A support structure for an ELISA reader

Abstract

This application discloses a support structure for an ELISA reader, relating to the field of experimental auxiliary instrument technology. It includes an ELISA reader housing and a support plate slidably disposed inside the housing. A microplate fixed to the support plate by a limiting structure is mounted on the support plate. A linear guide mechanism is fixedly mounted inside the ELISA reader housing, with its moving end connected to the support plate. A moving mechanism is also provided inside the ELISA reader housing to perform three wiping actions through movement and engagement. A wiping roller for wiping the light-transmitting bottom surface of the microplate is mounted on the moving end of the moving mechanism. This application achieves three wiping actions—the microplate entering the ELISA reader housing, the wiping roller entering the ELISA reader housing, and the wiping roller exiting the ELISA reader housing—by sequentially activating the moving mechanism and the linear guide mechanism. This removes fingerprints, dust, and other contaminants affecting optical reading from the bottom surface of the microplate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of experimental auxiliary instrument technology, and in particular to a support structure for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reader. Background Technology

[0002] As a core device in modern laboratories for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and other optical detections, the accuracy of ELISA reader results directly affects the reliability of scientific research data and clinical diagnosis. During detection, light needs to penetrate the bottom of the microplate; therefore, the cleanliness of the bottom (free from fingerprints, dust, water stains, and scratches) is a crucial prerequisite for ensuring the accuracy of optical measurements.

[0003] Standard 96-well or 384-well plates are relatively small. When operators pick up the plates, their fingers touch the bottom surface and leave marks. These marks scatter and absorb some light, causing an abnormally high absorbance (OD value) reading, resulting in false positives or excessively high background, which affects the test results. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the issue of traces on the bottom of microplates affecting detection results, this application provides a support structure for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reader.

[0005] The technical solution for the carrier structure of an ELISA reader provided in this application is as follows:

[0006] A support structure for an ELISA reader includes an ELISA reader housing and a support plate slidably disposed inside the ELISA reader housing. A microplate fixed by a limiting structure is disposed on the support plate. A linear guide mechanism is fixedly disposed inside the ELISA reader housing. The moving end of the linear guide mechanism is connected to the support plate. A moving mechanism is disposed inside the ELISA reader housing to achieve three wipings through sliding engagement. A wiping roller for wiping the light-transmitting bottom surface of the microplate is disposed on the moving end of the moving mechanism.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, the carrier plate, microplate and wiping roller are moved and cooperated in sequence by the sequential activation of the moving mechanism and the linear guide mechanism to achieve three wiping processes during the process of the microplate entering the microplate reader housing, the wiping roller entering the microplate reader housing, and the wiping roller exiting the microplate reader housing. This removes contaminants such as fingerprints and dust from the bottom surface of the microplate that affect optical reading, thereby minimizing optical interference caused by fingerprints, dust, water stains, etc., and improving the accuracy of the detection data.

[0008] Preferably, the wiping roller includes a second linear guide rail mechanism disposed inside the ELISA reader housing. A moving plate is fixedly disposed at the moving end of the second linear guide rail mechanism. An inclined groove is formed on the moving plate. A set of sliding grooves is formed on the inner side of the ELISA reader housing. A sliding column is slidably disposed inside the inclined groove and the set of sliding grooves. The sliding column drives the wiping roller to wipe the bottom surface of the microplate and move out of the ELISA reader housing through a moving structure.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, and through the cooperation of the inclined groove and the sliding groove group, only one linear guide mechanism is needed to provide unidirectional power to control the wiping roller to complete the two-dimensional motion trajectory of horizontal entry, vertical lifting, horizontal wiping, and downward exit.

[0010] Preferably, the movable structure includes a connecting block fixedly mounted on a sliding column, a closing plate slidably mounted on one side of the connecting block, and a support plate detachably mounted to the wiping roller fixedly mounted on one side of the connecting block.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, the support plate and the enclosure plate are both connected to the same moving source, ensuring that their movements are synchronized.

