Capacity locking mechanism of pipettor, and pipettor

Abstract

The present application discloses a capacity locking mechanism of a pipettor, and the pipettor. The capacity locking mechanism comprises: a driving member; a first locking member, which is sleeved on the driving member, the first locking member being configured to be rotatably coupled to the driving member; a second locking member, which is sleeved on the driving member and configured to be movable in a first direction, such that a state of the second locking member is switchable between a locking configuration in which the second locking member is rotatably coupled to the first locking member in a tight fitting manner and an unlocking configuration in which the second locking member is separated from the first locking member; and an actuation unit, which is configured to drive the second locking member to move in the first direction. The capacity locking mechanism of the present application achieves the rotational locking of a plunger rod by means of the meshed cooperation between the first locking member and the second locking member, and can achieve the rotational locking or unlocking of the plunger rod by controlling the second locking member to abut against or be detached from the first locking member, thereby effectively avoiding the problem of locking drift caused by locking manners such as friction and clamping.

Description

CAPACITY LOCKING MECHANISM OF PIPETTOR, AND PIPETTORTechnical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of pipettors, and in particular, to a capacity locking mechanism of a pipettor, and the pipettor.Background Art

[0002] Typically, a pipettor achieves an operation of transferring a volume of liquid by means of a vacuum generated by retraction of a piston in a pipettor body. The movement of the pipettor piston is regulated such that a desired amount of liquid can be sucked into a suction head at a suction stage of the pipetting operation. Since a user may need to suck a variety of liquids of different volumes by using the pipettor, the pipettor typically provides different volume ranges and the adjustability within a selected volume range. The volume adjustability is typically achieved by manually rotating a disposed volume setting shaft or a plunger operation knob and an associated plunger of the pipettor to change a volume setting of the pipettor by means of one of a plurality of possible associated mechanisms.

[0003] To achieve capacity locking after the volume adjustment is completed, the pipettor typically further provides a capacity locking device for locking a plunger or an associated mechanism. Currently, the capacity locking device usually locks the capacity by means of pressure clamping to a driving part or a self-friction force. However, a clamping structure and a self-friction structure are prone to getting loose in a liquid pipetting process, causing a rotation offset of a driving member, and thus resulting in a deviation of an experiment result.Summary of the Invention

[0004] An object of the present application is to provide a capacity locking mechanism of a pipettor, and the pipettor, in order to solve the technical problem existing in the prior art that a conventional capacity locking device usually locks the capacity by means of pressure clamping to a driving part or a self-friction force, however, a clamping structure and a self-friction structure are prone to getting loose in a liquid pipetting process, then causing a rotation offset of a driving member, and thus resulting in a deviation of an experiment result.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned object, a technical solution adopted in the present application is described below.

[0006] The present application provides a capacity locking mechanism of a pipettor, the capacity locking mechanism comprising:

[0007] a driving member, which is configured to be rotatably coupled to a plunger rod;

[0008] a first locking member, which is sleeved on the driving member, the first locking member being configured to be rotatably coupled to the driving member;

[0009] a second locking member, which is sleeved on the driving member and configured to be movable in a first direction, such that a state of the second locking member is switchable between a locking configuration and an unlocking configuration, when the second locking member is in the locking configuration, the second locking member is rotatably coupled to the first locking member in a tight fitting manner, and when the second locking member is in the unlocking configuration, the second locking member is separated from the first locking member; and

[0010] an actuation unit, which is configured to drive the second locking member to move in the first direction such that the state of the second locking member is switched between the locking configuration and the unlocking configuration;

[0011] wherein the first direction is an axial direction of the driving member.

[0012] In one or more implementations, the first locking member comprises a first locking surface facing the second locking member, and a circle of first meshing teeth are arranged on the first locking surface;

[0013] the second locking member comprises a second locking surface facing the first locking surface, and a circle of second meshing teeth matching the first meshing teeth are arranged on the second locking surface;

[0014] wherein when the second locking member is in the locking configuration, the second meshing teeth are meshed with the second meshing teeth to lock the first locking member and the second locking member in a rotation direction.

[0015] In one or more implementations, the second locking member comprises a compressed portion, the actuation unit comprises an actuation end located on one side of the compressed portion in the first direction, and the actuation unit drives the actuation end to move in the first direction, such that the actuation end abuts against the compressed portion to drive the second locking member to move in the first direction.

[0016] In one or more implementations, the actuation unit comprises:

[0017] a limiting member, which is arranged on the side of the compressed portion in the first direction, a penetrating limiting hole being arranged inside the limiting member, the limiting hole extending in the first direction, and a limiting portion being disposed on an inner wall of the limiting hole; and

[0018] an actuator, which is movably arranged in the limiting hole, the actuation end being disposed at an end of the actuator facing the compressed portion, and the actuator being provided with a locking portion that can cooperate with the limiting portion to lock a position of the actuator;

[0019] wherein when the locking portion cooperates with the limiting portion for locking, the actuation end abuts against the compressed portion to limit the second locking member in the unlocking configuration; and when the locking portion is detached from the limiting portion, the actuation end can move in a direction away from the compressed portion, such that the second locking member can be reset to the locking configuration.

