Cartridge drive apparatus and gene sequencing library apparatus therefor

Abstract

This invention provides a cartridge driving device and its gene sequencing library equipment. The cartridge driving device includes a frame with a top plate and an assembly through-hole. A cartridge connecting ring is disposed within the assembly through-hole and assembled therewith via bearings. The inner wall of the cartridge connecting ring has a locking groove. A rotary driving assembly is also provided within the frame to drive the cartridge connecting ring to rotate relative to the top plate. This invention achieves a locking connection between the cartridge connecting ring and the layered reagent cartridge through the locking groove. Simultaneously, the rotary driving assembly drives the cartridge connecting ring to rotate by a preset angle, engaging with the pipette of the corresponding pipetting assembly on the library preparation equipment. This enables the movement and reaction of liquids in the reservoirs at different circumferential positions on the layered cartridge, improving the compactness of the device structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of biological detection technology, specifically relating to a cartridge driver device and its gene sequencing library equipment. Background Technology

[0002] IVD medical consumables refer to medical and sanitary materials used in clinical diagnosis, nursing, testing, and repair processes. They come in a wide variety of types and models and are widely used, serving as essential materials for routine medical and nursing work in medical institutions. Consumables, used in conjunction with machines, constitute part of the testing process. The driving and use of consumables are diverse, generally employing different driving methods when used with machines. In existing technologies, insertion and push-in methods are predominantly used for driving consumables, and consumables matching these methods are often multi-well rectangular matrix structures (such as 96-well plates). Due to their flat matrix structure, these consumables are large in size, occupying significant space, which is detrimental to the miniaturization of corresponding equipment. To overcome these shortcomings, a cartridge with a layered design along its height has been proposed in related technologies. At least one layer of the cartridge can be driven to rotate around the central axis of the cartridge, thus allowing the corresponding liquid reservoir holes in different layers to be adjusted circumferentially to match the corresponding pipettes. Therefore, a cartridge driving device capable of driving the rotation of the corresponding layers within the cartridge is required. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a cartridge driving device and its gene sequencing library device, which can overcome the technical deficiency of the prior art in that there is no corresponding matching cartridge driving device for layered cartridges.

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this utility model provides a card holder driving device, comprising a device frame, a top plate, an assembly through hole formed on the top plate, a card holder connecting ring disposed within the assembly through hole, the card holder connecting ring being assembled into the assembly through hole via a bearing, a locking groove being provided on the inner ring wall of the card holder connecting ring, and a rotation driving component disposed within the device frame, the rotation driving component being used to drive the card holder connecting ring to rotate relative to the top plate.

[0005] In some embodiments, the top surface of the cartridge connecting ring has an axial limiting member located on the top side end face of the bearing; and / or, the bottom end of the cartridge connecting ring is provided with a synchronous pulley, the rotary drive assembly includes a drive motor assembly, a drive pulley and a synchronous belt, the drive pulley is mounted on the output shaft of the drive motor assembly, and the synchronous belt is tensioned on the drive pulley and the synchronous pulley.

[0006] In some embodiments, the device frame is further provided with a first temperature control module, which includes a heating unit and a refrigeration unit, and the heating unit and the refrigeration unit are arranged circumferentially around the rotation axis of the card box connecting ring.

[0007] In some embodiments, the heating unit includes a heating plate and a Peltier heating element located below the heating plate, and the refrigeration unit includes a cooling plate and a Peltier cooling element located below the cooling plate. A plurality of first receiving grooves are formed on the top surfaces of the heating plate and the cooling plate, respectively.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first temperature control module further includes a heat sink, wherein the cold end of the Peltier heating element and the hot end of the Peltier cooling element are thermally coupled to the heat sink.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first temperature control module further includes a cooling fan, and both the cooling fan and the radiator are assembled within the device frame. The cooling fan is used to drive airflow through the radiator.

[0010] In some embodiments, the device frame is further provided with a second temperature control module located in the area between the heating unit and the refrigeration unit. The second temperature control module includes a heat-conducting plate that extends along the diameter direction of the bearing. An electric heating film is provided on the bottom surface of the heat-conducting plate, and a plurality of second receiving grooves are provided on the top surface of the heat-conducting plate.

[0011] In some embodiments, the device frame is further provided with a magnetic attraction module, which includes a magnetic attraction component and a translation drive component for driving the magnetic attraction component to move linearly.

[0012] In some embodiments, the magnetic attraction assembly includes a horizontal arm and a first longitudinal arm and a second longitudinal arm located at both ends of the length of the horizontal arm. Magnets are provided on both the first longitudinal arm and the second longitudinal arm. The translation drive assembly includes a lead screw motor, the lead screw of which is threadedly connected to the horizontal arm. The magnetic attraction assembly is slidably connected to the device frame via a slide rail assembly.

