Automatic cell inoculation device
By designing an automated cell seeding device, which utilizes components such as a frame, sealing cover, robotic arm, and transport assembly to achieve fully automated cell seeding, the problems of large footprint, high cost, and low automation of existing devices are solved, realizing a highly automated, low-cost, and low-pollution cell seeding process.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- DONGGUAN BOSHI INTELLIGENT CONTROL TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing automated cell seeding devices are mostly large in area, expensive, and have a low degree of automation, requiring a lot of manual operation and easily causing secondary pollution.
An automated cell inoculation device was designed, comprising a frame, a sealing cover, a robotic arm, a transport component, and an inoculation component. The fully automated cell inoculation process is achieved through the docking window, robotic arm, transport component, and inoculation component, reducing manual intervention, increasing the degree of automation, and reducing the footprint and cost.
It achieves a fully automated cell seeding process, reduces the risk of secondary contamination from human error, has a simple structure, occupies a small area, and has a low cost.
Smart Images
Figure CN224258652U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of cell culture technology, and in particular relates to an automated cell inoculation device. Background Technology
[0002] A cell factory is a cell culture device that maximizes the culture surface area within a limited space, thus saving space. It can be used for industrial-scale production of cells such as vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, or biopharmaceuticals, and is particularly suitable for adherent cells. It can also be used for suspension culture, and it does not alter the cell growth kinetics when scaling up from laboratory scale, making scale-up simple, easy, with low contamination risk, and space-saving. The inoculation device is a crucial component of a cell factory.
[0003] Most existing automated cell inoculation devices are in the form of production lines, which occupy a large area and have high costs. Some inoculation devices are small equipment, but their automation level is not high, and a lot of work still needs to be done manually, which can cause secondary pollution. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated cell seeding device, which aims to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an automated cell seeding device, including a frame and a sealing cover disposed on the frame. The sealing cover and the top side of the frame form a closed operating space. An operating platform is provided within the operating space. A normally closed docking window is provided on one side of the sealing cover, which can be connected to an incubator. A culture dish can be placed inside the incubator, and the incubator can provide a culture environment for the culture dish.
[0006] A robotic arm, which is mounted on the operating platform, is capable of moving the culture dish;
[0007] A transport assembly, located on the operating platform, is used to transport the culture dish.
[0008] An inoculation assembly is provided on the operating platform. The inoculation assembly includes a first capping assembly, a culture medium input assembly, and a pipetting assembly located next to the transport assembly. The first capping assembly is used to open the culture dish, and the pipetting assembly is used to transfer sample cells into the culture dish for culture.
[0009] Optionally, the pipetting assembly includes a rotating disk, a loading assembly, a transfer chamber, a pipetting element, and a second capping assembly; the transfer chamber contains multiple centrifuge tubes, each containing sample cells; the loading assembly can place the centrifuge tubes into the rotating disk; the second capping assembly is used to open the caps of the centrifuge tubes; and the pipetting element can transfer the sample cells from the centrifuge tubes to the culture dish for culture.
[0010] Optionally, the feeding assembly, the pipetting component, and the second cap opening assembly are positioned around the rotating disk.
[0011] Optionally, the culture medium input component is located above the transport component, and the culture medium input component includes a first base and a delivery tube; the first base is provided with a first shaft telescopic module, the first shaft telescopic module is provided with the delivery tube, and the delivery tube is connected to a metering pump.
[0012] Optionally, the pipette includes a second base and a syringe; the second base is provided with a second axis telescopic module, the second axis telescopic module is provided with a pushing assembly, the pushing assembly is connected to the syringe, and the pushing assembly is used to push the syringe.
[0013] Optionally, one end of the docking window is connected to the operating space, and the other end is connected to the incubator. A first barcode scanner is provided in the docking window, which is used to identify and input the information of the culture dish.
[0014] Optionally, the rotating disk includes a placement rack and a rotating motor connected to the placement rack. The rotating motor can drive the placement rack to rotate. The placement rack has multiple placement positions for correspondingly placing the centrifuge tubes.
[0015] Optionally, a second barcode scanner is provided next to the rotating disk, which is used to identify and input the information of the petri dish.
