CN114368718A

CN114368718A - Cap opening and closing mechanism, cap opening and closing device, liquid transfer apparatus, and cap opening and closing method

Info

Publication number: CN114368718A
Application number: CN202111563684.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 不公告发明人
Original assignee: Suzhou Mega Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Mega Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-20
Filing date: 2021-12-20
Publication date: 2022-04-19

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a cover opening and closing mechanism, a cover opening and closing device, a pipetting device and a cover opening and closing method. The cover opening and closing mechanism comprises a driving assembly and a clamping assembly, wherein the clamping assembly is driven by the driving assembly to rotate and is provided with a clamping station and a releasing station, the clamping assembly is used for clamping the body of the cover object to be opened and closed when located at the clamping station, and the clamping assembly is used for releasing the body of the cover object to be opened and closed when located at the releasing station. The cover opening and closing mechanism does not need to be arranged on a cover clamping mechanism such as a mechanical arm. The power and the load of the clamping cover mechanisms such as the mechanical arm can be reduced, and the overload condition of the clamping cover mechanisms such as the mechanical arm is avoided. Meanwhile, one or more rotating motors are not required to be arranged on the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm, the load and the design difficulty of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm are increased, and the design difficulty and the production difficulty of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm are relatively low.

Description

Cap opening and closing mechanism, cap opening and closing device, liquid transfer apparatus, and cap opening and closing method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to a cover opening and closing mechanism, a cover opening and closing device, a pipetting device and a cover opening and closing method.

Background

In chemical detection, pipetting is essentially involved. Pipetting refers to the transfer of a sample to be tested from one container to another. For example, for the detection of viral samples, the collected samples are often first stored in test tubes, which are placed in well plates for handling. The orifice plate and the test tube can occupy more space, and are not beneficial to subsequent storage and high-flux detection, so that a sample to be detected needs to be transferred into the deep orifice plate through liquid transfer operation, and subsequent treatments such as preservation and detection need to be carried out conveniently.

Usually, the test tube containing the sample to be tested is covered with a cover to prevent the sample from being contaminated and to prevent the sample from polluting the environment. Therefore, the cap of the test tube needs to be opened first during pipetting. If the sample in the tube may contaminate the environment, the cap may need to be screwed onto the tube after the liquid in the tube is aspirated.

Conventional automated lid opening devices rotate the lid by the jaws of a robotic arm. The robot arm requires the mounting of the jaws and a motor to drive the jaws to rotate. Such an arrangement results in a significant increase in the power and load of the robotic arm. Because the structure of arm itself is comparatively complicated, and increase power and load mean that the design degree of difficulty and the production degree of difficulty of arm sharply rise, lead to uncapping the cost of load higher.

Disclosure of Invention

To at least partially solve the problems of the prior art, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a switch cover mechanism is provided. The cover opening and closing mechanism comprises a driving assembly and a clamping assembly, wherein the clamping assembly is driven by the driving assembly to rotate, the clamping assembly is provided with a clamping station and a releasing station, the clamping assembly is located at the clamping station and used for clamping the body of the cover object to be opened and closed, and the clamping assembly is located at the releasing station and used for releasing the body of the cover object to be opened and closed.

Illustratively, the drive assembly includes a motor and a reducer having an input shaft connected to an output shaft of the motor and an output shaft connected to the clamping assembly.

Exemplarily, the switch cover mechanism further comprises a transmission assembly, the transmission assembly is connected between the driving assembly and the clamping assembly, the transmission assembly comprises a first transmission wheel, a second transmission wheel and a transmission belt, the first transmission wheel is connected with an output shaft of the driving assembly, the second transmission wheel is connected with the clamping assembly, and the transmission belt is connected between the first transmission wheel and the second transmission wheel.

Illustratively, the clamping assembly includes a base rotatable by the drive assembly and a plurality of jaws disposed on the base and centripetally and centrifugally movable in a radial direction to bring the clamping assembly in the clamping station and the release station, respectively.

Exemplarily, the base is provided with a limiting part, the plurality of clamping jaws surround the limiting part, and the limiting part is used for limiting the body part of the object to be covered.

