Adaptive device for placing container

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of automatic cell culture, and provides an adaptive device for placing a container, which comprises a supporting plate, at least one positioning groove is arranged on the supporting plate, the positioning groove comprises a plurality of sub-grooves with different shapes and / or sizes, the different sub-grooves at least partially coincide in the projection direction, and the sub-grooves are arranged on the supporting plate. And different sub-tanks are used for containing different culture containers. According to the adaptive device, different types of containers such as culture dishes, culture bottles and porous culture plates can be placed through a single adaptive device, and the compatibility is better. Moreover, the container is supported by the adaptive device, the adaptive device is used as a transfer unit of the container, all transfer operations are carried out on the adaptive device, and the problem that the container cannot be well compatible with equipment in automatic culture application can be solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of automatic cell culture, and particularly relates to an adapter device for placing containers. BACKGROUND

[0002] Common automatic cell culture equipment on the market generally adopts unified bottom plate size microwell plate consumables, such as 6-well plates, 96-well plates, etc., which limits the use of consumables such as round culture dishes on automatic equipment. The prior art provides a tray for accommodating multiple specifications of sample bottles, comprising an upper plate, a supporting body and fasteners; the supporting body is inserted into the upper plate and is fastened to the upper plate by the fasteners; the upper plate has a plurality of sample bottle mounting holes, and the supporting body has a plurality of positioning grooves; the sample bottle mounting holes and the positioning grooves are one-to-one corresponding, and the diameter of the sample bottle mounting hole is greater than or equal to the diameter of the positioning groove. When in use, it can accommodate different types of sample bottles by switching different specifications of supporting bodies. However, for this tray, a groove on a set of upper plate and supporting body can only accommodate one type of container, and the compatibility is poor. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the utility model is that the tray for accommodating multiple specifications of sample bottles in the prior art can only accommodate one type of container in a groove on a set of upper plate and supporting body, and the compatibility is poor, so as to provide an adapter device for placing containers to save space, simplify the structure and eliminate the need to prepare different size and type trays at the same time.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the technical scheme of the utility model is as follows:

[0005] The utility model provides an adapter device for placing containers, comprising: a supporting plate, wherein at least one positioning groove is arranged on the supporting plate, the positioning groove comprises a plurality of sub-grooves with different shapes and / or sizes, different sub-grooves at least partially coincide in the projection direction, and different sub-grooves are used for accommodating different culture containers.

[0006] Further, the depths of different sub-grooves are different, the depth of a sub-groove with a large projection area is smaller than the depth of a sub-groove with a small projection area.

[0007] Further, one side of the supporting plate is provided with a notch, the notch extends towards the center direction of the supporting plate and communicates with the positioning groove.

[0008] Further, the groove bottom of the positioning groove is provided with a through hole, and the groove bottom of the positioning groove retains a stepped surface for accommodating a culture container along the circumferential direction of the through hole.

[0009] Further, a clamping jaw slot is arranged on the outer wall of each of two opposite sides of the supporting plate.

[0010] Furthermore, the gripper groove is a groove that is concave to the side of the tray or a ridge that is convex to the side of the tray.

[0011] Furthermore, the bottom of the tray is provided with a positioning pin and / or a positioning hole.

[0012] Furthermore, an elastic element is provided on the inner wall of the positioning groove so that the same positioning groove can be adapted to culture containers of different sizes.

[0013] Furthermore, the sub-slot includes one or more of circular slots, rectangular slots, and regular polygonal slots.

[0014] Furthermore, the tray can be circular, a regular polygon, or an irregular polygon.