[0013] This invention also provides a gene sequencing library device, including the aforementioned cartridge driving device.

[0014] This utility model provides a cartridge driving device and its gene sequencing library equipment. The cartridge connecting ring forms a locking connection with the layered reagent cartridge through the locking groove on the cartridge connecting ring. At the same time, the cartridge connecting ring is driven to rotate by a preset angle through a rotation driving component, which cooperates with the pipette of the corresponding pipetting component on the library construction equipment. This enables the movement and reaction of liquids (samples or reagents) in the liquid storage tubes at different circumferential positions on the layered cartridge, thereby improving the structural compactness of the device. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the card box driving device of this utility model; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Top view of the card box drive unit with the top plate hidden; Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the magnetic suction module.

[0016] The reference numerals in the attached figures are as follows: 21. Device frame; 211. Top plate; 22. Card box connecting ring; 221. Card slot groove; 222. Axial limiting component; 223. Synchronous pulley; 231. Bearing; 232. Rotary drive assembly; 2321. Drive motor assembly; 2322. Drive wheel; 2323. Synchronous belt; 241. Heating plate; 242. Cooling plate; 243. First receiving groove; 245. Cooling fan; 25. Heat conducting plate; 251. Second receiving groove; 261. Screw motor; 2621. Cross arm; 2622. First longitudinal arm; 2623. Second longitudinal arm; 2624. Magnet; 263. Slide rail assembly; 2641. Induction baffle; 2642. Slotted photoelectric sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0017] See also Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the figure, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a card holder driving device is provided, including a device frame 21. The device frame 21 includes a top plate 211, on which an assembly through hole (not shown in the figure) is formed. A card holder connecting ring 22 is provided in the assembly through hole. The card holder connecting ring 22 is assembled in the assembly through hole by a bearing 231. A positioning groove 221 is provided on the inner ring wall of the card holder connecting ring 22. The position, size and number of the aforementioned positioning grooves 221 match the corresponding card protrusions on the card holder. In a specific embodiment, there are two positioning grooves 221. The two positioning grooves 221 are symmetrical about the rotation axis of the bearing 231. A rotation drive assembly 232 is also provided in the device frame 21. The rotation drive assembly 232 is used to drive the card holder connecting ring 22 to rotate relative to the top plate 211.

[0018] In this technical solution, the card holder connecting ring 22 is connected to the layered reagent card holder through the card holder groove 221. At the same time, the card holder connecting ring 22 is driven to rotate by a preset angle through the rotation drive component 232, and cooperates with the pipette of the corresponding liquid preparation device. This enables the movement and reaction of liquids (samples or reagents) in the storage tubes at different circumferential positions on the layered card holder, thereby improving the structural compactness of the device.

[0019] In some embodiments, the top surface of the cartridge connecting ring 22 has an axial limiting member 222, which is located on the top side end face of the bearing 231. Specifically, the axial limiting member 222 extends radially outward along the cartridge connecting ring 22 to form an ear structure. The cartridge connecting ring 22 is seated on the top side end face of the inner ring of the bearing 231 by means of the axial limiting member 222. In a specific embodiment, there are two symmetrically arranged axial limiting members 222 to ensure reliable support for the cartridge connecting ring 22. The axial limiting member 222 can be detachably connected to the cartridge connecting ring 22 by screws.

[0020] In some embodiments, the bottom end of the card box connecting ring 22 is provided with a synchronous pulley 223. The rotary drive assembly 232 includes a drive motor assembly 2321, a drive pulley 2322, and a synchronous belt 2323. In a specific embodiment, the synchronous belt 2323 is a belt with teeth on the inner side. The drive pulley 2322 is fitted on the output shaft of the drive motor assembly 2321. The synchronous belt 2323 is tensioned on the drive pulley 2322 and the synchronous pulley 223. The drive motor assembly 2321 may specifically include a rotary motor and a reducer. In this case, the output shaft is also the output shaft of the reducer. In a preferred embodiment, the motor shaft of the rotary motor is orthogonal to the output shaft, that is, perpendicular. This makes the entire drive motor assembly 2321 arranged horizontally (that is, the rotation axis of the motor shaft is parallel to the horizontal plane). The height of the device frame 21 can be designed to be smaller, and the device structure is more compact.

[0021] In this technical solution, the belt drive mechanism is formed by the synchronous belt 2323, the drive wheel 2322 and the synchronous pulley 223, which makes the structural layout of the rotary drive component 232 more flexible.

