Lyophilized reagent reaction tubes

Abstract

This utility model discloses a lyophilized reagent reaction tube, including a tube body with an open top and lyophilized bead reagent contained within the tube body. A lyophilized bead anti-overflow tube is sealed and inserted into the opening of the tube body. The lyophilized bead anti-overflow tube has a vertically continuous anti-overflow channel, which consists of an upper cylindrical cavity and a lower conical cavity. The lower end of the conical cavity is non-circular, and its inner diameter is smaller than the diameter of the lyophilized bead reagent. A sealing cap located outside the tube body is screwed and fastened to the upper end of the lyophilized bead anti-overflow tube. The advantage of this utility model is that it ensures that the opening direction of the sealing cap is always inconsistent with the pulling direction of the lyophilized bead anti-overflow tube, achieving automated opening / closing of the tube body pre-filled with lyophilized bead reagent. This ensures that it can cooperate with equipment to complete automated testing, prevents contamination inside the tube or interruption of automation caused by manual opening, effectively prevents lyophilized bead reagent from floating out of the tube, and ensures the accuracy and validity of the final test results.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of bioanalytical technology, and in particular to a lyophilized reagent reaction tube that can be easily opened / closed automatically when used with automated detection equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the fields of molecular diagnostics, immunoassay, and other bioanalytical processes, lyophilized bulb reagents have become the preferred choice for point-of-care testing (POCT) equipment or automated testing equipment due to their advantages of room-temperature storage and transportation, as well as their high stability and reaction sensitivity. Currently, the industry commonly uses 8-strip tubes as containers for lyophilized bulb reagents with a circular structure. These tubes typically contain eight independent lumens, each pre-filled with one or more lyophilized bulb reagents, and are sealed using an integrated tube sheet or individual caps.

[0003] However, existing eight-tube lyophilized reagent reaction tubes have significant drawbacks when adapted to fully automated operation in automated testing equipment. First, the traditional eight-tube caps are mostly flat, thin sheets fixed by pressure clips or heat sealing. This structure lacks protrusions, grooves, or dedicated locking mechanisms for stable gripping by robotic arms, making it difficult for automated equipment to achieve accurate cap identification, directional gripping, and reliable opening / closing. During operation, cap misalignment and uneven force can easily lead to seal failure or contamination of the tube cavity, severely limiting the automation level of high-throughput testing processes. Second, due to the characteristics of the freeze-drying process, lyophilized bulbs are loose, porous, have low water content, and a large specific surface area. After opening, they are highly susceptible to electrostatic adsorption within the tube cavity. When the automated equipment opens the cap, the airflow disturbance or static electricity accumulation caused by the mechanical action can instantly cause the lyophilized bulbs to detach from the bottom of the tube cavity or even float out of the tube. Once the lyophilized bulbs are lost or displaced, it will directly cause inaccurate reagent dosage, reaction system contamination, or abnormal detection signals, leading to invalid test results. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a lyophilized reagent reaction tube that is compatible with existing automated testing equipment, enabling the robotic arm of the automated testing equipment to easily open / close the lyophilized reagent reaction tube automatically.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention can adopt the following technical solution: The lyophilized reagent reaction tube of this utility model includes a tube body with an upper opening and a lyophilized bead reagent contained within the tube body; a lyophilized bead anti-overflow tube is sealed and inserted at the opening of the tube body, the lyophilized bead anti-overflow tube having an overflow-proof channel running vertically through the tube, the overflow-proof channel being composed of an upper cylindrical cavity and a lower conical cavity, the lower end of the conical cavity being a non-circular structure with an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the lyophilized bead reagent; a sealing cap located outside the tube body is screwed and fastened to the upper end of the lyophilized bead anti-overflow tube.

[0006] Furthermore, a first sealing ring is provided circumferentially on the inner side of the opening of the tube body, and a second sealing ring is provided on the outer wall of the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube to be adapted and snapped into the first sealing ring. The adaptation and snapping of the first sealing ring and the second sealing ring ensures the stable insertion of the tube body and the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube, while ensuring the sealing performance during insertion.

[0007] Furthermore, a limiting baffle is provided on the outer wall of the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube between the sealing cap and the second sealing ring, which is locked onto the tube opening. The limiting baffle is a pair of plates symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the outer wall of the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube. It can effectively prevent the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube from being fully inserted into the tube and difficult to remove, and can be locked onto the PCR tube rack that loads the tube 1, preventing the entire lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube from rotating together when the sealing cap is screwed on.