[0020] In one or more implementations, the limiting portion comprises first protruding edges arranged on the inner wall of the limiting hole at uniform intervals, the first protruding edges extending in the first direction, and limiting surfaces are disposed on end surfaces of the first protruding ridges facing the compressed portion;

[0021] the locking portion comprises second protruding edges arranged on an outer wall of the actuator at uniform intervals, the second protruding edges extend in the first direction, and locking surfaces are disposed on end surfaces of the second protruding edges facing away from the compressed portion;

[0022] wherein the locking surfaces can cooperatively abut against the limiting surfaces to lock the position of the actuator.

[0023] In one or more implementations, the actuation unit further comprises a manipulator, the manipulator is arranged in the limiting hole, the manipulator is sleeved on a side of the actuator facing away from the compressed portion, and the manipulator is configured to drive the actuator to move in the first direction and in a circumferential direction, such that the locking surfaces can cooperatively abut against the limiting surfaces or can be detached from the limiting surfaces.

[0024] In one or more implementations, the limiting portion further comprises third protruding ridges arranged on two sides of each of the first protruding ridges, the third protruding ridges extend in the first direction, and end surfaces of the third protruding ridges facing the compressed portion are provided with first guide surfaces inclined relative to the circumferential direction, the first guide surfaces and the limiting surfaces are connected into a whole, and a locking slot is formed between each of third protruding ridges and the third protruding ridge on an adjacent side;

[0025] an end surface of the manipulator facing the compressed portion is provided with a circle of saw teeth, and the saw teeth comprise second guide surfaces inclined relative to the circumferential direction;

[0026] wherein the saw teeth are configured to abut against the locking surfaces and drive the actuator to be detached from the limiting surfaces when the manipulator moves towards the compressed portion, the second guide surfaces are configured to guide the actuator to the first guide surfaces by abutting against the locking surfaces, and the first guide surfaces are configured to guide the actuator to the limiting surfaces or the locking slots by abutting against the locking surfaces.

[0027] In one or more implementations, the thickness of the third protruding ridges is greater than that of the first protruding ridges, such that a guide slot is formed between the third protruding ridges on two sides of each of the first protruding ridges; a plurality of guide blocks are arranged on an outer wall of the manipulator at uniform intervals, the guide blocks extend in the first direction, and the guide blocks are embedded into the guide slots or the locking slots to limit a movement direction of the manipulator.

[0028] In one or more implementations, an end of the manipulator facing away from the actuator is provided with three elastic arms arranged at uniform intervals, the elastic arms extend in the first direction, and the three elastic arms enclose an elastic space; when the manipulator drives the actuator to move, the actuator is embedded into the elastic space and expands the elastic arms outwardly, such that after the actuator moves in place, the manipulator can be reset under the elastic action of the elastic arms.

[0029] In one or more implementations, an end surface of the actuation end of the actuator is provided with a notch, and a side of the compressed portion facing the actuator is provided with a boss matching the notch.

[0030] In one or more implementations, the capacity locking mechanism further comprises an energy storage spring arranged between one end of the driving member and the second locking member, the energy storage spring being configured to drive the second locking member to move towards the first locking member.

[0031] In one or more implementations, a circumferential surface of the driving member is provided with a circle of step, and an inner wall of the first locking member is provided with a recess matching the step, such that the first locking member is mounted on the step in a sleeved manner; the first locking member can be pressed against the step, such that the first locking member is rotatably coupled to the driving member.

[0032] To achieve the above-mentioned object, another technical solution adopted in the present application is described below.

[0033] The present application provides a pipettor, characterized by comprising a capacity locking mechanism according to any one of the above-mentioned implementations.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects.

[0035] The capacity locking mechanism of the present application achieves the rotational locking of the plunger rod by means of the meshed cooperation between the first locking member and the second locking member, and can achieve the rotational locking or unlocking of the plunger rod by controlling the second locking member to abut against or be detached from the first locking member, thereby effectively avoiding the problem of locking drift caused by locking manners such as friction and clamping; and

[0036] the capacity locking mechanism of the present application is simple in structure and convenient and fast to operate, which is conductive to freeing the hands of an operator and reducing the difficulty.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0037] To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or in the prior art more clearly, the following briefly describes the accompanying drawings used in describing the embodiments or the prior art. It is clear that, the accompanying drawings in the following description show some embodiments of the present application, and a person of ordinary skill in the art may still derive another drawing from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.