[0016] Furthermore, the transfer chamber is provided with a placement cavity inside, and the transfer chamber is provided with a first opening and a second opening communicating with the placement cavity. The first opening faces the outside of the operating space, and the second opening faces the operating space. A cover is provided on the first opening that can be opened and closed. A pull-out component is provided inside the placement cavity. The pull-out component includes a driving component and a placement plate. The driving component can drive the placement plate to extend and retract. A baffle is provided on the outside of the placement plate. When retracted, the baffle closes the second opening.
[0017] Compared with the prior art, the above-mentioned one or more technical solutions in the automated cell seeding device provided by the present invention have at least one of the following technical effects:
[0018] By setting up a docking window, robotic arm, transport components, and inoculation components, the cell inoculation process can be completed fully automatically without human intervention. It has a high degree of automation, reduces the risk of secondary contamination by human error, and the cell inoculation device of this application has a simple structure, occupies a small area, and has a low cost. Attached Figure Description
[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.
[0021] Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of the present utility model.
[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model from another angle.
[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the docking window and incubator structure.
[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the pipetting device.
[0025] The following are the labeling elements in the figure:
[0026] 100. Frame; 110. Sealing cover; 120. Operating platform; 130. Docking window; 131. First barcode scanner;
[0027] 200. Incubator; 210. Petri dish;
[0028] 300. Robotic arm;
[0029] 400. Transport components;
[0030] 500. First opening assembly;
[0031] 600, Culture medium input assembly; 610, First base; 620, Delivery pipe; 630, First shaft telescopic module; 640, Metering pump;
[0032] 710. Rotary disc; 711. Placement rack; 712. Rotary motor; 713. Second barcode scanner; 720. Feeding assembly; 730. Transfer chamber; 731. Centrifuge tube; 732. First opening; 733. Second opening; 734. Cover; 735. Pull-out component; 7351. Placement plate; 7352. Baffle plate; 740. Pipette; 741. Second base; 742. Second axis telescopic module; 743. Pushing assembly; 744. Syringe; 750. Second cap opening assembly. Detailed Implementation
[0033] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the embodiments of the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
[0034] In the description of the embodiments of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.
[0035] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of embodiments of this utility model, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.
[0036] In this embodiment of the invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; 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; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this embodiment of the invention according to the specific circumstances.
[0037] In one embodiment of this utility model, according to Figure 1-5As shown, the system includes a frame 100 and a sealing cover 110 mounted on the frame 100. The sealing cover 110 and the top side of the frame 100 form a closed operating space. An operating platform 120 is provided within the operating space. A normally closed docking window 130 is provided on one side of the sealing cover 110, which can be connected to an incubator 200. A culture dish 210 can be placed inside the incubator 200, and the incubator 200 can provide a culture environment for the culture dish 210. A robotic arm 300 is mounted on the operating platform 120. The robotic arm 300 can handle the culture dish 210; the transport component 400 is located on the operating platform 120 and can transport the culture dish 210; the inoculation component is located on the operating platform 120 and includes a first opening component 500, a culture medium input component 600 and a pipetting component located next to the transport component 400; the first opening component 500 is used to open the culture dish 210 and the pipetting component is used to transfer sample cells into the culture dish 210 for culture.
[0038] Specifically, by setting up a docking window 130, a robotic arm 300, a transport component 400, and an inoculation component, the cell inoculation process can be completed fully automatically without human intervention. The degree of automation is high, reducing the risk of secondary contamination by human intervention. At the same time, the cell inoculation device of this application has a simple structure, occupies a small area, and has a low cost.
[0039] It is understandable that the transport component 400 is a conveyor belt, which is a mature existing technology.
[0040] Furthermore, cell inoculation and cell collection are integrated into a single production line, sharing a single robotic arm 300, which saves on machine size, occupies less space, has lower costs, and a simpler structure.
