Culture dish storage device and microbiological detection work station

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of detection equipment, and provides a culture dish storage device which comprises a mechanical arm, a base, a rotating disc and a discharging frame, the rotating disc is rotatably installed on the base, a plurality of material grooves are formed in the rotating disc, and a discharging through hole is formed in the groove bottom of each material groove; the discharging frame is installed in the material groove in a pluggable mode and comprises a bottom support, an elastic supporting claw and a plurality of protection rods, the multiple protection rods are arranged in the circumferential direction of the bottom support, one part of the protection rods are fixed to the bottom support, and the other protection rods are movably installed on the bottom support. An opening is formed in one side of the bottom support so that a mechanical arm can transfer the culture dish into a containing space defined by the bottom support and the protection rod, and the culture dish borne by the bottom support can be moved out of the discharging through hole through stretching and retracting of the elastic supporting claws. The mechanical arm stacks the culture dishes in the discharging frames placed in the multiple material grooves, the culture dishes can move downwards from the interiors of the discharging through holes, the culture dishes located at the bottoms of the discharging frames can be conveniently taken from the lower portion of the rotary disc, and therefore automatic stacking and automatic discharging of the culture dishes are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of testing equipment technology, and in particular to a petri dish storage device and a microbial testing station. Background Technology

[0002] In laboratories, the typical microbial testing process involves culturing microorganisms in petri dishes and then counting or qualitatively testing the microorganisms cultured within. After adding the sample to the petri dish, it needs to be moved to the designated sample addition location and then stacked and transferred to the next workstation. In traditional microbial testing, the stacking and transfer of petri dishes relies on manual labor, which is inefficient and difficult to meet the needs of batch testing. Utility Model Content

[0003] This invention provides a petri dish storage device and a microbial detection station to solve the problem of low efficiency caused by manual stacking and transfer of petri dishes in the microbial detection process in the prior art.

[0004] This utility model provides a petri dish storage device, including: a robotic arm, a base, a turntable, and a feeding rack. The turntable is rotatably mounted on the base and has multiple material slots. Each material slot has a feeding through hole at its bottom. The feeding rack is pluggable and detachable in the material slots. The feeding rack includes a base, elastic support claws, and multiple guard rods. The guard rods are arranged circumferentially along the base, with some guard rods fixed to the base and others movably mounted on the base to form an opening on one side of the base for the robotic arm to transfer the petri dish into the receiving space enclosed by the base and the guard rods. The elastic support claws are mounted on the base, and the extension and retraction of the elastic support claws allow the petri dish supported by the base to be moved out through the feeding through hole.

[0005] According to the present invention, a culture dish storage device is provided, wherein there are multiple elastic support claws, and the multiple elastic support claws are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the base.

[0006] According to the present invention, a culture dish storage device includes an elastic support claw comprising a claw body and a base body, wherein the base body is fixed to the base and the claw body is retractably mounted on the base body.

[0007] According to the present invention, a petri dish storage device is provided with a protective pad on the claw body.

[0008] According to the present invention, a petri dish storage device is provided, wherein one of the bottom of the material tank and the base is provided with a positioning post and the other is provided with a positioning hole, and the positioning post can be inserted and removed into the positioning hole.

[0009] According to the present invention, a petri dish storage device further includes a lifting mechanism located below the base. As the turntable rotates, the lifting mechanism can correspond to any of the discharge through holes.

[0010] According to the present invention, a petri dish storage device is provided, wherein the lifting mechanism includes a lifting drive component and a top plate, the top plate is fixed to the driving end of the lifting drive component, and a buffer pad is installed on the top plate. As the lifting drive component is driven, the top plate abuts against the petri dish placed on the base.

[0011] According to the present invention, a petri dish storage device is provided, wherein the buffer pad is a silicone pad.

[0012] According to the present invention, a petri dish storage device includes a feeding rack that further includes a fixed plate and a movable plate. The movable plate is hinged to the fixed plate. The top of the guard rod, which is fixedly connected to the base, is fixedly connected to the fixed plate. The top of the guard rod, which is movably connected to the base, is fixedly connected to the movable plate.