[0038] Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a capacity locking mechanism of a pipettor according to an implementation of the present application;

[0039] Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the capacity locking mechanism of the pipettor after assembly according to an implementation of the present application;

[0040] Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective structural diagram of a second locking member according to an implementation of the present application;

[0041] Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the capacity locking mechanism when the second locking member is in an unlocking configuration according to an implementation of the present application;

[0042] Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective structural diagram of a limiting member according to an implementation of the present application;

[0043] Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the limiting member according to an implementation of the present application;

[0044] Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective structural diagram of an actuator according to an implementation of the present application;

[0045] Fig. 8 is a front schematic structural diagram of the actuator according to an implementation of the present application;

[0046] Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a manipulator according to an implementation of the present application;

[0047] Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an actuation unit after assembly according to an implementation of the present application; and

[0048] Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a pipettor according to an implementation of the present application.

[0049] Description of main reference numerals:

[0050] Driving member 10; Through hole 101; Step 102; Flange 103;

[0051] Plunger rod 20;

[0052] First locking member 30; Recess 301; First locking surface 302; First meshing tooth 303;

[0053] Second locking member 40; Second locking surface 401; Second meshing tooth 402; compressed portion 403; Boss 404;

[0054] Upper cover assembly 50;

[0055] Actuation unit 60;

[0056] Limiting member 70; Limiting hole 701; Limiting portion 702; First protruding ridge 703; Limiting surface 704; Third protruding ridge 705; First guide surface 706; Locking slot 707; Guide slot 708;

[0057] Actuator 80; Actuation end 801; Locking portion 802; Second protruding ridge 803; Locking surface 804; Notch 805;

[0058] Manipulator 90; Saw tooth 901; Second guide surface 902; Guide block 903; Elastic arm 904; Elastic space 905;

[0059] Volume bolt 100; and

[0060] Energy storage spring 110.Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0061] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the technical solutions in embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely some of, rather than all, the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0062] Since a user may need to suck a variety of liquids of different volumes by using a pipettor, the pipettor typically provides different volume ranges and the adjustability within a selected volume range. The volume adjustability is typically achieved by the following means: a disposed volume setting shaft or a plunger operation knob and an associated plunger of the pipettor are manually rotated to change a volume setting of the pipettor by means of one of a plurality of possible associated mechanisms.

[0063] To achieve capacity locking after the volume adjustment is completed, the pipettor typically further provides a capacity locking device for locking a plunger or an associated mechanism. Currently, the capacity locking device usually locks the capacity by means of pressure clamping to a driving part or a self-friction force. However, a clamping structure and a self-friction structure are prone to getting loose in a liquid pipetting process, then causing a rotation offset of a driving member, and thus resulting in a deviation of an experiment result.

[0064] To solve the above problem, the applicant has developed a novel capacity locking mechanism of a pipettor. The capacity locking mechanism meshes and locks a plunger rod by means of meshing teeth, so that the problem of locking drift caused by manners such as friction and clamping is avoided. In addition, the capacity locking mechanism is simple in structure and convenient and fast to operate, which is conductive to freeing the hands of an operator and reducing the difficulty.

[0065] Specifically, referring to Fig. 1, Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a capacity locking mechanism of a pipettor according to an implementation of the present application.

[0066] As shown in Fig. 1, the capacity locking mechanism comprises a driving member 10, the driving member 10 is configured to be rotatably coupled to a plunger rod, that is, the driving member 10 and the plunger rod are locked with each other in a rotation direction, and the plunger rod can also perform an axial movement relative to the driving member 10. Thus, it can be implemented that, when the plunger rod is rotated to drive a volume bolt to rotate so as to achieve capacity adjustment, the driving member 10 rotates synchronously; and when the plunger rod is manipulated to perform an axial movement so as to achieve an operation of sucking a certain volume of liquid, the driving member 10 remains in a stationary state without interfering with the axial movement of the plunger rod 20.

[0067] Therefore, a rotational movement of the plunger rod can be locked by locking a rotational movement of the driving member 10, and the capacity locking of the pipettor is achieved finally.

[0068] In an implementation, the rotatable coupling between the driving member 10 and the plunger rod can be implemented by adopting a non-circular design for at least part of the plunger rod 20, such as a square, pentagonal or hexagonal design, a penetrating hole is formed inside the driving member 10 or a fixing member which is rotatably coupled to the driving member 10, and a cross section of at least part of the hole is of a non-circular structure that fits with the plunger rod, and the plunger rod penetrates through the hole to achieve the rotatable coupling between the plunger rod and the hole.

[0069] Specifically, referring to Fig. 2, Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the capacity locking mechanism of the pipettor after assembly according to an implementation of the present application. As shown in this figure, the driving member 10 can be pressed by an upper cover assembly 50, such that the driving member 10 is rotatably coupled to the upper cover assembly 50; a penetrating mounting hole 501 is formed in the upper cover assembly 50, a cross section of the mounting hole 501 may be hexagonal, and a penetrating through hole 101 is formed inside the driving member 10.

[0070] The plunger rod 20 penetrates through the mounting hole 501 and the through hole 101, and a cross section of a portion of the plunger rod 20 in contact with the mounting hole 501 may be of a hexagonal structure fitting with the mounting hole 501, so that the rotatable coupling between the plunger rod 20 and the driving member 10 is achieved.

