System for automatically treating biological consumables

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of biological treatment, and discloses a system for automatically treating biological consumables. The system comprises a consumable frame, a rotating platform, a lifting mechanism and a movable forklift, the lifting mechanism drives the movable forklift to ascend and descend in the vertical direction, and in the storing and taking state, the movable forklift takes out or puts back biological consumables. The mobile forklift comprises a supporting platform, a forklift motor, a shovel tongue and an identification module. The supporting platform is used for bearing the movable forklift and rotating between a first rotating angle and a second rotating angle. The shovel tongue is arranged on the supporting platform and used for movably storing and taking the biological consumables between the first storing and taking position and the second storing and taking position. The recognition module is erected above the shovel tongue and further comprises a scanner, and in the storing and taking state, the view field center of the scanner coincides with the center line of the biological consumables located at the same horizontal height of the working area. Accurate rotation, lifting and automatic access position positioning can be realized, so that the treatment efficiency and precision of the biological consumables are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of biological processing, and in particular to a system for automatically processing biological consumables. Background Art

[0002] The storage and retrieval of biological consumables is largely manual, with little automated support for the location and retrieval process. In conventional laboratories or bioprocessing environments, workers often need to manually locate and retrieve the required consumables, especially from multi-layered consumable racks. This operation is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also prone to errors.

[0003] However, the current automated biological consumables processing system has technical bottlenecks when dealing with the rotation, lifting, and storage and retrieval operations of multi-layer consumables racks. Due to the complex structure of the consumables racks, the storage and retrieval operations of consumables at different levels require precise positioning and coordination. However, traditional systems have shortcomings in the synchronous control of the rotating platform and the storage and retrieval device. The rotation process of the consumables rack often lacks precise angle control, which easily leads to position deviation. This deviation not only affects the storage and retrieval efficiency, but also increases the risk of system errors. Especially in the multi-layer rack design, inaccurate positioning will significantly reduce the reliability of the operation, and then cause the storage and retrieval equipment to get stuck or even damaged.

[0004] Furthermore, existing lifting mechanisms are typically rigidly designed, lacking the flexibility to accommodate consumable racks at varying heights. Due to insufficient lifting precision, the system often fails to maintain the same level between the forklift and the target consumables during lifting, accessing, and storing. This inaccuracy complicates storage and retrieval operations, especially when handling consumables at higher or lower heights, and can easily lead to misoperation or damage. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a system for automatically processing biological consumables, which can achieve precise rotation, lifting and automatic positioning of storage and access positions, thereby significantly improving the processing efficiency and accuracy of biological consumables.

[0006] The present application discloses a system for automatically processing biological consumables, comprising:

[0007] At least one consumables rack 1 having a multi-layer structure inside for storing biological consumables P;

[0008] The rotating platform 2 is used to carry the consumables rack 1 and rotate around the axis to drive the consumables rack 1 to rotate;

[0009] A lifting mechanism 3 is used to drive a mobile forklift 4 to move up and down in a vertical direction. In the access state, the mobile forklift 4 is configured to at least partially remove the biological consumables P from the consumables rack 1 located in the working area or to place the biological consumables P into the consumables rack 1;

[0010] The mobile cart 4 comprises:

[0011] A support platform 41, movably coupled with the lifting mechanism 3, for carrying the mobile cart 4 and rotating between a first rotation angle and a second rotation angle on a horizontal plane;

[0012] A cart motor for driving the support platform 41 to rotate;

[0013] A cart tongue 42 arranged on the support platform 41, the cart tongue 42 moving along its own axis between a first access position and a second access position for accessing the biological consumables P;

[0014] An identification module 43 arranged above the cart tongue 42, the identification module 43 having an encoder therein for identifying the rotation angle of the mobile cart 4, the identification module 43 further comprising at least one scanner for identifying the identification code on the biological consumables P and sending a position information electrical signal, in the access state, the center of the field of view of the scanner coincides with the centerline of the biological consumables P at the same horizontal height of the working area, the mobile cart adjusts the moving distance and / or the rotation angle according to the electrical signal of the rotation angle feedback by the encoder and / or the alignment deviation signal feedback by the scanner.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the lifting mechanism 3 comprises a lifting support 31, a lifting motor 32, a synchronous belt 34, a synchronous wheel 33, and a counterweight 35;

