Device for automatically transferring radionuclides and liquid medicine of radionuclides

Abstract

The utility model provides a device for automatically moving radionuclide and liquid medicine thereof. The device comprises a three-axis moving mechanism, a pipettor, a bracket and a bottom plate, wherein the three-axis moving mechanism comprises an X-axis moving assembly, a Y-axis moving assembly and a Z-axis moving assembly; a piston rod is arranged in the middle of the pipettor, the upper end of the piston rod is fixedly connected with the second lead screw, a fixing cylinder is sleeved outside the piston rod, and a pipettor shell is installed outside the fixing cylinder. According to the utility model, automatic program control is adopted, the material quantity can be accurately calculated, and the accuracy of the production process is improved; the device is small in size and can be placed in a protection box; the device does not need manual operation in the whole process, and the whole pipetting process is carried out in a closed environment, so that aerosol leakage is avoided, and the radiation risk of technicians is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a device for the automated transfer of radionuclides and their pharmaceutical solutions. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of radiomedicine, lutetium [ 177 Lu], Fluorine 18 F], Technetium [ 99m Radiopharmaceuticals such as [Tc] are also more widely used in the medical field, and pipetting is required in the synthesis, testing, and dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals. Because radiopharmaceutical products are radioactive, manual handling is not only inaccurate but also poses a risk of radiation damage to operators.

[0003] In order to minimize the exposure of operators to radioactive doses during experiments and improve the accuracy of radioactive product handling, this invention develops an automated device for handling radionuclides and their solutions to address the problems existing in the prior art. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a device for the automated transfer of radionuclides and their liquid solutions.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0006] A device for automated transfer of radionuclides and their solutions includes a three-axis moving mechanism, a pipette, a support, and a base plate. The three-axis moving mechanism includes X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis moving components. The X-axis moving component is slidably fixed to the Y-axis moving component, the Z-axis moving component is fixed to the X-axis moving component, and the pipette is fixed to the Z-axis moving component. A piston rod is provided in the middle of the pipette, the upper end of which is fixedly connected to a lead screw. A fixing cylinder is sleeved on the outside of the piston rod, and a pipette housing is installed outside the fixing cylinder.

[0007] Furthermore, the upper end of the lead screw is non-cylindrical, the lower end is cylindrical, and the upper half penetrates the fixing block; the bottom end of the fixing block is fixed with a motor four; the motor four has a hollow structure, the lower half of the lead screw two penetrates the motor four, and moves up and down under the drive of the motor four through the surface thread structure; the fixing cylinder and the pipette shell are fixed to the bottom end of the motor four.

[0008] Preferably, the upper end cross-section of the second lead screw is "racetrack shaped".

[0009] Specifically, the top of the fixing block is also provided with a sensor four, the internal structure of the fixing block matches the shape of the upper end of the lead screw two, and a sealing ring is also provided at the connection between the bottom of the fixing cylinder and the pipette shell.

[0010] Furthermore, the piston rod is cylindrical, and the fixing sleeve is fitted onto the piston rod; the bottom of the pipette housing has two cavities, upper and lower, which match the two cylindrical shapes of the piston rod.

[0011] Preferably, the piston rod can be composed of two cylinders of different thicknesses, which match the shapes of the two cavities.

[0012] More preferably, the length of the cylinder at the lower part of the piston rod is less than the length of the second cavity.

[0013] Furthermore, the inner wall of the fixed cylinder is provided with multiple positioning grooves, and the top of the piston rod is provided with multiple positioning sheaths that match the positioning grooves; the outer wall of the fixed cylinder is provided with multiple venting grooves; and the side wall of the pipette housing is provided with several venting holes.

[0014] Specifically, the vent hole is connected to the vent groove.

[0015] Furthermore, the X-axis moving component includes an X-axis guide rail and a first movable slide mounted on the X-axis guide rail; the Y-axis moving component includes a Y-axis guide rail, a second movable slide mounted on the Y-axis guide rail, a Y-axis auxiliary guide rail, and a third movable slide mounted on the Y-axis auxiliary guide rail; the Z-axis moving component includes a Z-axis guide rail, a slider, a first lead screw, and a fourth movable slide.

