Automatic drug injection device

Abstract

The disclosed invention relates to an automatic drug injection device comprising: a drug storage unit having at least one accommodation unit with open upper and lower surfaces; a drug flow control unit which restricts a drug stored in the accommodation unit from flowing downward by gravity; and an injection driving unit for injecting the drug stored in the accommodation unit downward by accessing the accommodation unit via the open upper surface thereof to release the flow restriction by the drug flow control unit.

Description

Automatic drug injector

[0001] The present invention relates to a device capable of automatically injecting a drug into a well plate of a cell analyzer.

[0002] Cell analysis has established itself as an essential element in modern biological and medical research. In particular, accurately analyzing the state in which cells transform into a mature form with specific functions plays a crucial role in various studies and experiments, such as disease diagnosis, the development of treatment methods, and the evaluation of drug efficacy.

[0003] For cell analysis, cells are cultured in a strictly controlled environment, and various analytical techniques such as microscopic observation and biochemical analysis are utilized. However, these traditional cell analyses face limitations in terms of real-time analysis, cell contamination, accuracy, cost, and time; consequently, non-destructive measurement technologies are being introduced to analyze dynamic changes in cells in real time. For instance, various non-destructive real-time cell analysis techniques are being researched, including Electrical Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS), Local Field Potential (LPP) measurement, and Oxygen Consumption Rate (OCR) measurement.

[0004] For these various cell analyses, a cell analyzer (also known as a cell measurement device) equipped with a cell culture incubator and well plates (also called cell chips) is used. In this case, the cell analyzer is placed inside a chamber-type cell culture incubator capable of maintaining specific environmental conditions, and cell culture and / or analysis are performed within the analyzer. During the cell culture and / or analysis, it is essential to perform the operation of injecting drugs into the well plates containing the cells in a timely manner. This drug injection may require moving the cell analyzer itself or the well plates of the analyzer placed inside the cell culture incubator, which is inconvenient and raises concerns about human error in the cell experiment protocol. Furthermore, when drugs are injected manually during cell culture and / or analysis in this manner, exposure to the external environment is unavoidable, making it difficult to maintain a sterile state; consequently, there is a risk that the cultured cells may be infected by external pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi.

[0005] In this regard, if a device capable of automatically injecting drugs during cell culture and / or analysis is developed while a cell analyzer is fixed inside a cell culture vessel, it is expected that the accuracy, efficiency, and convenience of cell analysis will be improved.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for automatically injecting a necessary drug into a well plate of a cell analyzer.

[0007] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below.

[0008] An automatic drug injection device detachable from a cell analyzer equipped with a well plate according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above technical problem comprises: a drug storage unit having at least one receiving unit with an open upper and lower surface; a drug flow control unit that restricts the drug stored in the receiving unit from flowing downward due to gravity; and an injection drive unit that injects the drug stored in the receiving unit downward by accessing through the upper surface of the receiving unit and releasing the flow restriction by the drug flow control unit.

[0009] The receiving portion of the above drug storage unit may include a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving portions.

[0010] In one embodiment, the drug flow control unit may be a sealing foil bonded to the lower surface of the receiving unit.

[0011] And, the injection drive unit may be a piercing tip that moves downward to rupture the sealing foil.

[0012] In another embodiment, the drug flow control unit may be a pipette tip that restricts downward outflow by the surface tension of the drug stored in the receiving unit.

[0013] The above pipette tip can be mounted inside a pipette stand that covers a well plate.

[0014] And, the injection drive unit may be a piston that moves downward to pressurize and inject the drug stored in the receiving unit.

[0015] The above drug storage unit may further include a silicone cover in which a stopper sealing an open upper surface is attached in a cuttable state, and the injection drive unit may inject the drug stored in the receiving unit by the piston pressing and cutting the stopper.

[0016] The receiving portion of the above drug storage unit includes a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving portions, and the injection driving unit may have a plurality of pistons corresponding to the plurality of sub-receiving portions.