[0008] Furthermore, a gap sealing ring gasket is provided on the outer wall of the freeze-dried ball anti-overflow tube located between the limiting baffle and the second sealing ring to seal the gap between the tube body and the freeze-dried ball anti-overflow tube. When the first sealing ring and the second sealing ring are fitted together, the gap between the tube body above the first sealing ring and the freeze-dried ball anti-overflow tube can be filled by the gap sealing ring gasket to avoid the accumulation of dust, bacteria, etc.

[0009] Furthermore, the sealing cap is provided with an anti-overflow rod extending vertically downward into the cylindrical cavity. The lower end of the anti-overflow rod has a flexible anti-overflow head that fits tightly against the inner wall of the cylindrical cavity. This reduces the size of the anti-overflow channel before the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube is opened, and also improves the sealing performance by using the tight fit between the flexible anti-overflow head and the inner wall of the cylindrical cavity, thus preventing the evaporation of reagents inside the tube.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper surface of the sealing cover is provided with a coupling groove for mating with the robotic arm of the automated testing equipment. The coupling groove is a semi-circular cavity, an I-shaped cavity, a cross-shaped cavity, a straight cavity, or a polygonal cavity, which enhances adaptability and ensures that it can be accurately matched with various models of robotic arms.

[0011] The advantages of this invention lie in the use of a lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube, which is sealed and inserted into the tube opening, and a sealing cap screwed onto the upper end of the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube. This ensures that the robotic arm of the automated testing equipment can easily clamp the sealing cap, thereby ensuring that the horizontal rotation direction of the sealing cap is always inconsistent with the vertical upward pulling direction of the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube. This achieves automated opening / closing of the tube pre-filled with lyophilized bulb reagent, ensuring that it can cooperate with the equipment to complete automated testing. It prevents contamination inside the tube or interruption of automation caused by manual opening, effectively avoids lyophilized bulb reagent from floating out of the tube during automatic opening / closing and automatic sample addition, prevents lyophilized bulb reagent loss from causing abnormal instrument detection signals, ensures accurate reagent dosage after sample addition, and ensures the accuracy and effectiveness of the final test results. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0013] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the anti-overflow tube for freeze-dried balls.

[0014] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A bottom view.

[0015] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The central coupling groove is a schematic diagram of a semi-circular cavity.

[0016] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The central coupling groove is a schematic diagram of an I-shaped groove cavity.

[0017] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 The central coupling groove is a schematic diagram of a cross-shaped cavity.

[0018] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 The central coupling slot is a schematic diagram of a straight-line slot cavity.

[0019] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 The central coupling slot is a schematic diagram of a polygonal cavity. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0021] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the lyophilized reagent reaction tube of this utility model includes a tube body 1 with an open top and lyophilized sphere reagents 100 contained in the tube body 1. The tube body 1 is a common structure on the market with an upper cylindrical shape and a lower conical shape, or an overall cylindrical shape and a bottom arc-shaped structure. It can hold one or more lyophilized sphere reagents 100, and different lyophilized sphere reagents 100 can be processed and manufactured according to the specific needs of molecular diagnostics, immunoassay, etc.

[0022] A freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2 is sealed and inserted into the opening of the tube body 1. Specifically, a first sealing ring 3 is set circumferentially inside the opening of the tube body 1, and a second sealing ring 4 is set circumferentially on the upper part of the outer wall of the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2, which is adapted to and snaps into the first sealing ring 3. Both the first sealing ring 3 and the second sealing ring 4 can be rubber sealing rings or silicone sealing rings. The adaptation and snapping of the first sealing ring 3 and the second sealing ring 4 ensures the stable insertion of the tube body 1 and the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2, and at the same time ensures the sealing performance during insertion.