[0012] Preferably, the slide group consists of a parallel groove one, a vertical groove and a parallel groove two. The parallel groove one, the vertical groove and the parallel groove two cooperate with the sliding column to drive the support plate and the closing plate to achieve different functions. The two ends of the vertical groove are connected to the parallel groove one and the parallel groove two respectively.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, the parallel groove two corresponds to the initial entry and final exit stages of the wiping roller, ensuring that the wiping roller maintains a safe distance from the microporous plate during the non-working stage, avoiding accidental contact or interference. The vertical groove enables precise lifting and lowering of the wiping roller. This is key to ensuring that the wiping roller can make effective and controllable contact with the bottom surface of the microporous plate, corresponding to the second and third wiping stages. This horizontal, independent wiping path can more thoroughly remove stains.

[0014] Preferably, a support column is symmetrically slidably arranged inside the support plate, and the end of the support column away from the support plate is slidably arranged inside the wiping roller. A circular plate is fixedly arranged on one side of the support column, and a spring is fixedly arranged between the circular plate and the side of the wiping roller that is close to each other.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, the movable support column and spring work together to make the wiping roller 6 detachable.

[0016] Preferably, the connecting block is slidably provided with a connecting post fixedly connected to one side of the sealing plate, and the microplate reader housing is fixedly provided with an inclined block that cooperates with the sealing plate, so that the connecting post slides and lifts the sealing plate parallel to the support plate.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the sealing plate is in a low position during operation, which perfectly avoids interference with the movement path of the microporous plate, thereby preventing the risk of scratching the microporous plate.

[0018] Preferably, the limiting structure includes a limiting shell fixedly mounted on the support plate, and a limiting plate that surrounds the four corners of the microporous plate and limits the top of the microporous plate is slidably disposed inside the limiting shell.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, and by surrounding the four corners and limiting the top, it is ensured that the microplate will not move or lift up during high-speed wiping.

[0020] Preferably, one side of the ELISA reader housing is provided with a rotatable door that can be opened and automatically closed by pushing it with a support plate.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, the sealing door is kept closed when the equipment is not in operation, which can prevent dust and debris from entering the precision optical inspection chamber and protect the core components.

[0022] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0023] 1. The inclined groove and sliding groove assembly cause the carrier plate, microplate and wiping roller to move and cooperate in sequence to achieve three wiping processes during the process of the microplate entering the microplate housing, the wiping roller entering the microplate housing, and the wiping roller exiting the microplate housing. This removes contaminants such as fingerprints and dust from the bottom surface of the microplate that affect optical reading, and minimizes optical interference caused by fingerprints, dust, water stains, etc., thereby improving the accuracy of the detection data.

[0024] 2. After placing the microplate on the carrier plate, the four corners of the microplate are surrounded by the limiting plate, and the top of the microplate is limited to ensure that the microplate is stable and without displacement during wiping and moving, thus avoiding uneven wiping or spillage of the detection liquid inside the microplate caused by plate movement.

[0025] 3. After each use, the wiping roller is automatically removed from the inside of the microplate reader. The testing personnel then disassemble and replace the ethanol-soaked microfiber cloth on the surface of the wiping roller to prevent unevaporated ethanol from remaining inside the microplate reader and affecting the test results. Timely replacement can prevent the dirty wiping roller from becoming a source of contamination for the next test.

[0026] 4. After the wiping roller is removed, the sealing plate automatically rises and closes the opening of the sealing door by cooperating with the inclined block, blocking external light. The absorbance detection of the ELISA reader is very sensitive to ambient light. This operation allows for the replacement of the microfiber cloth on the surface of the wiping roller while avoiding the influence of external light on the detection, ensuring the accuracy of the results, and eliminating the need for additional door-closing operations. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the overall structure of this application;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the ELISA reader housing of this application;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the inclined block position structure in this application;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a partial structural diagram of the moving mechanism of this application;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the support plate in this application.

