An electron microscope grid placement device and placement components

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of electron microscope screen placement, addressing the problem that existing screen holders, when handling large batches of slides, may result in misplacement, re-placement, or omission, leading to result confusion and repetitive work. It provides an electron microscope screen placement device, comprising: a main cylinder and a secondary cylinder; the main cylinder has a first notch on its side wall; the secondary cylinder has a second notch on its side wall, the side wall of the second notch being connected to the side wall of the first notch; the inner bottom wall of the secondary cylinder is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder; the opening of the secondary cylinder is lower than the opening of the main cylinder; when the electron microscope screen is placed in the main cylinder, at least a portion of the orthographic projection of the electron microscope screen toward the bottom wall of the main cylinder falls within the secondary cylinder. This utility model, based on the traditional screen holder, incorporates an electron microscope screen placement device that can hold a single electron microscope screen. During the process of retrieving or inspecting slides with each electron microscope screen, both the screen and the slide can be identified by a separate electron microscope screen placement device, reducing the likelihood of confusion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electron microscope grid placement, and more specifically, to an electron microscope grid placement device and placement components. Background Technology

[0002] An electron microscope grid is a very thin support structure used to support samples for electron microscopic observation. It is usually made of metal, such as copper, gold, or nickel, and has a grid-like structure to allow the electron beam to pass through the sample, thereby obtaining high-resolution images under the electron microscope.

[0003] Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) ultrathin sections are typically placed on a support mesh. These meshes are usually only 3 mm in diameter and about 1 mm thick, making them extremely prone to loss and confusion. While traditional mesh holders can hold multiple meshes and label their positions, processing large batches of sections requires the simultaneous handling of numerous meshes. During the process of removing and re-entering a mesh from its holder, it may be heading to different section retrieval or inspection areas. In such cases, the traditional mesh holders cannot be used simultaneously for labeling, and individual meshes lack specific markings. This can lead to misplacement, re-placement, or omission, resulting in confused results and redundant work. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electron microscope screen placement device and placement components, which solves the problem that existing screen boxes may cause misplacement, re-placement or omission in scenarios involving large-volume slice cutting, leading to confusion of results and repetitive work. At the same time, the electron microscope screen placement device also has the advantage of facilitating the use of screens.

[0005] The embodiments of this utility model are achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] An electron microscope screen holder includes: a main cylinder and a secondary cylinder; the main cylinder has a first notch on its side wall; the secondary cylinder has a second notch on its side wall, the side wall of the second notch being connected to the side wall of the first notch; the inner bottom wall of the secondary cylinder is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder; the opening of the secondary cylinder is lower than the opening of the main cylinder; the main cylinder is used to hold the electron microscope screen, and when the electron microscope screen is placed in the main cylinder, at least a portion of the orthographic projection of the electron microscope screen toward the bottom wall of the main cylinder falls into the secondary cylinder.

[0007] Preferably, the outer bottom wall of the secondary cylinder is higher than the outer bottom wall of the main cylinder.

[0008] Preferably, the maximum width of the main cylinder is greater than or equal to twice the maximum width of the secondary cylinder.

[0009] Preferably, the main cylinder includes: a counterweight bottom and a cylinder wall, wherein the counterweight bottom is provided with a plurality of longitudinal through holes; the first notch is provided in the cylinder wall, and the cylinder wall is connected to the counterweight bottom.

[0010] Preferably, the secondary cylinder has an interconnected extension area and a marking area; the extension area is connected to the inner cavity of the main cylinder; the extension area is at least used to accommodate the net handle.

[0011] Preferably, the inner bottom wall of the extension area is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder and the inner bottom wall of the marking area; the width of the extension area is greater than the width of the netting handle.

[0012] A placement assembly includes: the electron microscope screen placement device and a collection plate; the collection plate is provided with a plurality of placement holes for accommodating the electron microscope screen placement device; the depth of the placement holes is less than the distance between the outer bottom wall of the auxiliary tube and the outer bottom wall of the main tube.

[0013] Preferably, the placement hole includes a cylindrical portion and a variable diameter portion, the diameter of the cylindrical portion being suitable for placing the main cylinder; the variable diameter portion is connected to the bottom end of the cylindrical portion, and the end of the variable diameter portion away from the cylindrical portion passes through the collection plate; the diameter of the variable diameter portion gradually decreases as it extends in a direction away from the cylindrical portion.

