drive motor, and a screw nut mating with the screw thread; wherein the screw nut is fixedly connected to the plate body, and the drive motor is fixed to one of the support frames.

[0015] In a specific possible implementation scheme, a convex bending plate is provided on the side of the plate body facing away from the second optical axis, and the lead screw nut is fixed on the bending plate.

[0016] In a second aspect, a nucleic acid sequencing system is provided, the system comprising a support base and any one of the transfer mechanisms described above; wherein:

[0017] The two support frames are fixedly connected to the support base respectively.

[0018] In the above technical solution, a single-sided driving mechanism is used to drive the load plate, and a fault tolerance gap is set to ensure the fault tolerance between the second optical axis away from the driving mechanism and the load plate, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the single-sided driving mechanism when driving the load plate, reducing the jamming situation, and further improving the stability of the load plate during movement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of a nucleic acid sequencing system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 A partial cross-sectional view of a transfer mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the cooperation between the slider and the second optical axis provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the end surface of the slider provided in the embodiment of the present application cooperating with the second optical axis;

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic end view of another slider provided in an embodiment of the present application cooperating with a second optical axis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0026] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in one or more embodiments of this specification should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in one or more embodiments of this specification do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0027] To facilitate understanding of the transfer mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application, its application scenario is first described. The transfer mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to the chip platform in the nucleic acid sequencing system, which is used to move the chip platform so that the chip platform corresponds to the optical detection system in the nucleic acid sequencing system. However, the current transfer mechanism is prone to jamming during the transfer process. To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a transfer mechanism, the user's myopia and hyperopia effects. The following is a detailed description of it in conjunction with specific drawings and embodiments.

[0028] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 The overall architecture diagram of a nucleic acid sequencing system provided by the present disclosure embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the nucleic acid sequencing system 100 provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a chip 10, a chip platform 20, a reagent storage container 30, a flow guidance system 40, an optical detection system 50 and a computer system 60.

[0029] Wherein, one or more sequencing objects are attached to the chip 10;

[0030] A chip platform 20 configured to fix and support the chip 10;

[0031] The reagent storage container 30 is configured to store one or more reagents; here, the reagents may exemplarily include polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fluorescent reagents.

[0032] A flow guiding system 40 is configured to controllably deliver one or more reagents from the reagent storage container 30 to the chip 10 so as to contact with the sequencing object and cause a chemical reaction;

[0033] An optical detection system 50 configured to excite fluorescent markers in reagents for sequencing and detect fluorescent signals generated by the excited fluorescent markers;

[0034] The computer system 60 is configured to acquire the fluorescence image from the optical detection system 50 and identify the nucleic acid sequence of the sequencing object according to the fluorescence image.

[0035] When the chip platform 20 carries the chip, the transfer platform is required to align the chip with the optical detection system 50. To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a transfer mechanism.

[0036] refer to Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 The specific structural schematic diagram of the transfer mechanism provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. The transfer mechanism includes a support mechanism 100 and a bearing mechanism 200. Among them, the support mechanism 100 serves as a support component of the entire transfer mechanism, and is fixedly connected to a support seat in the nucleic acid sequencing system. The bearing mechanism 200 slidably cooperates with the support mechanism 100 and is used to support the chip platform to achieve the transfer of the chip platform. When driving the bearing mechanism 200 to move, a driving mechanism 300 is used as a power mechanism to drive the bearing mechanism 200 to slide relative to the support mechanism 100 to achieve the transfer of the chip platform.

[0037] To facilitate understanding of the transfer mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application, an XYZ coordinate system is constructed, wherein the X direction, the Y direction and the Z direction are mutually perpendicular. Specifically, the Y direction is the transfer direction of the chip platform, and the Z direction is perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical detection system.