Illustratively, the limiting part is a recessed part recessed downwards from the top surface of the base and used for fittingly accommodating the bottom of the body of the object to be opened and closed.

Illustratively, the clamping assembly further comprises a slip ring, a rotor of the slip ring is fixed with the base, the slip ring is electrically or fluidly connected with the plurality of clamping jaws, and the rotor and the base are rotatable under the driving of the driving assembly.

Illustratively, the plurality of jaws are each pneumatic jaws, and the slip ring is a fluid slip ring.

Illustratively, the clamping components are in a plurality, the clamping components are arranged in a row, and the cover opening and closing mechanism further comprises a retainer on which the clamping components are arranged.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a switch cover device. The opening and closing cover device includes: the cover clamping mechanism is used for clamping a cover part of an object to be opened and closed and limiting the cover part to rotate.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a pipetting device. The pipetting device comprises a cover opening and closing means as described above.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of opening a cover using the opening and closing cover device as described above. The uncovering method comprises the following steps: clamping the body of the object to be covered by the cover to be opened and closed by using the clamping assembly; clamping the cover part of the object to be covered by the cover clamping mechanism; and driving the clamping assembly to rotate towards the uncovering direction by using the driving assembly.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of closing a cover using the apparatus for opening and closing a cover as described above. The cover closing method comprises the following steps: placing the cover part of the object to be covered on the body part of the object to be covered, which is fixed on the clamping component; applying a pressure to a lid portion of the object to be closed and opened toward a body portion of the object to be closed and opened; and limiting the rotation of the cover part of the object to be covered, and enabling the driving assembly to drive the clamping assembly to rotate towards the cover closing direction.

The cover opening and closing mechanism provided by the embodiment of the invention is not required to be arranged on a cover clamping mechanism such as a mechanical arm. Therefore, the power and the load of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm can be reduced, and the overload of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm is avoided. Meanwhile, one or more rotating motors are not required to be arranged on the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm, the load and the design difficulty of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm are increased, and the design difficulty and the production difficulty of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm are relatively low. Moreover, the clamping assembly can be provided in plurality because the clamping assembly is not limited by the structure of a cover clamping mechanism such as a mechanical arm. Therefore, the cover can be opened and closed for a plurality of objects to be opened and closed at the same time, the cover opening and closing efficiency is effectively improved, and the requirement of high flux is met. That is, the switch cover mechanism of the present invention offers certain possibilities for this.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The advantages and features of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The following drawings of the invention are included to provide a further understanding of the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings, there is shown in the drawings,

FIG. 1 is an angled perspective view of a switch cover mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is another angled perspective view of the switch cover mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a further angular perspective view of the switch cover mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the switch cover mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the switch cover mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an angled perspective view of a clip cover mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is another angled perspective view of the capping mechanism shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the capping mechanism shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a pipetting mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the pipetting mechanism shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a schematic flow chart of a decapping method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 12 is a schematic flow chart of a method of closing a cover according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Wherein the figures include the following reference numerals:

an opening and closing cover mechanism 4100; a drive assembly 4200; a motor 4210; a reducer 4220; a clamping assembly 4300; a base 4310; a limit portion 4311; a clamping jaw 4320; a slip ring 4330; a holder 4340; a drive assembly 4400; a first driving wheel 4410; a second transmission wheel 4420; a transmission belt 4430; a lid object to be opened and closed 4500; a cover clamping mechanism 4600; a holding portion 4610; a wicking assembly 4900;

pipette guns

4910, 4911, 4912, 4913, 4914; a track 4920; a driving member 4930; pipette gun driver 4940.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the following description merely illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention and that the invention may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, well known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a switch cover mechanism is provided. The cover opening and closing mechanism can be used for opening and closing the cover of the object to be opened and closed. The opening and closing cover mechanism may be applied to an opening and closing cover device. The switch cover device may include any one of the switch cover devices in the embodiments of the present invention. The switch cover device can be applied to a pipetting apparatus. The pipetting device may comprise any of the switch cover means in embodiments of the invention. The pipetting device can be used for loading and unloading, pipetting and other treatments of samples in the object with the cover to be opened and closed. The cap opening and closing mechanism, the cap opening and closing device, and the pipetting apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

As shown in fig. 1-5, the switch cover mechanism 4100 can include a drive assembly 4200 and a clamp assembly 4300.

