An automated shaking incubation device

Abstract

The utility model provides an automated shaking and incubation device, which has a flipping and shaking function, so that the sample in the incubation tube and the culture solution are fully and evenly mixed. At the same time, during the cultivation work, the nutrient medium required for the growth of microorganisms can be quickly transferred by flipping and shaking, so as to meet the conditions for the rapid growth of microorganisms and solve the technical problem of slow growth of traditional static culture microorganisms. The automated shaking and incubation device includes: an incubation tube rack, a bracket, a rotating shaft, a power unit and a heating unit; the incubation tube rack is supported on the bracket by the rotating shaft, and the power output end of the power unit is connected to the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is driven by the power unit to rotate around its own axis to realize the flipping of the incubation tube rack around the axis of the rotating shaft; the incubation tube rack is provided with a plurality of incubation holes, and an incubation tube is provided in each incubation hole; the heating unit is used for temperature control of the incubation tube rack, so that the temperature of the incubation tube rack is controlled within a set temperature range to incubate the sample in the incubation tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to an incubation device, in particular to an automatic shaking incubation device, and belongs to the technical field of microbial incubation and proliferation. Background Art

[0002] In existing microbial detection technologies, in order to obtain a certain number of target bacteria, a static incubation method in an incubator is usually used to multiply and culture the target microorganisms.

[0003] The National Food Safety Standard for Food Microbiological Inspection GB4789 Series clearly stipulates the method of culturing target microorganisms in samples: shake the mixture of sample and culture medium, place it in an incubator, set a certain temperature (such as: 36±1℃), and culture it statically for several hours (18h-24h or 48h, or longer) to allow the target microorganisms to proliferate in the culture medium. The patent "A Microbiological Cultivation Device and Method for Biological Detection" with application number 202310102318.X provides a microbial cultivation device, which increases the contact area of ​​the cultivation bottle and improves the stability of the cultivation bottle by setting a clamping mechanism and an angle adjustment mechanism.

[0004] None of the above existing technologies have made a breakthrough in the traditional static incubation method. This type of culture method makes the nutrient medium required for the growth of microorganisms lack rapid transmission and delivery, the proliferation rate of the target microorganisms is slow, and the proliferation process is long, usually taking 1-3 days, which makes microbial detection very time-consuming. At the same time, in traditional detection methods, the mixing operation of samples and culture solutions is mostly done by manual shaking. The manual shaking of batch test tubes increases the workload of the test personnel, making the detection work heavy, time-consuming and labor-intensive.

[0005] Therefore, the disadvantages of the above-mentioned existing microbial culture technologies cannot meet the needs of rapid proliferation and rapid detection of microorganisms. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of this, the utility model provides an automated shaking and incubation device with a flipping and shaking function, so that the sample in the incubation tube and the culture solution can be fully and evenly mixed. At the same time, during the culture work, the nutrient medium required for the growth of microorganisms can be quickly transferred by flipping and shaking, thereby meeting the conditions for rapid growth of microorganisms and solving the technical problem of slow growth of microorganisms in traditional static culture.

[0007] The automated shaking and incubation device comprises: an incubation tube rack, a support, a rotating shaft, a power unit and a heating unit;

[0008] The incubation tube rack is supported on the bracket by a rotating shaft, and the power output end of the power unit is connected to the rotating shaft. The power unit drives the rotating shaft to rotate around its own axis to achieve the flipping of the incubation tube rack around the axis of the rotating shaft;

[0009] The incubation tube rack is provided with a plurality of incubation holes, and an incubation tube is arranged in each incubation hole;

[0010] The heating unit is used for controlling the temperature of the incubation tube rack so that the temperature of the incubation tube rack is controlled within a set temperature range to incubate the samples in the incubation tubes.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the utility model: the incubation tube is limited in the incubation hole by a leaf spring; one end of the leaf spring is fixed on the incubation tube rack at the opening of the incubation hole, and the other end extends vertically downward along the inner wall of the incubation hole into the incubation hole; when the incubation tube is inserted into the incubation hole, the outer wall of the incubation tube squeezes the leaf spring.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention: the power unit comprises: a stepper motor and a reducer connected to the stepper motor, and the reducer is a worm gear reducer.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention: the bracket includes a left bracket and a right bracket; the rotating shaft includes a driving shaft and a driven shaft;