[0038] For reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 2A partial cross-sectional view of the transfer mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. The support mechanism 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application includes two opposing support frames and two oppositely arranged optical axes. For the convenience of description, the two support frames are named as the first support frame 110 and the second support frame 120, and similarly, the two optical axes are also named as the first optical axis 140 and the second optical axis 130. During assembly, the first optical axis 140 and the second optical axis 130 are respectively connected to the two support frames to form a frame-type support structure. Combined Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the coordinate system shown in , the two support frames are arranged oppositely and in parallel along the Y direction, and the first optical axis 140 and the second optical axis 130 are arranged in parallel along the X direction (also referred to as the first direction), and the length direction of the first optical axis 140 and the second optical axis 130 is along the Y direction. During assembly, the two ends of the first optical axis 140 are fixedly connected to the first support frame 110 and the second support frame 120, respectively, and the two ends of the second optical axis 130 are also fixedly connected to the first support frame 110 and the second support frame 120, respectively, to form a stable frame structure.

[0039] Continue to refer Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the bearing mechanism 200 is a load plate. When the load plate is slidably assembled with the support mechanism 100, the load plate is respectively slidably matched with the first optical axis 140 and the second optical axis 130. When the driving mechanism 300 is set, the driving mechanism 300 is located on the side of the first optical axis 140 away from the second optical axis 130, and is used to drive the load plate to slide.

[0040] Since the driving mechanism 300 is located on one side of the load plate, it can be known from the force analysis that in the process of driving the load plate to slide relative to the first optical axis 140 and the second optical axis 130, it is inevitable that the load plate will tilt relative to the second optical axis 130. In order to reduce the situation where the load plate and the second optical axis 130 are stuck or jammed due to the tilt of the load plate relative to the second optical axis 130, a fault tolerance gap is provided between the load plate and the second optical axis 130 along the first direction. The fault tolerance gap is used to provide a larger matching gap when the load plate slides along the first optical axis 140 and the second optical axis 130, so as to ensure that the load plate can still slide relative to the second optical axis 130 when the load plate tilts relative to the second optical axis 130.

[0041] It can be seen from the above description that the transfer mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application drives the load plate by adopting a single-sided driving mechanism 300, and ensures the fault tolerance between the second optical axis 130 away from the driving mechanism 300 and the load plate by setting a fault tolerance gap, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the single-sided driving mechanism 300 when driving the load plate, reducing the jamming situation, and further improving the stability of the load plate during movement.

[0042] For reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 When the load plate is specifically matched with the second optical axis 130, the load plate includes a plate body 210 and a slider 220. The plate body 210 is the main structure of the chip platform, and the slider 220 is fixedly connected to the plate body 210 and is used to achieve sliding matching with the second optical axis 130.

[0043] In order to provide a fault tolerance gap 222, a hollow structure 221 is provided on the slider 220, and the hollow structure 221 is used to be mounted on the second optical axis 130. And along the first direction, there is a fault tolerance gap 222 between the side wall of the hollow structure 221 and the second optical axis 130. It should be understood that the setting of the hollow structure 221 should ensure that the slider 220 can be relatively supported on the second optical axis 130 and the load plate can slide relative to the second optical axis 130, and at the same time, it should also ensure that when the load plate is tilted relative to the second optical axis 130, the hollow structure 221 can still accommodate the second optical axis 130. That is, the hollow structure 221 only constrains the cooperation between the load plate and the second optical axis 130 in the Z direction, and releases the constraint on the second optical axis 130 in the X direction.

[0044] In specific implementation, the hollow structure 221 may take different forms. Several different hollow structures 221 are exemplified below for specific description.

[0045] For reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown in , in a specific embodiment, the hollow structure 221 is a U-shaped notch 2211. The opening direction of the U-shaped notch 2211 is along the first direction, that is, the formed U-shaped notch 2211 is a horizontal U-shaped notch 2211, and the opening direction thereof is away from the plate body 210 of the load plate. When matched with the second optical axis 130, along the first direction, there is a fault tolerance gap 222 between the side wall of the U-shaped notch 2211 and the second optical axis 130. Specifically, the second optical axis 130 penetrates into the U-shaped notch 2211, and since the U-shaped notch 2211 forms an open space, the sliding of the load plate can still be ensured when the load plate is tilted relative to the second optical axis 130.

[0046] In the specific setting, the two opposite side walls (the first side wall 2211a and the second side wall 2211b) of the U-shaped notch 2211 are respectively abutted against the second optical axis 130, and the load plate is limited in the Z direction (the second direction) so that the load plate can be supported by the second optical axis 130 and ensure the matching effect with the second optical axis 130.