[0016] Specifically, the Y-axis guide rail and the Y-axis auxiliary guide rail are arranged in parallel.

[0017] Furthermore, the second and third movable slides are respectively fixed below the X-axis guide rail on both sides; the Z-axis moving component is fixed on the first movable slide.

[0018] Furthermore, a rack is provided on the side of the X-axis guide rail, and the movable slide block is driven by a motor fixed at the top to drive the gear at the bottom to run along the rack, so as to achieve movement in the X-axis direction.

[0019] Furthermore, a rack two is provided on the side of the Y-axis guide rail, and a motor two is installed at the junction of the rack two and the X-axis guide rail; the motor two drives the bottom gear two to run along the rack two, so as to realize the movement of the movable slide two and the movable slide three in the Y-axis.

[0020] Furthermore, one side of the movable slide block of the Z-axis moving assembly is engaged with the Z-axis guide rail, and the other side is fixed to the slider; a motor is also installed on the top of the lead screw, and under the action of the motor, the lead screw rotates to drive the slider to move up and down.

[0021] Specifically, a reducer is installed below both motor one and motor two; sensor one, sensor two and sensor three are installed at the starting positions of movement in the X, Y and Z axes, respectively.

[0022] More specifically, in the initial state, the intersection of the X-axis guide rail and the rack two is the starting position for movement along the X-axis, the intersection of the X-axis guide rail and the Y-axis auxiliary guide rail is the starting position for movement along the Y-axis, and the top of the Z-axis guide rail is the starting position for movement along the Z-axis; when the sliders in the X, Y, and Z axes are all in the starting position, the pipette is at the origin position.

[0023] Furthermore, the base plate is provided with a pipette tip holder, a waste pipette tip recycling slot and several fixing slots; the pipette tip holder is provided with several circular slots for placing pipette tips, and the waste pipette tip recycling slot is equipped with a detachable protrusion, the top of which is provided with a notch.

[0024] Specifically, the diameter of the notch matches the maximum inner diameter of the pipette tip, the height of the protrusion is greater than the height of the pipette tip, and the diameter of the circular groove is smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the pipette tip.

[0025] Preferably, a vitality well is installed at the bottom of the fixed groove, and a sensor is installed on the side.

[0026] Furthermore, the upper end of the bracket is used to support the three-axis moving mechanism, and the lower end is fixed to the base plate.

[0027] Specifically, both the three-axis moving mechanism and the pipette are controlled by a PLC program and driven by a motor.

[0028] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: 1. The automated transfer device for radioactive nuclides and their liquids is program-controlled, which can accurately calculate the amount of material and improve the accuracy of the production process; 2. The device is small in size and can be placed in a protective box; 3. The device does not require manual operation throughout the entire process, and the entire transfer process is carried out in a closed environment, avoiding aerosol leakage and reducing the radiation risk to technicians. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0030] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the X and Y axis moving components of this utility model;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the assembly of motor 1, gear 1 and movable slide 1 in the X-axis moving component of this utility model;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the Z-axis moving component of this utility model;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the pipette of this utility model;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the piston rod and fixed cylinder in the pipette of this utility model;

[0035] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0036] 1-Pipette; 2-Support; 3-Base plate; 4-X-axis guide rail; 5-Y-axis guide rail; 6-Y-axis auxiliary guide rail; 7-Moving slide one; 8-Moving slide two; 9-Moving slide three; 10-Z-axis moving assembly; 11-Rack one; 12-Motor one; 13-Rack two; 14-Motor two; 15-Sensor one; 16-Sensor two; 17-Z-axis slide rail; 18-Moving slide four; 19-Lead screw one; 20-Slider; 21-Motor three; 22- 23-Fixed block; 24-Screw 2; 25-Motor 4; 26-Piston rod; 27-Fixed cylinder; 28-Pipette housing; 29-Seal ring; 30-Cavity 1; 31-Cavity 2; 32-Positioning sheath; 33-Exhaust groove; 34-Positioning groove; 35-Pipette holder; 36-Waste pipette tip recycling groove; 37-Notch; 38-Fixed groove 1; 39-Fixed groove 2; 40-Activity well; 41-Sensor 5; 42-Gear 1; 43-Gear 2; 44-Pipette tip; 45-Circular groove. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The structural features of this utility model are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can implement it based on the description. The preferred embodiments described below are only examples, and those skilled in the art can conceive of other obvious variations.