[0013] This utility model also provides a microbial detection station, including a conveyor belt and a culture dish storage device as described in any of the above claims, wherein the culture dish storage device is located at the end of the conveyor belt.

[0014] The petri dish storage device provided by this utility model, with the help of the rotation of the turntable, allows the robotic arm to stack petri dishes in a feeding rack placed in multiple material tanks. Multiple petri dishes can be moved at a time by moving the feeding rack. In addition, the bottom of the material tank is provided with a feeding through hole, and the elastic support claw can support the petri dishes on the bottom support. When the elastic support claw retracts, the petri dishes can be moved down through the feeding through hole, making it convenient to pick up the petri dishes located at the bottom of the feeding rack from below the turntable. Thus, automatic stacking and automatic feeding of petri dishes are realized. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the 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.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the petri dish storage device provided by this utility model.

[0017] Figure label:

[0018] 10. Base; 20. Turntable; 21. Material trough; 22. Material discharge through hole; 23. Positioning hole; 30. Material discharge rack; 31. Base support; 32. Elastic support claw; 33. Guard rod. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. 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.

[0020] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of this utility model may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0021] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", 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 are not intended to 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] The following is combined Figure 1 This invention describes a petri dish storage device.

[0024] like Figure 1As shown, this utility model provides a petri dish storage device, including a robotic arm, a base 10, a turntable 20, and a feeding rack 30. The turntable 20 is rotatably mounted on the base 10 and has multiple material troughs 21. Each material trough 21 has a feeding through hole 22 at its bottom. The feeding rack 30 is pluggable and detachable within the material trough 21. The feeding rack 30 includes a base 31, elastic support claws 32, and multiple guard rods 33. The guard rods 33 are arranged circumferentially along the base 31. Some of the guard rods 33 are fixed to the base 31, while the others are movably mounted on the base 31, so that an opening is formed on one side of the base 31 for the robotic arm to transfer the petri dish into the receiving space enclosed by the base 31 and the guard rods 33. The elastic support claws 32 are mounted on the base 31, and the extension and retraction of the elastic support claws 32 allow the petri dish supported by the base 31 to be removed from the feeding through hole 22.

[0025] The robotic arm has multiple degrees of freedom, and its movement path can be set as needed. For example, during the process of placing the culture dish into the base tray 31, the robotic arm has a linear reciprocating motion structure, which can move horizontally to push the culture dish, causing it to move directionally from the unloading position of the conveyor belt to the discharge position. Alternatively, the robotic arm has grippers at its end, allowing it to pick up the culture dish at the unloading position of the conveyor belt and then move laterally to place it into the receiving space.

[0026] In one embodiment, the base 10 is bolted to the ground, serving as the support structure for the entire petri dish storage device. In another embodiment, the base 10 is cabinet-shaped, with the turntable 20 and the unloading rack 30 located above it. The bottom of the base 10 is equipped with locking casters, facilitating position adjustment during workstation setup and allowing it to be locked in place.

[0027] The turntable 20 is rotatably mounted on the base 10 via a rotary drive. Multiple material slots 21 on the turntable 20 are spaced apart circumferentially. Optionally, the rotary drive can be a servo motor or a rotary cylinder. When one of the feeding racks 30 is full of culture dishes, the rotary drive drives the turntable 20 to rotate, causing it to rotate by a preset angle. This moves an adjacent feeding rack 30 to the feeding position, facilitating the robotic arm to place culture dishes into the receiving space of that feeding rack 30.