[0033] Figure labels: 1. Microplate reader housing; 2. Support plate; 21. Limiting shell; 22. Limiting plate; 3. Microplate; 4. Linear guide mechanism one;

[0034] 5. Moving mechanism; 51. Linear guide mechanism II; 52. Moving plate; 53. Inclined groove; 54. Sliding column; 55. Sliding groove assembly; 551. Parallel groove I; 552. Vertical groove; 553. Parallel groove II; 56. Connecting block; 57. Support plate; 571. Support column; 572. Circular plate; 573. Spring; 58. Closing plate; 581. Connecting column; 582. Inclined block;

[0035] 6. Wiping roller; 7. Sealing door. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1-6 This application will be described in further detail.

[0037] This application discloses a carrier structure for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reader.

[0038] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 5A support structure for an ELISA reader includes an ELISA reader housing 1 and a support plate 2 slidably installed inside the ELISA reader housing 1. A microplate 3 is placed on the upper surface of the support plate 2 and is fixed by a limiting structure. The inner wall of the ELISA reader housing 1 is fixed to the mounting end of a linear guide mechanism 4, and the moving end of the linear guide mechanism 4 is fixed to the support plate 2. The end of the support plate 2 near the outside of the ELISA reader housing 1 is adapted to the opening of the ELISA reader housing 1. When the support plate 2 is fully inserted into the ELISA reader housing 1, the support plate 2 completely closes the opening of the ELISA reader housing 1. A moving mechanism 5 is provided inside the end of the ELISA reader housing 1 away from the linear guide mechanism 4. The moving mechanism 5 achieves three wipings on the bottom surface of the microplate 3 through sliding cooperation. A wiping roller 6 is provided at the moving end of the moving mechanism 5. The wiping roller 6 is used to wipe fingerprints and other contaminants from the light-transmitting bottom surface of the microplate 3.

[0039] When testing is required, the linear guide mechanism 4 drives the carrier plate 2 to extend out of the microplate reader housing 1. The testing personnel place the microplate 3 containing the liquid to be tested on the carrier plate 2. Then, the testing personnel fix the microplate 3 in place by the limiting structure. Subsequently, the moving mechanism 5 is activated to drive the wiping roller 6 to move and cooperate with the carrier plate 2 and the microplate 3 in sequence to achieve three wiping processes: the microplate 3 and the wiping roller 6 entering the microplate reader housing 1 and the wiping roller 6 exiting the microplate reader housing 1. This wipes away fingerprints, dust and other contaminants that affect optical reading from the bottom surface of the microplate 3.

[0040] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 The limiting structure includes two limiting shells 21 disposed on the support plate 2. The two limiting shells 21 are symmetrically disposed on the top of the support plate 2. The lower surfaces of the two limiting shells 21 are fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 2. The inner walls of the two limiting shells 21 slide against the outer wall of a limiting plate 22. The inner wall size of the limiting shell 21 is adapted to the size of the limiting plate 22. The top of the limiting plate 22 penetrates through the interior of the limiting shell 21 and slides. By moving the top of the limiting plate 22, the inspector can drive the limiting plate 22 to slide inside the limiting shell 21. The limiting plate 22 is used to surround the four corners of the microporous plate 3 and limit the top of the microporous plate 3.

[0041] By moving the tops of the two limiting plates 22, the limiting plates 22 surround the four corners of the microplate 3 and limit the top, which can ensure that the enzyme-labeled plate is placed stably and prevent the microplate 3 from moving after being wiped by the bottom wiping roller 6.