[0022] In some embodiments, the device frame 21 is further provided with a first temperature control module (not labeled in the figure), the first temperature control module includes a heating unit (not labeled in the figure) and a refrigeration unit (not labeled in the figure), the heating unit and the refrigeration unit are arranged circumferentially around the rotation axis of the card box connecting ring 22.

[0023] In this technical solution, the first temperature control module has both a heating unit and a refrigeration unit. The liquid storage tubes that need to be heated and those that need to be refrigerated on the layered reagent cartridges can be respectively connected to the aforementioned heating unit and refrigeration unit, thereby achieving heating or refrigeration (cooling) of the liquid and meeting the corresponding sample processing requirements.

[0024] In some embodiments, the heating unit includes a heating plate 241 and a Peltier heating element (not shown) located below the heating plate 241, and the refrigeration unit includes a cooling plate 242 and a Peltier cooling element (not shown) located below the cooling plate 242. A plurality of first receiving grooves 243 are formed on the top surfaces of the heating plate 241 and the cooling plate 242, and the corresponding liquid storage tubes are accommodated in the corresponding first receiving grooves 243.

[0025] In this technical solution, Peltier heating elements and Peltier cooling elements are used to adjust the heating and refrigeration temperatures respectively, which has the advantages of high temperature control accuracy and high temperature adjustment response rate. At this time, because the temperature control of the Peltier heating element is more precise, each liquid storage tube in the PCR area on the layered cartridge can be placed in the corresponding first receiving groove 243.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first temperature control module further includes a heat sink (not shown in the figure), wherein the cold end of the Peltier heating element and the hot end of the Peltier cooling element are thermally coupled to the heat sink. That is, the cold end of the Peltier heating element and the hot end of the Peltier cooling element are both connected to the top side surface of the heat sink. This can further simplify the structural design and improve the compactness of the device while meeting the heat dissipation requirements of the Peltier semiconductor element. The aforementioned heat sink is, for example, a finned heat sink.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first temperature control module further includes a cooling fan 245, and the cooling fan 245 and the radiator are both assembled within the device frame 21. The cooling fan 245 is used to drive airflow through the radiator to achieve efficient air cooling of the radiator.

[0028] In some embodiments, a second temperature control module (not indicated in the figure) is also provided within the device frame 21, located in the area between the heating unit and the refrigeration unit. The second temperature control module includes a heat-conducting plate 25, which extends along the diameter direction of the bearing 231. An electric heating film (which can be a conventional resistance wire film) is provided on the bottom surface of the heat-conducting plate 25. A plurality of second receiving grooves 251 are provided on the top surface of the heat-conducting plate 25, and the liquid storage tubes at corresponding positions in the layered card box are accommodated in each of the second receiving grooves 251.

[0029] In this technical solution, a second temperature control module using an electric heating film is installed inside the device frame 21, which can heat and insulate the corresponding liquid storage tube, thereby reducing the device design cost.

[0030] In some embodiments, the device frame 21 is further provided with a magnetic attraction module (not labeled in the figure). The magnetic attraction module includes a magnetic attraction component (not labeled in the figure) and a translation drive component (not labeled in the figure) for driving the magnetic attraction component to move linearly. The aforementioned magnetic attraction component is used to attract magnetic beads in the liquid storage tube that it contacts, so as to facilitate the cleaning, purification and other operations of the corresponding samples.

[0031] In some embodiments, the magnetic suction assembly includes a horizontal arm 2621 and a first vertical arm 2622 and a second vertical arm 2623 located at both ends of the horizontal arm 2621, thus forming an I-shape in appearance. The first vertical arm 2622 and the second vertical arm 2623 are respectively located on opposite sides of the layered card box. Magnets 2624 (permanent magnets) are provided on both the first vertical arm 2622 and the second vertical arm 2623. The translation drive assembly includes a lead screw motor 261, the lead screw of which is threadedly connected to the horizontal arm 2621. The magnetic suction assembly is slidably connected to the device frame 21 via a slide rail assembly 263. This allows the alternating use of two sets of magnets 2624 using the same lead screw motor 261, further simplifying the structural design. In specific applications, the lead screw motor 261 can be controlled to rotate forward to drive the magnetic suction assembly to extend. At this time, the magnets 2624 on the first vertical arm 2622... The magnetic beads inside the storage tube are attracted by the magnetic wall of the layered card box corresponding to its position. At the same time, the magnet 2624 of the second vertical arm 2623 does not contact the outer wall of the storage tube and does not attract the magnetic beads. Conversely, when the lead screw motor 261 reverses and drives the magnetic attraction assembly to retract, the magnet 2624 of the second vertical arm 2623 contacts the outer wall of the storage tube corresponding to the layered card box, attracting the magnetic beads inside the storage tube. Meanwhile, the magnet 2624 of the first vertical arm 2622 does not contact the outer wall of the storage tube and does not attract the magnetic beads. This achieves alternating contact between the magnet 2624 of the first vertical arm 2622 and the outer wall of the storage tube. Of course, according to the actual testing requirements, the magnets 2624 of the first vertical arm 2622 and the second vertical arm 2623 can also be in a completely detached, non-attractive state where they do not contact the outer wall of the storage tube at the same time.