[0017] The plurality of pistons are distinguished into a plurality of piston groups with different spacing distances from the corresponding sub-receiving portions, and the injection drive unit linearly moves the drug storage portion toward the plurality of pistons, so that the initiation time of drug injection may differ for each of the plurality of piston groups.

[0018] Alternatively, the plurality of pistons are each connected to a corresponding movable layer among a plurality of movable layers stacked vertically and distinguished by corresponding sub-receiving portions, and the movable layers move up and down independently by a plurality of servo motors individually assigned to each, and the movable layers above it descend sequentially starting from the lowest movable layer, so that the initiation time of drug injection may differ for each corresponding sub-receiving portion.

[0019] Alternatively, the plurality of pistons are distinguished into a plurality of piston groups with different spacing distances from corresponding sub-receiving portions and coupled to a single movable layer, and the movable layer moves up and down by a single servo motor, and the initiation time of drug injection may differ for each of the plurality of piston groups due to the downward movement of the movable layer.

[0020] Alternatively, the plurality of pistons are each connected to a corresponding movable layer among a plurality of movable layers stacked vertically and distinguished by corresponding sub-receiving portions, and each movable layer includes a link that induces vertical movement and a follower provided on the link, and the sliding cam moves back and forth along the horizontal direction by a servo motor, and the follower provided on each movable layer is arranged so that the movable layer above it descends sequentially starting from the lowest movable layer by the injection operation of the sliding cam, thereby allowing the initiation time of drug injection to differ for each sub-receiving portion.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, the follower is inserted and coupled into a profile groove formed in the sliding cam, and the profile groove may form the shape of a sine curve.

[0022] Alternatively, the injection drive unit may be a pneumatic pump that pressurizes the drug stored in the receiving unit using pneumatic pressure.

[0023] In addition, the receiving portion of the drug storage unit includes a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving portions, and the injection driving unit may include a valve module that independently controls the pneumatic action for each of the plurality of sub-receiving portions.

[0024] The automatic drug injection device of the present invention, equipped with the above configuration, can be directly mounted on a cell analyzer and can automatically inject a drug contained in a drug storage unit by means of an actuator. Therefore, by using the automatic drug injection device of the present invention, the inconvenience of having to move the cell analyzer itself placed inside the cell culture vessel or move the well plate of the cell analyzer for drug injection is eliminated, and the risk of human error occurring in the cell experiment protocol is also eliminated.

[0025] In addition, as drugs are automatically injected during cell culture and / or analysis, exposure to the external environment is prevented, maintaining a sterile state, thereby eliminating the risk of the cultured cells being infected by external pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi.

[0026] Consequently, the device of the present invention, which automatically injects drugs during cell culture and / or analysis, improves the accuracy, efficiency, and convenience of cell analysis.

[0027] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration in which an automatic drug injection device according to the present invention is mounted on a cell analyzer.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment of a drug storage unit including a plurality of sub-receiving portions.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment in which the drug flow control unit is composed of a sealing foil.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating another embodiment in which the drug flow control unit is composed of a pipette tip.

[0032] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of mounting a pipette tip and a drug storage unit to a cell analyzer using a pipette stand.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment of a silicone cover that seals the open upper surface of a drug storage compartment.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment of an injection drive unit capable of sequentially injecting drugs stored in each of a plurality of sub-receiving units.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration in which drugs stored in multiple sub-receiving portions are injected sequentially according to the spacing of the pistons.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 7.

[0037] FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment having a plurality of movable layers.

[0038] FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment in which a plurality of movable layers are moved sequentially by a sliding cam.

[0039] FIG. 12 is a drawing illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a sliding cam.

[0040] FIG. 13 is a drawing illustrating another embodiment in which a pneumatic pump is applied to the injection drive unit.

[0041] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0042] The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the invention will be described in detail.

[0043] The terms used in this invention have been selected based on currently widely used general terms, taking into account their functions within the invention; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms have been arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in this invention should be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the overall content of the invention.