[0042] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 4The wiping roller 6 includes a second linear guide mechanism 51 disposed inside the ELISA reader housing 1. The mounting end of the second linear guide mechanism 51 is fixed to the inner wall of the ELISA reader housing 1, and the moving end of the second linear guide mechanism 51 is fixed to the outer wall of the moving plate 52. A groove 53 is formed through the surface of the moving plate 52. A set of sliding grooves 55 is formed on the ELISA reader housing 1 between the second linear guide mechanism 51 and the support plate 2. The inner walls of the groove 53 and the set of sliding grooves 55 slide against the outer wall of the sliding column 54. The dimension of the end of the sliding column 54 near the second linear guide mechanism 51 is larger than the dimension of the sliding column 54 located inside the groove 53 and the set of sliding grooves 55. A moving structure is provided on the outside of the sliding column 54, and the sliding column 54 drives the wiping roller 6 through the moving structure. The wiping action is performed on the bottom surface of the microplate 3 and removed from the ELISA reader housing 1. The moving structure includes a connecting block 56 fixedly mounted on a sliding column 54. One end of the sliding column 54 away from the moving plate 52 is fixed to the surface of the connecting block 56. One end of the connecting block 56 near the inside of the ELISA reader housing 1 slides against the surface of the sealing plate 58. One end of the connecting block 56 near the outside of the ELISA reader housing 1 is fixed to the surface of the support plate 57. The support plate 57 and the sealing plate 58 are the same size. The top of the support plate 57 is detachably mounted to the wiping roller 6. The side of the ELISA reader housing 1 near the support plate 2 is rotatably connected to the sealing door 7. A torsion spring is provided between the sealing door 7 and the ELISA reader housing 1. The torsion spring is used to open and automatically close the door by pushing it with the support plate 57.

[0043] Initially, the support plate 57 without the wiping roller 6 is removed from the outer shell 1 of the ELISA reader. The testing personnel then install the wiping roller 6, which is equipped with an ethanol-soaked microfiber cloth, onto the top of the support plate 57. By activating the linear guide mechanism 51, the linear guide mechanism 51 drives the sliding column 54 to slide inside the inclined groove 53 and the chute group 55 via the moving plate 52. When the sliding column 54 moves, it drives the support plate 57 and the sealing plate 58 to move via the connecting block 56. The support plate 57 drives the wiping roller 6 into the inner shell 1 of the ELISA reader. Through the inclined groove 53 and the chute group 55, the carrier plate 2, the microplate 3, and the wiping roller 6 move and cooperate in sequence to achieve three wiping processes: the microplate 3 entering the inner shell 1 of the ELISA reader, the wiping roller 6 entering the inner shell 1 of the ELISA reader, and the wiping roller 6 exiting the inner shell 1 of the ELISA reader. When the support plate 57 and the sealing plate 58 are removed from the inner shell 1 of the ELISA reader, the sealing door 7 is pushed open and rotated to open the opening of the inner shell 1 of the ELISA reader.

[0044] Reference Figure 4 , Figure 6The chute assembly 55 consists of parallel chute 1 551, vertical chute 552, and parallel chute 2 553. Parallel chute 1 551 works with sliding column 54 to drive wiping roller 6 to contact the bottom of microplate 3 and move horizontally for wiping. Vertical chute 552 works with sliding column 54 and inclined chute 53 to drive support plate 57 to move downward so that wiping roller 6 is away from the bottom of microplate 3. Parallel chute 2 553 works with sliding column 54 to drive support plate 57 to move outward of microplate reader housing 1 and push closed door 7 to rotate. Parallel chute 1 551 is connected to the top of vertical chute 552, and parallel chute 2 553 is connected to the bottom of vertical chute 552.

[0045] When the support plate 57 drives the wiping roller 6 into the interior of the ELISA reader housing 1, it is located below the support plate 2 and does not contact it. At this time, the sliding column 54 slides inside the parallel groove 553. When the sliding column 54 is at the top of the vertical groove 552, the wiping roller 6 contacts the bottom surface of the microplate 3 placed on the support plate 2. Then, the linear guide mechanism 4 drives the support plate 2 to move into the ELISA reader housing 1. During the movement, the bottom of the microplate 3 contacts and slides with the wiping roller 6, wiping away fingerprints and other dust from the bottom of the microplate 3, thus achieving the first wiping. After the microplate 3 moves into the ELISA reader housing 1, it stops. Then, the linear guide mechanism 51 drives the sliding column 54 to slide inside the parallel groove 551, causing the wiping roller 6 to slide into the ELISA reader housing 1, performing a second wiping on the bottom surface of the microplate 3. After wiping, the linear guide mechanism 51 drives the wiping roller 6 to move out of the ELISA reader housing 1 for a third wiping.