[0023] The lyophilized bulb overflow prevention tube 2 has a vertically continuous overflow prevention channel 5 along its axis. The overflow prevention channel 5 consists of an upper cylindrical cavity 5.1 and a lower conical cavity 5.2. Since lyophilized bulbs are often spherical, to prevent them from passing through the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2 and floating out of the lyophilized bulb overflow prevention tube 2, the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2 is a non-circular structure with an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the lyophilized bulb reagent 100, ensuring that the lyophilized bulb reagent 100 cannot pass through the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2. Specifically, the inner diameter of the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2 refers to the minimum width, which is the minimum value of the projected length of the object in all possible directions. This inner diameter is the maximum diameter of the sphere that can pass through. The non-circular structure includes non-circular planar convex sets (such as ellipses and convex polygons), and may also include non-convex figures. Non-convex figures need to be decomposed into convex subsets, and the inner diameter of each convex subset is smaller than the diameter of the lyophilized bulb. In actual manufacturing, the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2 can be set as a triangle, rectangle, or other polygonal shape, or an ellipse or other non-circular structure. For example, when the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2 is elliptical, the inner diameter is the length of the minor axis of the ellipse. When the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2 is rectangular, the inner diameter is the length of the short side of the rectangle. As long as the lyophilized ball reagent 100 cannot pass through the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2, and since the lyophilized ball is a spherical structure while the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2 is a planar structure, when the lyophilized ball is stuck on the lower port of the conical cavity 5.2, it is essentially a contact between the spherical surface and the plane. Therefore, the lyophilized ball cannot completely block the lower port of the non-circular structure, ensuring that there is always a certain gap at the corner of the lower port. This ensures that the lyophilized ball reagent 100 will not jump out of the anti-overflow channel 5, while also preventing the lyophilized ball reagent 100 from completely blocking the lower port of the anti-overflow channel 5.

[0024] A sealing cap 6, located outside the tube body 1, is screwed and fastened to the upper end of the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2. The sealing cap 6 can be gripped and screwed by the robotic arm of an automated testing device, ensuring that the horizontal rotation direction of the sealing cap 6 is always inconsistent with the vertical upward pulling direction of the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2, easily achieving the opening and closing operation of the sealing cap 6. Alternatively, depending on the type of automated testing device, a coupling groove 7 can be provided at the center of the upper surface of the sealing cap 6, capable of engaging with its robotic arm. This coupling groove 7 is a non-circular cavity; specifically, it can be a semi-circular cavity (e.g.,...). Figure 4 As shown), I-shaped cavity (such as) Figure 5 As shown), cross-shaped groove (such as) Figure 6 As shown), a straight groove cavity (such as...) Figure 7 (as shown) or polygonal slot cavity (such as) Figure 8 (As shown), to enhance adaptability and ensure precise matching with different models of robotic arms.

[0025] Furthermore, to improve the sealing performance of the sealing cap 6 and the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2, an anti-overflow rod 8 extending vertically downward into the cylindrical cavity 5.1 can be provided inside the sealing cap 6. The lower end of the anti-overflow rod 8 has a flexible anti-overflow head 9 that fits tightly against the inner wall of the cylindrical cavity 5.1. The flexible anti-overflow head 9 can be made of rubber or silicone. On the one hand, it reduces the size of the anti-overflow channel 5 before the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 is opened. On the other hand, it can also improve the sealing performance by using the tight fit between the flexible anti-overflow head 9 and the inner wall of the cylindrical cavity 5.1. This is beneficial for the long-term preservation of the lyophilized reagent in the tube 1, and prevents the evaporation of the reagent after reconstitution of the lyophilized reagent in the tube 1, and prevents the evaporation and overflow of the amplification products generated during the PCR detection process, so as to achieve the purpose of preventing contamination.

[0026] Furthermore, to prevent the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 from being fully inserted into the tube body 1 and difficult to remove, a limiting baffle 10 that can be locked onto the opening of the tube body 1 can be provided on the outer wall of the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 between the sealing cap 6 and the second sealing ring 4. The limiting baffle 10 is a pair of plates symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the outer wall of the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 and integrally formed with the tube body 1. It can effectively prevent the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 from being fully inserted into the tube body 1 and difficult to remove, and can be locked onto the PCR tube rack on which the tube body 1 is loaded. The PCR tube rack has a pre-set locking groove that matches the limiting baffle 10. When the tube body 1 is placed on the PCR tube rack, the limiting baffle 10 matches the locking groove, preventing the entire lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 from rotating together when the sealing cap 6 is screwed on.

[0027] Furthermore, a gap sealing ring gasket 11 is provided on the outer wall of the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2 located between the limiting baffle 10 and the second sealing ring 4 to seal the gap between the tube body 1 and the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2. When the first sealing ring 3 and the second sealing ring 4 are fitted together (i.e., when the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2 is inserted into the tube body 1), the gap between the tube body 1 and the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube 2 above the first sealing ring 3 can be filled by the gap sealing ring gasket 11 to prevent dust, bacteria and other substances from accumulating in the gap.