[0016] The lifting support 31 is arranged perpendicular to the ground, two synchronous wheels 33 are coupled to the top and top of the lifting support 31 through shafts respectively, the inner surface of the synchronous belt 34 is in contact with the outer wall of the two synchronous wheels 33 for power transmission, the synchronous belt 34 between the two synchronous wheels 33 is in a tension state, the first side of the synchronous belt 34 is located on the left side of the lifting support 31, the second side of the synchronous belt 34 is located on the right side of the lifting support 31, and the lifting motor 32 drives the synchronous wheel 33 to rotate;

[0017] The mobile cart 4 is coupled to the first side of the synchronous belt 34, the counterweight 35 is coupled to the second side of the synchronous belt 34, the counterweight 35 matches the weight of the mobile cart 4, generates a balancing effect, and offsets the acceleration change of the mobile cart 4 due to inertia during lifting to prevent position errors.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, an external shelf is further included, the external shelf comprises an external shelf support 51 and an external shelf platform 52;

[0019] The lower end of the external storage bracket 51 is coupled to the sidewall of the protective shell, and the upper end of the external storage bracket 51 is coupled to the external storage platform 52;

[0020] The external storage platform 52 has a storage groove for placing the biological consumables P taken out from the consumable rack 1;

[0021] The position of the external storage rack is configured such that when the support platform 41 is rotated to the second rotation angle, the central axis of the tongue 42 and the central axis of the external storage platform 52 coincide.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, after power-on, the position of the mobile cart 4 is reset to an initial position at the reference height of the rotating platform 2, and the rotation angle of the mobile cart 4 is the first rotation angle, at which the front of the mobile cart 4 is the working area.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the support platform 41 is provided with a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor is aligned with the head end of the tongue 42, and the first sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable P on the front consumable rack 1 of the mobile cart 4; the second sensor is located below the tail end of the tongue 42, and the tail end is the extended end of the tongue 42, and the second sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable P on the tongue 42;

[0024] The external storage platform 52 is provided with a third sensor, and the third sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable P on the external storage rack;

[0025] The first sensor, the second sensor and the third sensor are linked to determine whether the extension and retraction operation of the tongue 42 is executed.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the biological consumable P is provided with an identification code, and the scanner at least includes an optical scanning module for emitting a point or strip-shaped scanning light beam, and the optical scanning module converts the optical signal generated after the scanning light beam irradiates the identification code into a scanning result electrical signal;

[0027] The scanner is configured to scan at least part or all of the identification codes in a predetermined area, or to scan according to the identification code input by the user.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the front of the first rotation angle is a working area, in the access state, the rotating platform 2 rotates the consumable rack 1 with the biological consumable P to be accessed to the working area, the mobile forklift 4 is configured to take the biological consumable P from the consumable rack 1 and place it on the external shelf; or, the mobile forklift 4 is configured to take the biological consumable P from the consumable rack 1, the rotating platform 2 rotates other consumable racks 1 to the working area, and the biological consumable P is placed in other consumable racks 1.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, a protective shell is further included, which at least partially surrounds the consumable rack 1.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, a visual camera is provided above the working area, the working area is within the field of view of the camera, and the visual camera has a vertical movement mechanism to move the visual camera in the vertical direction. The visual camera is configured to capture the biological consumable P in the working area.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the motor is a servo motor.

[0032] In the embodiments of the present application, through the cooperative work of the rotating platform, the lifting mechanism, the mobile forklift, the identification module, the encoder and the scanner, accurate access operation of biological consumables can be realized, and the problem of inaccurate positioning in the prior art relying on manual search of consumables is overcome. Specifically, the scanner is used to scan and identify the identification code on the biological consumable and to feed back the position information electric signal in real time. The mobile forklift can dynamically adjust the moving distance and the rotation angle by combining the rotation angle signal fed back by the encoder and the alignment deviation electric signal of the scanner, so as to realize accurate access of the consumable. The present application can ensure that the position adjustment of the mobile forklift in the access operation is very accurate, and significantly improves the efficiency and accuracy of consumable management.