[0032] In one specific embodiment, each of the magnets 2624 has an arc-shaped groove on its side facing the liquid storage tube that matches the outer wall surface of the liquid storage tube, which can ensure close contact between the magnet 2624 and the outer wall of each liquid storage tube and ensure the reliability of magnetic bead adsorption.

[0033] To ensure the positional accuracy of the magnet 2624, a sensing baffle 2641 is provided on the second longitudinal arm 2623, and a slotted photoelectric sensor 2642 is provided on the device frame 21. This allows for real-time detection of the position of the second longitudinal arm 2623. In a specific embodiment, when the aforementioned slotted photoelectric sensor 2642 senses the sensing baffle 2641, it indicates that the magnet 2624 of the first longitudinal arm 2622 is in contact with the outer wall of the corresponding liquid storage tube. This state can be defined as the initial position of the lead screw motor 261.

[0034] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a gene sequencing library device is also provided, including the above-described cartridge driving device.

[0035] It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the aforementioned advantageous methods can be freely combined and superimposed without conflict.

[0036] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. The above are only preferred embodiments of this utility model. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A card holder driving device, characterized in that, The device includes a frame (21), which includes a top plate (211) with an assembly through hole. A card holder connecting ring (22) is provided in the assembly through hole. The card holder connecting ring (22) is assembled in the assembly through hole by a bearing (231). A slotting groove (221) is provided on the inner ring wall of the card holder connecting ring (22). A rotation drive assembly (232) is also provided in the device frame (21). The rotation drive assembly (232) is used to drive the card holder connecting ring (22) to rotate relative to the top plate (211).

2. The card holder driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top surface of the cartridge connecting ring (22) has an axial limiting member (222), which is located on the top side end face of the bearing (231); and / or, the bottom end of the cartridge connecting ring (22) is provided with a synchronous wheel (223), the rotary drive assembly (232) includes a drive motor assembly (2321), a drive wheel (2322) and a synchronous belt (2323), the drive wheel (2322) is fitted on the output shaft of the drive motor assembly (2321), and the synchronous belt (2323) is tensioned on the drive wheel (2322) and the synchronous wheel (223).

3. The card holder driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device frame (21) is also provided with a first temperature control module, which includes a heating unit and a refrigeration unit. The heating unit and the refrigeration unit are arranged circumferentially around the rotation axis of the card box connecting ring (22).

4. The card holder driving device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The heating unit includes a heating plate (241) and a Peltier heating element located below the heating plate (241). The refrigeration unit includes a cooling plate (242) and a Peltier cooling element located below the cooling plate (242). A plurality of first receiving grooves (243) are formed on the top surfaces of the heating plate (241) and the cooling plate (242).

5. The card holder driving device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first temperature control module also includes a heat sink, and the cold end of the Peltier heating element and the hot end of the Peltier cooling element are both thermally coupled to the heat sink.

6. The card holder driving device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first temperature control module also includes a cooling fan (245), and the cooling fan (245) and the radiator are both assembled in the device frame (21). The cooling fan (245) is used to drive airflow through the radiator.

7. The card holder driving device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The device frame (21) is also provided with a second temperature control module, which is located in the area between the heating unit and the refrigeration unit. The second temperature control module includes a heat-conducting plate (25), which extends along the diameter direction of the bearing (231). An electric heating film is provided on the bottom surface of the heat-conducting plate (25), and a plurality of second receiving grooves (251) are provided on the top surface of the heat-conducting plate (25).

8. The card holder driving device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device frame (21) is also provided with a magnetic attraction module, which includes a magnetic attraction component and a translation drive component for driving the magnetic attraction component to move linearly.

9. The card holder driving device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The magnetic attraction assembly includes a horizontal arm (2621) and a first vertical arm (2622) and a second vertical arm (2623) located at both ends of the length of the horizontal arm (2621). Magnets (2624) are provided on both the first vertical arm (2622) and the second vertical arm (2623). The translation drive assembly includes a lead screw motor (261). The lead screw of the lead screw motor (261) is threadedly connected to the horizontal arm (2621). The magnetic attraction assembly is slidably connected to the device frame (21) via a slide rail assembly (263).

10. A gene sequencing library device, characterized in that, The card drive device includes any one of claims 1 to 9.

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