The lid opening and closing mechanism 4100 can perform a lid opening operation and a lid closing operation on the lid object 4500 to be opened and closed. Specifically, the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500 may include a body portion and a cap portion. The object 4500 to be opened and closed can contain a sample therein. When the opening and closing device performs an opening operation on the to-be-opened and closed lid object 4500, the lid portion may be separated from the body portion. In this way, the user can place the sample in the body or remove it therefrom. When the opening and closing device performs an opening and closing operation on the to-be-opened and closed lid object 4500, the lid portion may be connected to the body portion. In this way, the sample can be stored in the space formed by the cap and the body. Illustratively, the object 4500 to be capped includes, but is not limited to, a test tube. The connection between the cap and the body is not limited, and includes, but is not limited to, snap-fitting, screwing, etc.

The clamping assembly 4300 may comprise any suitable clamping assembly. The clamping assembly 4300 may have a clamping station and a release station. Wherein the clamping assembly 4300, when in the clamping station, can clamp the body of the object 4500 to be opened and closed. With the clamp assembly 4300 in the release station, the body of the cover object 4500 to be opened and closed may be released.

Drive assembly 4200 may include any suitable drive assembly including, but not limited to, an electric motor, an air cylinder, an electric cylinder, or the like. The clamping assembly 4300 may rotate under the drive of the drive assembly 4200. Illustratively, the clamping assembly 4300 may rotate about an axis of the body of the cover object 4500 to be opened and closed.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 6-8, the switch cover apparatus may further include a clip cover mechanism 4600. The clip cover mechanism 4600 may employ various types of clip cover mechanisms known in the art or that may occur in the future, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Illustratively, the capping mechanism 4600 may include a robotic arm. The operating range of the chucking mechanism 4600 may cover the opening and closing mechanism 4100. The chucking mechanism 4600 can be used to chuck the lid portion of the to-be-opened and closed lid object 4500 and move the lid portion of the to-be-opened and closed lid object 4500. The cover clamping mechanism 4600 may be provided with a clamping portion 4610. The clamping portion 4610 may be used to clamp the lid portion of the lid object 4500 to be opened and closed. The number of the gripping portions 4610 may be any, including but not limited to four as shown in the figures, and may be, for example, one, two, or others. That is, the cover clamping mechanism 4600 can clamp and move the cover of one or more to-be-opened and closed cover objects 4500 at once.

In practical applications, when an opening operation is required, the body of the object 4500 to be opened and closed may be placed on the clamping assembly 4300. The clamping assembly 4300 can be moved to a clamping station to clamp the body of the object 4500 to be opened and closed. The capping mechanism 4600 may restrict the rotation of the cap. By rotating the clamping assembly 4300 by the driving assembly 4200, the body of the object 4500 to be opened and closed can be rotated, so that the cap can be unscrewed, thereby completing the opening of the cap. When a cover closing operation is required, the cover portion and the body portion of the object to be opened and closed 4500 can be aligned by the cover sandwiching mechanism 4600. Then, the lid portion of the object to be opened and closed 4500 is pressed downward toward the body portion by the cover clamping mechanism 4600, and the clamp assembly 4300 is rotated by the driving assembly 4200, so that the body portion of the object to be opened and closed 4500 can be reversely rotated, and the lid portion can be screwed, thereby completing the closing. The clamping assembly 4300 may then move to a release station to release the body of the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500. In this way, the lid portion of the object to be opened and closed 4500 can be gripped by the lid sandwiching mechanism 4600 to take out the object to be opened and closed 4500. By the arrangement, the switch cover device is simple in structure and low in manufacturing cost.