[0015] The technical solution of this utility model has the following advantages:

[0016] The adapter device for placing containers provided by this utility model has at least one positioning groove on the tray. The positioning groove includes several sub-grooves of different shapes and / or sizes, and the different sub-grooves at least partially overlap in the projection direction. The different sub-grooves are used to hold different containers. With this configuration, a single adapter device can accommodate different types of containers, such as petri dishes, culture flasks, and multi-well culture plates, resulting in better compatibility. Moreover, since the adapter device supports the containers and serves as the container transfer unit, all transfer operations are performed on the adapter device, which can also solve the problem of poor compatibility between containers and equipment in automated culture applications. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a front view of the adapter device for placing containers according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the back of the adapter device for placing the container in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a front view of the adapter device for placing the container in another embodiment of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the back of the adapter device for placing the container in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0023] 1. Support plate; 2. Positioning groove; 3. Notch; 4. Through hole; 5. Stepped surface; 6. Gripper groove; 7. Positioning hole; 8. Sub-groove. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solution of this utility model will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0025] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0026] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0027] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of this utility model described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, this embodiment provides an adapter for placing containers, including: a tray 1; for example, the central area of ​​the tray 1 can be used as a projection area. The projection area is provided with at least one positioning groove 2, and the positioning groove 2 includes several sub-grooves 8 of different shapes and / or sizes. The different sub-grooves 8 at least partially overlap in the projection direction, and the different sub-grooves 8 are used to hold different culture containers. The sub-grooves 8 include, but are not limited to, circular grooves, rectangular grooves, and regular polygonal grooves. The containers adapted to the sub-grooves 8 include, but are not limited to, petri dishes, culture flasks, and porous culture plates. The shape of the tray 1 includes, but is not limited to, circles, regular polygons, or irregular polygons. That is, the shape and size of the tray 1 and the sub-grooves 8 can be selected as needed. In some embodiments, the projection area on the tray 1 can be provided with two or more positioning grooves 2. The accompanying drawings of this application only show the case of one positioning groove 2, and do not show the case of multiple positioning grooves 2, but all of the above cases fall within the protection scope defined by this application.

[0029] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 As shown, the different sub-slots 8 have different depths. The sub-slots 8 with larger projected areas have a smaller depth than the sub-slots 8 with smaller projected areas. That is, the different sub-slots 8 in the projection area are not laid out sequentially in the horizontal direction, but are stacked sequentially in the vertical direction.

[0030] For example, the projection area on the tray 1 can simultaneously have three types of sub-grooves 8: circular, rectangular, and regular hexagonal. In use, this adapter can be compatible with three different containers simultaneously. Similarly, the projection area on the tray 1 can simultaneously have three circular sub-grooves 8 of different diameters, thus enabling compatibility with three different sizes of the same type of petri dish.

[0031] For example, when the types of sub-slots 8 are different, such as a sub-slot 8 with a large projected area being a circular slot and a sub-slot 8 with a small projected area being a rectangular slot, the adapter can be used as a universal component. The sub-slot 8 with a large projected area is used to hold petri dishes, and the sub-slot 8 with a small projected area is used to hold sample bottles.

[0032] For example, when the sub-troughs 8 are of the same type, such as the sub-trough 8 with a large projected area being a circular trough and the sub-trough 8 with a small projected area being a circular trough, the adapter can be specifically used for petri dishes, and the sub-trough 8 with a small projected area can hold petri dishes with a smaller diameter.

[0033] Of course, from the perspective of the thickness direction of the tray 1, it can include not only two levels of sub-troughs 8, but also three levels of sub-troughs 8, or even more levels of sub-troughs 8. Moreover, under this approach, as long as the area of ​​the deeper sub-trough 8 is smaller than that of the shallower sub-trough 8, the deeper sub-trough 8 can be any shape suitable for holding the culture container.

[0034] The container placement adapter provided in this embodiment allows for the placement of different container types, such as petri dishes, culture flasks, and multi-well culture plates, with improved compatibility. Furthermore, since the adapter supports the container and serves as the container transfer unit, all transfer operations are performed on the adapter, reducing control complexity and resolving the issue of container incompatibility with equipment in automated culture applications.

[0035] In one embodiment, the centers of different sub-slots 8 can coincide at a single point in the projection direction. Taking a three-level sub-slot configuration where each sub-slot 8 is circular as an example, the centers of all sub-slots 8 can coincide at a single point. A notch 3 is provided on one side of the tray 1, extending towards the center of the tray 1 and communicating with the positioning groove 2. In use, for flat culture containers, the notch 3 facilitates the use of a robotic gripper to pick up and place the culture container from above and below through the notch 3.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, the bottom of the positioning groove 2 can be a blind hole or a through hole 4. When the bottom of the positioning groove 2 has a through hole 4, a stepped surface 5 for receiving the culture container is retained along the circumference of the through hole 4. When the support plate 1 includes multiple levels of positioning grooves 2 along its thickness direction, the stepped surface 5 of the deeper positioning groove 2 is lower than that of the shallower positioning groove 2. With this arrangement, the stepped surface 5 can support the culture container within the positioning groove 2, while the through hole 4 can meet the microscopic observation requirements of the culture container.