[0033] Further, through the design of the synchronous belt, the synchronous wheel and the counterweight, the weight of the mobile forklift is effectively balanced, the acceleration change caused by inertia is reduced, and the position error in the lifting process is significantly reduced. The use of the counterweight ensures the stability of the system during lifting, especially during high-precision access operation, which can ensure the smooth movement of the mobile forklift.

[0034] Further, through the cooperation of multiple sensors, external shelves and rotating platforms, efficient access and accurate alignment of biological consumables are ensured. The sensor system can detect the extension state of the spatula, whether there is consumable in front of the mobile shovel, and the storage condition of the external shelf, forming a linkage mechanism to avoid misoperation by performing access operations under appropriate conditions. The precise control of the rotating platform enables the consumable shelf to quickly and accurately rotate to the working area, further improving the overall efficiency of the system.

[0035] Further, compared with traditional DC motors, servo motors have the ability to stay at any position, greatly improving the flexibility of the system. Servo motors can quickly adjust the position and remain stable when reaching the target position. This flexibility is particularly critical for systems that automatically handle biological consumables, ensuring that the mobile shovel and rotating platform can stay and fine-tune at any desired position, enabling precise consumable access and position management to meet complex operation requirements.

[0036] A large number of technical features are described in the specification of the present application, distributed in various technical solutions. If all possible combinations of technical features (i.e. technical solutions) of the present application are listed, the specification will be too long. To avoid this problem, each technical feature disclosed in the above invention content, each technical feature disclosed in the following embodiments and examples, and each technical feature disclosed in the drawings can be freely combined to form various new technical solutions (these technical solutions are considered to have been described in the specification), unless such combination of technical features is technically infeasible. For example, features A+B+C are disclosed in one example, features A+B+D+E are disclosed in another example, features C and D are equivalent technical means that play the same role, and can only be used at a time, feature E can be combined with feature C technically, then the scheme of A+B+C+D should not be considered as having been described because it is technically infeasible, and the scheme of A+B+C+E should be considered as having been described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an automated biological consumable handling system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 2 is a top view schematic diagram of an automated biological consumable handling system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 3 is a partial enlarged structural schematic diagram of an automated biological consumable handling system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS:

[0041] 1 - consumable rack, 2 - rotating platform, 3 - lifting mechanism, 31 - lifting support, 32 - lifting motor, 33 - synchronous wheel, 34 - synchronous belt, 35 - counterweight, 4 - mobile shovel, 41 - support platform, 42 - shovel tongue, 43 - identification module, 51 - external storage support, 52 - external storage platform, P - biological consumables. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present application.

[0043] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0044] It should be noted that the "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", "back" and other directions mentioned in the present specification are only relative directional terms used for the convenience of describing the embodiments in the drawings, and do not constitute any limitation on the present application. In actual application, the positions and directions of the related components and structures can be adjusted accordingly according to specific design and use environment, without affecting the scope of protection of the present application.

[0045] The present application relates to a system for automatically processing biological consumables, the structural diagram of which is shown in Figures 1-3 which comprises at least one consumable rack 1, a rotating platform 2, a lifting mechanism 3 and a mobile shovel 4.

[0046] The inside of the at least one consumable rack 1 has a multi-layer structure for storing biological consumables P.

[0047] The rotating platform 2 is used to carry the consumable rack 1 and rotate the consumable rack 1 around the axis.

[0048] The lifting mechanism 3 is used to drive the mobile shovel 4 to move up and down in the vertical direction, and in the state of access, the mobile shovel 4 is configured to at least partially take out the biological consumables P located in the consumable rack 1 in the working area or put the biological consumables P into the consumable rack 1.