[0014] Preferably, the collecting plate is provided with vent holes, which are connected to the variable diameter section; the end of the vent holes is used to communicate with the atmosphere.

[0015] Preferably, the top wall of the collection plate includes: a placement area, a first positioning area, and a second positioning area. The placement area is provided with a plurality of placement holes and is parallelogram-shaped. The first positioning area is located on a first side of the placement area and is provided with a plurality of first marks that correspond to the positions of the placement holes. The second positioning area is located on a second side of the placement area, and the first side and the second side are located on adjacent sides of the placement area. The second positioning area is provided with a plurality of second marks that correspond to the positions of the placement holes.

[0016] This utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0017] This invention incorporates an electron microscope (EM) mesh placement device based on a traditional mesh holder. This device can hold individual EM meshes, and both the mesh and the slide can be clearly identified using this individual device during slide retrieval or EM inspection, minimizing confusion. To reduce the risk of the mesh detaching from the main cylinder, the main cylinder's opening is higher than the secondary cylinder, providing sufficient depth. The secondary cylinder, with its lower height and a first notch, allows tweezers to grip the mesh at a lower angle, facilitating access under the mesh. The lower inner wall of the secondary cylinder, compared to the main cylinder, allows a portion of the mesh's edge to remain suspended after placement, further aiding tweezers in handling it. The secondary cylinder can be equipped with or contain markers to identify the mesh or slide, preventing confusion during testing. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the electron microscope grid placement device.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the electron microscope grid placement device;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the placement of multiple electron microscope grid placement devices;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a top view of the electron microscope grid placement device;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a second top view of the electron microscope grid placement device;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the collection plate structure;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a partial sectional view of the collection plate;

[0026] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the box.

[0027] Icons: 1-Main cylinder, 11-Cylinder wall, 111-First notch, 12-Counterweight base, 121-Longitudinal through hole, 2-Secondary cylinder, 21-Second notch, 22-Extension area, 23-Identification area, 3-Electron microscope screen, 31-Screen handle, 4-Collection plate, 41-Placement hole, 411-Cylinder section, 412-Variable diameter section, 42-Ventilation hole, 43-Placement area, 44-First positioning area, 441-First mark, 45-Second positioning area, 451-Second mark. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, methods, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the methods in the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of this utility model, but not all embodiments.

[0029] Example 1: As Figure 1-2 As shown, an electron microscope screen holder 3 placement device includes: a main cylinder 1 and a secondary cylinder 2; the main cylinder 1 has a first notch 111 on its side wall; the secondary cylinder 2 has a second notch 21 on its side wall, the side wall of the second notch 21 being connected to the side wall of the first notch 111; the inner bottom wall of the secondary cylinder 2 is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder 1; the opening of the secondary cylinder 2 is lower than the opening of the main cylinder 1; the main cylinder 1 is used to place the electron microscope screen holder 3, and when the electron microscope screen holder 3 is placed in the main cylinder 1, at least a portion of the orthographic projection of the electron microscope screen holder 3 toward the bottom wall of the main cylinder 1 falls into the secondary cylinder 2.

[0030] In practice, while traditional screen holders can hold multiple screens, processing large batches of slides requires the simultaneous handling of numerous screens. During the process of removing and re-entering the screen holder, the screens may be destined for different slide retrieval or testing areas. At this point, the screens cannot be simultaneously identified using the aforementioned traditional screen holders, and individual screens lack specific markings. This can lead to misplacement, duplicate placement, or omission, resulting in confused results and repetitive work. The applicant's current method for addressing this issue in the laboratory is to lay filter paper flat, draw a grid on it, and mark each grid. The screens with retrieved slides are then placed in the marked grids. However, the slides and screens are small, simply placed on the filter paper, often resulting in tipping, confusion, and loss. Therefore, the applicant hopes to achieve screen identification after removal from the screen holder using a container that can independently hold the screens. However, the design of such a container must consider at least the following:

[0031] 1. How to simultaneously achieve the stability and safety of a small-volume carrier net? The stability of the carrier net requires the inner cavity of the container to be compatible with the area of ​​the carrier net. As a result, the container is inherently small in volume and weight, making it prone to tipping over, such as when it is overturned by the wind.