[0037] like Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, gripper slots 6 are provided on the outer walls of two facing sides of the tray 1. For example, the gripper slots 6 can be grooves that are concave relative to the side of the tray 1, or they can be ridges that are convex relative to the side of the tray 1. This arrangement allows the robot to easily grip the adapter from both sides.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the bottom of the tray 1 is provided with a positioning pin and / or a positioning hole 7. For example, a positioning pin can be provided at the bottom of the incubator. In this case, a positioning hole 7 that matches the positioning pin is provided at the bottom of the adapter device, so that the positioning pin and the positioning hole 7 can be used to determine the position when the robotic arm is lowered. Conversely, a positioning hole 7 can also be provided at the bottom of the incubator. In this case, a positioning pin that matches the positioning hole 7 is provided at the bottom of the adapter device.

[0039] The positioning groove 2 has an elastic element on its inner wall, allowing it to adapt to culture containers of different sizes. For example, the elastic element can be a spring. This design allows a single positioning groove 2 to accommodate various sample containers of different specifications, such as culture dishes with different diameters.

[0040] In summary, the container adapter in this application, by designing an adapter with a uniform frame size for different containers, enables the transfer of consumables of different specifications from different manufacturers between cell culture incubators, microscopes, and pipetting equipment in a unified manner, increasing the flexibility of equipment use.

[0041] The container placement adapter in this application is specially designed with a notch 3 to facilitate the use of the robotic gripper to pick up and place flat containers by gripping them from above and below.

[0042] The adapter for placing containers in this application can process multiple positioning grooves 2 of different depths at the same projection position according to the different projection areas of the containers. The culture containers with larger projection areas use the positioning grooves 2 at higher positions, and the culture containers with smaller projection areas use the positioning grooves 2 at lower positions, so that one adapter can be compatible with different culture containers at the same time.

[0043] The container adapter in this application can be used in a variety of scenarios, including but not limited to various containers in biochemical experiments and containers on industrial production lines. For example, for use cases such as production lines and sample boxes, the adapter can be used directly on existing production lines and storage boxes without requiring adaptation modifications for each type of container, which helps improve the versatility of production lines or storage boxes.

[0044] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An adapter for placing a container, characterized in that, include: A tray (1) is provided with at least one positioning groove (2); the positioning groove (2) includes several sub-grooves (8) with different shapes and / or sizes, the different sub-grooves (8) at least partially overlap in the projection direction, and the different sub-grooves (8) are used to hold different culture containers.

2. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 1, characterized in that, Different sub-slots (8) have different depths, and the sub-slots (8) with larger projected areas have less depth than the sub-slots (8) with smaller projected areas.

3. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A notch (3) is provided on one side of the tray (1), the notch (3) extends toward the center of the tray (1) and communicates with the positioning groove (2).

4. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 3, characterized in that, The bottom of the positioning groove (2) is provided with a through hole (4), and the bottom of the positioning groove (2) along the circumference of the through hole (4) retains a stepped surface (5) for receiving the culture container.

5. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pallet (1) has two opposing side outer walls with gripper grooves (6).

6. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 5, characterized in that, The gripper groove (6) is a groove that is concave to the side of the tray (1) or a ridge that is convex to the side of the tray (1).

7. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the tray (1) is provided with a positioning pin and / or positioning hole (7).

8. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 1, characterized in that, An elastic element is provided on the inner wall of the positioning groove (2) so that the same positioning groove (2) can be adapted to culture containers of different sizes.

9. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sub-slot (8) includes one or more of the following: circular slot, rectangular slot, and regular polygonal slot.

10. The adapter for placing a container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tray (1) is circular, a regular polygon, or an irregular polygon.

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