[0041] In another embodiment of this utility model, according to Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figure 5, the pipetting assembly includes a rotating disk 710, a loading assembly 720, a transfer chamber 730, a pipetting element 740, and a second capping assembly 750. The transfer chamber 730 contains multiple centrifuge tubes 731, each containing sample cells. The loading assembly 720 places the centrifuge tubes 731 into the rotating disk 710. The second capping assembly 750 opens the caps on the centrifuge tubes 731. The pipetting element 740 transfers the sample cells from the centrifuge tubes 731 into a culture dish 210 for culture. The loading assembly 720, the pipetting element 740, and the second capping assembly 750 are positioned around the rotating disk 710.
[0042] Specifically, the transport component 400 has a culture dish 210. The transport component 400 transports the culture dish 210 to the side of the first opening component 500 and the culture medium input component 600. The first opening component 500 opens the lid of the culture dish 210, and the culture medium input component 600 adds culture medium liquid into the culture dish 210. Simultaneously, the loading component 720 picks up the centrifuge tube 731 from the transfer chamber 730 and transfers it to the rotating tray 710. The second opening component 750 opens the cap 734 of the centrifuge tube 731, and the pipette 740 inserts into the centrifuge tube 731 to transfer the sample cells into the culture dish 210 for culture, completing the inoculation process. Afterwards, the transport component 400 transports the inoculated culture dish 210 to the side of the robotic arm 300, and the robotic arm 300 transports the culture dish 210 to the incubator 200 at the docking window 130. Subsequently, a transport trolley transports the incubator 200 to the culture system for further culture.
[0043] It is understandable that the incubator 200 has a telescopic device that can extend the support plate carrying the culture dish 210 out of the incubator 200 to the docking window 130, and the robotic arm 300 can directly place the culture dish 210 onto the support plate.
[0044] It is understandable that the empty culture dish 210 can be placed on the conveying assembly in advance, or it can be placed in the incubator 200 and then picked up by the robotic arm 300 and placed on the conveying assembly.
[0045] In another embodiment of this utility model, according to Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the culture medium input component 600 is located above the transport component 400. The culture medium input component 600 includes a first base 610 and a delivery tube 620. A first axis telescopic module 630 is provided on the first base 610, and the delivery tube 620 is provided on the first axis telescopic module 630. The delivery tube 620 is connected to a metering pump 640. Specifically, the first axis telescopic module 630 can drive the delivery tube 620 to move up and down, inserting the head of the delivery tube 620 into the culture dish 210. The metering pump 640 is a peristaltic pump, which does not come into contact with the liquid and will not cause secondary contamination.
[0046] In another embodiment of this utility model, according to Figure 5 As shown, the pipette 740 includes a second base 741 and a syringe 744. The second base 741 is equipped with a second-axis telescopic module 742, and the second-axis telescopic module 742 is equipped with a pushing assembly 743. The syringe 744 is connected to the pushing assembly 743, which is used to push the syringe 744. Specifically, driven by the second-axis telescopic module 742, the syringe 744 can penetrate deep into the centrifuge tube 731. Under the action of the pushing assembly 743, it aspirates sample cells from the centrifuge tube 731 and injects them into the culture dish 210 for culture.
[0047] In another embodiment of this utility model, such as Figure 2 and 4 As shown, one end of the docking window 130 is connected to the operating space, and the other end is connected to the incubator 200. The docking window 130 is equipped with a first barcode scanner 131, which is used to identify and input information of the culture dish 210.
[0048] In another embodiment of this utility model, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the rotating disk 710 includes a placement rack 711 and a rotation motor 712 connected to the placement rack 711. The rotation motor 712 can drive the placement rack 711 to rotate. The placement rack 711 has multiple placement positions for placing centrifuge tubes 731. A second barcode scanner 713 is also provided next to the rotating disk 710. The second barcode scanner 713 is used to identify and record information of the culture dish 210. Specifically, the placement rack 711 has four placement positions, which can hold four centrifuge tubes 731. The rotation motor 712 can drive the placement rack 711 to rotate, so that each centrifuge tube 731 can pass sequentially through the second capping assembly 750, the pipetting component 740, the second barcode scanner 713, and the loading assembly 720.