[0049] As shown in Figure 3 , it is a partial enlarged structural diagram of the I part shown in Figure 1 . The mobile shovel 4 comprises a support platform 41, a shovel motor, a shovel tongue 42 and an identification module 43, wherein:

[0050] The support platform 41 is movably coupled with the lifting mechanism 3, and is used to carry the mobile forklift 4 and rotate between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle on the horizontal plane;

[0051] The forklift motor is used to drive the support platform 41 to rotate;

[0052] The forklift tongue 42 is arranged on the support platform 41, and the forklift tongue 42 moves along the direction of its own axis between the first access position and the second access position, and is used to access the biological consumables P;

[0053] The identification module 43 is arranged above the forklift tongue 42, and the identification module 43 has an encoder therein, the encoder is used to identify the rotation angle of the mobile forklift 4, the identification module 43 further includes at least one scanner, the scanner is used to identify the identification code on the biological consumables P and send the position information electrical signal, in the access state, the field of view center of the scanner coincides with the center line of the biological consumables P at the same horizontal height of the working area, and the mobile forklift 4 adjusts the moving distance and / or the rotation angle according to the electrical signal of the rotation angle feedback by the encoder and / or the alignment deviation electrical signal feedback by the scanner.

[0054] In an optional embodiment, the lifting mechanism 3 includes a lifting support 31, a lifting motor 32, a synchronous belt 34, a synchronous wheel 33 and a counterweight 35. The lifting support 31 is arranged perpendicular to the ground, and the two synchronous wheels 33 are coupled to the top of the lifting support 31 through the shaft, respectively. The inner surface of the synchronous belt 34 is in contact with the outer wall of the two synchronous wheels 33 for power transmission, the synchronous belt 34 between the two synchronous wheels 33 is in tension, the first side of the synchronous belt 34 is located on the left side of the lifting support 31, the second side of the synchronous belt 34 is located on the right side of the lifting support 31, and the lifting motor 32 drives the synchronous wheel 33 to rotate. The mobile forklift 4 is coupled to the first side of the synchronous belt 34, and the counterweight 35 is coupled to the second side of the synchronous belt 34, the counterweight 35 matches the weight of the mobile forklift 4, and generates a balance effect to offset the acceleration change of the mobile forklift 4 caused by inertia during lifting to prevent position errors.

[0055] In an optional embodiment, the head end and the tail end of one side or both sides of the forklift tongue 42 are respectively provided with a synchronous wheel 33, and one side or both sides of the forklift tongue 42 has a synchronous belt 34, the inner surface of the synchronous belt 34 of the forklift tongue 42 is in contact with the outer wall of the synchronous wheel 33 at the head and tail ends of the forklift tongue 42 for power transmission, so that the forklift tongue 42 can be extended or retracted along the direction of its central axis.

[0056] In an optional embodiment, an external storage rack is further included, which comprises an external storage support 51 and an external storage platform 52. The lower end of the external storage support 51 is coupled to the side wall of the protective shell (not shown), and the upper end of the external storage support 51 is coupled to the external storage platform 52. The external storage platform 52 has a storage groove for placing the biological consumables P taken out from the consumable rack 1. The position of the external storage rack is configured such that when the support platform 41 is rotated to the second rotation angle, the central axis of the spade tongue 42 and the central axis of the external storage platform 52 coincide.

[0057] In an optional embodiment, the protective shell can be omitted, or the protective shell is only provided in the lower half of the periphery of the plurality of consumable racks 1, for protecting the mechanical structure and consumables in the bottom area, maintaining the openness and flexibility of the system to facilitate the user to directly contact or monitor the operation of the upper area. Alternatively, the protective shell can cover the entire peripheral area of the consumable rack 1, protecting all mechanical and consumable parts, providing a higher level of safety protection, preventing the influence of the external environment on the system, while ensuring that the system is not disturbed during operation.

[0058] In an optional embodiment, after power-on, the position of the mobile shovel 4 is reset to the initial position, which is at the reference height of the rotating platform 2, and the rotation angle of the mobile shovel 4 is the first rotation angle, at which time the front of the mobile shovel 4 is the working area.

[0059] In an optional embodiment, the support platform 41 is provided with a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor is aligned with the head end of the spade tongue 42, and the first sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable P on the consumable rack 1 in front of the mobile shovel 4. The second sensor is located below the tail end of the spade tongue 42, and the tail end is the extending end of the spade tongue 42, and the second sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable P on the spade tongue 42. The third sensor is provided on the external storage platform 52, and the third sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable P on the external storage rack. The first sensor, the second sensor and the third sensor are linked to determine whether the telescopic operation of the spade tongue 42 is executed.

