Mechanical arm clamping jaw for culture bottle

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of special automation equipment in biotechnology, in particular to a mechanical arm clamping jaw for a culture bottle, which comprises a base and a pair of clamping fingers, a cap screwing device and a pair of position adjusting connecting rods are further mounted on the base, and mounting plates are arranged at the lower ends of the clamping fingers. One end of the upper connecting rod is slidably and rotatably connected to the mounting plate, and the other end of the upper connecting rod is fixedly connected with an upper contact disc for clamping a culture bottle; the upper end of the position adjusting connecting rod is rotatably mounted on the base, and the lower end of the position adjusting connecting rod rotatably sleeves a rod body of the upper connecting rod and is used for lifting the culture bottle to leave or approach the cap screwing device. The clamping jaw integrates the functions of clamping, moving, cap screwing and the like, and automatic treatment of multiple operation steps of a culture bottle in the cell culture process is achieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of automation equipment special in biotechnology, and specifically relates to a mechanical arm gripper for culture bottle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a biological laboratory, cell culture is a common experimental operation, and in this process, experimenters use special culture bottles to culture adherent cells. These culture bottles are usually made of plastic and coated with a special material that allows cells to adhere. During the culture process, a series of operations need to be performed on the culture bottles regularly, such as screwing the bottle cap, tilting and shaking the bottle body, and adding or replacing the culture solution.

[0003] Currently, in an automated cell culture system, a mechanical arm is used to replace manual operation. The end effector of the mechanical arm, i.e., the gripper, simulates the action of a human hand to hold, move, screw, and adjust the position of the culture bottle. However, the existing gripper has a single function, and multiple grippers are often required to complete these process operations, which occupies a lot of operation space and complicates the automation control. SUMMARY

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the utility model provides a mechanical arm gripper for culture bottle, which adds function structures such as moving, overturning, and screwing the culture bottle to the structure of the original gripper, reduces the space occupation, and facilitates automation control. The technical scheme adopted by the utility model is as follows:

[0005] A mechanical arm gripper for culture bottle, comprising a base and a pair of gripper fingers, a cap screwing device and a pair of position adjusting connecting rods are also installed on the base, the lower end of the gripper finger is provided with a mounting plate, one end of an upper connecting rod is slidably and rotatably connected to the mounting plate, the other end of the upper connecting rod is fixedly connected with an upper touch disc for clamping the culture bottle; the upper end of the position adjusting connecting rod is rotatably installed on the base, and the lower end is rotatably sleeved on the rod body of the upper connecting rod, and is used to lift the culture bottle to move away from or approach the cap screwing device.

[0006] The above-mentioned mechanical arm gripper for culture bottle, a pair of overturning connecting rods are also installed on the base for overturning the culture bottle between horizontal and vertical states, the upper end of the overturning connecting rod is universally rotatably installed on the base, the lower end is rotatably and slidably connected to the lower part of the mounting plate, and the gripper finger is connected with the mounting plate by a damping rotating shaft.

[0007] The above-mentioned mechanical arm gripper for culture bottle, the lower part of the mounting plate is provided with a sliding hole, one end of a lower connecting rod is slidably inserted through the sliding hole and rotatably connected with the lower end of the overturning connecting rod, and the other end of the lower connecting rod is fixedly connected with a lower touch disc for clamping the culture bottle together with the upper touch disc.

[0008] The culture flask mechanical arm clamp is characterized in that the upper end of the upper connecting rod is rotatably and slidably arranged in the sliding groove.

[0009] The culture flask mechanical arm clamp is characterized in that the inner sides of the upper and lower touch plates are provided with gaskets made of rubber.

[0010] The culture flask mechanical arm clamp is characterized in that the adjusting connecting rod and the overturning connecting rod are both two-link mechanisms.

[0011] The culture flask mechanical arm clamp has the advantages that the clamp is integrated with functions of clamping, moving and rotating a cap, and realizes automatic processing of multiple operation steps of a culture flask in a cell culture process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the culture flask mechanical arm clamp;

[0013] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a state schematic diagram of clamping a culture flask of the culture flask mechanical arm clamp;

[0014] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a state schematic diagram of overturning a culture flask of the culture flask mechanical arm clamp;

[0015] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a clamping principle schematic diagram of the culture flask mechanical arm clamp;

[0016] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a state schematic diagram of clamping a culture flask of the culture flask mechanical arm clamp; Figure 2 FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part A in FIG. 5.

[0017] In the figure, 1 is a base, 2 is a clamping finger, 3 is a mounting plate, 4 is an adjusting connecting rod, 5 is an overturning connecting rod, 6 is a cap rotating device, 7 is an upper touch plate, 8 is a lower touch plate, 9 is a culture flask, 31 is a sliding groove, 32 is a sliding hole, 71 is an upper connecting rod, and 81 is a lower connecting rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The technical scheme of the utility model will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are exemplary and are intended to provide further illustration of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical terms used have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs. It should be noted that the terms used are only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. Unless otherwise specified, "up" in the present embodiment refers to the position close to the mechanical arm, and vice versa.

