TWI760192B - Centrifuge device and lock module - Google Patents

Abstract

A centrifuge device includes a base, a rotation platform and a lock module. The rotation platform is disposed on the base and adapted to support a rotor of a centrifugal bowl, and the rotor is rotatably connected to a stator of the centrifugal bowl. The lock module includes a main body, a lock assembly and a positioning component. The main body is disposed on the base. The lock assembly is movably connected to the main body and located above the rotation platform. The lock assembly is adapted to be operated to a first state relative to the main body to lock the stator, and the lock assembly is adapted to be operated to a second state relative to the main body to be separated from the stator. The positioning component is movably disposed on the main body. The positioning component is adapted to move to a first position relative to the main body to position the lock assembly at the first state, and the positioning component is adapted to move to a second position relative to the main body to release the lock assembly.

Description

Centrifugal device and locking module

The present invention relates to a centrifugal device and a locking module, and more particularly, to a centrifugal device that can be used for biological analysis and a locking module thereof.

Biochemical tests of blood or other specimens often require rapid quantitative dispensing of fluids to perform different tests. Biochemical assays also often require separation of cell bodies and body fluids that may interfere with each other before assaying. These steps of dosing and separation are usually accomplished by centrifugation steps. The centrifugation step utilizes the centrifugal force generated by the centrifugal device to separate mixtures with various components and gravity.

Generally, the centrifuge device must lock the stator of the centrifuge bowl and drive the rotor of the centrifuge bowl to rotate, so as to perform the above centrifugation steps on the blood or other samples in the centrifuge bowl. In the current centrifugal devices, the stator of the centrifugal bowl is mostly locked by a locking mechanism with complicated structure and complicated operation steps, and it is difficult for the user to quickly lock and release the stator with one hand. On the other hand, in addition to the locking mechanism, the centrifugal device needs to add additional sensors and corresponding circuits to sense whether the centrifugal bowl leaks and/or to sense the liquid level of the liquid in the centrifugal bowl. The overall size of the device is difficult to Reduced and unable to meet the needs of portability.

The invention provides a centrifugal device and a locking module thereof. The centrifugal device has a small volume and the operation of the locking module is relatively simple.

The centrifugal device of the present invention includes a body, a rotary table and a locking module. The rotary table is arranged on the base and is suitable for carrying a rotor of a centrifugal bowl, and the rotor is rotatably connected to a stator of the centrifugal bowl. The locking module includes a main body, a locking component and a positioning member. The main body is arranged on the seat body. The locking assembly is movably connected to the main body and located above the rotary table. The locking assembly is adapted to act relative to the main body to a first state to lock the stator, and the locking assembly is adapted to act relative to the main body to a second state to separate from the stator. The positioning member is movably connected to the main body. The positioning member is adapted to move relative to the main body to a first position to position the locking assembly in the first state, and the positioning member is adapted to move relative to the main body to a second position to release the locking member.