[0060] In an optional complete pick-up operation procedure, the second sensor is used to determine whether there is a biological consumable P in the forklift. If there is no biological consumable P in the forklift, the first sensor is used to detect whether there is a biological consumable P on the consumable rack 1. If a biological consumable P is detected on the consumable rack 1, the tine 42 performs an extension operation to pick up the biological consumable P, and the first sensor confirms whether the tine 42 is successfully extended to ensure that the pick-up operation is successfully completed. After the tine 42 performs the pick-up operation, the third sensor is used to detect whether there is a biological consumable P on the external storage rack. If there is no biological consumable P on the external storage rack, it indicates that the drop-off operation can be performed. At this time, the moving forklift is instructed to rotate and / or lift until the forklift is aligned with the central axis of the external storage rack.

[0061] In an optional complete drop-off operation procedure, the third sensor is first used to detect whether there is a biological consumable P on the external storage rack. If there is a biological consumable P on the external storage rack, the moving forklift 4 is rotated and / or lifted until the forklift is aligned with the central axis of the external storage rack. When the forklift is positioned, the second sensor is used to detect whether there is no biological consumable P on the tine 42. If it is confirmed that the tine 42 is empty, the tine 42 is controlled to perform an extension operation to pick up the biological consumable P from the external storage rack. The third sensor confirms that the biological consumable P on the external storage rack has been successfully picked up to ensure that the pick-up operation is successfully completed. Subsequently, the first sensor is used to detect whether there is a free space on the consumable rack 1 in front of the moving forklift 4. If a free space is detected on the consumable rack 1, the tine 42 performs a drop-off operation to transfer the biological consumable P from the tine 42 to the storage position of the consumable rack 1. The first sensor confirms that the biological consumable P has been successfully placed on the consumable rack 1, and the drop-off operation is completed.

[0062] If, in the pick-up / drop-off operation procedure, it is found that there is an object conflict in the consumable rack 1 or on the external storage platform 52 (for example, after picking up the biological consumable P, it is ready to be placed on the existing object on the external storage platform 52, or after picking up the biological consumable P from the external storage platform 52, it is ready to be placed in the consumable rack 1, and there is already an object in that position in the consumable rack 1), the operation is stopped and an alarm signal is issued.

[0063] The above pick-up and drop-off operation procedures can be flexibly adjusted according to specific circumstances, so that some steps are omitted or interrupted, and it is not necessary to perform them completely every time.

[0064] In an optional embodiment, a scanner (which can include a visual component) can detect whether the moving forklift 4 is aligned with the central axis of the external storage rack. Specifically, the scanner first captures the left and right profiles of the external storage rack and projects them into the field of view, then calculates the relative positions of the left and right sides in the field of view to determine whether they are symmetrical left and right.

[0065] If the scanner detects that the left and right sides of the external shelf are symmetrically distributed within the field of view of the scanner, it can be determined that the mobile forklift 4 is aligned with the central axis of the external shelf. In order to further ensure the accuracy of the alignment, the scanner can provide a symmetrical deviation information, which can be used to fine-tune the rotation angle and / or the lifting height of the servo motor, so that the forklift support platform 41 is completely coincided with the central axis of the external shelf, thereby ensuring the accurate position of the forklift tongue 42 when performing the access operation. The visual components of the scanner can also continuously monitor the alignment state to ensure that the alignment is maintained during the access operation and prevent deviation caused by external forces or mechanical errors. Therefore, the accuracy and automation level of the system can be greatly improved.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, the biological consumables P are provided with identification codes, and the scanner at least includes an optical scanning module for emitting a point or strip-shaped scanning light beam. The optical scanning module converts the optical signal generated after the scanning light beam irradiates the identification code into a scanning result electrical signal. The scanner is configured to scan at least part or all of the identification codes in the predetermined area or according to the identification code input by the user.

[0067] The identification code can be a bar code, a two-dimensional code or other machine-recognizable coding type, and is attached to the outer-facing side wall of the biological consumables P, preferably at the center height of the biological consumables P. When the system for automatically processing biological consumables is used for the first time, the scanner can scan all the biological consumables P in all the consumable shelves 1, and the rotating platform 2 rotates the each consumable shelf 1 clockwise or counterclockwise so that the working area is scanned by the scanner in sequence. When the consumable shelf 1 in the working area is scanned, the scanner can start from the reference height (0 mm) of the rotating platform 2 and scan layer by layer, so as to cover all the storage positions of the consumable shelf 1. When the biological consumables P are taken out or put in, the corresponding identification code is scanned again by the scanner.