[0019] The present embodiment is a kind of culture bottle mechanical arm gripper, the gripper is modified commercially available two-finger gripper product, base 1, finger 2 are original products, with programming function, base 1 is connected to the end of mechanical arm. Figure 1 , the gripper increases the position adjusting connecting rod 4, the overturning connecting rod 5 and respective drive components on the original product structure, each drive component is installed in base 1, cap screwer 6 selects commercially available product, integrated installation to base 1. Like finger 2, position adjusting connecting rod 4, overturning connecting rod 5, cap screwer 6 are electrically driven, which is convenient for programming to realize the clamping, overturning, cap screwing and other operation processes of culture bottle 9.

[0020] The base 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a pair of fingers 2, a pair of position adjusting connecting rods 4 and a pair of overturning connecting rods 5, each pair of components is arranged in pairs left and right, the finger 2 is located in the middle of the base 1, for clamping culture bottle 9, the position adjusting connecting rod 4 is located at the top of the base 1, for lifting culture bottle 9 to screw its cover, the overturning connecting rod 5 is located at the lower part of the base 1, for realizing the overturning of the horizontal state and the vertical state of culture bottle 9. Of course, the arrangement position of finger 2, position adjusting connecting rod 4 and overturning connecting rod 5 on base 1 can be flexibly adjusted according to the structure of base 1. The upper end of finger 2 is rotatably connected to the corresponding drive component in base 1, which can realize the action of clamping or releasing culture bottle 9, the lower end is the clamping end, which is connected with mounting plate 3 through damping shaft, the inner side of mounting plate 3 is installed with upper touch disc 7 through upper connecting rod 71. The upper end of overturning connecting rod 5 is rotatably connected to the corresponding drive component in base 1 through universal shaft, the lower end is rotatably and slidably connected to mounting plate 3, specifically, in the present embodiment, lower touch disc 8 and lower connecting rod 81 are arranged on mounting plate 3, therefore one end of lower connecting rod 81 is fixedly connected with lower touch disc 8, and the other end is rotatably connected with overturning connecting rod 5 after sliding through mounting plate 3. The upper end of position adjusting connecting rod 4 is rotatably connected to the corresponding drive component in base 1, and the lower end is rotatably sleeved on the rod body of upper connecting rod 71.

[0021] In order to complete the clamping, lifting, position adjusting, cap screwing and overturning processes, specifically, Figures 2 to 5A long strip-shaped sliding groove 31 is arranged on the upper portion of the mounting plate 3, and a long strip-shaped sliding hole 32 is arranged on the lower portion. One end of the upper connecting rod 71 is fixedly connected to the back of the upper touch disc 7, and the other end is movably arranged in the sliding groove 31, that is, the upper connecting rod 71 can rotate relative to the sliding groove 31 and slide along the sliding groove 31 to cooperate with the positioning connecting rod 4. One end of the lower connecting rod 81 is fixedly connected to the back of the lower touch disc 8, and the other end is rotatably connected to the overturning connecting rod 5 after penetrating through the sliding hole 32. The lower connecting rod 81 can slide and rotate in the sliding hole 82. The lower end of the positioning connecting rod 4 is rotatably sleeved on the rod body of the connecting rod 71, which is used to realize the lifting action and does not affect the rotation of the upper connecting rod 71. The positioning connecting rod 4 and the overturning connecting rod 5 both adopt a two-link mechanism, the rod hinge shaft axis of the positioning connecting rod 4 is vertical, and the rod hinge shaft axis of the overturning connecting rod 5 is horizontal.

[0022] The positioning connecting rod 4 and the overturning connecting rod 5 are respectively provided with a driving assembly, the driving assembly uses an existing product and is integrally arranged in the base 1, and a commonly used structure form such as a servo motor + gear transmission mechanism can be selected. The positioning connecting rod 4 and the overturning connecting rod 5 are the same as the clamping fingers 2, and each automatic action can be controlled through programming.

[0023] Preferably, in order to avoid the rotation between the upper connecting rod 71 and the sliding groove 31 from being stuck, a micro bearing or a lubricated shaft sleeve structure can be arranged at the cooperation position. Similarly, the upper connecting rod 71 and the positioning connecting rod 4 also have relative rotation, and the lower connecting rod 81 and the sliding hole 32 also have relative rotation, and micro bearings or lubricated shaft sleeves can be selected for cooperation.

[0024] Preferably, the inner side of the upper touch disc 7 and the inner side of the lower touch disc 8 (the side that touches the culture bottle 9) are provided with gaskets, and the gaskets are made of rubber material, which can increase the friction between the gaskets and the culture bottle 9 to avoid slipping and can also avoid damaging the culture bottle 9 when clamping.

[0025] The working principle of the mechanical arm gripper is as follows:

[0026] ① Clamping: the clamping fingers 2 are like Figure 1 The action clamps the culture bottle 9, the upper touch disc 7 and the lower touch disc 8 are in contact with the culture bottle 9, the upper end of the overturning connecting rod 5 is connected through a universal shaft, which can realize the action of synchronous clamping or loosening with the clamping fingers 2 and can also realize the action of overturning the culture bottle 9 in the subsequent step ④.