[0014] The motor is fixed on the right bracket and is coaxially connected to the driving shaft supported on the right bracket through bearings; the driven shaft is supported on the left bracket through bearings; the incubation tube rack is arranged between the driving shaft and the driven shaft, and is respectively connected to the driving shaft and the driven shaft.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the utility model: a plurality of incubation holes are distributed in an array on the end surface of the incubation tube rack;

[0016] The heating unit is a heating film arranged on the lower end surface and the front and rear side surfaces of the incubation tube rack.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the utility model: a row of incubation holes is respectively arranged on the upper, lower, front and rear end faces of the incubation tube rack; and the heating unit is a heating rod arranged in the middle position inside the incubation tube rack.

[0018] Beneficial effects:

[0019] (1) The automated shaking incubation device of the utility model has a flipping and shaking function, which can fully and evenly mix the sample in the incubation tube with the culture medium; at the same time, during the culture process, the nutrient medium required for the growth of microorganisms in the culture medium is quickly transferred, meeting the conditions for the rapid growth of microorganisms, and breaking through the technical problem of slow growth of microorganisms in static culture.

[0020] (2) The automatic shaking incubation device of the present invention can ensure accurate temperature control of the incubation tubes during incubation by providing a heating unit on the incubation tube rack, thereby ensuring the temperature accuracy and consistency of the incubation device and meeting the optimal growth temperature conditions of microorganisms.

[0021] (3) In the automatic shaking incubation device of the present invention, the incubation tube is limited in the incubation hole by a leaf spring, which can ensure that the incubation tube is reliably fixed and does not loosen during rotational incubation; at the same time, the structure is simple.

[0022] (4) In the automated shaking incubation device of the present invention, the power unit can position the incubation tube rack at the desired position, and cooperate with the manipulator to accurately pick up the incubation tubes on the incubation tube rack, so that it can be applied to the automated system for microbial culture, thereby improving the detection efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automated shaking and incubation device in Example 2 of the utility model;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the automated shaking and incubation device in Example 2 of the utility model from another perspective;

[0025] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the automated shaking and incubation device in Example 2 of the present utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the incubation tube rack in the automated shaking incubation device in Example 2 of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaf spring in the automated shaking and incubation device in Example 2 of the utility model;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automated shaking and incubation device in Example 3 of the present utility model;

[0029] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view of the structure of the automated shaking and incubation device in Example 3 of the present utility model;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the incubation tube rack in the automated shaking incubation device in Example 3 of the utility model;

[0031] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leaf spring in the automated shaking and incubation device in Example 3 of the utility model;

[0032] Among them: 1-incubation tube rack, 2-power unit, 21-stepping motor, 22-reducer, 3-rotating shaft, 4-bearing, 5-bracket, 6-heating film, 7-heating rod, 8-incubation tube, 9-leaf spring, 10-incubation hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0034] Embodiment 1:

[0035] The present embodiment provides an automated shaking and incubation device capable of realizing rapid proliferation of microorganisms, which can solve the problems of slow proliferation of microorganisms and low detection efficiency caused by conventional manual shaking and static culture.

[0036] The automatic shaking incubation device comprises: an incubation tube rack 1, a bracket 5, a rotating shaft 3, a power unit 2 and a heating unit; the bracket 5 is used to support the entire device, the incubation tube rack 1 is supported on the bracket 5 through the rotating shaft 3, the power output end of the power unit 2 is coaxially connected with the rotating shaft 3, and the rotating shaft 3 is driven by the motor 2 to rotate around its own axis to realize the flipping of the incubation tube rack 1 around the axis of the rotating shaft 3. Therefore, the power unit 2 can drive the incubation tube rack 1 to flip 360 degrees through the rotating shaft 3, and the rotation speed can be adjusted from 0rpm to 200rpm.