[0044] Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Furthermore, terms such as "part," "module," and "unit" used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation and may be implemented as software, hardware components such as FPGAs or ASICs, or a combination of software and hardware. However, the terms "part," "module," and "unit" are not limited to software or hardware. "Part," "module," and "unit" may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium or configured to operate one or more processors. Therefore, as an example, terms such as “part,” “module,” and “unit” include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

[0045] Below, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the invention. Additionally, parts of the drawings that are irrelevant to the description are omitted to clearly explain the invention.

[0046] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as “first,” “second,” etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component. The term “and / or” includes a combination of multiple related items or any one of the multiple related items.

[0047]

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration in which an automatic drug injection device (10) according to the present invention is mounted on a cell analyzer (400). The cell analyzer (400) may be detachably mounted with a well plate (450) forming at least one culture space, and the cell analyzer (400) is equipped with a real-time cell monitoring system that measures various parameters of cell analysis, such as cell growth, death, and activity, and cell impedance, local field potential, oxygen consumption rate, microscopic images, etc. are used to derive each parameter. The automatic drug injection device (10) of the present invention is detachably mounted on such a cell analyzer (400) and performs the role of automatically injecting drugs into each culture space provided in the well plate (450). Since appropriate drugs can be automatically injected in a timely manner while cell culture and / or analysis is in progress, there is no inconvenience of having to move the cell analyzer (400) or well plate (450) inside the cell culturer (not shown), and the risk of human error occurring in the cell experiment protocol is also eliminated.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic drug injection device (10) includes a drug storage unit (100), a drug flow control unit (200), and an injection drive unit (300). Summarizing the functions of each component, the drug storage unit (100) is provided with at least one receiving unit (110) with an open upper and lower surface, and a drug is stored in the receiving unit (110). The drug flow control unit (200) restricts the drug stored in the receiving unit (110) from flowing downward due to gravity, and allows the drug to flow downward at the time of actual drug injection. The injection drive unit (300) accesses the receiving unit (110) through the upper surface and releases the flow restriction by the drug flow control unit (200), thereby allowing the drug stored in the receiving unit (110) to be injected downward.

[0050] Here, the description that the automatic drug injection device (10) of the present invention includes a drug storage unit (100), a drug flow control unit (200), and an injection drive unit (300) is a functional distinction made for a clear understanding of the invention. In this regard, at least two components may be structurally integrated into one. For example, the drug storage unit (100) and the drug flow control unit (200) may be integrally formed as a structure of a pipette tip (220) utilizing the surface tension of the drug, which will be described later. Therefore, the drug storage unit (100), the drug flow control unit (200), and the injection drive unit (300) should not be interpreted as being structurally formed separately.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment of a drug storage unit (100) comprising a plurality of sub-receiving units (120). A single receiving unit (110) may include a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving units (120). In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, four sub-receiving units (120) are provided for each receiving unit (110) (2×8, a total of 16 receiving units). The drug storage unit (100) may be configured such that the total number, arrangement, and size of the receiving units (110) correspond to the size of the well plate (450) mounted on the cell analyzer (400) and the arrangement of the culture space. Furthermore, as will be described later, by having a single receiving unit (110) include a plurality of sub-receiving units (120) and storing different types of drugs in each sub-receiving unit (120), multiple types of drugs may be sequentially injected into a single culture space.

[0052] FIG. 3 is an embodiment of a drug flow control unit (200), wherein the drug flow control unit (200) may be a sealing foil (210), such as aluminum foil, bonded to the lower surface of a receiving unit (110), but is not limited thereto. The sealing foil (210) must have properties such as impermeability, non-absorbency, and chemical resistance so that the drug can be safely stored without leakage. In addition, the sealing foil (210) must be non-toxic so as not to cause problems in cell experiments. Since the sealing foil (210) is bonded to the lower surface of the receiving unit (110), the drug stored in the receiving unit (110) does not leak downward.