[0027] ② Lifting: the positioning connecting rod 4 starts to act to lift the upper connecting rod 71 upward, the position of the clamping fingers 2 is fixed, and since the sliding groove 31 and the sliding hole 32 are arranged, the upper connecting rod 71 moves along the sliding groove 31, and the lower connecting rod 81 moves along the sliding hole 32 (or the secondary connecting rod of the overturning connecting rod 5 rotates, which is determined by the length of the sliding hole 32 or the displacement distance between the culture bottle 9 and the capping device 6), so that the culture bottle 9 is gradually moved to the capping device 6.

[0028] ③ Screwing the cap (unscrewing the cap): The capping device 6 is started to clamp the cap of the culture bottle 9 and unscrew it. During this process, since it is better to have relative displacement between the cap and the bottle body of the culture bottle 9 to facilitate unscrewing, the adjusting connecting rod 4 can be controlled to move downward synchronously. After the cap is unscrewed, the adjusting connecting rod 4 moves down to its original state, and the bottle body and the cap of the culture bottle 9 are separated.

[0029] ④ Turn over: Turn the connecting rod 5 to start the action (the main connecting rod rotates clockwise) and pull the connecting rod 81 until it turns as shown in the figure. Figure 3 The culture bottle 9 and mounting plate 3 are both shown in a vertical position, with the opening of the culture bottle 9 facing upward, making it easy to add or change liquid. During this process, because the clamping finger 2 and mounting plate 3 are connected by a damping shaft, they can rotate relative to each other when the external force of the flip link 5 is pulled. When the external force is removed, they stop rotating. At the same time, because one end of the upper connecting rod 71 can rotate relative to the chute 31, the upper connecting rod 71 body can rotate relative to the adjustment link 4, the lower connecting rod 81 is rotatably connected to the flip link 5, and the lower connecting rod 81 body can rotate within the slide hole 32, the upper contact plate 7 and the lower contact plate 8 also rotate during the flipping process, thereby achieving the flipping operation of the culture bottle. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the lateral state of the culture bottle 9 is not absolutely horizontal, and a small inclination angle may exist, as long as the opening of the culture bottle 9 faces the screw cap 6 and the liquid does not flow out. Also, the vertical state is not absolutely vertical (perpendicular to the ground), and a small inclination angle may exist, as long as the opening of the culture bottle 9 faces upward so that liquid can be added or replaced.

[0030] ⑤ Screw the cover (screw the cover): Flip the connecting rod 5 (the main connecting rod rotates counterclockwise) to return the culture bottle 9 to Figure 1 The lateral state shown is shown, and then the reverse process of ② lifting process and ③ screwing the cap (screwing off the cap) is repeated to screw the cap onto the body of the culture bottle 9. The robot arm then moves the culture bottle 9 to the desired position, and the gripper finger 2 releases and puts the culture bottle 9 down.

[0031] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several changes or improvements can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These changes or improvements should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A mechanical arm gripper for culture flasks, comprising a base (1) and a pair of gripper fingers (2), characterized in that: The base (1) is further provided with a cap screwing device (6) and a pair of position adjusting links (4), The lower end of the clamping finger (2) is provided with a mounting plate (3), one end of an upper connecting rod (71) is slidably and rotatably connected to the mounting plate (3), and the other end of the upper connecting rod (71) is fixedly connected with an upper contact disc (7) for clamping a culture bottle (9). The upper end of the position adjusting link (4) is rotatably mounted to the base (1), and the lower end is rotatably sleeved on the rod body of the upper connecting rod (71), for lifting and pulling the culture bottle (9) to move away from or close to the cap screwing device (6).

2. The mechanical arm gripper for culture flasks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base (1) is further provided with a pair of overturning links (5) for overturning the culture bottle (9) between a horizontal state and a vertical state, the upper end of the overturning link (5) is universally rotatably mounted to the base (1), the lower end is rotatably and slidably connected to the lower part of the mounting plate (3), and the clamping finger (2) is connected with the mounting plate (3) through a damping rotating shaft.

3. The mechanical arm gripper for culture flasks according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower part of the mounting plate (3) is provided with a sliding hole (32), one end of a lower connecting rod (81) is slidably and rotatably connected to the lower end of the overturning link (5) after penetrating through the sliding hole (32), and the other end of the lower connecting rod (81) is fixedly connected with a lower contact disc (8) for clamping the culture bottle (9) together with the upper contact disc (7).

4. The mechanical arm gripper for culture flasks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper part of the mounting plate (3) is provided with a sliding groove (31), and one end of the upper connecting rod (71) is rotatably and slidably arranged in the sliding groove (31).

5. The mechanical arm gripper for culture bottles according to claim 3, characterized by: The inner sides of the lower contact disc (8) and the upper contact disc (7) are both provided with gaskets, and the gaskets are made of rubber.

6. The mechanical arm gripper for culture flasks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position adjusting link (4) and the overturning link (5) both adopt a two-link mechanism.

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