The locking module of the present invention is suitable for a centrifugal device. The centrifugal device includes a base and a rotary table. The rotary table is arranged on the base and is suitable for carrying a rotor of a centrifugal bowl. The rotor is rotatably connected to a stator of the centrifugal bowl. The locking module includes a main body, a locking component and a positioning member. The main body is arranged on the seat body. The locking assembly is movably connected to the main body and located above the rotary table. The locking assembly is adapted to act relative to the main body to a first state to lock the stator, and the locking assembly is adapted to act relative to the main body to a second state to separate from the stator. The positioning member is movably connected to the main body. The positioning member is adapted to move to a first position relative to the main body to position the locking assembly in the first state, and The positioning member is adapted to move to a second position relative to the main body to release the locking assembly.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned locking component has a notch and is suitable for locking the stator by the notch, and the inner edge of the notch is non-circular arc.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned locking assembly has a pivot portion and a force-receiving portion, the pivot portion and the force-receiving portion are respectively located at opposite ends of the locking assembly, and the pivot portion is pivotally connected to the main body and receives the force. The portion is adapted to be forced to rotate the locking assembly relative to the body between the first state and the second state.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the locking assembly is pivotally connected to the main body along a first rotation axis, the rotary table is adapted to rotate along a second rotation axis, and the first rotation axis is parallel to the second rotation axis.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned locking assembly has a positioning hole and a sliding groove connected to each other, the positioning member includes a positioning section and a non-positioning section, and the outer diameter of the positioning section is larger than the width of the sliding groove , the outer diameter of the non-positioning section is smaller than the width of the chute, when the locking assembly is in the first state and the positioning member is in the first position, the positioning member is penetrated through the positioning hole and at least part of the positioning section is located in the positioning hole for positioning and locking When the positioning member moves to the second position along the axial direction of the positioning hole to move the positioning section away from the positioning hole, the non-positioning section located in the positioning hole is adapted to move toward the chute relative to the locking assembly.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned locking module includes an elastic member, the elastic member is connected between the main body and the positioning member, and the positioning member is adapted to resist the elastic force of the elastic member to move from the first position to the second position , and the positioning member is suitable for returning from the second position to the first position by the elastic force of the elastic member.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned locking module includes at least one leak A liquid sensor, at least one liquid leakage sensor is disposed on the main body and faces the centrifugal bowl on the rotary table.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned locking module includes at least one signal line, and the at least one signal line is at least partially disposed in the main body and connected to at least one liquid leakage sensor.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned locking module includes an optical sensing component, which is disposed on the main body and is suitable for sensing the liquid level of the liquid in the centrifugal bowl on the rotary table.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned optical sensing component includes a lens and an optical fiber, the lens is disposed on the main body and faces the centrifugal bowl on the turntable, and the optical fiber is disposed at least partially in the main body and connected to the lens.

Based on the above, the locking module of the present invention locks the stator of the centrifugal bowl by the action of a single locking component, and positions and releases the locking component by the action of a single positioning piece, and the locking component and the positioning piece are arranged in the locking mold On the same main body of the group, the user can easily operate the locking assembly and the positioning member with one hand. In addition, since the locking module of the present invention is composed of simple components as a single module as described above, the required configuration space is small and the overall volume of the centrifugal device can be effectively reduced.

50: Centrifugal bowl

52: Rotor

54: Shizuko

54a: Locked part

54b, 54c, 1342a, 1342b: force application position

100: Centrifugal device

110: seat body

120: Rotary table

130: Lock Module

131: Leakage sensor

132: Subject

133: Signal line

134: Lock Assembly

1341:Pivot part

1342: Forced Department

134a: Notch

134b: Positioning hole

134c: Chute

135: Optical sensing components

1351: Lens

1352: Fiber Optic Line

136: Positioning pieces

1361: Positioning section

1362: Unlocated section

137: Shell

138: Elastic

A1: The first rotation axis

A2: Second rotation axis

d1, d2: outer diameter

W: width

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a centrifuge device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the stator of the centrifugal bowl locked by the locking assembly of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 shows the lock assembly of FIG. 1 separated from the stator of the centrifugal bowl.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the locking module of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a partial structural perspective view of the locking module of FIG. 4 .

6A to 6C illustrate the operation flow of the positioning member of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is a partial structural top view of the positioning member and the locking assembly of FIG. 6A .

FIG. 8 is a partial structural top view of the positioning member and the locking assembly of FIG. 6C .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a centrifuge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the centrifugal device 100 of this embodiment includes a base 110 , a rotating table 120 and a locking module 130 . The turntable 120 is disposed on the base body 110 . The locking module 130 includes a main body 132 , a locking component 134 and a positioning member 136 . The main body 132 is disposed on the base body 110 . The locking assembly 134 is movably connected to the main body 132 and located above the rotary table 120 . The positioning member 136 is movably connected to the main body 132 and used for positioning the locking element 134 .