[0053] When the drug flow control unit (200) is configured with a sealing foil (210) as in FIG. 3, the injection drive unit (300) may be an arrowhead-shaped piercing tip (310) that moves downward to rupture the sealing foil (210). The injection drive unit (300) includes a power mechanism for moving the piercing tip (310) up and down, such as a servo motor (340), and various linear actuators (350) (lead screw, ball screw, rack and pinion, etc.) that perform linear motion. Additionally, the piercing tip (310) may further be equipped with a rubber ring (312) for pressurizing and injecting the drug after rupturing the sealing foil (210). For example, an O-ring may be attached adjacent to the end of the piercing tip (310).

[0054] FIG. 4 is another embodiment of the drug flow control unit (200), wherein the drug flow control unit (200) may be composed of a pipette tip (220) that restricts downward outflow by the surface tension of the drug stored in the receiving unit (110). FIG. 1 shows an example in which a pipette tip (220) is applied as the drug flow control unit (200). The inner diameter of the injection end (224) of the pipette tip (220) is approximately 1 mm, and since the surface tension is greater than the gravity acting on the drug inside the pipette tip (220), the drug does not flow downward from the drug storage unit (100) even without a separate sealant.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of mounting a pipette tip (220) and a drug storage unit (100) to a cell analyzer (400) using a pipette stand (230). Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the pipette tip (220) can be mounted inside a pipette stand (230) that covers a well plate (450) mounted on the cell analyzer (400). Additionally, the receiving portion (110) or sub-receiving portion (120) of the drug storage unit (100) can be coupled to the inlet end (222) of each pipette tip (220) mounted inside the pipette stand (230). By providing the pipette stand (230), the evaporation or contamination of the culture medium and / or drug from the well plate (450) is prevented, and the coupled state of the drug storage unit (100) and the pipette tip (220) is stably maintained.

[0056] When the drug flow control unit (200) is composed of a pipette tip (220), the injection drive unit (300) may be composed of a piston (320) that moves downward to pressurize and inject the drug stored in the receiving unit (110). When the piston (320) moves downward into the receiving unit (110) of the drug storage unit (100) and pressurizes the drug, the flow restriction caused by surface tension is broken, and the drug is injected downward. The piston (320) also moves up and down by various linear actuators (350) that move linearly by a servo motor (340), similar to the embodiment of the piercing tip (310).

[0057] FIG. 6 illustrates a non-toxic silicone cover (370) applicable when the drug flow control unit (200) is composed of a pipette tip (220) and the injection drive unit (300) is composed of a piston (320). The silicone cover (370) is attached in a cuttable state to a stopper (372) that seals the open upper surface of the receiving unit (110). For example, as illustrated in the enlarged view of FIG. 6, the stopper (372) may be attached to the silicone cover (370) in a cuttable state by several tabs (374) (parts of the cut line that remain uncut). Alternatively, the stopper (372) may be attached to the silicone cover (370) in a form where only a very thin edge of the kiss cut remains. The downward protrusion of each stopper (372) is fitted into the receiving unit (110) or the sub-receiving unit (120), thereby allowing the drug to be stored hygienically.

[0058] The silicone cover (370) of this structure allows the stopper (372) to be separated individually with a small force. Therefore, before drug injection, the silicone cover (370) hygienically protects the drug, and when drug is injected, the stopper (372) of the corresponding receiving portion (110) or sub-receiving portion (120) is pressurized and cut by the force of the piston (320) and descends together, allowing the drug to be injected downward. In this case, the silicone stopper (372) acts as a rubber tip attached to the tip of the syringe plunger, thereby helping to inject the drug quickly and completely.

[0059] FIGS. 7 to 12 illustrate various embodiments of an injection drive unit (300) capable of sequentially injecting drugs stored in each of the multiple sub-receiving units (120), wherein the receiving unit (110) of the drug storage unit (100) includes a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving units (120), and the injection drive unit (300) is equipped with a plurality of pistons (320) corresponding to the plurality of sub-receiving units (120).