[0046] Reference Figure 4 , Figure 5 The interior of the connecting block 56 is slidably limited to one end of the connecting post 581. The end of the connecting post 581 away from the connecting block 56 is fixed to the surface of the sealing plate 58 away from the support plate 57, which is used to facilitate the closure of the opening of the sealing door 7. The bottom of the inner wall of the microplate reader housing 1 near the sealing door 7 is fixed to the lower surface of the inclined block 582. The top of the inclined block 582 is provided with an inclined surface that slopes inward toward the microplate reader housing 1. The inclined block 582 cooperates with the sealing plate 58 to make the connecting post 581 slide and lift the sealing plate 58 to be parallel with the support plate 57.

[0047] After the third wiping, the sliding column 54 passes through the vertical groove 552 and the parallel groove 553. The support plate 57 drives the wiping roller 6 to squeeze the sealing door 7 and open it. In the initial state, the sealing plate 58 is lower than the position of the wiping roller 6 to avoid the sealing plate 58 contacting the microplate 3 when the wiping roller 6 contacts it, thus scratching it and affecting the detection results. During the process of the sealing plate 58 moving out of the ELISA reader housing 1, the bottom of the sealing plate 58 contacts the inclined surface of the inclined block 582, causing the sealing plate 58 to move upward and parallel to the support plate 57. When the support plate 57 and the wiping roller 6 are moved to the outside of the ELISA reader housing 1, the sealing plate 58 closes the opening of the sealing door 7 to prevent external light from entering the detection interior of the ELISA reader housing 1 and affecting the detection results.

[0048] Reference Figure 5 Both ends of the top of the support plate 57 slide through a support column 571. The end of the support column 571 away from the support plate 57 is slidably installed inside the wiping roller 6. The outer surface of the support column 571 is fixed to the inner side of the circular plate 572. The end of the circular plate 572 near the wiping roller 6 is fixed to one end of the spring 573. The other end of the spring 573 is fixed to the surface of the wiping roller 6.

[0049] The testing personnel disassemble the wiping roller 6, which is removed from the outside of the ELISA reader housing 1. By pushing the two circular plates 572, the support column 571 is driven into the interior of the wiping roller 6, and the spring 573 is squeezed to make the support column 571 leave the interior of the support plate 57, thereby disassembling the wiping roller 6. The microfiber cloth wrapped around the surface of the wiping roller 6 is removed. For the next test, a clean microfiber cloth soaked in ethanol is reinstalled. The microfiber cloth can effectively remove fingerprints, dust and other contaminants from the surface of the microplate 3 without scratching the surface of the microplate 3. The wiping roller 6 is removed from the inside of the ELISA reader housing 1 to prevent the wiping roller 6 from remaining inside the ELISA reader housing 1 and affecting the test results. For the next use, the support plate 57 is removed in advance and the wiping roller 6 is installed.

[0050] Both linear guide mechanism 2 (51) and linear guide mechanism 1 (4) are existing technologies, and their structural principles will not be detailed here. Linear guide mechanisms 2 (51) and 1 (4) can be CBX series linear guides. The electrical control system uses a central controller, such as a PLC controller (e.g., Siemens S7-1200 series), as the "brain," receiving instructions and coordinating the actions of linear guide mechanisms 2 (51) and 1 (4). Linear guide mechanism 1 (4) (responsible for the movement of the support plate 2) and linear guide mechanism 2 (51) (responsible for the movement of the wiping roller 6) are driven by two independent servo motors. The drivers for these two motors are connected to the central controller via cables, receiving pulse and direction signals from it.

[0051] The implementation principle of the support structure of the ELISA reader in this embodiment is as follows: When detection is required, the support plate 2 is driven to extend out of the ELISA reader housing 1 by the linear guide mechanism 4. The detection personnel place the microplate 3 containing the liquid to be tested on the support plate 2. Then, the detection personnel surround the four corners of the microplate 3 by the limiting structure, and limit the top of the microplate 3 at the same time, to ensure that the microplate 3 is stable and without displacement during wiping and moving, and to avoid uneven wiping or spillage of the detection liquid inside the microplate 3 caused by the movement of the plate.