[0049] In another embodiment of this utility model, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the transfer chamber 730 has a placement cavity inside. The transfer chamber 730 has a first opening 732 and a second opening 733 communicating with the placement cavity. The first opening 732 faces the outside of the operating space, and the second opening 733 faces the operating space. A cover 734 is provided on the first opening 732 that can be opened and closed. A pull-out component 735 is provided inside the placement cavity. The pull-out component 735 includes a driving component (not shown) and a placement plate 7351. The driving component can drive the placement plate 7351 to extend and retract. A baffle plate 7352 is provided on the outside of the placement plate 7351. When retracted, the baffle plate 7352 closes the second opening 733. Specifically, the cover 734 can be opened from outside the operating space, and the centrifuge tube 731 can be placed on the placement plate 7351. Inside the operating space, when it is necessary to separate the tubes, the driving component drives the placement plate 7351 to extend, and the feeding assembly 720 places the centrifuge tube 731 into the rotating disk 710. After being taken out, the placement plate 7351 can be recycled under the action of the drive component, without the need for manual insertion of the centrifuge tube 731, thus avoiding secondary contamination.
[0050] It is understandable that the driving component can be a motor or a lead screw linear module, both of which can achieve the above functions.
[0051] The above description, in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of this utility model. It should not be construed that the specific implementation of this utility model is limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, the architectural form of this utility model can be flexibly varied without departing from its concept, and a series of products can be derived. Any simple deductions or substitutions should be considered as falling within the patent protection scope defined by the submitted claims.
Claims
1. An automated cell seeding device, characterized in that, The device includes a frame and a sealing cover mounted on the frame. The sealing cover and the top side of the frame form a closed operating space. An operating platform is provided in the operating space. One side of the sealing cover has a normally closed docking window that can be connected to an incubator. The incubator can hold petri dishes and provide a culture environment for the petri dishes. A robotic arm, which is mounted on the operating platform, is capable of moving the culture dish; A transport assembly, located on the operating platform, is used to transport the culture dish. An inoculation assembly is provided on the operating platform. The inoculation assembly includes a first capping assembly, a culture medium input assembly, and a pipetting assembly located next to the transport assembly. The first capping assembly is used to open the culture dish, and the pipetting assembly is used to transfer sample cells into the culture dish for culture.
2. The automated cell seeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pipetting assembly includes a rotating disk, a loading assembly, a transfer chamber, a pipetting element, and a second capping assembly. The transfer chamber contains multiple centrifuge tubes, each containing sample cells. The loading assembly places the centrifuge tubes into the rotating disk. The second capping assembly opens the caps of the centrifuge tubes. The pipetting element transfers the sample cells from the centrifuge tubes to the culture dish for culture.
3. The automated cell seeding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The feeding assembly, the pipetting component, and the second cap opening assembly are positioned around the rotating disk.
4. The automated cell seeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The culture medium input component is located above the transport component. The culture medium input component includes a first base and a delivery tube. The first base is provided with a first shaft telescopic module, and the delivery tube is provided on the first shaft telescopic module. The delivery tube is connected to a metering pump.
5. The automated cell seeding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pipette includes a second base and a syringe; the second base is provided with a second axis telescopic module, the second axis telescopic module is provided with a push assembly, the push assembly is connected to the syringe, and the push assembly is used to push the syringe.
6. The automated cell seeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the docking window is connected to the operating space, and the other end is connected to the incubator. A first barcode scanner is provided in the docking window, which is used to identify and record the information of the culture dish.
7. The automated cell seeding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotating disk includes a placement rack and a rotating motor connected to the placement rack. The rotating motor can drive the placement rack to rotate. The placement rack has multiple placement positions for placing the centrifuge tubes.
8. The automated cell seeding device according to claim 7, characterized in that, A second barcode scanner is also provided next to the rotating disk, which is used to identify and record the information of the petri dish.
9. The automated cell seeding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The transfer chamber has a placement cavity inside. The transfer chamber has a first opening and a second opening that connect to the placement cavity. The first opening faces the outside of the operating space, and the second opening faces the operating space. A cover is provided on the first opening that can be opened and closed. A pull-out component is provided inside the placement cavity. The pull-out component includes a driving component and a placement plate. The driving component can drive the placement plate to extend and retract. A cover plate is provided on the outside of the placement plate. When retracted, the cover plate closes the second opening.