[0038] like Figures 1-6 As shown, an apparatus for the automated transfer of radionuclides and their solutions includes a three-axis moving mechanism, a pipette 1, a support 2, and a base plate 3. The three-axis moving mechanism includes X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis moving components 10.

[0039] The X-axis moving component is slidably fixed on the Y-axis moving component, the Z-axis moving component 10 is fixed on the X-axis moving component, and the pipette 1 is fixed on the Z-axis moving component 10.

[0040] The pipette 1 has a piston rod 25 in the middle. The upper end of the piston rod 25 is fixedly connected to the lead screw 23. A fixing cylinder 26 is sleeved on the outside of the piston rod 25. A pipette shell 27 is installed on the outside of the fixing cylinder 26.

[0041] The upper end of the lead screw 23 is non-cylindrical, and the lower end is cylindrical, with the upper half penetrating the fixing block 22; the bottom end of the fixing block 22 is fixed with the motor 4 24; the motor 4 24 has a hollow structure, with the lower half of the lead screw 23 penetrating the motor 4 24, and moving up and down under the drive of the motor 4 24 through the surface thread structure; the fixing cylinder 26 and the pipette housing 27 are fixed to the bottom end of the motor 4 24.

[0042] The piston rod 25 is cylindrical, and the fixing cylinder 26 is sleeved on the upper part of the piston rod 25; the bottom of the pipette housing 27 is provided with two cavities, upper and lower; the inner wall of the fixing cylinder 26 is provided with multiple positioning grooves 34, and the outer wall is provided with multiple venting grooves 33; the top of the piston rod 25 is provided with multiple positioning sheaths 32, and the side wall of the pipette housing 27 is provided with several venting holes.

[0043] A sealing ring 29 is also provided at the connection between the bottom of the fixed cylinder 26 and the pipette housing 27.

[0044] The X-axis moving assembly includes an X-axis guide rail 4 and a movable slide 7 mounted on the X-axis guide rail; the Y-axis moving assembly includes a Y-axis guide rail 5, a movable slide 8 mounted on the Y-axis guide rail, a Y-axis auxiliary guide rail 6, and a movable slide 9 mounted on the Y-axis auxiliary guide rail; the Z-axis moving assembly 10 includes a Z-axis guide rail 17, a slider 20, a lead screw 19, and a movable slide 18.

[0045] The second movable slide 8 and the third movable slide 9 are respectively fixed to the lower sides of the X-axis guide rail 4; the Z-axis moving assembly 10 is fixed to the first movable slide 7.

[0046] The X-axis guide rail 4 has a rack 11 on its side; the Y-axis guide rail 5 has a rack 13 on its side, and a motor 14 is installed at the junction of the rack 13 and the X-axis guide rail 4; the Z-axis moving component 10 has a sliding block 18 on one side engaged with the Z-axis guide rail 17, and the other side fixed to the slider 20; a motor 21 is also installed on the top of the lead screw 19.

[0047] The base plate 3 has a pipette tip holder 35, a waste pipette tip recycling tank 36 and several fixing slots distributed on it; the pipette tip holder 35 is provided with several circular slots 45 for placing pipette tips; the waste pipette tip recycling tank 36 is equipped with a detachable protrusion, and the top of the protrusion is provided with a notch 37.

[0048] The upper end of bracket 2 is used to support the three-axis moving mechanism, and the lower end is fixed to the base plate 3.