[0037] As an example: the bracket 5 includes a left bracket and a right bracket, and the rotating shaft 3 includes a driving shaft and a driven shaft; the power unit 2 is fixed on the right bracket and is connected to the driving shaft supported on the right bracket through a bearing; the driven shaft is supported on the left bracket through a bearing 4; the incubation tube rack 1 is arranged between the driving shaft and the driven shaft, that is, the right end of the incubation tube rack 1 is connected to the driving shaft through a fastener (such as a screw), and the left end is connected to the driven shaft through a fastener (such as a screw).

[0038] The incubation tube rack 1 serves as a support frame for the incubation tube 8. A plurality of incubation holes 10 are arranged on the incubation tube rack 1, and an incubation tube 8 is arranged in each incubation hole 10 (the incubation tube 8 is inserted into the incubation hole 1 and limited to avoid falling out of the incubation hole 10 during rotation).

[0039] The heating unit is used to control the temperature of the incubation tube rack 1, so that the temperature of the incubation tube rack 1 is controlled within a set temperature range (such as 37° C.), and is used to incubate the samples in the incubation tube 8. In order to achieve real-time feedback of the temperature of the incubation tube rack 1, a temperature sensor is provided on the incubation tube rack 1.

[0040] As an example, the power unit 2 includes: a stepper motor 21 and a reducer 22 connected to the stepper motor 21, and the reducer 22 adopts a worm gear reducer; thereby, the oscillation and mixing of the incubation tube 8 are controlled by the forward and reverse rotation of the stepper motor 21; at the same time, the reducer 22 has a reverse self-locking function, and an external motor anti-rotation positioning function, which can position the incubation tube rack 1 at the desired position, and cooperate with the manipulator to achieve accurate picking of the incubation tube 8 on the incubation tube rack 1, so that it can be suitable for the automated system of microbial culture.

[0041] As an example, the incubation tube 8 is limited in the incubation hole 10 by the leaf spring 9, and the incubation tube 8 is firmly limited in the incubation hole 10 by the lateral extrusion of the leaf spring 9 on the incubation hole 10. Specifically: one end of the leaf spring 9 is fixed on the incubation tube rack 1 at the opening of the incubation hole, and the other end extends vertically downward along the inner wall of the incubation hole into the incubation hole 10. When the incubation tube 8 is inserted into the incubation hole, the outer wall of the incubation tube 8 squeezes the leaf spring 9, and the leaf spring 9 is deformed and tightens the incubation tube 8 by lateral extrusion on the incubation tube 8, so that it is fixed in the incubation hole 10, ensuring that the incubation tube is reliably fixed and does not loosen during rotational incubation.

[0042] Embodiment 2:

[0043] In this embodiment, a structural form of the incubation tube rack 1 and the heating unit 2 is provided. The automatic shaking and incubation device of this structural form is suitable for shaking and incubating large incubation tubes (such as 50 ml).

[0044] like Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, a plurality of incubation holes 10 are arranged in an array on the upper end surface of the incubation tube rack 1 (in this example, four rows and four columns); an incubation tube 8 (a large incubation tube of 50 ml) is positioned in each incubation hole 10 .

[0045] In this example, the heating unit is a heating film 6 arranged on the lower end surface and front and rear side surfaces of the incubation tube rack 1, and the temperature of the incubation tube rack 1 is regulated by the heating film 6.

[0046] In this example, since the incubation tube rack 1 is provided with four rows and four columns of incubation holes 10, two incubation tubes 8 in the same column in the first and second rows share a leaf spring 9, and two incubation tubes 8 in the same column in the third and fourth rows share a leaf spring 9. Therefore, in this example, the structure of the leaf spring 9 is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the leaf spring 9 has a middle horizontal portion and compression deformation portions on both sides; the installation of the leaf spring 9 on the incubation tube rack 1 is as follows Figure 4 As shown, the horizontal portion in the middle of the leaf spring 9 is fixed at a position between the two incubation holes 10 on the incubation tube rack 1 by fasteners, and the two compression deformation portions at both ends thereof extend vertically downward along the inner side walls of the incubation holes on the corresponding sides into the interior of the incubation holes 10 (a leaf spring 9 mounting groove is provided at a corresponding position of the inner wall of the incubation holes 10).

[0047] The convex portion of the compression deformation portion of the leaf spring 9 adopts an arc transition to ensure smooth insertion and removal of the incubation tube 8 in the incubation hole 10.