FIG. 2 shows the stator of the centrifugal bowl locked by the locking assembly of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 shows the lock assembly of FIG. 1 separated from the stator of the centrifugal bowl. Specifically, the rotary table 120 can carry a rotor 52 of a centrifugal bowl 50 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , and the rotor 52 is rotatably connected to a stator 54 of the centrifugal bowl 50 . The rotor 52 is used to contain the liquid to be centrifuged (eg, blood or other samples). The locking component 134 can be moved relative to the main body 132 to the first state shown in FIG. 2 to lock the stator 54, and the positioning member 136 can be moved relative to the main body 132 to the first position shown in FIG. the first state. At this time, the centrifugal bowl 50 is locked on the rotating table 120 by the locking module 130, and the rotating The sub 52 may perform the centrifugation step as the turntable 120 rotates. After the centrifugation step is completed, the positioning member 136 can be moved relative to the main body 132 to the second position shown in FIG. 3 to release the locking assembly 134 so that the locking assembly 134 can be moved relative to the main body 132 to the second state shown in FIG. 3 to separate The stator 54 allows the user to take out the centrifuge bowl 50 from the centrifuge device 100 .

As described above, the locking module 130 of the present embodiment locks the stator 54 of the centrifugal bowl 50 by the action of the single locking component 134 , and locates and releases the locking component 134 by the action of the single positioning member 136 , and locks The assembly 134 and the positioning member 136 are disposed on the same main body 132 of the locking module 130 , so the user can easily operate the locking assembly 134 and the positioning member 136 with one hand. In addition, since the locking module 130 of the present embodiment is composed of simple components as a single module as described above, the required configuration space is small and the overall volume of the centrifuge device 100 can be effectively reduced.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the locking module of FIG. 1 . Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , in detail, the locking element 134 of the present embodiment has a notch 134a, the inner edge of the notch 134a is non-arc, and the stator 54 may have a shape corresponding to the inner edge of the notch 134a The locked portion 54a. Therefore, the locking member 134 can lock the stator 54 through the notch 134a to surely prevent the stator 54 from rotating. In other embodiments, the locking assembly 134 can prevent the rotation of the stator 54 by other suitable structures, which is not limited in the present invention.

In addition, the locking assembly 134 of this embodiment has a pivot portion 1341 and a force receiving portion 1342 , and the pivot portion 1341 and the force receiving portion 1342 are respectively located at opposite ends of the locking assembly. The pivot portion 1341 is pivotally connected to the main body 132 along a first rotation axis A1, the rotary table 120 is adapted to rotate along a second rotation axis A2, and the first rotation axis A1 is flat It runs on the second rotation axis A2. The force receiving portion 1342 is adapted to receive force so that the locking assembly 134 rotates relative to the main body 132 along the first rotation axis A1 between the first state shown in FIG. 2 and the second state shown in FIG. 3 .

For example, the user can press the thumb of the left hand against a force application position 54b of the stator 54 in FIG. 3 , and the remaining fingers of the left hand (such as the middle finger or ring finger) against a force application position 1342a of the force receiving portion 1342 , and According to the force applied to the stator 54 and the locking assembly 134 , the locking assembly 134 is rotated from the second state shown in FIG. 3 along the first rotation axis A1 to the first state shown in FIG. 2 . At this time, the notch of the locking assembly 134 134 a is coupled to the locked portion 54 a of the stator 54 to complete the locking of the stator 54 .

Conversely, the user can press the thumb of the left hand against another force application position 1342b of the force receiving portion 1342 in FIG. 2 , press the index finger of the left hand against another force application position 54c of the stator 54 , and press the positioning member with the middle finger of the left hand at the same time. 136 is pressed from the first position shown in FIG. 2 to the second position shown in FIG. 3 to release the locking assembly 134, and exert force on the stator 54 and the locking assembly 134 accordingly, so that the locking assembly 134 is released from the second position shown in FIG. 2. A state rotates along the first rotation axis A1 to the second state shown in FIG. 3 , when the notch 134 a of the locking assembly 134 is disengaged from the locked portion 54 a of the stator 54 to complete the release of the stator 54 .

The above method of applying force is only an example, and the user may apply force to the locking assembly 134 and the stator 54 in other ways to make the locking assembly 134 rotate, which is not limited in the present invention.