[0052] Subsequently, the moving mechanism 5 is activated, driving the wiping roller 6 to move sequentially with the carrier plate 2 and the microplate 3 to achieve three wiping processes: the microplate 3 and the wiping roller 6 entering the interior of the ELISA reader housing 1 and the wiping roller 6 exiting the interior of the ELISA reader housing 1. This process wipes away contaminants such as fingerprints and dust from the bottom surface of the microplate 3 that affect optical reading, minimizing optical interference caused by fingerprints, dust, water stains, etc., and improving the accuracy of the detection data.

[0053] The above are merely optional embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A load bearing structure for an enzyme reader, characterized by: The device includes an ELISA reader housing (1) and a support plate (2) that is slidably disposed inside the ELISA reader housing (1). The support plate (2) is provided with a microplate (3) that is fixed by a limiting structure. A linear guide mechanism (4) is fixedly disposed inside the ELISA reader housing (1). The moving end of the linear guide mechanism (4) is connected to the support plate (2). A moving mechanism (5) is provided inside the ELISA reader housing (1) that achieves three wipings through sliding cooperation. A wiping roller (6) for wiping the light-transmitting bottom surface of the microplate (3) is provided on the moving end of the moving mechanism (5).

2. The load bearing structure of an enzyme reader according to claim 1, wherein: The wiping roller (6) includes a linear guide mechanism (51) set inside the ELISA reader housing (1). A moving plate (52) is fixedly set at the moving end of the linear guide mechanism (51). An inclined groove (53) is opened on the moving plate (52). A sliding groove group (55) is opened on the inner side of the ELISA reader housing (1). A sliding column (54) is slidably set inside the inclined groove (53) and the sliding groove group (55). The sliding column (54) drives the wiping roller (6) to wipe the bottom surface of the microplate (3) and move out of the ELISA reader housing (1) through the moving structure.

3. The carrier structure of an ELISA reader according to claim 2, characterized in that: The movable structure includes a connecting block (56) fixedly mounted on the sliding column (54), a sealing plate (58) slidably mounted on one side of the connecting block (56), and a support plate (57) fixedly mounted on one side of the connecting block (56) and detachably mounted to the wiping roller (6).

4. The load bearing structure of an enzyme reader according to claim 2, wherein: The slide group (55) consists of parallel groove one (551), vertical groove (552) and parallel groove two (553). Parallel groove one (551), vertical groove (552) and parallel groove two (553) cooperate with the slide column (54) to drive the support plate (57) and the closing plate (58) to achieve different functions. The two ends of the vertical groove (552) are connected to parallel groove one (551) and parallel groove two (553) respectively.

5. The load bearing structure of an enzyme reader according to claim 3, wherein: A support column (571) is symmetrically slidably arranged inside the support plate (57). The end of the support column (571) away from the support plate (57) is slidably arranged inside the wiping roller (6). A circular plate (572) is fixedly arranged on one side of the support column (571). A spring (573) is fixedly arranged between the circular plate (572) and the side of the wiping roller (6) that is close to each other.

6. The load bearing structure of an enzyme reader according to claim 3, wherein: The connecting block (56) is slidably provided with a connecting post (581) fixedly connected to one side of the sealing plate (58). The microplate reader housing (1) is fixedly provided with an inclined block (582) that cooperates with the sealing plate (58) to make the connecting post (581) slide and lift the sealing plate (58) parallel to the support plate (57).

7. The load bearing structure of an enzyme reader according to claim 1, wherein: The limiting structure includes a limiting shell (21) fixedly mounted on the bearing plate (2), and a limiting plate (22) that surrounds the four corners of the microporous plate (3) and limits the top of the microporous plate (3) is slidably mounted inside the limiting shell (21).

8. The load bearing structure of an enzyme reader according to claim 3, wherein: The outer shell (1) of the microplate reader is provided with a rotatable door (7) that can be opened and closed automatically by pushing it with a support plate (57).

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