[0047] For the convenience of description, the two side walls are named as the first side wall 2211a and the second side wall 2211b, respectively, wherein the first side wall 2211a and the second side wall 2211b are arranged on opposite sides of the second optical axis 130 and can abut against the second optical axis 130 to ensure that the load plate can be clamped on the second optical axis 130 and can slide along the second optical axis 130. It should be understood that there can be a gap between the first side wall 2211a and the second side wall 2211b and the second optical axis 130 that allows for assembly errors to ensure the sliding fit between the slider 220 and the second optical axis 130.

[0048] refer to Figure 6 As shown, in another embodiment, the hollow structure 221 can be a waist-shaped hole 2212, the length direction of the opening of the waist-shaped hole 2212 is along the X direction, and there is a fault tolerance gap 222 between the two side walls of the waist-shaped hole 2212 opposite to each other along the first direction (X direction) and the second optical axis 130, so as to release the restriction on the second optical axis 130 in the X direction. In specific settings, the waist-shaped hole 2212 can be in different forms such as a rectangular hole or a round-headed long hole. When the waist-shaped hole 2212 is used, although the waist-shaped hole 2212 forms a closed space along the first direction, since the length of the opening of the waist-shaped hole 2212 is greater than the size of the second optical axis 130, the fault tolerance gap 222 between the two side walls of the waist-shaped hole 2212 opposite to each other along the X direction and the second optical axis 130 can ensure that the load plate can still slide smoothly when it is tilted relative to the second optical axis 130. In the Z direction, the third side wall 2212a and the fourth side wall 2212b on the waist-shaped hole 2212 are pressed against the second optical axis 130 to ensure that the slider 220 is limited in the Z direction. Of course, it should be understood that there is a clearance between the third side wall 2212a and the fourth side wall 2212b and the second optical axis 130 to ensure the sliding fit between the slider 220 and the second optical axis 130.

[0049] Of course, in addition to the two specific hollow structures 221 in the above examples to improve the way in which the load plate and the second optical axis 130 cooperate, other implementation schemes can also be adopted. As long as there is a fault-tolerant gap 222 between the hollow structure 221 and the second optical axis 130, and the limitation on the second optical axis 130 in the X direction is removed, it can be applied to the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0050] When the slider 220 is specifically set, the slider 220 can be fixedly connected to the plate body 210 by bonding, and of course, the fixed connection can also be achieved by a connecting piece. The specific connecting piece can be a bolt, a screw, a rivet, and other different connecting pieces. Of course, the slider 220 and the plate body 210 can also be an integrated structure. When specifically set, different fixed connection methods can be used according to actual needs.

[0051] Continue to refer Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in , when the load plate cooperates with the first optical axis 140, the load plate limits the first optical axis 140 in both the X direction and the Y direction to limit the sliding direction of the load plate. Since the first optical axis 140 is close to the driving mechanism 300, when the driving mechanism 300 drives the load plate to slide, the inclination of the load plate relative to the first optical axis 140 is small, so that when the load plate cooperates with the first optical axis 140, more constraints can be used to ensure that the sliding direction of the load plate is along the Y direction. Specifically, the load plate also includes a bushing 230 arranged on the plate body 210, and a hole matching the shape of the first optical axis 140 is arranged on the bushing 230. The first optical axis 140 is inserted into the hole and can slide relatively. The hole is used to limit the first optical axis 140 in the X direction and the Y direction to ensure the movement direction of the load plate.

[0052] Of course, in addition to the bushing 230, a linear bearing may also be used to achieve sliding cooperation between the plate and the first optical axis 140, which can also achieve the same effect.

[0053] Continue to refer Figure 1 and Figure 2 The driving mechanism 300 provided in the embodiment of the present application is a screw driving mechanism. Of course, in addition to the screw driving mechanism, other driving mechanisms 300 can also be used to drive the load plate. For example, different driving mechanisms 300 such as linear motors or cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, etc. can also be used. In the embodiment of the present application, the screw driving mechanism is used as an example for description.