[0060] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which a plurality of pistons (320) are distinguished into a plurality of piston groups (322) with different spacing distances relative to corresponding sub-receiving portions (120), coupled to a single movable layer (330), and the single movable layer (330) moves up and down by a single servo motor (340). Here, a piston group (322) refers to a group of a plurality of pistons (320) with the same spacing distance relative to the sub-receiving portions (120). For example, when viewing the plurality of receiving portions (110) of the drug storage portion (100) as a whole, a plurality of pistons (320) corresponding to a plurality of sub-receiving portions (120) at the same location can be grouped into a single group.

[0061] Since the distance between each piston group (322) and the sub-receiving section (120) is different, as shown in FIG. 8, even if all pistons (320) are moved downward simultaneously by a single movable layer (330), the initiation time of drug injection varies for each of the multiple piston groups (322). In other words, drug injection is initiated sequentially for each sub-receiving section (120), and if different types of drugs are stored for each sub-receiving section (120) according to the appropriate drug injection sequence according to the culture protocol, the sequential injection of such multiple drugs can be easily automated.

[0062] FIG. 9 relates to a variation of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7. The embodiment of FIG. 9 is identical in that a plurality of pistons (320) are distinguished into a plurality of piston groups (322) with different spacing distances from the corresponding sub-receiving portion (120). However, the difference is that the injection drive unit (300) is configured such that the drug storage portion (100) moves linearly toward the plurality of pistons (320) rather than the pistons (320) moving downward. That is, in each embodiment of FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the relative movement occurring between the drug storage portion (100) and the plurality of pistons (320) is the same, but the components that move and are fixed are opposite to each other. For reference, in the embodiment of FIG. 9, it may be necessary to apply an appropriate weight or provide a reaction force structure so that the plurality of pistons (320) do not move due to the force acting as the drug storage portion (100) rises.

[0063] FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment having a plurality of movable layers (330). In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the spacing distance formed by a plurality of piston groups (322) with respect to a sub-receiving portion (120) may all be the same, but instead, the plurality of piston groups (322) are connected separately to each of the plurality of movable layers (330) stacked vertically. The number of the plurality of movable layers (330) is equal to the number of piston groups (322) (in other words, the number of sub-receiving portions), and one piston group (322) is connected to one movable layer (330). The movable layers (330) move up and down independently by a plurality of servo motors (340) individually assigned to each, and the starting time of drug injection can be varied for each corresponding sub-receiving portion (120) by sequentially descending from the lowest movable layer (330) to the upper movable layer (330).

[0064] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary structure in which a piston (320) coupled to an upper and lower overlapping movable layer (330) moves in and out of a receiving section (110) without interference, with respect to two movable layers (330). The illustrated example is a case where there are four sub-receiving sections (120), in which a piston group (322) is coupled to a fixed position in the lower movable layer (330), while the area where the piston (320) coupled to all upper movable layers (330) moves up and down is machined through. Due to this structure, all pistons (320) coupled to multiple upper and lower overlapping movable layers (330) can move in and out while passing through the movable layer (330) located in the lower layer.

[0065] FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment in which a plurality of movable layers (330) are moved sequentially by a sliding cam (360). It is identical to the embodiment of FIG. 10 in that it includes a configuration in which a plurality of movable layers (330) are stacked and a piston group (322) is separately coupled to each movable layer (330). However, the injection drive unit (300) of FIG. 11 utilizes a sliding cam (360) to implement a movement in which the movable layers (330) above the lowest layer are moved sequentially downward starting from the lowest layer by a single servo motor (340).

[0066] Specifically, each movable layer (330) includes a link (364) that induces up-and-down movement and a follower (366) provided on the link (364). The sliding cam (360) can move back and forth along the horizontal direction by means of a servo motor (340). Also, the relative distances formed by the follower (366) provided on each link (364) with respect to the sliding cam (360) are different, and as shown in FIG. 11, the follower (366) provided on the lowest movable layer (330) is closest, and gradually moves further away as it goes toward the upper movable layer (330).