[0049] The following examples and... Figures 1-6 The automated transfer of radionuclides and their reagent solutions is described.

[0050] The specific working principle of this utility model is as follows:

[0051] The automated transfer device for radionuclides and their solutions proposed in this invention is program-controlled. After the device is assembled, a corresponding program is set according to the process requirements, and the automated transfer process can be realized by controlling the program to run.

[0052] In actual use, the pipette 1 is initially positioned at the origin. The software establishes a program path connecting the origin of pipette 1, the center positions of fixed groove 38, fixed groove 39, notch 37, and circular groove.

[0053] The operating principle of the pipetting device is as follows:

[0054] (1) Check sensor 541 through the computer interface to confirm that the receiving bottle has been placed in fixed slot 138, place the radionuclide original liquid bottle into fixed slot 239, remove the bottle cap, and start the program.

[0055] (2) The movable slide 1 7, movable slide 2 8 and movable slide 3 9 move the pipette 1 from the origin to above the circular groove 45 containing the pipette tip. The movable slide 4 18 moves the pipette 1 slowly down and then slowly rises after engaging with the pipette tip 44.

[0056] (3) The movable slide 1 7, movable slide 2 8 and movable slide 3 9 move the pipette 1 to above the fixed tank 2 39. The movable slide 4 18 moves the pipette 1 downward to the point where the pipette tip is inserted below the liquid surface of the radionuclide original solution bottle. After the pipette 1 draws the set volume of radionuclide solution, it slowly rises.

[0057] (4) The movable slide 1 7, movable slide 2 8 and movable slide 3 9 move the pipette 1 to above the fixed groove 38, and the movable slide 4 18 moves the pipette 1 down to transfer the solution into the receiving bottle.

[0058] (5) The movable slide 18 drives the pipette 1 to rise slowly. The movable slide 7, movable slide 2 8 and movable slide 3 9 drive the pipette 1 to move above the notch 37. The movable slide 18 drives the pipette tip of the pipette 1 to engage with the notch 37 and lift it upward, so that the tip falls off and into the discard tip slot 36, completing the tip removal operation.

[0059] (6) Pipette 1 returns to its original position.

[0060] When the pipette tip needs to be replaced during the operation of pipette 1, the above-mentioned tip removal process can be repeated. Moving slide 1 7, moving slide 2 8, moving slide 3 9 and moving slide 4 18 move pipette 1 to any of the circular slots 45 on the tip holder 35 that are equipped with pipette tips. After the pipette tip is fully engaged with pipette 1, moving slide 4 18 lifts pipette 1 upwards to complete the tip replacement operation.

[0061] The working principle of a pipette is as follows:

[0062] After the pipette tip is attached to the circular slot 45, pipette 1 is moved to the fixed slot 39, ready to execute the "liquid aspiration" command. When sensor 4 28 detects the top of lead screw 23, this is the starting position for moving lead screw 23. Each time lead screw 23 returns to the starting position, the system issues a command, and lead screw 23 moves downwards by a limited stroke; the position reached is the ending position. The starting and ending positions of lead screw 23 are labeled as position a and position b, respectively.

[0063] When pipette 1 receives the "aspirate" command, motor 4 24 begins to rotate clockwise, driving screw 2 23 downwards via a threaded structure until it reaches position b. At this point, all air in cavities 1 30 and 2 31 is expelled, and motor 4 24 stops rotating. Moving slide 4 18 lowers pipette 1 until the pipette tip is below the surface of the original radionuclide solution bottle. At this point, pipette 1 executes the "aspirate" command. Motor 4 24 rotates counterclockwise, driving screw 2 23 upwards, drawing the solution into the pipette tip. After aspiration, motor 4 24 stops rotating, and moving slide 4 18 raises pipette 1. Moving slides 1 7, 2 8, and 3 9 move pipette 1 above the fixed slot 38. At this point, pipette 1 executes the "discharge" command. Moving slide 4 18 lowers pipette 1 to the appropriate discharge position, motor 4 24 rotates clockwise, and screw 2 23 moves downwards to position b, discharging all the liquid. Finally, motor 424 rotates counterclockwise, screw 23 moves upward and returns to position a, moving slide 418 drives pipette 1 to rise, and moving slide 17, moving slide 28 and moving slide 39 drive pipette 1 to the notch 37, discarding the pipette tip to complete one aspiration and dispensing process.