[0028] In use, simply place the lyophilized reagent reaction tube described in this application into a POCT device or automated testing device. Then, it can be coupled with the robotic arm of the device through the coupling groove 7 at the center of the upper surface of the sealing cap 6. The robotic arm can then clamp and twist the sealing cap 6 to complete the opening or closing action. During the opening and closing action, the horizontal rotation direction of the sealing cap 6 will always be inconsistent with the vertical upward pulling direction of the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2. Therefore, the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 will not be pulled out at the same time, easily realizing the automated opening / closing of the tube body 1 pre-loaded with lyophilized bulb reagent 100. This ensures that it can cooperate with the equipment to complete automated testing and prevents contamination inside the tube or interruption of automation caused by manual opening.

[0029] During the process of the robotic arm twisting the sealing cap 6 to complete the opening action, because the lower port of the overflow channel 5 on the lyophilized bulb overflow tube 2 is a non-circular structure and its inner diameter is smaller than the diameter of the lyophilized bulb reagent 100, it ensures that the lyophilized bulb reagent 100 will not float out of the overflow channel 5, while also preventing the lyophilized bulb reagent 100 from completely blocking the lower port of the overflow channel 5. This effectively prevents the lyophilized bulb reagent 100 from floating out of the tube during the automatic opening / closing process and during the automatic sample addition process, prevents the loss of the lyophilized bulb from causing abnormal instrument detection signals, ensures the accuracy of the reagent dosage after sample addition, and ensures the accuracy and effectiveness of the final detection results.

[0030] Furthermore, the lyophilized reagent reaction tubes described in this application can also be manufactured into single tubes, double (connected) tubes, quadruple tubes, eight-tube tubes, etc., as needed. It is only necessary to ensure that multiple tube bodies 1 are arranged side-by-side and fixedly connected to the tube holder. In this case, a lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 and a sealing cap 6 are fitted into each tube body 1. When the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 is inserted into place (i.e., when the first sealing ring 3 and the second sealing ring 4 are fitted together), the limiting baffle 10 on the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 in the single-tube form of the lyophilized reagent reaction tube can be secured to the tube holder, preventing the entire lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 from rotating together when the sealing cap 6 is screwed on. For connecting tubes formed by interconnecting two or more lyophilized reagent reaction tubes, the lyophilized bulb anti-overflow tube 2 can also be secured by the interconnection between the limiting baffles 10 of adjacent tubes. Preferably, in the connected tube form of the lyophilized reagent reaction tube, the limiting baffles 10 can be arranged along the connection direction of the lyophilized reagent reaction tubes, and adjacent limiting baffles 10 of adjacent tubes are interconnected.

[0031] It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in this utility model embodiment are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly.

[0032] Furthermore, in this utility model, descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature.

Claims

1. A lyophilized reagent reaction tube, comprising a tube body with an open top, and lyophilized reagent bulbs contained within the tube body; characterized in that: The opening of the tube is sealed with a freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube, which has a vertically continuous anti-overflow channel. The anti-overflow channel consists of an upper cylindrical cavity and a lower conical cavity. The lower end of the conical cavity is non-circular, and its inner diameter is smaller than the diameter of the freeze-dried bulb reagent. A sealing cap located outside the tube is screwed and fastened to the upper end of the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube.

2. The lyophilized reagent reaction tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first sealing ring is provided circumferentially on the inner side of the opening of the tube body, and a second sealing ring is provided on the outer wall of the freeze-dried ball anti-overflow tube, which is adapted to and snaps into the first sealing ring.

3. The lyophilized reagent reaction tube according to claim 2, characterized in that: A limiting baffle is provided on the outer wall of the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube between the sealing cap and the second sealing ring. The limiting baffle is a pair of plates symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the outer wall of the freeze-dried bulb anti-overflow tube.

4. The lyophilized reagent reaction tube according to claim 3, characterized in that: A gap sealing ring gasket for sealing the gap between the tube body and the freeze-dried ball overflow tube is provided on the outer wall of the freeze-dried ball overflow tube located between the limiting baffle and the second sealing ring.

5. The lyophilized reagent reaction tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing cover is provided with an anti-overflow rod that extends vertically downward into the cylindrical cavity, and the lower end of the anti-overflow rod has a flexible anti-overflow head that fits tightly against the inner wall of the cylindrical cavity.

6. The lyophilized reagent reaction tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the sealing cover is provided with a coupling groove that is adapted to engage with the robotic arm of the automated testing equipment.

7. The lyophilized reagent reaction tube according to claim 6, characterized in that: The coupling groove is a semi-circular groove, an I-shaped groove, a cross-shaped groove, a straight groove, or a polygonal groove.

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