[0067] According to this sliding cam (360) mechanism, when the sliding cam (360) advances toward the follower (366) by the initiation of operation of the injection drive unit (300), the follower (366) equipped in each movable layer (330) descends sequentially, starting from the lowest movable layer (330) and moving upwards, by the injection operation of the sliding cam (360). As a result, the drug injection proceeds sequentially by varying the initiation time of drug injection for each sub-receiving unit (120).

[0068] FIG. 12 shows an exemplary embodiment of a sliding cam (360). In the exemplary embodiment, a follower (366) is inserted and coupled into a profile groove (362) formed in the sliding cam (360), and the profile groove (362) may form a sinusoidal shape. As the follower (366) moves up and down along the profile groove (362), the piston (320) performs an upward and downward movement, returning to its original position after descending. FIG. 12 (a) is a single-acting sliding cam (360), in which a plurality of piston groups (322) sequentially ascend and descend by the unidirectional advancement of the sliding cam (360). Figure 12(b) is a double-acting sliding cam (360) having profile grooves (362) on both sides, and one piston group (322) is sequentially raised by the forward movement of the sliding cam (360), and the other piston group (322) is sequentially raised by the backward movement.

[0069] FIG. 13 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which a pneumatic pump (380) is applied to the injection drive unit (300). The injection drive unit (300) includes a pneumatic pump (380) that pressurizes the drug stored in the receiving unit (110) using pneumatic pressure, and the flow restriction of the drug flow control unit (200) due to surface tension is broken by the pneumatic pressure, so that the drug is injected downward. The embodiment of FIG. 13 can simplify the structure of the automatic drug injection device (10) in that a linear actuator (350) based on a servo motor (340) for the lifting and lowering movement of the piercing tip (310) or piston (320) is unnecessary. In order to maintain hygiene in the culture space, it is preferable to use purified air from which various microorganisms and foreign substances have been removed by passing through an air filter, etc., to form the pneumatic pressure.

[0070] In the embodiment of FIG. 13, when the receiving section (110) of the drug storage section (100) includes a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving sections (120), a valve module (382) that applies pneumatic pressure to each sub-receiving section (120) may be included so that the start time of drug injection can be different for each sub-receiving section (120). The valve module (382) may include a plurality of solenoid valves corresponding to the number of sub-receiving sections (120), and pneumatic pressure is applied only to the sub-receiving section (120) connected to the pneumatic circuit in which the solenoid valve is open. Through sequential opening and closing control of such solenoid valves, the start time of drug injection can be controlled independently for each sub-receiving section (120).

[0071]

[0072] The embodiments of the present invention described above are merely exemplary, and the scope of protection of the present invention may include various modifications and equivalents therefrom by those skilled in the art.

[0073] 10: Automatic drug infusion device

[0074] 100: Drug storage area

[0075] 110: Reception Department

[0076] 120: Sub-reception section

[0077] 200: Drug flow control unit

[0078] 210: Sealing foil

[0079] 220: Pipette Tip

[0080] 222: Inflow end

[0081] 224: Injection end

[0082] 230: Pipette Stand

[0083] 300: Injection drive unit

[0084] 310: Piercing Tip

[0085] 312: Rubber Ring

[0086] 320: Piston

[0087] 322: Piston Group

[0088] 330: Operation Layer

[0089] 340: Servo motor

[0090] 350: Linear actuator

[0091] 360: Sliding Cam

[0092] 362: Profile Home

[0093] 364: Link

[0094] 366: Followers

[0095] 370: Silicone cover

[0096] 372: Stopper

[0097] 374: Tab

[0098] 380: Pneumatic pump

[0099] 382: Valve Module

[0100] 400: Cell Analyzer

[0101] 450: Well plate

Claims

1. A detachable automatic drug injection device for a cell analyzer equipped with a well plate, A drug storage unit having at least one receiving portion with an open upper and lower surface; A drug flow control unit that restricts the drug stored in the above-mentioned receiving unit from flowing downward due to gravity; and An automatic drug injection device comprising: an injection drive unit that injects a drug stored in the receiving portion downward by accessing through the upper surface of the receiving portion and releasing the flow restriction by the drug flow control unit.