The configuration and operation of the positioning member 136 in this embodiment will be described in detail below.

FIG. 5 is a partial structural perspective view of the locking module of FIG. 4 . 6A to 6C illustrate the operation flow of the positioning member of FIG. 5 . Fig. 7 is the positioning member and locking of Fig. 6A Top view of the partial structure of the component. FIG. 8 is a partial structural top view of the positioning member and the locking assembly of FIG. 6C . Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8 , the locking component 134 of this embodiment has a positioning hole 134b and a sliding groove 134c connected to each other, and the positioning member 136 includes a positioning section 1361 and a non-positioning section 1362. The positioning section 1361 The outer diameter d1 (marked in FIGS. 7 and 8 ) is larger than the width W (marked in FIGS. 7 and 8 ) of the chute 134c , and the outer diameter d2 (marked in FIGS. 7 and 8 ) of the non-positioning section 1362 is smaller than the The width W of the groove 134c. As shown in FIG. 5 , the locking module 130 further includes an elastic member 138 . The elastic member 138 is, for example, a spring and is connected between the main body 132 (shown in FIG. 4 ) and the positioning member 136 .

On the other hand, when the locking member 134 is in the first state and the positioning member 136 is located in the first position as shown in FIG. 6A , the positioning member 136 penetrates through the positioning hole 134b of the locking member 134 and at least partially locates the section 1361 It is located in the positioning hole 134b as shown in FIG. 6A. At this time, the positioning member 136 is maintained at the first position by the elastic force of the elastic member 138, and the positioning section 1361 is limited in the positioning hole 134b of the locking member 134 due to the larger outer diameter d1, so as to achieve The effect of positioning the locking assembly 134. When the positioning member 136 is pressed by the user against the elastic force of the elastic member 138, it moves from the first position shown in FIG. 6A to the second position shown in FIG. 6B along the axial direction of the positioning hole 134b so that the positioning area When the segment 1361 is completely moved away from the positioning hole 134b, the non-positioning section 1362 located in the positioning hole 134b can move toward the sliding groove 134c relative to the locking assembly 134 due to the smaller outer diameter d2. That is, the locking assembly 134 is no longer positioned by the positioning member 136 and can be rotated relative to the positioning member 136 along the first rotation axis A1 to the second state shown in FIG. 6C . When the locking assembly 134 is rotated from the second state shown in FIG. 6C to the first state shown in FIG. 6B , the positioning member 136 will be moved by the elastic member 138 The elastic force is restored from the second position shown in FIG. 6B to the first position shown in FIG. 6A to position the locking assembly 134 .

In other embodiments, the positioning member 136 can act and position/release the locking component 134 in other suitable manners, which is not limited in the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the locking module 130 includes at least one liquid leakage sensor 131 (two are shown), and the liquid leakage sensor 131 is disposed on the main body 132 and faces the turntable 120 Centrifugal bowl 50 on. The liquid leakage sensor 131 is used for sensing whether there is liquid leakage in the centrifugal bowl 50 , and the two liquid leakage sensors 131 are respectively disposed at different heights to sense different positions where the centrifugal bowl 50 may leak liquid. Further, the locking module 130 further includes at least one signal line 133 , and the signal line 133 is partially disposed in the main body 132 and connected to the liquid leakage sensor 131 . The liquid leakage sensor 131 can be electrically connected to the signal receiving/processing element in the base body 110 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of the centrifugal device 100 through the signal line 133 .

In addition, the locking module 130 includes an optical sensing component 135. The optical sensing component 135 is disposed on the main body 132 and is suitable for sensing the liquid level of the liquid in the centrifugal bowl 50 on the rotary table 120. The liquid level is, for example, The interface between plasma and red blood cells in blood, the interface between blood and the air above it, etc. Specifically, the optical sensing element 135 may include a lens 1351 and an optical fiber 1352. The lens 1351 is disposed on the main body 132 and faces the centrifugal bowl 50 on the rotary table 120. The optical fiber 1352 is partially disposed in the main body 132 and connected to The lens 1351 has transmitted the optical signal from the lens 1351 to the signal receiving/processing element in the base body 110 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of the centrifugal device 100 .