[0071] Of course, in other implementations, the rotatable coupling between the plunger rod 20 and the driving member 10 may also be achieved by other means, for example, an outer wall of the plunger rod 20 may be provided with a protrusion structure, and a hole wall of the through hole 101 of the driving member 10 or a hole wall of the mounting hole 501 of the upper cover assembly 50 may be provided with an axially extending sliding groove that fits with the protrusion structure, such that the plunger rod 20 and the driving member 10 can be rotatably coupled and can move axially relative to each other, or the effect of this implementation can be achieved by adopting other commonly used structural designs in the prior art.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 1, the capacity locking mechanism further comprises a first locking member 30 and a second locking member 40 that are sleeved on the driving member 10, the first locking member 30 can be rotatably coupled to the driving member 10, and the second locking member 40 can be configured to move in a first direction Z.

[0073] Specifically, the second locking member 40 has a locking configuration and an unlocking configuration. When the second locking member 40 is in the locking configuration, the second locking member 40 and the first locking member 30 are tightly rotatably coupled in a tight fitting manner; and when the second locking member 40 is in the unlocking configuration, the second locking member 40 is separated from the first locking member 30.

[0074] It can be understood that when the second locking member 40 is in the locking configuration, the second locking member 40 can be rotatably coupled to the first locking member 30, meanwhile, the first locking member 30 is rotatably coupled to the driving member 10, and the driving member 10 is rotatably coupled to the plunger rod 20, so that the plunger rod 20 can be locked in a rotation direction to achieve capacity locking. When the second locking member 40 is in the unlocking configuration, the first locking member 30 is not rotatably coupled to the second locking member 40. In this case, the plunger rod 20 can rotate to drive the volume bolt 100 to rotate, so as to achieve the capacity adjustment, and a driving rod and the first locking member 30 can synchronously rotate with the plunger rod 20.

[0075] In an implementation, the rotatable coupling therebetween can be achieved by pressing the first locking member 30 on the driving member 10. Specifically, referring to Fig. 2, a circumferential surface of the driving member 10 may be provided with a circle of step 102, and an inner wall of the first locking member 30 is provided with a recess 301 matching the step 102, such that the first locking member 30 is mounted on the step 102 in a sleeved manner.

[0076] In an implementation, the first locking member 30 can be assembled to the upper cover assembly 50 of the pipettor and pressed against the step 102, such that the first locking member 30 is rotatably coupled to the driving member 10.

[0077] Currently, in other implementations, the first locking member 30 may be integrally formed with the driving member 10 to achieve the rotatable coupling between the first locking member 30 and the driving member 10, or the first locking member 30 may be fixed to the driving member 10 by means of a snap-fit fastening structure or the like to achieve the rotatable coupling between the first locking member 30 and the driving member 10, and both of the means can achieve the effect of this implementation.

[0078] Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective structural diagram of the second locking member according to an implementation of the present application. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, in this implementation, the first locking member 30 comprises a first locking surface 302 facing the second locking member 40, and a circle of first meshing teeth 303 is arranged on the first locking surface 302.

[0079] The second locking member 40 comprises a second locking surface 401 facing the first locking surface 302, and a circle of second meshing teeth 402 matching the first meshing teeth 303 is arranged on the second locking surface 401.

[0080] When the second locking member 40 is in the locking configuration, the first locking surface 302 fits with the second locking surface 401, such that the second meshing teeth 402 are meshed with the second meshing teeth 402 to lock the first locking member 30 and the second locking member 40 in the rotation direction, and thus the rotational locking of the driving member 10 and the plunger rod 20 is achieved.

[0081] Referring to Fig. 4, Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the capacity locking mechanism when the second locking member is in the unlocking configuration according to an implementation of the present application. When the second locking member 40 is in the unlocking configuration, the first locking surface 302 is separated from the second locking surface 401, so that the rotational unlocking of the first locking member 30 is achieved.

[0082] In other implementations, the contact locking of the first locking member 30 and the second locking member 40 may also be achieved by adopting other structures, such as a snap-fit fastening structure, and the effect of this implementation can also be achieved.

[0083] To ensure the fitting stability between the first locking member 30 and the second locking member 40 and to achieve the automatic reset of the second locking member 40 from the unlocking configuration to the locking configuration, the capacity locking mechanism further comprises an energy storage spring 110, the energy storage spring 110 is arranged between one end of the driving member 10 and the second locking member 40, and the energy storage spring 110 is configured to drive the second locking member 40 to move towards the first locking member 30.

[0084] Specifically, to facilitate the arrangement of the energy storage spring 110, in this implementation, a circle of flange 103 is further disposed on a circumferential surface of an end of the driving member 10 facing away from the first locking member 30, and the energy storage spring 110 is sleeved on the driving member 10, with one end thereof being mounted on the flange 103, and the other end thereof being mounted on the second locking member 40.

[0085] To facilitate manipulating the second locking member 40, the second locking member 40 further comprises a compressed portion 403, and the capacity locking mechanism further comprises an actuation unit 60 for driving the second locking member 40 to move in the first direction Z so as to drive the second locking member 40 to be switched from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration.

