A bone tissue decalcification machine

Abstract

This utility model relates to a bone tissue decalcification machine, including a decalcification machine body, a robotic arm, and a basket. The decalcification machine body includes an acid tank, a first water tank, and a second water tank. The robotic arm is disposed on one side of the decalcification machine body, and the basket is mounted on the robotic arm. The robotic arm is used to sequentially immerse the basket into the acid tank, the first water tank, and the second water tank. This utility model controls the sequential immersion of the basket into the acid tank, the first water tank, and the second water tank via the robotic arm. The automatic control system of the robotic arm can accurately control the acid soaking and rinsing time of the bone tissue, improving the time accuracy of decalcification. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for manual stirring by the operator, thus improving decalcification efficiency. In addition, the operator does not need to directly contact the strong acid, improving the safety of the decalcification process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of medical equipment, specifically to a bone tissue decalcification machine. Background Technology

[0002] Piercing bone marrow biopsy specimens are primarily used to observe changes in the morphology and quantity of bone marrow cells, assess bone marrow hematopoiesis, and for the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and monitoring of treatment efficacy in hematological diseases. The core steps include bone tissue sampling, fixation, decalcification, slide preparation, and microscopic examination. The decalcification process requires pathologists to immerse the embedding cassette containing bone tissue in an acidic (hydrochloric or nitric acid) decalcification solution for half an hour, followed by rinsing with tap water for half an hour to remove the acidic decalcification solution from the bone marrow cavity. The tissue is then dehydrated and paraffin-impregnated in a fully automated dehydrator. The decalcification process poses occupational hazards to operators due to exposure to strong acids. To minimize worker exposure and waiting time during decalcification, excess staining solution (Wright's stain) is removed from the slide surface without damaging the cell membranes.

[0003] The acid soaking time during decalcification has strict requirements. Specifically, acid decalcification must last for half an hour. If the time is too short, the bone tissue will not be completely decalcified, and the microtome will be unable to cut it during the later slide preparation process due to the high bone hardness. If the time is too long, the normal hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow tissue will degrade under the action of acid, resulting in poor HE and histochemical results, which will affect the microscopic reading and diagnostic results.

[0004] Currently, bone marrow decalcification in the industry mainly relies on manual soaking in acid solutions. This method is highly dependent on the operator's skill level and requires continuous manual stirring, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inefficient. In addition, the operator is in direct contact with strong acid, which may splash and pose a biological hazard to the skin and eyes of personnel. Utility Model Content

[0005] Based on the above description, this utility model provides a bone tissue decalcification machine. The machine uses a robotic arm to control the basket to be immersed in an acid tank, a first water tank, and a second water tank in sequence. The automatic control system of the robotic arm can accurately control the acid soaking and rinsing time of the bone tissue, improving the accuracy of decalcification time. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for manual stirring by the operator, thus improving decalcification efficiency. In addition, the operator does not need to directly contact the strong acid, improving the safety of the decalcification process.

[0006] The technical solution of this utility model to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: A bone tissue decalcification machine includes a decalcification machine body, a robotic arm, and a basket; the decalcification machine body includes an acid tank, a first water tank, and a second water tank; the robotic arm is disposed on one side of the decalcification machine body, and the basket is mounted on the robotic arm; the robotic arm is used to immerse the basket into the acid tank, the first water tank, and the second water tank in sequence.

[0007] Based on the above technical solution, the present invention can be further improved as follows.

[0008] Furthermore, the robotic arm includes a base, a horizontal arm, and a vertical arm; the base is disposed on the top side of the decalcification machine body, and a horizontally extending x-axis slide rail is disposed on the top of the base; one end of the horizontal arm is slidably mounted on the x-axis slide rail, and the vertical arm is mounted on the other end of the horizontal arm via a vertical drive mechanism; the basket is disposed at the bottom of the vertical arm.

[0009] Furthermore, the acid cylinder, the first water cylinder, and the second water cylinder are sequentially arranged on the top of the decalcification machine body along a direction parallel to the x-axis slide rail.

[0010] Furthermore, a y-axis slide rail is provided at the top of the cross arm, the y-axis slide rail is horizontally arranged and perpendicular to the x-axis slide rail; the vertical drive mechanism is slidably mounted on the y-axis slide rail.