[0068] When it is necessary to specify the biological consumables P in a specific level of a certain consumable rack 1, the servo motor drives the rotating platform 2 to rotate until the specified consumable rack 1X moves to the access position of the working area. The servo motor adjusts the position of the rotating platform 2 in real time to ensure that the consumable rack 1X is accurately positioned. Once the consumable rack 1X reaches the specified working area position, the servo motor of the lifting mechanism 3 adjusts the height of the mobile shovel 4. The encoder feeds back the height information of the mobile shovel 4 in real time to ensure that it rises or falls to the height position corresponding to the Nth layer of the consumable rack 1. During the lifting and rotating of the mobile shovel 4, the scanner continuously detects the alignment of the consumable rack 1. According to whether the shovel tongue 42 of the mobile shovel 4 is aligned with the central axis of the Nth layer of the consumable rack 1, and according to the alignment deviation electrical signal fed back by the scanner, the shovel further fine-tunes the rotation angle or the lifting height. When the mobile shovel 4 is aligned with the Nth layer of the consumable rack 1, the shovel tongue 42 extends into the storage unit of the Nth layer to take out or put in the specified biological consumables P. The action of the shovel tongue 42 is monitored by the first sensor and the second sensor to ensure that it smoothly performs the extension and retraction operation, and the movement of the shovel tongue 42 is adjusted according to the sensor feedback. After successfully accessing the biological consumables P, the scanner scans the identification code again.

[0069] In a preferred embodiment, the position of the scanner is set on the same vertical plane as the central axis of the mobile shovel 4 to ensure that during rotation and lifting, the scanner can accurately capture the relative position of the external storage rack and the biological consumables P. Preferably, the height of the scanner is consistent with the center height of the biological consumables P to be processed (such as a 96-well plate), ensuring that its field of view can cover the main position of the biological consumables P, thereby providing higher accuracy and stability when accurately aligning the external storage rack or other access targets.

[0070] In an alternative embodiment, the front of the first rotation angle is the working area. In the access state, the rotating platform 2 rotates to move the consumable rack 1 with the biological consumables P to be accessed to the working area, and the mobile shovel 4 is configured to take the biological consumables P from the consumable rack 1 and place it on the external storage rack; or, the mobile shovel 4 is configured to take the biological consumables P from the consumable rack 1, and the rotating platform 2 rotates to move other consumable racks 1 to the working area, and the biological consumables P is placed in other consumable racks 1.

[0071] In an alternative embodiment, all motors used in the present application are servo motors. The selection of servo motors can be based on different operation requirements, such as torque output, response speed or control accuracy. According to different application scenarios, the specifications and models of the servo motors can be adjusted to adapt to various operation modes, including accurate lifting operation and fast rotation requirements under high load conditions. In addition, the servo motor can also be used in cooperation with the encoder to realize closed-loop control, ensuring the synchronization and coordination of various moving parts in the system.

[0072] In an alternative embodiment, the biological consumables P can not only be 96-well plates, but also include test tube racks, reagent bottle racks, etc. containing biological samples. In this case, the scanner can be replaced by a visual camera with AI function for identifying and analyzing the reaction progress of biological samples. For example, biological samples in the test tube rack can have a fluorescent reaction, and the visual camera can monitor the reaction state in real time through AI algorithm and capture images to record the reaction process.

[0073] Specifically, the visual camera identifies each biological sample in the consumable rack 1 through AI function, monitors its reaction progress (such as change of fluorescence intensity), and records the reaction result and state of each sample. After identifying all biological samples in one consumable rack 1, the rotating platform 2 automatically rotates to move the next consumable rack 1 to the working area. The visual camera continues to identify new biological samples, ensuring that the system can process a large number of samples in a short time and perform efficient batch observation and recording. Each consumable rack 1 can represent a different processing sequence. When the visual camera identifies that the reaction of a certain biological sample has reached the set standard, the mobile shovel 4 removes the sample from the consumable rack 1. Subsequently, the rotating platform 2 rotates to move the corresponding next processing consumable rack 1 to the working area, and the mobile shovel 4 puts the sample into the consumable rack 1 for subsequent experiments or observation. After the biological sample completes the next step of processing, the visual camera continues to identify the state of the sample. The whole process is ensured by the coordinated work of the rotating platform 2 and the mobile shovel 4, so that each sample can be accurately identified and monitored in different processing steps.