The liquid leakage sensor 131, the signal line 133, the lens 1351 and the The optical fiber 1352 is integrated into the main body 132 of the locking module 130 , which can further simplify the structure of the centrifuge device 100 and facilitate the reduction of the overall volume of the centrifuge device 100 . In addition, the liquid leakage sensor 131, the signal line 133, the lens 1351 and the optical fiber line 1352 are pre-integrated into an integrated housing 137 shown in FIG. 5 and assembled to the main body 132 of the locking module 130, and then assembled together to the centrifugal The base 110 of the device 100 can simplify the assembly process and avoid accumulation of excessive assembly errors due to the separate assembly of various components.

To sum up, the locking module of the present invention locks the stator of the centrifugal bowl by the action of a single locking component, and locates and releases the locking component by the action of a single positioning piece, and the locking component and the positioning piece are arranged on the The locking module is on the same main body, so the user can easily operate the locking assembly and the positioning piece with one hand. In addition, since the locking module of the present invention is composed of simple components as a single module as described above, the required configuration space is small and the overall volume of the centrifugal device can be effectively reduced. In addition, the liquid leakage sensor and the optical sensing component can be integrated into the locking module, so as to further simplify the structure and assembly process of the centrifugal device.

50: Centrifugal bowl

52: Rotor

54: Shizuko

54a: Locked part

54b, 54c, 1342a, 1342b: force application position

110: seat body

120: Rotary table

130: Lock Module

131: Leakage sensor

132: Subject

134: Lock Assembly

1341:Pivot part

1342: Forced Department

134a: Notch

136: Positioning pieces

A1: The first rotation axis

A2: Second rotation axis

Claims (20)