[0064] The principle of precise quantitative liquid sampling is as follows:

[0065] During the initial debugging of pipette 1, the pulse volume required to dispense 1 ml of liquid was measured. The dispensing volume and pulse volume are linearly proportional. By inputting the required dispensing volume into the software, the system automatically adjusts the pulse volume to control the instrument and achieve precise quantitative dispensing. The pipetting process is completed in two steps. Pipette 1 first dispenses 1 ml of the radionuclide solution into the receiving bottle. The activity of the 1 ml radionuclide solution is measured using an activity meter. Based on the activity required for actual production, the total volume of liquid needed is calculated. Subtracting the 1 ml dispensing from the first dispensing gives the volume required for the second dispensing. Pipette 1 repeats the above operation to dispense the corresponding volume.

[0066] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the automated transfer of radionuclides and their solutions, comprising a three-axis moving mechanism, a pipette, a support, and a base plate; characterized in that, The three-axis moving mechanism includes X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis moving components, wherein the X-axis moving component is slidably fixed on the Y-axis moving component, the Z-axis moving component is fixed on the X-axis moving component, and the pipette is fixed on the Z-axis moving component; The pipette has a piston rod in the middle, the upper end of which is fixedly connected to a lead screw. A fixing sleeve is fitted around the piston rod, and a pipette shell is installed outside the fixing sleeve.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the lead screw is non-cylindrical, the lower end is cylindrical, and the upper half of the lead screw passes through the fixing block; the bottom end of the fixing block is fixed with a motor; the motor is hollow, the lower half of the lead screw passes through the motor and moves up and down under the drive of the motor through the surface thread structure; the fixing cylinder and the pipette shell are fixed to the bottom end of the motor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The piston rod is cylindrical, and the fixing sleeve is fitted on the upper part of the piston rod; the bottom of the pipette housing has two cavities, one upper and one lower. The inner wall of the fixed cylinder is provided with multiple positioning grooves, and the top of the piston rod is provided with multiple positioning sheaths that match the positioning grooves. The outer wall of the fixed cylinder has multiple exhaust grooves; The pipette housing has several vent holes on its side wall.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The X-axis moving component includes an X-axis guide rail and a first movable slide mounted on the X-axis guide rail; the Y-axis moving component includes a Y-axis guide rail, a second movable slide mounted on the Y-axis guide rail, a Y-axis auxiliary guide rail, and a third movable slide mounted on the Y-axis auxiliary guide rail; the Z-axis moving component includes a Z-axis guide rail, a slider, a first lead screw, and a fourth movable slide. The second and third movable slides are respectively fixed below the X-axis guide rail on both sides; the Z-axis moving component is fixed on the first movable slide.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The X-axis guide rail is also provided with a rack. The movable slide is driven by a motor fixed at the top to run along the rack, thereby achieving movement in the X-axis direction.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, A rack two is provided on the side of the Y-axis guide rail, and a motor two is installed at the junction of the rack two and the X-axis guide rail; the motor two drives the bottom gear two to run along the rack two, so as to realize the movement of the movable slide two and the movable slide three in the Y-axis.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The movable slide block of the Z-axis moving assembly is engaged on one side of the Z-axis guide rail and fixed to the slider on the other side; a motor is also installed on the top of the lead screw, and the lead screw rotates under the action of the motor to drive the slider to move up and down.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base plate is provided with a pipette tip holder, a waste pipette tip recycling slot and several fixing slots; the pipette tip holder is provided with several circular slots for placing pipette tips, and the waste pipette tip recycling slot is equipped with a detachable protrusion, the top of which is provided with a notch.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the bracket is used to support the three-axis moving mechanism, and the lower end is fixed to the base plate.

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