[0074] In an alternative embodiment, instead of replacing the scanner with a visual camera with AI function, a visual camera can be installed directly above the working area, so that the working area is within the field of view of the camera. When the mobile shovel 4 completes the removal of the biological sample, the visual camera can identify or take a picture of the sample. In addition, the visual camera can also be configured with a vertical movement mechanism, allowing the camera to move down and approach the removed biological sample. This design can be used for more detailed sample identification or high-resolution photography, ensuring detailed observation and recording of the sample in special cases. This flexible camera installation method not only improves the automation capability of the system, but also increases the flexibility of use in different scenarios, ensuring that the processing and recording of biological samples are more efficient and accurate.

[0075] The application realizes the precise movement and access of the consumable rack 1 and the mobile forklift 4 by integrating a servo motor, an encoder, a scanner or an AI vision camera. The system can quickly identify and access, process a large number of biological consumables P, dynamically adjust the position of the consumables, accurately perform the access operation, and can efficiently observe and record the reaction progress of the biological samples in a short time, greatly improving the experimental efficiency and precision, while providing flexibility, suitable for different types of biological consumables P and multi-step experimental scenarios.

[0076] It should be noted that the relationship terms such as first and second in the application file of the present patent are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between the entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "contain" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without more limitations, the element defined by the statement "including one" does not exclude the presence of another identical element in the process, method, article or device including the element. In the application file of the present patent, if it is mentioned that a certain behavior is performed according to a certain element, it means that the behavior is performed at least according to the element, which includes two cases: the behavior is performed only according to the element, and the behavior is performed according to the element and other elements. The expressions of multiple, multiple times, multiple varieties, etc. include 2, 2 times, 2 varieties and more than 2, more than 2 times, more than 2 varieties.

[0077] The present specification includes combinations of the various embodiments described herein. Individual references to embodiments (e.g., "an embodiment" or "some embodiments" or "a preferred embodiment"); however, these embodiments are not mutually exclusive, unless indicated as such or it is clear to those skilled in the art that they are mutually exclusive. It should be noted that the word "or" is used in this specification in a non-exclusive sense, unless otherwise explicitly indicated or required by context.

[0078] All documents mentioned in the present specification are considered to be incorporated in the disclosure of the present application in their entirety in order to make the disclosure more complete. In addition, it should be understood that the above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present specification, and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present specification. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of the present specification shall be included in the protection scope of one or more embodiments of the present specification.

Claims

1. A system for automated processing of biological consumables, characterized in that, The application relates to a biological consumable storage device, comprising: at least one consumable rack (1) internally provided with a multi-layer structure for storing biological consumables (P); a rotating platform (2) for carrying the consumable rack (1) and rotating the consumable rack (1) around an axis; a lifting mechanism (3) for lifting a mobile shovel (4) in a vertical direction, in an access state, the mobile shovel (4) is configured to at least partially take out the biological consumables (P) in the consumable rack (1) or put the biological consumables (P) into the consumable rack (1); the mobile shovel (4) comprises: a support platform (41) movably coupled with the lifting mechanism (3) for carrying the mobile shovel (4) and rotating between a first rotation angle and a second rotation angle in a horizontal plane; a shovel motor for driving the support platform (41) to rotate; a shovel tongue (42) arranged on the support platform (41), the shovel tongue (42) moves along the axis direction between a first access position and a second access position for accessing the biological consumables (P); an identification module (43) arranged above the shovel tongue (42), the identification module (43) is internally provided with an encoder for identifying the rotation angle of the mobile shovel (4), and the identification module (43) further comprises at least one scanner for identifying the identification code on the biological consumables (P) and sending a position information electric signal, in the access state, the field of view center of the scanner coincides with the center line of the biological consumables (P) at the same horizontal height of the working area, and the mobile shovel adjusts the moving distance and / or the rotation angle according to the electric signal of the rotation angle fed back by the encoder and / or the alignment deviation electric signal fed back by the scanner.