[0028] The feeding rack 30 has a longitudinally extending accommodating space, which is enclosed by a base 31 and a guard rod 33. A robotic arm pushes the culture dish into the accommodating space from the side of the guard rod 33 or places it into the accommodating space from the top of the guard rod 33. Specifically, the base 31 provides support for the culture dish as a bottom support structure, and the guard rod 33 restrains the lateral movement of the culture dish. In one embodiment, the feeding rack 30 further includes a fixed plate and a movable plate. The movable plate is hinged to the fixed plate. The top of the guard rod 33, which is fixedly connected to the base 31, is fixedly connected to the fixed plate, and the top of the guard rod 33, which is movably connected to the base 31, is fixedly connected to the movable plate. As the movable plate rotates relative to the fixed plate, the guard rod 33 connected to the movable plate opens to the side, allowing the robotic arm to place the culture dish from the side of the guard rod 33. In another embodiment, the feeding rack 30 further includes a limiting plate, which is parallel to the base 31. A gap exists between the top of multiple guard rods 33 movably connected to the base 31 and the limiting plate, while other guard rods 33 are fixedly connected to the limiting plate. The gap between the guard rod 33 and the limiting plate provides a channel for the entry of the petri dish.

[0029] Understandably, the base 31 has a through hole, sized to allow the culture dish to pass through. An elastic support claw 32 is mounted on the base 31 to prevent the culture dish from leaking out of the through hole. When a culture dish needs to be lowered through the discharge hole 22, the elastic support claw 32 retracts, allowing the culture dish to pass through the through hole and be removed from the discharge hole 22 under gravity. After the culture dish is removed, the elastic support claw 32 returns to its original position to prevent other culture dishes from falling.

[0030] The petri dish storage device provided by this utility model, with the help of the rotation of the turntable 20, allows the robotic arm to stack petri dishes in the unloading rack 30 placed in multiple material troughs 21. Multiple petri dishes can be moved at a time by moving the unloading rack 30. In addition, the bottom of the material trough 21 is provided with a unloading through hole 22, and the elastic support claw 32 can support the petri dishes on the base 31. When the elastic support claw 32 retracts, the petri dishes can be moved down through the unloading through hole 22, making it convenient to take the petri dishes located at the bottom of the unloading rack 30 from below the turntable 20. Thus, automatic stacking and automatic unloading of petri dishes are realized.

[0031] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, there are multiple elastic support claws 32, which are spaced apart circumferentially along the base 31.

[0032] For example, there are four elastic support claws 32, which are evenly distributed along the circumference of the base 31. Each elastic support claw 32 is located between two adjacent guard rods 33 to avoid interference between the guard rods 33 and the elastic support claw 32.

[0033] In one embodiment, the elastic support claw 32 is made of silicone or rubber and has a certain degree of elasticity. Specifically, the culture dish feeding device also includes a lifting mechanism, which lifts the culture dish to prevent it from moving out of the feeding through-hole 22. Simultaneously, the elastic support claw 32 supports the culture dish from below. After the culture dishes are stacked to a certain height, the lifting mechanism moves downward, and the weight of the culture dishes presses against the elastic support claw 32, causing it to deform. The culture dish then moves out of the feeding through-hole 22 and moves downward with the lifting mechanism. Thus, the cooperation of the lifting mechanism and the elastic support claw 32 prevents the culture dish from falling.

[0034] In another embodiment, the elastic support claw 32 includes a claw body and a base body. The base body is fixed to the base 31, and the claw body is telescopically mounted on the base body. The base body is mounted to the base 31 by welding or bolting. The claw body includes a first plate and a second plate, which are nested together and can slide relative to each other. Optionally, the first plate and the second plate are connected by a telescopic cylinder. Under the action of the telescopic cylinder, the first plate and the second plate move relative to each other, allowing the culture dish to fall from the discharge hole 22 or be confined within the receiving space.

[0035] The claw is equipped with a protective pad. The protective pad is made of silicone or sponge to prevent damage to the petri dish.

[0036] In one specific embodiment, one of the bottom of the material trough 21 and the bottom support 31 is provided with a positioning post, and the other is provided with a positioning hole 23. The positioning post can be inserted and removed into the positioning hole 23.