[0054] Continue to refer Figure 2 The lead screw drive mechanism includes a drive motor 310, a lead screw 320 and a lead screw nut 330. The lead screw 320 is connected to the drive motor 310, and the lead screw nut 330 is threadedly engaged with the lead screw 320. When engaged with the support frame and the load plate, the lead screw nut 330 is fixedly connected to the plate body 210, and the drive motor 310 is fixed to one of the support frames. Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the driving motor 310 is fixed to the first support frame 110, and the lead screw 320 is parallel to the first optical axis 140 and is located on the side of the first optical axis 140 away from the second optical axis 130 to form a single-sided drive. The lead screw nut 330 is fixed on the plate body 210 of the load plate, so that when the driving motor 310 drives the lead screw 320 to rotate, the lead screw nut 330 can be driven by the lead screw 320 to move, so as to realize the driving of the load plate.

[0055] In an optional solution, a convex bending plate 211 is provided on the side of the plate body 210 of the load plate away from the second optical axis 130, and the lead screw nut 330 is fixed on the bending plate 211. The bending plate 211 has a through hole for accommodating the lead screw 320, and the lead screw 320 passes through the through hole and is threadedly matched with the lead screw nut 330, so that the load plate can be driven when the lead screw 320 rotates. When the above structure is adopted, the lead screw and the first optical axis 140 are approximately flush or have a small difference along the Z direction through the setting of the bending plate 211, so as to reduce the thickness of the entire transfer mechanism in the Z direction and reduce the size of the transfer mechanism.

[0056] An embodiment of the present application also provides a nucleic acid sequencing system, which includes a support base and any one of the above-mentioned transfer mechanisms; wherein the two support frames are respectively fixedly connected to the support base.

[0057] In the above technical solution, a single-sided driving mechanism 300 is used to drive the load plate, and a fault tolerance gap 222 is set to ensure the fault tolerance between the second optical axis 130 away from the driving mechanism 300 and the load plate, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the single-sided driving mechanism 300 when driving the load plate, reducing the jamming situation, and further improving the stability of the load plate during movement.

[0058] One or more embodiments of this specification are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of this specification should be included in the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0059] The above are only specific implementations of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A transfer mechanism, characterized in that: include: Two supporting frames arranged opposite to each other, and a first optical axis and a second optical axis connecting the two supporting frames; the first optical axis and the second optical axis are arranged in parallel along a first direction; It also includes a load plate, wherein the load plate is slidably matched with the first optical axis and the second optical axis respectively, and there is a fault tolerance gap between the load plate and the second optical axis along the first direction; The device also includes a driving mechanism, which is located on a side of the first optical axis away from the second optical axis and is used to drive the load plate to slide.

2. The transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The load plate includes a plate body and a slider, wherein the slider is provided with a hollow structure for being sleeved on the second optical axis, and along the first direction, there is a fault-tolerant gap between the side wall of the hollow structure and the second optical axis.

3. The transfer mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The hollow structure is a waist-shaped hole, the length direction of the opening of the waist-shaped hole is along the first direction, and there is the fault-tolerant gap between two side walls of the waist-shaped hole opposite to each other along the first direction and the second optical axis.

4. The transfer mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The hollow structure is a U-shaped notch; the opening direction of the U-shaped notch is along the first direction, and along the first direction, there is the fault-tolerant gap between the side wall of the U-shaped notch and the second optical axis.

5. The transfer mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The two opposite side walls of the U-shaped notch are respectively in contact with the second optical axis and limit the load plate in a second direction; wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the two support frames.

6. The transfer mechanism according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The load plate further comprises a bushing arranged on the plate body, the bushing is provided with a hole matching the shape of the first optical axis; the first optical axis is passed through the hole and can slide relatively.

7. The transfer mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The driving mechanism is a screw driving mechanism.

8. The transfer mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lead screw drive mechanism includes a drive motor, a lead screw connected to the drive motor, and a lead screw nut mating with the lead screw thread; wherein the lead screw nut is fixedly connected to the plate body, and the drive motor is fixed to one of the support frames.

9. The transfer mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: A convex bending plate is arranged on one side of the plate body away from the second optical axis, and the lead screw nut is fixed on the bending plate.

10. A nucleic acid sequencing system, characterized in that: It comprises a support seat and a transfer mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9; wherein, The two support frames are fixedly connected to the support base respectively.

Images