2. In Claim 1, The receiving portion of the above drug storage unit is, Automatic drug injection device comprising a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving sections.

3. In Claim 1, The above drug flow control unit is, Automatic drug injection device, which is a sealing foil bonded to the lower surface of the above-mentioned receiving portion.

4. In Claim 3, The above injection drive unit is, Automatic drug injection device, which is a piercing tip that moves downward to rupture the sealing foil.

5. In Claim 1, The above drug flow control unit is, An automatic drug injection device, which is a pipette tip that limits downward outflow by the surface tension of the drug stored in the above-mentioned receiving portion.

6. In Claim 5, The above pipette tip is, An automatic drug injection device mounted inside a pipette stand covering the well plate.

7. In Claim 5, The above injection drive unit is, An automatic drug injection device, which is a piston that moves downward to pressurize and inject a drug stored in the receiving portion.

8. In Claim 7, The above drug storage unit further includes a silicone cover in which a stopper sealing the open top surface is attached in a cutable state, and The injection drive unit is an automatic drug injection device in which the piston pressurizes and cuts the plug to inject a drug stored in the receiving portion.

9. In Claim 7, The receiving portion of the above drug storage unit includes a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving portions, and The above injection drive unit is an automatic drug injection device having a plurality of pistons corresponding to the plurality of sub-receiving units.

10. In Claim 9, The above plurality of pistons are distinguished into a plurality of piston groups with different spacing distances from corresponding sub-receiving portions, and An automatic drug injection device in which the injection drive unit linearly moves the plurality of pistons toward the drug storage unit, and accordingly, the initiation time of drug injection varies for each group of the plurality of pistons.

11. In Claim 9, The above plurality of pistons are each coupled to a corresponding movable layer among a plurality of movable layers stacked vertically and distinguished by corresponding sub-receiving portions, and The above-mentioned movable layers move up and down independently by a plurality of servo motors individually assigned to each, and An automatic drug injection device in which the initiation time of drug injection varies for each corresponding sub-receiving section as the operating layer above it descends sequentially, starting from the lowest operating layer.

12. In Claim 9, The above plurality of pistons are distinguished into a plurality of piston groups with different spacing distances from corresponding sub-receiving portions and coupled on a single movable layer, and The above-mentioned movable layer moves up and down by a single servo motor, and An automatic drug injection device in which the initiation time of drug injection varies for each group of pistons by the downward movement of the above-mentioned movable layer.

13. In Claim 9, The above plurality of pistons are each coupled to a corresponding movable layer among a plurality of movable layers stacked vertically and distinguished by corresponding sub-receiving portions, and Each movable layer includes a link that induces lifting movement, and a follower provided on said link, and The sliding cam moves back and forth along the horizontal direction by a servo motor, and An automatic drug injection device in which the start time of drug injection varies by sub-receiving section, wherein the followers provided in each movable layer are arranged so that the movable layer above it descends sequentially starting from the lowest movable layer by the injection operation of the sliding cam.

14. In Claim 13, The above follower is inserted and coupled into a profile groove formed in the sliding cam, and The above profile groove forms the shape of a sine curve, an automatic drug injection device.

15. In Claim 5, The above injection drive unit is, An automatic drug injection device, which is a pneumatic pump that pressurizes a drug stored in the receiving portion using pneumatic pressure.

16. In Claim 15, The receiving portion of the above drug storage unit includes a plurality of mutually isolated sub-receiving portions, and The above injection drive unit comprises a valve module that independently controls pneumatic action for each of the plurality of sub-receiving units, an automatic drug injection device.

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