Therefore, the cover opening and closing mechanism provided by the embodiment of the invention does not need to be arranged on a cover clamping mechanism such as a mechanical arm. Therefore, the power and the load of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm can be reduced, and the overload of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm is avoided. Meanwhile, one or more rotating motors are not required to be arranged on the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm, the load and the design difficulty of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm are increased, and the design difficulty and the production difficulty of the cover clamping mechanisms such as the mechanical arm are relatively low. Moreover, the clamping assembly can be provided in plurality because the clamping assembly is not limited by the structure of a cover clamping mechanism such as a mechanical arm. Therefore, the cover can be opened and closed for a plurality of objects to be opened and closed at the same time, the cover opening and closing efficiency is effectively improved, and the requirement of high flux is met. That is, the switch cover mechanism of the present invention offers certain possibilities for this.

Illustratively, drive assembly 4200 may include an electric machine 4210 and a reducer 4220. An input shaft of the reduction gear 4220 may be connected to an output shaft of the motor 4210. The motor 4210 may drive the reducer 4220 to rotate. The output shaft of the reducer 4220 may be connected to the clamp assembly 4300. Thus, the motor 4210 may drive the clamp assembly 4300 to rotate via the reducer 4220. By providing the reducer 4220, the output torque can be increased, and the motor 4210 can drive the clamping assembly 4300 to rotate.

Illustratively, the switch cover mechanism 4100 may further include a transmission assembly 4400. The drive assembly 4400 may be coupled between the drive assembly 4200 and the clamp assembly 4300. The drive assembly 4400 may include a first drive wheel 4410, a second drive wheel 4420 and a drive belt 4430.

The first drive wheel 4410 may be connected to an output shaft of the drive assembly 4200. Specifically, the first driving wheel 4410 may be connected to an output shaft of the reducer 4220. A second drive wheel 4420 may be coupled to the clamping assembly 4300. The transmission belt 4430 may be connected between the first transmission wheel 4410 and the second transmission wheel 4420. Through setting up transmission assembly 4400, can realize remote transmission, prevent to appear interfering. And, it is also possible to adjust the transmission ratio by selecting different transmission assemblies 4400, thereby ensuring the rotation speed and torque of the clamping assembly 4300 to meet the use requirements.

Illustratively, the clamp assembly 4300 may include a base 4310 and a plurality of jaws 4320. Drive assembly 4200 may be directly or indirectly connected to base 4310. The indirect coupling may include the drive assembly 4200 being coupled to the base 4310 via the transmission assembly 4400. Specifically, the second transmission wheel 4420 may be connected to the base 4310. Base 4310 may be rotated by drive assembly 4200.

A plurality of jaws 4320 may be disposed on the base 4310. The base 4310 can be used to drive the plurality of jaws 4320 between a clamping station and a release station. The plurality of jaws 4320 can move centripetally along the radial direction of the body of the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500 to move to the clamping station. Also, the plurality of jaws 4320 may be eccentrically moved in a radial direction of the body of the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500 to move to the release station. Wherein the plurality of jaws 4320 can grip the body of the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500 when the plurality of jaws 4320 move to the gripping station. When the plurality of jaws 4320 move to the release position, the plurality of jaws 4320 can release the body of the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500. With this arrangement, the clamp assembly 4300 is compact in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

The number of the plurality of clamping jaws 4320 includes, but is not limited to, three as shown in the figures, and may be, for example, two, four or others, as long as there are at least two. The structure of the plurality of jaws 4320 may be arbitrary. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, a plurality of jaws 4320 may be arranged along the circumferential direction of the body of the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500.

Exemplarily, the top of the base 4310 may be provided with a stopper 4311. The structure of the limiting portion 4311 may be arbitrary, including but not limited to a bump. Exemplarily, the position limiting part 4311 may be a recess part recessed downward from the top surface of the base 4310. The recess may be used to fittingly receive the bottom of the body of the object 4500 to be opened and closed. Thus, the structure of the stopper 4311 is simple, and the structure of the cover object 4500 to be opened and closed such as a test tube can be adapted. The plurality of jaws 4320 may surround the stopper portion 4311. The limit portion 4311 may be used to limit the body of the lid object 4500 to be opened and closed. In this way, the body of the cap object 4500 to be opened and closed can be pre-positioned, so that the body of the cap object 4500 to be opened and closed can be located at a desired position substantially when the body is placed on the base 4310, which facilitates subsequent accurate positioning.