[0037] For example, the bottom of the trough 21 is provided with a positioning post, and the base 31 is provided with a positioning hole 23, into which the positioning post can be inserted. Alternatively, the bottom of the trough 21 is provided with a positioning hole 23, and the base 31 is provided with a positioning post, which is inserted into the positioning hole 23 for positioning. Or, the bottom of the trough 21 is provided with a positioning hole 23 and a positioning post, and the base 31 is also provided with a positioning hole 23 and a positioning post, as long as the positioning hole 23 and the positioning post correspond one-to-one.

[0038] The culture dish storage device provided in this embodiment of the present invention uses the positioning hole 23 and the positioning post to constrain the position of the feed rack 30 in the feed trough 21, thereby preventing the feed rack 30 from shaking and improving the stability of the culture dish stacking process.

[0039] In one specific embodiment, the petri dish storage device further includes a lifting mechanism located below the base 10. As the turntable 20 rotates, the lifting mechanism can correspond to any of the discharge through holes 22.

[0040] The lifting mechanism is mounted on the base 10. During the placement of the culture dish by the robotic arm, to ensure the placement position is fixed, the lifting mechanism passes through the feeding through hole 22 and the through hole to lift the culture dish. After placing one culture dish, the end of the lifting mechanism moves down by the height of the culture surface, so that the robotic arm can place the culture dish in a fixed position. At the same time, the lifting mechanism can also cooperate with the elastic support claw 32 to achieve stable stacking of culture dishes and prevent the culture dishes from falling out of the feeding through hole 22.

[0041] Specifically, the lifting mechanism includes a lifting drive component and a top plate. The top plate is fixed to the drive end of the lifting drive component and a buffer pad is installed on the top plate. As the lifting drive component is driven, the top plate abuts against the culture dish placed on the base 31.

[0042] The lifting drive is fixed to the base 10 and positioned near the end of the conveyor belt. Optionally, the lifting drive can be a cylinder or a linear actuator. After the top plate moves upward, it contacts the bottom of the culture dish, providing support and allowing the culture dish to gradually move downward, facilitating the robotic arm's precise placement of the culture dish. The top plate is circular, ensuring that it can pass through the through hole and contact the lowest-positioned culture dish under the action of the lifting drive.

[0043] The robotic arm places culture dishes from the top or side of the unloading rack 30. After one culture dish is placed, the lifting drive moves the top plate down a preset distance, and then the robotic arm places the next culture dish at a fixed point. Once the unloading rack 30 is full of culture dishes, the bottommost culture dish is supported by the elastic support claw 32. Then, the lifting drive resets to avoid obstructing the rotation of the turntable 20. Subsequently, the turntable 20 rotates, moving the unloading rack 30 stored in the next material trough 21 to the unloading position where the robotic arm places the culture dish. Thus, the lifting drive and the turntable 20 work together to complete the continuous placement of culture dishes, improving material storage efficiency.

[0044] Optionally, the buffer pad is a silicone pad, covering the top surface of the top plate. Driven by the lifting mechanism, the buffer pad maintains contact with the bottommost culture dish, using its flexibility to prevent damage during lifting. Alternatively, the buffer pad includes multiple silicone blocks, all fixed to the top plate and arranged circumferentially around it. Specifically, there are three silicone blocks, which define a support surface. When the top plate pushes against the bottommost culture dish under the lifting mechanism, the silicone blocks contact the culture dish. To prevent the tops of the silicone blocks from being non-coplanar due to manufacturing errors, the tops of the silicone blocks are spherical. When the silicone blocks contact the culture dish, the top of the silicone block is tangent to the bottom surface of the culture dish. Thus, the three silicone blocks accurately define a plane, preventing the culture dish from tilting or wobbling during the pushing process.

[0045] Optionally, the petri dish storage device also includes a material presence detection sensor, which is used to detect whether there are petri dishes in the unloading rack 30. The lifting mechanism and the robotic arm are respectively connected to the material presence detection sensor.