[0011] Furthermore, a stirring mechanism is provided at the bottom of the basket. The stirring mechanism includes a vertically arranged rotating shaft and multiple stirring blades. The stirring blades are circumferentially arranged at the bottom of the rotating shaft. The top of the rotating shaft passes through the basket and extends into the longitudinal arm. A motor for driving the rotating shaft to rotate is provided on the longitudinal arm.

[0012] Furthermore, the motor is located at the top of the longitudinal arm.

[0013] Furthermore, the bottom of the acid tank, the first water tank, and the second water tank are all provided with a drain pipe that connects to the bottom of one side of the decalcification machine body.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial technical effects: 1. This utility model uses a robotic arm to control the basket to be immersed in the acid tank, the first water tank and the second water tank in sequence. The automatic control system of the robotic arm can accurately control the acid soaking and rinsing time of bone tissue, improve the accuracy of decalcification time, and eliminate the need for manual stirring by the operator, thus improving the decalcification efficiency. 2. Operators do not need to directly contact strong acids, which improves the safety of the decalcification process; 3. The stirring mechanism agitates the acid in the acid tank and the tap water in the first and second water tanks, increasing the frictional contact between the acid, tap water and bone tissue, thereby shortening the soaking time. In addition, the stirring mechanism moves with the basket, eliminating the need to install separate stirring mechanisms in the acid tank, the first water tank, and the second water tank, and eliminating the need to control the stirring mechanisms in the corresponding tanks separately when the basket enters the corresponding tank, making control simpler. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a bone tissue decalcification machine provided in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of region A in the middle; The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows: 1. Decalcification machine body; 11. Acid tank; 12. First water tank; 13. Second water tank; 14. Drain pipe; 2. Mechanical arm; 21. Base; 22. X-axis slide rail; 23. Horizontal arm; 24. Y-axis slide rail; 25. Vertical drive mechanism; 26. Longitudinal arm; 3. Basket; 4. Stirring mechanism; 41. Rotating shaft; 42. Stirring blade; 43. Motor. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more complete description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of this application will be thorough and complete.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application.

[0018] When used herein, the singular forms of “a,” “an,” and “the” may also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” or “having,” etc., specify the presence of the stated feature, whole, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0019] A bone tissue decalcification machine includes a decalcification machine body 1, a robotic arm 2, and a basket 3.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, the top of the decalcification machine body 1 is provided with an acid tank 11, a first water tank 12 and a second water tank 13 in sequence along the left and right directions. The bottom of the acid tank 11, the first water tank 12 and the second water tank 13 are all provided with a drain pipe 14 that connects to the bottom of one side of the decalcification machine body 1.

[0021] The acid tank 11 is used to hold an acidic (hydrochloric acid or nitric acid) decalcification solution for acid soaking and decalcification of bone tissue. The first water tank 12 and the second water tank 13 are both used to hold tap water. The first water tank 12 is used for the initial cleaning of decalcified bone tissue, and the second water tank 13 is used for a second cleaning of bone tissue.

[0022] The robotic arm 2 includes a base 21, a horizontal arm 23, and a vertical arm 26.

[0023] The base 21 is located on the top rear side of the decalcification machine body 1, and the top of the base 21 is provided with an x-axis slide rail 22 that extends horizontally in the left and right direction.

[0024] The horizontal arm 23 extends forward and backward and is perpendicular to the x-axis slide rail 22. The rear end of the horizontal arm 23 is slidably mounted on the x-axis slide rail 22, and the top of the horizontal arm 23 is provided with a y-axis slide rail 24 that extends forward and backward.

[0025] The longitudinal arm 26 is mounted on the front end of the transverse arm 23 via a vertical drive mechanism 25, and the vertical drive mechanism 25 is slidably mounted on the y-axis slide rail 24.

[0026] The basket 3 is located at the bottom of the longitudinal arm 26 and is used to hold the embedding cassette containing bone tissue. The basket 3 is made of acid-resistant material.

[0027] The bottom of the basket 3 is provided with a stirring mechanism 4. The stirring mechanism 4 includes a vertically arranged rotating shaft 41 and multiple stirring blades 42. The stirring blades 42 are arranged circumferentially at the bottom of the rotating shaft 41. The top of the rotating shaft 41 passes through the basket 3 and extends into the longitudinal arm 26. The top of the longitudinal arm 26 is provided with a motor 43. The motor 43 is connected to the top of the rotating shaft 41 and is used to drive the rotating shaft 41 to rotate.