[0032] 2. Ease of container handling and ease of netting removal from the container;

[0033] 3. How to better protect the support film on the carrier mesh during use;

[0034] 4. Due to the small size of the container, the clarity of the label is also important.

[0035] To address safety concerns, the applicant designed a deeper main cylinder 1. This makes it less likely for the netting to detach from the main cylinder 1, while also increasing the size and weight of the device to some extent, thus enhancing its stability. However, with a deeper main cylinder 1, its smaller diameter makes it difficult for tweezers to grasp the netting from within. Therefore, the applicant added a secondary cylinder 2. The secondary cylinder 2 is lower in height and, in conjunction with the first notch 111, allows the tweezers to grasp the netting at a lower angle, facilitating the tweezers' access beneath the netting. Figure 2 As shown, the inner bottom wall of the secondary cylinder 2 is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder 1, so that after the carrier net is placed in the main cylinder 1, a part of the edge of the carrier net can be suspended in the air, making it easy for tweezers to pick up the carrier net.

[0036] To ensure clarity of labeling, markers or containers can be placed inside the secondary cylinder 2 to identify the screen or slide, avoiding confusion during experiments. The purpose of not placing the markers on the outer wall of the cylinder is that when the electron microscope screen 3 placement device is placed in the housing, the distance between adjacent placement devices is generally small to save space, which could easily obscure the markers. Positioning the markers in the secondary cylinder 2 also prevents the screen from covering the markers, thus avoiding identification difficulties.

[0037] As an example, a card with a number is placed inside the sub-tube 2, or printed numbers or raised numbers are provided on the bottom wall inside the sub-tube 2. The raised numbers prevent the markings from being lost due to wear and tear.

[0038] Example 2: To facilitate the handling of the device, improvements were made based on Example 1, such as... Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the outer bottom wall of the secondary cylinder 2 is higher than the outer bottom wall of the main cylinder 1.

[0039] In the specific implementation process, when clamping the electron microscope screen 3 placement device, the outer wall of the main cylinder 1 can be clamped, and the clamping part is located below the secondary cylinder 2. Under the limitation of the secondary cylinder 2, the device is not easy to slip off.

[0040] Example 3: To reduce the area occupied by the centralized storage device for electron microscope grid 3, improvements were made based on Example 1, such as... Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the maximum width of the main cylinder 1 is greater than or equal to twice the maximum width of the secondary cylinder 2.

[0041] In specific implementation, since this embodiment includes a secondary cylinder 2, in order to maximize the compactness of the placement of multiple electron microscope grids 3, this embodiment limits the length-to-width relationship between the main cylinder 1 and the secondary cylinder 2 to ensure that they can be arranged as... Figure 3 As shown in the diagram.

[0042] Example 4: To further increase the stability of the device, improvements were made based on Example 3, such as... Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the main cylinder 1 includes: a counterweight bottom 12 and a cylinder wall 11. The counterweight bottom 12 is provided with a plurality of longitudinal through holes 121. The first notch 111 is provided on the cylinder wall 11, and the cylinder wall 11 is connected to the counterweight bottom 12.

[0043] In practice, after the slice retrieval operation, a certain amount of solution remains on the surface of the carrier mesh. Therefore, in this embodiment, a longitudinal through-hole 121 is provided on the bottom wall of the main cylinder 1 to facilitate the air drying of the carrier mesh and slices. However, after opening the longitudinal through-hole 121, the weight of the bottom wall of the main cylinder 1 will be further reduced, affecting the stability of the device. Therefore, in this embodiment, a counterweight base 12 is used to increase the stability of the device by increasing the weight of the bottom wall. To simplify the manufacturing of the placement device, the entire placement device can be made of plastic, and the complex structure can be manufactured through injection molding. The increase in the weight of the bottom wall can be achieved by increasing the thickness of the bottom wall.

[0044] Example 5: To further reduce the obstruction of the signage by the carrier mesh, improvements were made based on Examples 1-4, such as... Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the secondary cylinder 2 is provided with an interconnected extension area 22 and an identification area 23; the extension area 22 is connected to the inner cavity of the main cylinder 1; the extension area 22 is at least used to accommodate the netting handle 31.