[0048] Embodiment 3:

[0049] In this embodiment, another structural form of the incubation tube rack 1 and the heating unit 2 is provided. The automatic shaking incubation device of this structural form is suitable for shaking incubation of small incubation tubes (such as 2 ml).

[0050] like Figure 6-Figure 8 As shown, the incubation tube rack 1 is a cubic structure, and incubation holes 10 are arranged on the upper, lower, front and rear four end faces of the incubation tube rack 1 (the left and right end faces are used to install the power unit 2 and the rotating shaft 3; in this example, a row of incubation holes 10 is arranged on each of the above four end faces of the incubation tube rack 1 (in this example, a row of 4 incubation holes 10); an incubation tube 8 (a small incubation tube of 2 ml) is limited in each incubation hole 10.

[0051] In this example, the heating unit is a heating rod 7 arranged inside the incubation tube rack 1. Figure 7 As shown, a mounting hole for placing a heating rod 7 is provided in the middle position inside the incubation tube rack 1 (the lead wire of the heating rod 7 is led out through a slip ring on the end face of the incubation tube rack 1, thereby not affecting the rotation of the incubation tube rack 1), and the temperature of the incubation tube rack 1 is controlled by the heating rod 7.

[0052] The structure of the leaf spring 9 in this example is as follows Fig. 9 As shown, the leaf springs 9 corresponding to a row of incubation holes 10 on each end face of the incubation tube rack 1 are connected together by a transverse connector, that is, the transverse connector is fixed to the incubation tube rack 1 by fasteners, and a leaf spring 9 is led out from the position corresponding to each incubation hole 10 of the transverse connector.

[0053] The outer convex part of the leaf spring 9 adopts an arc transition to ensure smooth insertion and removal of the incubation tube 8 in the incubation hole 10.

[0054] In summary, the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated shaking incubation device, characterized in that: include: Incubation tube rack (1), support (5), rotating shaft (3), power unit (2) and heating unit; The incubation tube rack (1) is supported on a bracket (5) via a rotating shaft (3); a power output end of a power unit (2) is connected to the rotating shaft (3); the power unit (2) drives the rotating shaft (3) to rotate around its own axis, thereby realizing the flipping of the incubation tube rack (1) around the axis of the rotating shaft (3); The incubation tube rack (1) is provided with a plurality of incubation holes (10), and an incubation tube (8) is arranged in each incubation hole (10); The heating unit is used to control the temperature of the incubation tube rack (1), so that the temperature of the incubation tube rack (1) is controlled within a set temperature range, so as to incubate the sample in the incubation tube (8).

2. The automated shaking incubation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The incubation tube (8) is limited in position in the incubation hole by a leaf spring (9); one end of the leaf spring (9) is fixed to the incubation tube rack (1) at the opening of the incubation hole, and the other end extends vertically downward along the inner wall of the incubation hole into the incubation hole; when the incubation tube (8) is inserted into the incubation hole, the outer wall of the incubation tube (8) squeezes the leaf spring (9).

3. The automated shaking incubation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power unit comprises: a stepping motor (21) and a reducer (22) connected to the stepping motor (21), wherein the reducer (22) is a worm gear reducer.

4. The automated shaking incubation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bracket (5) comprises a left bracket and a right bracket; the rotating shaft (3) comprises a driving shaft and a driven shaft; The power unit (2) is fixed on the right bracket and is coaxially connected to the driving shaft supported on the right bracket through a bearing; the driven shaft is supported on the left bracket through a bearing; the incubation tube rack is arranged between the driving shaft and the driven shaft, and is respectively connected to the driving shaft and the driven shaft.

5. The automated shaking and incubation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A plurality of incubation holes (10) are distributed in an array on the upper end surface of the incubation tube rack (1); The heating unit is a heating film (6) arranged on the lower end surface and front and rear side surfaces of the incubation tube rack (1).

6. The automated shaking and incubation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A row of incubation holes (10) is respectively arranged on the upper, lower, front and rear end faces of the incubation tube rack (1); The heating unit is a heating rod (7) arranged at a middle position inside the incubation tube rack (1).

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