Illustratively, the number of clamping assemblies 4300 may be any, such as one, two, or others. In embodiments where the number of clamping assemblies 4300 is multiple, multiple clamping assemblies 4300 may be arranged in a row. That is, a plurality of clamping assemblies 4300 may be arranged in sequence along one direction. The number of the plurality of clamping assemblies 4300 includes, but is not limited to, four as shown in the figure, and may be, for example, two, three or others, as long as there are at least two. The plurality of clamping assemblies 4300 may be identical or different in structure. By providing a plurality of clamping assemblies 4300, a plurality of bodies of the cover object 4500 to be opened and closed can be clamped. Illustratively, the switch cover mechanism 4100 may further include a holder 4340. A plurality of clamp assemblies 4300 may be disposed on the holder 4340.

Illustratively, the drive assembly 4200 may drive one or more clamp assemblies 4300 in rotation. The number of drive assemblies 4200 may be the same as the number of clamp assemblies 4300. Each drive assembly 4200 may drive one clamp assembly 4300 to rotate. It is to be appreciated that in this embodiment, a drive assembly 4400 may be disposed between each drive assembly 4200 and the clamp assembly 4300.

Illustratively, the clamping assembly 4300 may further include a slip ring 4330. As known to those skilled in the art, the slip ring 4330 may include a rotor and a stator. The rotor of the slip ring 4330 may be fixed with the base 4310. Illustratively, the stator of the slip ring 4330 may be fixed to the cage 4340. The slip ring 4330 can be electrically or fluidly connected to the plurality of jaws 4320. Specifically, the plurality of jaws 4320 can be pneumatic jaws. Thus, the slip ring 4330 may be a fluid slip ring. In this way, the slip ring 4330 can be fluidly connected to the plurality of jaws 4320. The stator of the fluid slip ring may be connected to a gas source. Illustratively, the plurality of jaws 4320 can be motorized jaws. Thus, slip ring 4330 may be an electrical slip ring. In this way, the slip ring 4330 can be electrically connected to the plurality of jaws 4320. The stator of the electrical slip ring may be connected to a power source. By providing the slip ring 4330, the air tube or the electric wire can be prevented from being wound during the rotation, thereby causing a break or the like.

For some liquid samples, after the decap operation is completed, the liquid sample needs to be aspirated for additional processing. Thus, illustratively, the pipetting device may further comprise a pipetting assembly 4900 and a controller (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 9-10, a pipette gun 4910 may be provided on pipette assembly 4900. The pipette gun 4910 may be used to aspirate a liquid to be processed to move to another position for detection or the like. That is, the pipetting gun 4910 may be provided at the time of production or installation of the pipetting device, or may be configured separately by the user. Pipette gun 4910 may take the form of any of a variety of pipette guns known in the art or that may come into existence in the future, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The number of pipette guns 4910 may be any number, including but not limited to the four shown in the figures, and may be, for example, one, two, or others. In embodiments where pipette gun 4910 is plural in number, plural pipette guns 4910 may be the same or different.

The pipette assembly 4900 can reciprocate a pipette gun 4910 in a predetermined direction to protrude into the cap object to be opened and closed 4500 to suck a liquid to be treated. The predetermined direction includes, but is not limited to, a vertical direction. Specifically, the pipetting assembly 4900 may also include a pipette gun driver 4940. Pipette gun driver 4940 may drive pipette gun 4910 in a reciprocating motion in a predetermined direction. After the liquid suction gun 4910 is inserted into the object 4500 to be opened and closed in a predetermined direction, the liquid to be treated in the object 4500 to be opened and closed can be sucked into the liquid suction gun 4910. Then, the pipette gun 4910 can return to the outside of the object 4500 to be capped in a predetermined direction, thereby completing pipetting.