2. The system for automated processing of biological consumables of claim 1, wherein, The lifting mechanism (3) comprises a lifting support (31), a lifting motor (32), a synchronous wheel (33), a synchronous belt (34) and a counterweight (35); the lifting support (31) is arranged vertically to the ground, two synchronous wheels (33) are coupled to the top and top of the lifting support (31) through shafts, the inner surface of the synchronous belt (34) is in contact with the outer wall of the two synchronous wheels (33) for power transmission, the synchronous belt (34) between the two synchronous wheels (33) is in a tension state, the first side of the synchronous belt (34) is located on the left side of the lifting support (31), the second side of the synchronous belt (34) is located on the right side of the lifting support (31), and the lifting motor (32) drives the synchronous wheel (33) to rotate; the mobile shovel (4) is coupled to the first side of the synchronous belt (34), the counterweight (35) is coupled to the second side of the synchronous belt (34), the counterweight (35) matches the weight of the mobile shovel (4), generates a balancing effect, offsets the acceleration change of the mobile shovel (4) caused by inertia during lifting, and prevents position errors.

3. The system for automated processing of biological consumables of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising an external rack, the external rack comprises an external rack support (51) and an external rack platform (52). The lower end of the external storage support (51) is coupled to the side wall of the protective shell, and the upper end of the external storage support (51) is coupled to the external storage platform (52); The external storage platform (52) has a storage groove for placing the biological consumables (P) taken out from the consumable rack (1); The position of the external storage rack is configured such that when the support platform (41) is rotated to the second rotation angle, the central axis of the spade tongue (42) and the central axis of the external storage platform (52) coincide.

4. The system for automated processing of biological consumables of claim 1, wherein, After power-on, the position of the mobile cart (4) is reset to an initial position, which is at the reference height of the rotating platform (2), and the rotation angle of the mobile cart (4) is the first rotation angle, at which time the front of the mobile cart (4) is the working area.

5. The system for automated processing of biological consumables of claim 3, wherein, The support platform (41) is provided with a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor is aligned with the head end of the spade tongue (42), and the first sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable (P) on the front consumable rack (1) of the mobile cart (4); the second sensor is located below the tail end of the spade tongue (42), and the tail end is the extension end of the spade tongue (42), and the second sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable (P) on the spade tongue (42); The external storage platform (52) is provided with a third sensor, and the third sensor is configured to detect whether there is biological consumable (P) on the external storage rack; The first sensor, the second sensor and the third sensor are linked to determine whether the telescopic operation of the spade tongue (42) is executed.

6. The system for automated processing of biological consumables of claim 1, wherein, The biological consumable (P) is provided with the identification code, and the scanner includes an optical scanning module for emitting a point or strip scanning light beam, and the optical scanning module converts an optical signal generated after the scanning light beam irradiates the identification code into a scanning result electrical signal; The scanner is configured to scan at least part or all of the identification codes in the predetermined area or according to the identification code input by the user.

7. The system for automated handling of biological consumables of claim 3, wherein, The first rotation angle is the working area, and in the access state, the rotating platform (2) rotates to rotate the consumable rack (1) with the biological consumable (P) to be accessed to the working area, and the mobile cart (4) is configured to take out the biological consumable (P) from the consumable rack (1) and place it on the external storage rack; or, the mobile cart (4) is configured to take out the biological consumable (P) from the consumable rack (1), the rotating platform (2) rotates to rotate other consumable racks (1) to the working area, and the biological consumable (P) is placed in other consumable racks (1).

8. The system for automated processing of biological consumables of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising a protective shell, which at least partially surrounds the consumable rack (1).

9. The system for automated processing of biological consumables of claim 1, wherein, Above the work area, a vision camera is provided, the work area being within the field of view of the camera, the vision camera being provided with a mechanism for vertical movement, enabling the vision camera to move in the vertical direction, the vision camera being configured to take pictures of the biological consumables (P) in the work area.

10. The system for automated handling of biological consumables according to any of claims 1-9, wherein, The motor is a servo motor.

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