[0028] In this embodiment, the stirring mechanism 4 agitates the acid in the acid tank 11 and the tap water in the first water tank 12 and the second water tank 13, increasing the frictional contact between the acid, tap water, and bone tissue, thereby shortening the soaking time. Furthermore, the stirring mechanism 4 moves with the basket 3, eliminating the need for separate stirring mechanisms 4 in the acid tank 11, the first water tank 12, and the second water tank 13, and simplifying control by eliminating the need to control the stirring mechanisms 4 in each corresponding tank when the basket 3 enters it.

[0029] In this embodiment, the robotic arm 2 is used to immerse the basket 3 into the acid tank 11, the first water tank 12, and the second water tank 13 in sequence.

[0030] Specifically, the user places the bone tissue embedding cassette into basket 3, and robotic arm 2 immerses basket 3 into acid tank 11 for acid immersion and decalcification of the bone tissue for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, robotic arm 2 removes basket 3 and immerses it in the first water tank 12 for initial cleaning of the bone tissue, soaking for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, robotic arm 2 removes basket 3 and immerses it in the second water tank 13 for further cleaning and soaking for 15 minutes. This thorough cleaning further removes residual strong acid solution from the bone marrow tissue, preventing secondary damage to the cell morphology and structure. After 15 minutes, robotic arm 2 automatically raises basket 3 and signals the operator that decalcification is complete.

[0031] In this embodiment, the acid cylinder 11, the first water cylinder 12, and the second water cylinder 13 are parallel to the x-axis slide rail 22. The robotic arm 2 only needs to move along the x-axis slide rail 22 to realize the movement of the basket 3 between the acid cylinder 11, the first water cylinder 12, and the second water cylinder 13. In addition, the position of the longitudinal arm 26 can be adjusted by the y-axis slide rail 24 so that the longitudinal arm 26 is aligned with the acid cylinder 11, the first water cylinder 12, and the second water cylinder 13.

[0032] In this embodiment, the robotic arm 2 controls the basket 3 to be sequentially immersed in the acid tank 11, the first water tank 12, and the second water tank 13. The automatic control system of the robotic arm 2 can accurately control the acid soaking and rinsing time of the bone tissue, improving the accuracy of decalcification time. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for manual stirring by the operator, thus improving decalcification efficiency. In addition, the operator does not need to directly contact the strong acid, improving the safety of the decalcification process.

[0033] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A bone tissue decalcification machine, characterized in that, The system includes a decalcification machine body, a robotic arm, and a basket. The decalcification machine body includes an acid tank, a first water tank, and a second water tank. The robotic arm is located on one side of the decalcification machine body, and the basket is mounted on the robotic arm. The robotic arm is used to immerse the basket sequentially into the acid tank, the first water tank, and the second water tank.

2. The bone tissue decalcification machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic arm includes a base, a horizontal arm, and a vertical arm; the base is located on the top side of the decalcification machine body, and a horizontally extending x-axis slide rail is provided on the top of the base; one end of the horizontal arm is slidably mounted on the x-axis slide rail, and the vertical arm is mounted on the other end of the horizontal arm via a vertical drive mechanism; the basket is located at the bottom of the vertical arm.

3. A bone tissue decalcification machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The acid cylinder, the first water cylinder, and the second water cylinder are sequentially arranged on the top of the decalcification machine body along a direction parallel to the x-axis slide rail.

4. A bone tissue decalcification machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The top of the horizontal arm is provided with a y-axis slide rail, which is horizontally arranged and perpendicular to the x-axis slide rail; the vertical drive mechanism is slidably mounted on the y-axis slide rail.

5. A bone tissue decalcification machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, A stirring mechanism is provided at the bottom of the basket. The stirring mechanism includes a vertically arranged rotating shaft and multiple stirring blades. The stirring blades are arranged circumferentially at the bottom of the rotating shaft. The top of the rotating shaft passes through the basket and extends into the longitudinal arm. A motor for driving the rotating shaft to rotate is provided on the longitudinal arm.

6. A bone tissue decalcification machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, The motor is located at the top of the longitudinal arm.

7. A bone tissue decalcification machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the acid tank, the first water tank, and the second water tank are all provided with a drain pipe that connects to the bottom of one side of the decalcification machine body.

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