[0086] Specifically, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the actuation unit 60 may comprise an actuation end 801 located on one side of the compressed portion 403 in the first direction Z, the actuation unit 60 drives the actuation end 801 to move in the first direction Z, such that the actuation end 801 abuts against the compressed portion 403 to drive the second locking member 40 to move in the first direction Z.

[0087] To ensure the contact stability between the actuation end 801 and the compressed portion 403 and to avoid a misalignment phenomenon occurring when the actuation end 801 drives the compressed portion 403 to move, in this implementation, an end surface of the actuation end 801 of the actuator 80 is further provided with a notch 805, and a surface of the compressed portion 403 facing the actuation end 801 is provided with a boss 404 matching the notch 805. When the actuation end 801 abuts against the compressed portion 403, the boss 404 extends into the notch 805, and thus the stable contact between the compressed portion 403 and the actuation end 801 is ensured.

[0088] It can be understood that the state switching of the second locking member 40 between the locking configuration and the unlocking configuration can be achieved by means of a linear telescopic movement of the actuation unit 60, and thus the rotational locking and unlocking of the plunger rod 20 are achieved. Any telescopic structure commonly used in the art may be adopted as the actuation unit 60, such as an electric telescopic rod, which can achieve capacity locking and unlocking operations.

[0089] In an implementation, to simplify a structure of the pipettor and meanwhile facilitate an operator’s operation, the actuation unit 60 in the art can adopt a press-type structure, which achieves one-time state switching of the second locking member 40 between the unlocking configuration and the locking configuration by means of one-time pressing by the operator. The structure of the actuation unit 60 in an implementation of the present application will be described in detail below.

[0090] As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the actuation unit 60 comprises a limiting member 70 and the actuator 80. The limiting member 70 is arranged on one side of the compressed portion 403 in the first direction Z, a penetrating limiting hole 701 is arranged inside the limiting hole 701, the limiting hole 701 extends in the first direction Z, and a limiting portion 702 is disposed on an inner wall of the limiting hole 701;

[0091] the actuator 80 is movably arranged in the limiting hole 701, the actuation end 801 is disposed at an end of the actuator 80 facing the compressed portion 403, and the actuator 80 is provided with a locking portion 802 which can cooperate with the limiting portion 702 to lock the position of the actuator 80;

[0092] wherein when the locking portion 802 cooperates with the limiting portion 702 for locking, the actuation end 801 can extend out of the limiting hole 701 and abut against the compressed portion 403 to limit the second locking member 40 in the unlocking configuration, the locking portion 802 is detached from the limiting portion 702, and the actuation end 801 can be retracted into the limiting hole 701, such that the second locking member 40 can be reset to the locking configuration.

[0093] The operator can achieve configuration switching of the second locking member 40 by manipulating the movement of the actuator 80 inside the limiting hole 701.

[0094] It should be noted that, in the above-mentioned implementations, when the second locking member 40 is in the unlocking configuration, the actuation end 801 extends out of the limiting hole 701, and when the second locking member 40 is in the locking configuration, the actuation end 801 is retracted back into the limiting hole 701; and in other implementations, the actuation end 801 may also be always located inside the limiting hole 701, or may be always located outside the limiting hole 701.

[0095] Exemplarily, in another implementation, the boss 403 located at the compressed portion 401 is set to have an enough large height, such that when the second locking member 40 is in the unlocking configuration, the boss 403 can extend into the limiting hole 701 and abut against the actuation end 801, and in this case, the actuation end 801 can always move inside the limiting hole 701; in still another implementation, an enough large distance is set between the compressed portion 401 and the limiting hole 701, such that when the second locking member 40 is in the locking configuration, the boss 403 is still not inserted into the limiting hole 701, and the actuation end 801 can also always move outside the limiting hole 701; and as long as the state switching of the second locking member 40 between the unlocking configuration and the locking configuration can be controlled by means of the telescopic movement of the actuation end 801, all of the means can achieve the effect of this implementation, which is not limited herein.

[0096] The structures of the limiting member 70 and the actuator 80 will be described in detail below. Referring to Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective structural diagram of the limiting member according to an implementation of the present application, Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the limiting member according to an implementation of the present application, Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective structural diagram of the actuator according to an implementation of the present application, and Fig. 8 is a front schematic structural diagram of the actuator according to an implementation of the present application.

[0097] The limiting portion 702 comprises first protruding edges 703 arranged on the inner wall of the limiting hole 701 at uniform intervals, the first protruding edges 703 extend in the first direction Z, and limiting surfaces 704 are disposed on end surfaces of the first protruding ridges 703 facing the compressed portion 403.

[0098] The locking portion 802 comprises second protruding edges 803 arranged on an outer wall of the actuator 80 at uniform intervals, the second protruding edges 803 extend in the first direction Z, and locking surfaces 804 are disposed on end surfaces of the second protruding edges 803 facing away from the compressed portion 403;

[0099] wherein the locking surfaces 804 can cooperatively abut against the limiting surfaces 704 to lock the position of the actuator 80.