A centrifugal device, comprising: a body a rotary table, disposed on the base and suitable for carrying a rotor of a centrifugal bowl, wherein the rotor is rotatably connected to a stator of the centrifugal bowl; and A locking module, including: a main body, disposed on the base; a locking component movably connected to the main body and located above the rotary table, wherein the locking component is adapted to act relative to the main body to a first state to lock the stator, and the locking component is adapted to act relative to the main body to a second state to separate from the stator; and a positioning member movably connected to the main body, wherein the positioning member is adapted to move relative to the main body to a first position to position the locking assembly in the first state, and the positioning member is adapted to move relative to the main body to a second position to release the locking element. The centrifugal device of claim 1, wherein the locking component has a notch and is adapted to lock the stator by the notch, and the inner edge of the notch is non-circular arc. The centrifugal device according to claim 1, wherein the locking element has a pivot portion and a force-receiving portion, the pivot portion and the force-receiving portion are respectively located at opposite ends of the locking element, and the pivot portion is pivotally connected On the main body, the force receiving portion is suitable for receiving force to make the locking assembly rotate relative to the main body between the first state and the second state. The centrifugal device of claim 1, wherein the locking assembly is pivotally connected to the main body along a first rotation axis, the rotary table is adapted to rotate along a second rotation axis, and the first rotation axis is parallel to the second rotation axis axis. The centrifugal device according to claim 1, wherein the locking component has a positioning hole and a chute connected to each other, the positioning member includes a positioning section and a non-positioning section, and the outer diameter of the positioning section is larger than the outer diameter of the positioning section. the width of the chute, the outer diameter of the non-positioning section is smaller than the width of the chute, When the locking element is in the first state and the positioning member is located at the first position, the positioning member penetrates the positioning hole and at least a part of the positioning section is located in the positioning hole to position the locking member, When the positioning member moves to the second position along the axial direction of the positioning hole to move the positioning section away from the positioning hole, the non-positioning section located in the positioning hole is adapted to slide relative to the locking component slot moves. The centrifugal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking module comprises an elastic member, the elastic member is connected between the main body and the positioning member, and the positioning member is suitable for resisting the elastic force of the elastic member to release the elastic member from the first A position is moved to the second position, and the positioning member is suitable for returning from the second position to the first position by the elastic force of the elastic member. The centrifugal device of claim 1, wherein the locking module comprises at least one liquid leakage sensor, and the at least one liquid leakage sensor is disposed on the main body and faces the centrifugal bowl on the rotating table. The centrifugal device according to claim 7, wherein the locking module comprises at least one signal wire, and the at least one signal wire is at least partially disposed in the main body and connected to the at least one liquid leakage sensor. The centrifugal device according to claim 1, wherein the locking module comprises an optical sensing component, the optical sensing component is disposed on the main body and is suitable for sensing the liquid level of the liquid in the centrifugal bowl on the rotating table high. The centrifugal device of claim 9, wherein the optical sensing component comprises a lens and an optical fiber, the lens is disposed on the main body and faces the centrifugal bowl on the turntable, and the optical fiber is at least partially disposed on the inside the main body and connected to the lens. A locking module is suitable for a centrifugal device, the centrifugal device includes a base and a rotary table, the rotary table is arranged on the base and is suitable for carrying a rotor of a centrifugal bowl, the rotor is rotatably connected to the rotor A stator of the centrifugal bowl, the locking module includes: a main body, disposed on the base; a locking component movably connected to the main body and located above a rotary table of the centrifugal device, wherein the locking component is adapted to act relative to the main body to a first state to position the stator, and the locking component is adapted to be relative to the main body The main body moves to a second state to be separated from the stator; and a positioning member movably connected to the main body, wherein the positioning member is adapted to move relative to the main body to a first position to limit the locking assembly to the first state, and the positioning member is adapted to move relative to the main body to a second position to release the locking element. The locking module of claim 11, wherein the locking component has a notch and is suitable for locking the stator by the notch, and the inner edge of the notch is non-circular arc. The locking module of claim 11, wherein the locking assembly has a pivot portion and a force-receiving portion, the pivot portion and the force-receiving portion are respectively located at opposite ends of the locking assembly, and the pivot portion pivots Connected to the main body, the force receiving portion is suitable for receiving force to make the locking assembly rotate relative to the main body between the first state and the second state. The locking module of claim 11, wherein the locking assembly is pivotally connected to the main body along a first rotation axis, the rotary table is adapted to rotate along a second rotation axis, and the first rotation axis is parallel to the second rotation axis Rotation axis. The locking module according to claim 11, wherein the locking assembly has a positioning hole and a sliding groove connected to each other, the positioning member includes a positioning section and a non-positioning section, and the outer diameter of the positioning section is greater than The width of the chute, the outer diameter of the non-positioning section is smaller than the width of the chute, When the locking element is in the first state and the positioning member is located at the first position, the positioning member penetrates through the positioning hole and at least part of the positioning section is located in the positioning hole to position the locking member, When the positioning member moves to the second position along the axial direction of the positioning hole to move the positioning section away from the positioning hole, the non-positioning section located in the positioning hole is adapted to slide relative to the locking component slot moves. The locking module of claim 11, comprising an elastic member, wherein the elastic member is connected between the main body and the positioning member, and the positioning member is adapted to resist the elastic force of the elastic member to move from the first position to the second position, and the positioning member is suitable for returning from the second position to the first position by the elastic force of the elastic member. The locking module of claim 11, comprising at least one liquid leakage sensor, wherein the at least one liquid leakage sensor is disposed on the main body and faces the centrifugal bowl on the rotary table. The locking module of claim 17, comprising at least one signal line, wherein the at least one signal line is at least partially disposed in the main body and connected to the at least one liquid leakage sensor. The locking module according to claim 11, comprising an optical sensing component, wherein the optical sensing component is disposed on the main body and is suitable for sensing the liquid level of the liquid in the centrifugal bowl on the rotary table. The locking module of claim 19, wherein the optical sensing component comprises a lens and an optical fiber, the lens is disposed on the main body and faces the centrifugal bowl on the rotary table, and the optical fiber is at least partially disposed in The body is inside and connected to the lens.

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