[0045] In the specific implementation process, such as Figure 4 As shown, one type of netting is circular in shape, but another type of netting is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, it has a handle. To accommodate the use of nets of different shapes, the structure of the secondary cylinder 2 has been further improved in this embodiment. Although in Figure 4 In this structure, the handle of the netting can be accommodated in the secondary cylinder 2, but the handle 31 will obscure the markings. Therefore, this embodiment provides an extension area 22 and a marking area 23, so that... Figure 5 As shown, the marker is positioned to the side of the net handle 31.

[0046] like Figure 5 As shown, the placement device provided in this embodiment can not only place basic circular carrier nets, but also carrier nets with handles, increasing the applicability of the device.

[0047] Example 6: In order to further increase the ease of clamping the net and the stability of the net, an improvement was made based on Example 5. In this example, the inner bottom wall corresponding to the extension area 22 is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder 1 and the inner bottom wall corresponding to the marking area 23; the width of the extension area 22 is greater than the width of the net handle 31.

[0048] In the specific implementation process, the inner bottom wall corresponding to the extension area 22 and the inner bottom wall corresponding to the marking area 23 are both the inner bottom walls of the secondary cylinder 2. The inner bottom wall of the extension area 22 is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder 1, so that the net-carrying handle 31 is suspended, which makes it easier for the tweezers to clamp the net-carrying handle 31 from above and below. The inner bottom wall of the marking area 23 is higher than the inner bottom wall of the extension area 22, so that the marking area 23 and the extension area 22 form a vertical wall through the height difference. The vertical wall can restrict the movement of the net-carrying handle 31, thereby increasing the placement stability of the net. Since the vertical wall will restrict the tweezers from extending from the free end of the handle to below the handle, this embodiment also designs the width of the extension area 22 to be greater than the width of the net-carrying handle 31, so that the tweezers can clamp from the side of the net-carrying handle 31. Side clamping can also reduce or avoid the influence of the tweezers on the integrity of the support film on the net.

[0049] Example 7: To achieve centralized storage or retrieval of multiple electron microscope grid 3 placement devices, such as... Figure 6 As shown, this embodiment provides a placement component, including: the electron microscope screen 3 placement device and the collection plate 4; the collection plate 4 is provided with a plurality of placement holes 41 for accommodating the electron microscope screen 3 placement device; the depth of the placement holes 41 is less than the distance between the outer bottom wall of the secondary cylinder 2 and the outer bottom wall of the main cylinder 1.

[0050] In the specific implementation process, in order to facilitate the placement and removal of the placement device, this embodiment limits the depth of the placement hole 41, so that after the placement device is housed in the placement hole 41, the secondary cylinder 2 is located outside the placement hole 41 and is suspended to a certain extent, so that the tweezers can reach below the secondary cylinder 2, and the secondary cylinder 2 restricts the main cylinder 1 from slipping when it is clamped.

[0051] As an example, a cover that can be fitted to the collection plate 4 can be provided to ensure the safety and sealing of the placement device by the cover being fitted onto the collection plate 4.

[0052] Example 8: To better achieve air drying after the film is retrieved from the net, improvements were made based on Example 7, such as... Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the placement hole 41 includes a cylindrical portion 411 and a variable diameter portion 412. The diameter of the cylindrical portion 411 is suitable for placing the main cylinder 1. The variable diameter portion 412 is connected to the bottom end of the cylindrical portion 411, and the end of the variable diameter portion 412 away from the cylindrical portion 411 passes through the collection plate 4. The diameter of the variable diameter portion 412 gradually decreases as it extends in the direction away from the cylindrical portion 411.

[0053] In practice, the placement hole 41 through the bottom wall of the collection plate 4 allows for ventilation in the space below the screen, facilitating the drying of the screen after the slides are retrieved. The variable diameter section 412 can limit the height of the placement device and guide the flow of liquid when there is a lot of residual solution on the screen and slide surfaces.

[0054] Example 9: To better achieve air drying of the screen and slices, improvements were made based on Example 8, such as... Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the collection plate 4 is provided with a vent hole 42, which is connected to the variable diameter part 412; the end of the vent hole 42 is used to communicate with the atmosphere.

[0055] In practice, the vent 42 allows the bottom wall of the main cylinder 1 to connect with the external atmospheric environment through the longitudinal through hole 121, the variable diameter part 412 and the vent 42, thereby increasing the airflow and improving the drying efficiency.