[0100] On the basis of the above-mentioned structures, when needing to adjust the capacity, the operator can control the actuator 80 to move axially and rotate circumferentially, such that the locking surfaces 804 abut against the limiting surfaces 704 in a fitting manner to lock the position of the actuator 80; and when needing to lock the capacity, the operator can control the actuator 80 to rotate circumferentially, such that the locking surfaces 804 are detached from the limiting surfaces 704 to unlock the position of the actuator 80.

[0101] In an implementation, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, in order to facilitate manipulating the actuator 80 by the operator, the actuation unit 60 may further comprise a manipulator 90, the manipulator 90 is arranged in the limiting hole 701, the manipulator 90 is sleeved on a side of the actuator 80 facing away from the compressed portion 403, and the manipulation member 90 is configured to drive the actuator 80 to move in the first direction Z and in the circumferential direction, such that the locking surfaces 804 can cooperatively abut against the limiting surfaces 704 or can be detached from the limiting surfaces 704.

[0102] Specifically, referring to Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 9, Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the manipulator according to an implementation of the present application.

[0103] The limiting portion 702 further comprises third protruding ridges 705 arranged on two sides of each of the first protruding ridges 703, the third protruding ridges 705 extend in the first direction Z, and end surfaces of the third protruding ridges 705 facing the compressed portion 403 are provided with first guide surfaces 706 inclined relative to the circumferential direction, the first guide surfaces 706 and the limiting surfaces 704 are connected into a whole, and a locking slot 707 is formed between each of the third protruding ridges 705 and the third protruding ridge 705 on an adjacent side.

[0104] An end surface of the manipulator 90 facing the compressed portion 403 is provided with a circle of saw teeth 901, and the saw teeth 901 comprise second guide surfaces 902 inclined relative to the circumferential direction.

[0105] The saw teeth 901 are configured to abut against the locking surfaces 804 and drive the actuator 80 to be detached from the limiting surfaces 704 when the manipulator 90 moves towards the compressed portion 403, the second guide surfaces 902 are configured to guide the actuator 80 to the first guide surfaces 706 by abutting against the locking surfaces 804, and the first guide surfaces 706 are configured to guide the actuator 80 to the limiting surfaces 704 or the locking slots 707 by abutting against the locking surfaces 804.

[0106] It can be understood that the operator can achieve, by driving the limiting portion 702 to move in the first direction Z, the fit locking between the locking surfaces 804 of the actuator 80 and the limiting surfaces 704, detaching of the locking surfaces 804 of the actuator 80 from the limiting surfaces 704, and embedding and reset of the locking surfaces into the locking slots 707.

[0107] To limit the movement direction of the manipulator 90 and to avoid the circumferential rotational movement during the movement of the manipulator 90, referring to Figs. 5 and 9, a number of guide blocks 903 are arranged on an outer wall of the manipulator 90 at uniform intervals, and the guide blocks 903 extend in the first direction Z.

[0108] The thickness of the third protruding ridges 705 on the inner wall of the limiting member 70 is greater than that of the first protruding ridges 703, such that a guide slot 708 is formed between the third protruding ridges 705 on two sides of each of the first protruding ridges 703.

[0109] Each guide block 903 is embedded into the corresponding guide slot 708 or locking slot 707, thus limiting the manipulator 90 to move only in an axial direction.

[0110] An operating process of the actuation unit 60 of the above implementation of the present application will be described in detail below.

[0111] In an initial state, the second protruding ridges 803 of the actuator 80 are embedded into the locking slots 707, and the second locking surfaces 401 of the second locking member 40 abut against the first locking surfaces 302 of the first locking member 30 for cooperative locking, such that the driving member 10 and the plunger rod 20 are locked in the rotation direction and are in a capacity locking state;

[0112] when needing to adjust the capacity, the operator can press the manipulator 90, and the saw teeth 901 of the manipulator 90 abut against the locking surfaces 804 of the second protruding ridges 803 of the actuator 80, thus driving the actuator 80 to move towards the compressed portion 403; and synchronously, the actuation end 801 of the actuator 80 abuts against the compressed portion 403 of the second locking member 40, thus driving the second locking member 40 to be detached from the first locking member 30; till the second protruding ridges 803 of the actuator 80 are detached from the locking slots 707, in which case, under the guidance effect of the second guide surfaces 902 of the saw teeth 901, the actuator 80 rotates such that the locking surfaces 804 of the second protruding ridges 803 abut against the first guide surfaces 706 of the third protruding ridges 705 on the inner wall of the limiting hole 701, and at this time, the operator can stop pressing the manipulator 90; under the guidance effect of the first guide surfaces 706, the actuator 80 continues to rotate until the locking surfaces 804 of the second protruding ridges 803 come into contact with the limiting surfaces 704 of the first protruding ridges 703 on the inner wall of the limiting hole 701; in this case, the position of the actuator 80 is limited, meanwhile, the second locking member 40 is limited to a position for separation from the first locking member 30 and is in a capacity unlocking state, and at this time, the operator can control the plunger rod 20 to rotate to achieve capacity adjustment;