[0046] A material presence detection sensor checks if there are culture dishes in the feeding rack 30. If a culture dish is confirmed, it means the feeding rack 30 is full, and the robotic arm stops placing culture dishes into that rack. The lifting mechanism moves away, allowing the culture dishes to be supported by the elastic support claws 32. The turntable 20 rotates, moving the next feeding rack 30 above the lifting mechanism, and the robotic arm performs targeted feeding. Specifically, after a culture dish is placed in the feeding rack 30 by the robotic arm, if the material presence detection sensor detects no culture dishes, it means the feeding rack 30 can continue to be stacked, and the robotic arm continues feeding. When the material presence detection sensor signal changes, confirming the presence of a culture dish, the robotic arm stops feeding.

[0047] Specifically, the material detection sensor can be installed on the material trough 21 or the base 31.

[0048] Optionally, the petri dish storage device also includes an alarm, which is communicatively connected to the material presence detection sensors. When all the material racks 30 in each trough 21 on the turntable 20 are full of petri dishes, meaning all the material presence detection sensors have detected petri dishes, the alarm sounds, reminding the operator to remove the material racks 30 in time to replace them with empty ones. Optionally, the alarm can be an indicator light, an audible and visual alarm, etc.

[0049] This utility model also provides a microbial detection station, which includes a conveyor belt and a culture dish storage device as described above, wherein the culture dish storage device is located at the end of the conveyor belt.

[0050] In the microbial testing station, the petri dish loading device is located at the beginning of the conveyor belt. After the petri dishes are transferred onto the conveyor belt, they are moved to the next operating station by the conveyor belt. The entire process has low human intervention, effectively reducing labor costs.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and not to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model.

Claims

1. A petri dish stocker, characterized by comprising: The application relates to a culture dish storage device, which comprises a mechanical arm, a base, a rotating disc and a discharging rack. The rotating disc is rotatably installed on the base, and a plurality of material grooves are arranged on the rotating disc, and a discharging through hole is arranged on the groove bottom of each material groove.

2. The petri dish stocker of claim 1, wherein, The discharging rack is pluggably installed in the material groove, and the discharging rack comprises a bottom support, elastic supporting claws and a plurality of guard rods.

3. The petri dish stocker of claim 2, wherein, Part of the guard rods are fixed on the bottom support, and the other guard rods are movably installed on the bottom support.

4. The petri dish stocker of claim 3, wherein, The elastic supporting claws are installed on the bottom support, and the culture dishes supported by the bottom support can be moved out of the discharging through hole through the expansion and contraction of the elastic supporting claws.

5. The petri dish stocker of claim 1, wherein, The elastic supporting claws are arranged in a plurality of groups and are arranged in a circumferential direction of the bottom support.

6. The petri dish stocker of claim 1, wherein, The elastic supporting claws comprise claw bodies and seat bodies.

7. The petri dish stocker of claim 6, wherein, The seat bodies are fixed on the bottom support, and the claw bodies are movably installed on the seat bodies.

8. The petri dish stocker of claim 7, wherein, The claw bodies are provided with protective pads.

9. The petri dish stocker of claim 1, wherein, One of the groove bottom of the material groove and the bottom support is provided with a positioning column, and the other is provided with a positioning hole.

10. A microbiological detection work station characterized by, The positioning column is pluggably installed in the positioning hole. The device further comprises a jacking mechanism. The jacking mechanism is located below the base. The jacking mechanism can correspond to any of the discharging through holes with the rotation of the rotating disc. The jacking mechanism comprises a lifting driving element and a top plate. The top plate is fixed on the driving end of the lifting driving element. The top plate is provided with a buffer pad. The top plate is in abutment with the culture dish placed on the bottom support with the driving of the lifting driving element. The buffer pad is a silica gel pad. The discharging rack further comprises a fixed plate and a movable plate. The movable plate is hingedly connected to the fixed plate. The top of the guard rod fixedly connected to the bottom support is fixedly connected to the fixed plate. The top of the guard rod movably connected to the bottom support is fixedly connected to the movable plate. The device comprises a conveying belt and the culture dish storage device. The culture dish storage device is located at the end of the conveying belt.

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