[0056] Example 10: To enable faster retrieval of the placement device, improvements were made based on Example 7, such as... Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the top wall of the collection plate 4 includes: a placement area 43, a first positioning area 44, and a second positioning area 45. The placement area 43 is provided with a plurality of placement holes 41 and is parallelogram-shaped. The first positioning area 44 is located on a first side of the placement area 43 and is provided with a plurality of first marks 441 that mate with the positions of the placement holes 41. The second positioning area 45 is located on a second side of the placement area 43. The first side and the second side are located on adjacent sides of the placement area 43 and are provided with a plurality of second marks 451 that mate with the positions of the placement holes 41.

[0057] In specific implementation, multiple electron microscope grid placement devices can be used as follows: Figure 8 The box shown can be further secured by a lid. However, simple box placement can make it difficult to quickly locate the corresponding device or net when retrieving it. The first mark 441 can be a number, the second mark 451 can be a letter, and the markings on the device can be as follows: Figure 4 As shown, a combination of characters and letters is used. The placement position of the device on the collection plate 4 is the corresponding position of its identifier on the collection plate 4.

[0058] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. An electron microscope grid placement device, characterized in that, include: The main cylinder (1) has a first notch (111) on its side wall; A secondary cylinder (2) has a second notch (21) on its side wall, and the side wall of the second notch (21) is connected to the side wall of the first notch (111); the inner bottom wall of the secondary cylinder (2) is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder (1); the opening of the secondary cylinder (2) is lower than the opening of the main cylinder (1); The main cylinder (1) is used to place the electron microscope screen (3). When the electron microscope screen (3) is placed in the main cylinder (1), at least a portion of the orthographic projection of the electron microscope screen (3) toward the bottom wall of the main cylinder (1) falls into the secondary cylinder (2).

2. The electron microscope grid placement device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer bottom wall of the secondary cylinder (2) is higher than the outer bottom wall of the main cylinder (1).

3. The electron microscope grid placement device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum width of the main cylinder (1) is greater than or equal to twice the maximum width of the secondary cylinder (2).

4. The electron microscope grid placement device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The main cylinder (1) includes: The counterweight base (12) is provided with a plurality of longitudinal through holes (121); The cylinder wall (11) has the first notch (111) located on it, and the cylinder wall (11) is connected to the counterweight bottom (12).

5. The electron microscope grid placement device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The secondary cylinder (2) is provided with an interconnected extension area (22) and a marking area (23); the extension area (22) is connected to the inner cavity of the main cylinder (1); the extension area (22) is at least used to accommodate the net handle (31).

6. The electron microscope grid placement device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inner bottom wall of the extension area (22) is lower than the inner bottom wall of the main cylinder (1) and the inner bottom wall of the marking area (23); the width of the extension area (22) is greater than the width of the net handle (31).

7. A placement component, characterized in that, include: The electron microscope grid placement device according to any one of claims 1-6; The collection plate (4) is provided with a plurality of placement holes (41) for accommodating the electron microscope grid placement device; the depth of the placement holes (41) is less than the distance between the outer bottom wall of the sub-cylinder (2) and the outer bottom wall of the main cylinder (1).

8. The placement component according to claim 7, characterized in that, The placement hole (41) includes: A cylindrical section (411), the diameter of which is adapted to accommodate the main cylindrical body (1); A variable diameter section (412) is connected to the bottom end of the cylindrical section (411), and the end of the variable diameter section (412) away from the cylindrical section (411) passes through the collection plate (4); the diameter of the variable diameter section (412) gradually decreases as it extends in the direction away from the cylindrical section (411).

9. The placement component according to claim 8, characterized in that, The collection plate (4) is provided with a vent (42), which is connected to the variable diameter part (412); the end of the vent (42) is used to communicate with the atmosphere.

10. The placement assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The top wall of the collection plate (4) includes: Placement area (43), wherein a plurality of placement holes (41) are provided in the placement area (43), and the placement area (43) is parallelogram-shaped; A first positioning area (44) is located on the first side of the placement area (43), and the first positioning area (44) is provided with a plurality of first marks (441) that cooperate with the position of the placement hole (41). The second positioning area (45) is located on the second side of the placement area (43). The first side and the second side are located on adjacent sides of the placement area (43). The second positioning area (45) is provided with a plurality of second marks (451) that cooperate with the position of the placement hole (41).

Images