[0113] when the capacity adjustment is completed, the operator can press the manipulator 90, the manipulator 90 moves towards the compressed portion 403 until the saw teeth 901 of the manipulator 90 abut against the locking surfaces 804 of the second protruding ridges 803 of the actuator 80, thus driving the actuator 80 to be detached from the limiting surfaces 704 of the first protruding ridges 703 on the inner wall of the limiting hole 701; in this case, under the guidance effect of the second guide surfaces 902 of the saw teeth 901, the actuator 80 rotates such that the locking surfaces 804 of the second protruding ridges 803 abut against the first guide surfaces 706 of the third protruding ridges 705 on the inner wall of the limiting hole 701, and at this time, the operator can stop pressing the manipulator 90; and under the guidance effect of the first guide surfaces 706, the actuator 80 continues to rotate until the second protruding ridges 803 rotate to the locking slots 707; under the action of an elastic force of the energy storage spring 110, the actuator 80 moves in a direction facing away from the compressed portion 403 to slide into the locking slots 707, and synchronously, the second locking member 40 is reset to a position for tight fitting with the first locking member 30, such that the driving member 10 and the plunger rod 20 are locked in the rotation direction and are in the capacity locking state.

[0114] With the above structural design of the actuation unit 60, the quick switching between an unlocking state and a locking state can be achieved by means of the organic cooperation between the actuator 80 and the manipulator 90. In addition, the operation is simple, and the operator can switch the state once by pressing the manipulator 90 once.

[0115] In the above implementation, the manipulator 90 stays at a current position after moving in place. The operator needs to control the manipulator 90 and continue to press the manipulator 90 at the current position when pressing the manipulator next time, which will cause the manipulator 90 to stay at different positions when the second locking member 40 is in the locking configuration and the unlocking configuration. Especially, when the second locking member 40 is in the unlocking configuration, the manipulator 90 may stay at a deeper position inside the limiting hole 701, which is not conducive to the operator’s pressing operation.

[0116] To solve the above-mentioned problem, the manipulator 90 is further optimized in this implementation. Specifically, referring to Figs. 1, 4 and 10, Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of the actuation unit after assembly according to an implementation of the present application.

[0117] An end of the manipulator 90 facing away from the actuator 80 is provided with three elastic arms 904 arranged at uniform intervals, the elastic arms 904 extend in the first direction Z, and the three elastic arms 904 enclose an elastic space 905. When the manipulator 90 drives the actuator 80 to move, the actuator 80 is embedded into the elastic space 905 and expands the elastic arms 904 outwardly, such that after the actuator 80 moves in place, the manipulator 90 can be reset under the elastic action of the elastic arms 904.

[0118] On the basis of the above structural design, when the operator releases the manipulator 90 after pressing the manipulator 90 to move in place, the manipulator 90 can be automatically reset to an initial position under the elastic action of the elastic arms 904, which is convenient for a subsequent pressing operation by the operator.

[0119] The present application further provides a pipettor. Referring to Fig. 11, Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of the pipettor according to an implementation of the present application. As shown in Fig. 11, the pipettor comprises the plunger rod 20, the volume bolt 100 and the capacity locking mechanism according to the above implementations.

[0120] The plunger rod 20 penetrates through the through hole 101 of the driving member 10 of the capacity locking mechanism, the plunger rod 20 is rotatably coupled to the driving member 10, the volume bolt 100 is sleeved on the plunger rod 20 and is threadedly connected to the plunger rod 20, so that when the plunger rod 20 is rotated, and the volume bolt 100 is driven to move in the axial direction, so as to limit a maximum axial displacement of the plunger rod 20 and achieve the purpose of capacity adjustment.

[0121] For those skilled in the art, it is apparent that the present application is not limited to the details of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, and the present application can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present application. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should all be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting. The scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims rather than the above-mentioned description, and therefore it is intended that all changes which fall within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are embraced in the present application. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the claims involved.

[0122] In addition, it should be understood that although the specification describes implementations, not every implementation includes only a single technical solution, this description is for the sake of clarity only, a skilled person in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and that the technical solutions in the various embodiments may be appropriately combined to form other implementations which may be understood by a skilled person in the art.

Claims

1. A capacity locking mechanism of a pipettor, characterized by comprising:a driving member, which is configured to be rotatably coupled to a plunger rod;a first locking member, which is sleeved on the driving member, the first locking member being configured to be rotatably coupled to the driving member;a second locking member, which is sleeved on the driving member and configured to be movable in a first direction, such that a state of the second locking member is switchable between a locking configuration and an unlocking configuration, when the second locking member is in the locking configuration, the second locking member is rotatably coupled to the first locking member in a tight fitting manner, and when the second locking member is in the unlocking configuration, the second locking member is separated from the first locking member; andan actuation unit, which is configured to drive the second locking member to move in the first direction such that the state of the second locking member is switched between the locking configuration and the unlocking configuration;wherein the first direction is an axial direction of the driving member.

2. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the first locking member comprises a first locking surface facing the second locking member, and a circle of first meshing teeth are arranged on the first locking surface;the second locking member comprises a second locking surface facing the first locking surface, and a circle of second meshing teeth matching the first meshing teeth are arranged on the second locking surface;wherein when the second locking member is in the locking configuration, the second meshing teeth are meshed with the second meshing teeth to lock the first locking member and the second locking member in a rotation direction.

3. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the second locking member comprises a compressed portion, the actuation unit comprises an actuation end located on one side of the compressed portion in the first direction, and the actuation unit drives the actuation end to move in the first direction, such that the actuation end abuts against the compressed portion to drive the second locking member to move in the first direction.

4. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that the actuation unit comprises:a limiting member, which is arranged on the side of the compressed portion in the first direction, a penetrating limiting hole being arranged inside the limiting member, the limiting hole extending in the first direction, and a limiting portion being disposed on an inner wall of the limiting hole; andan actuator, which is movably arranged in the limiting hole, the actuation end being disposed at an end of the actuator facing the compressed portion, and the actuator being provided with a locking portion that can cooperate with the limiting portion to lock a position of the actuator;wherein when the locking portion cooperates with the limiting portion for locking, the actuation end abuts against the compressed portion to limit the second locking member in the unlocking configuration; and when the locking portion is detached from the limiting portion, the actuation end can move in a direction away from the compressed portion, such that the second locking member can be reset to the locking configuration.

5. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that the limiting portion comprises first protruding edges arranged on the inner wall of the limiting hole at uniform intervals, the first protruding edges extending in the first direction, and limiting surfaces are disposed on end surfaces of the first protruding ridges facing the compressed portion;the locking portion comprises second protruding edges arranged on an outer wall of the actuator at uniform intervals, the second protruding edges extend in the first direction, and locking surfaces are disposed on end surfaces of the second protruding edges facing away from the compressed portion;wherein the locking surfaces can cooperatively abut against the limiting surfaces to lock the position of the actuator.

6. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that the actuation unit further comprises a manipulator, the manipulator is arranged in the limiting hole, the manipulator is sleeved on a side of the actuator facing away from the compressed portion, and the manipulator is configured to drive the actuator to move in the first direction and in a circumferential direction, such that the locking surfaces can cooperatively abut against the limiting surfaces or can be detached from the limiting surfaces.

7. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that the limiting portion further comprises third protruding ridges arranged on two sides of each of the first protruding ridges, the third protruding ridges extend in the first direction, and end surfaces of the third protruding ridges facing the compressed portion are provided with first guide surfaces inclined relative to the circumferential direction, the first guide surfaces and the limiting surfaces are connected into a whole, and a locking slot is formed between each of third protruding ridges and the third protruding ridge on an adjacent side;an end surface of the manipulator facing the compressed portion is provided with a circle of saw teeth, and the saw teeth comprise second guide surfaces inclined relative to the circumferential direction;wherein the saw teeth are configured to abut against the locking surfaces and drive the actuator to be detached from the limiting surfaces when the manipulator moves towards the compressed portion, the second guide surfaces are configured to guide the actuator to the first guide surfaces by abutting against the locking surfaces, and the first guide surfaces are configured to guide the actuator to the limiting surfaces or the locking slots by abutting against the locking surfaces.

8. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that the thickness of the third protruding ridges is greater than that of the first protruding ridges, such that a guide slot is formed between the third protruding ridges on two sides of each of the first protruding ridges; a plurality of guide blocks are arranged on an outer wall of the manipulator at uniform intervals, the guide blocks extend in the first direction, and the guide blocks are embedded into the guide slots or the locking slots to limit a movement direction of the manipulator.

9. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that an end of the manipulator facing away from the actuator is provided with three elastic arms arranged at uniform intervals, the elastic arms extend in the first direction, and the three elastic arms enclose an elastic space; when the manipulator drives the actuator to move, the actuator is embedded into the elastic space and expands the elastic arms outwardly, such that after the actuator moves in place, the manipulator can be reset under the elastic action of the elastic arms.

10. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that an end surface of the actuation end of the actuator is provided with a notch, and a side of the compressed portion facing the actuator is provided with a boss matching the notch.

11. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising an energy storage spring arranged between one end of the driving member and the second locking member, the energy storage spring being configured to drive the second locking member to move towards the first locking member.

12. The capacity locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that a circumferential surface of the driving member is provided with a circle of step, and an inner wall of the first locking member is provided with a recess matching the step, such that the first locking member is mounted on the step in a sleeved manner; the first locking member can be pressed against the step, such that the first locking member is rotatably coupled to the driving member.

13. A pipettor, characterized by comprising: a capacity locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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