After the pipetting gun 4910 has finished pipetting, the liquid to be treated can be moved to another location for further processing. Accordingly, suction assembly 4900 may also include a track 4920 and a drive member 4930. Drive 4930 may drive gun drive 4940 to move along track 4920 to facilitate movement of gun 4910. The drive member 4930 may take the form of various types of drive members known in the art or that may come into existence in the future, including but not limited to linear modules, motors, pneumatic or electric cylinders, etc. Illustratively, the pipette gun driver 4940 may be moved along the track 4920 to a position where the orifice plate is placed to inject liquid to be treated into the orifice plate. Illustratively, pipette gun driver 4940 may be moved along track 4920 to a position of a gun tip recovery device to discharge used pipette guns. Illustratively, the pipette gun driver 4940 may be moved along the track 4920 to a pipette gun storage position to add a new pipette gun 4910.

Objects in the object 4500 may block the pipette gun 4910, causing pipette failure. When pipette gun 4910 is blocked during a pipetting operation, pipetting assembly 4900 can generate a blocking signal.

The controller can be built by adopting electronic elements such as a timer, a comparator, a register, a digital logic circuit and the like, or can be realized by adopting processor chips such as a singlechip, a microprocessor, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Array (PLA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and the like and peripheral circuits thereof. The controller can be configured to control drive assembly 4200 to drive gripper assembly 4300 to rotate a predetermined angle and to control blocked pipette gun 4910 to again pipette based on the blocked signal. The predetermined angle may be arbitrary. Illustratively, the predetermined angle may be between 170-190, and may be 170, 180, or 190, for example. The predetermined angle may be predetermined during manufacture or installation of the wicking mechanism or may be set by a user.

In practical applications, when pipetting is required, the pipette gun 4910 can be moved in a predetermined direction so that the pipette gun 4910 can be inserted into the object 4500 to be opened and closed to aspirate the liquid to be treated. When the suction gun 4910 is clogged with the object in the cap object 4500 to be opened and closed, the liquid to be treated cannot be sucked. At this point, pipette gun 4910 may stop pipetting. The wicking assembly 4900 can generate a resistance signal. The controller may be configured to control the drive assembly 4200 to drive the clamp assembly 4300 to rotate by a predetermined angle based on the blocked signal. Accordingly, the drive clamp assembly 4300 can rotate by a predetermined angle carrying the cover object 4500 to be opened and closed. Pipette 4910 can be used to pipette again. Since the object in the object 4500 to be capped will rotate by a predetermined angle following the object 4500 to be capped, it can be misaligned with the pipette gun 4910. Thus, the pipette 4910 can be easily refilled.

Illustratively, if the pipette gun 4910 is still blocked during the re-pipetting process, the controller may continue to control drive assembly 4200 to rotate clamp assembly 4300 a predetermined angle. Thus, pipette gun 4910 can be used to pipette again. When the above operation is repeated for a plurality of times, the liquid suction cannot be completed, and the controller may control other corresponding mechanisms to reject the to-be-opened/closed cap object 4500. However, in practical applications, suction can be performed smoothly after driving the clamping assembly 4300 to rotate a predetermined angle, usually once.

So set up, can treat the switch cover object and rotate. Like this, at the imbibition in-process, when imbibition rifle imbibition is obstructed, the controller can control the rotation of clamp assembly and wait to open and close the lid object to can make the object of waiting to open and close in the lid object stagger with the imbibition rifle of imbibition subassembly. Then, the controller can control the imbibition rifle imbibition once more, improves the success rate of imbibition. Therefore, the liquid suction mechanism can avoid stopping or generating excessive manual intervention due to liquid suction blockage, and the stable operation of the liquid suction mechanism is ensured.

Illustratively, when gun 4910 is blocked from aspirating, pipetting assembly 4900 can feed back an error code of the block and information about the gun 4910. The user can know the specific situation, and the timely processing is convenient.

Illustratively, the pipetting assembly 4900 may include a plurality of pipetting guns 4910. Multiple pipette guns 4910 may be operated independently of one another. The number of gripper assemblies 4300 may be the same as the number of pipette guns 4910. Gripper assemblies 4300 may correspond one-to-one to pipette guns 4910. That is, the pipette assembly 4900 can control the plurality of pipette guns 4910 to move in respective predetermined directions, respectively, so that the pipette guns 4910 can be inserted into the corresponding to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500 to suck the liquid to be treated. Like this, imbibition mechanism can carry out multiunit imbibition simultaneously, and work efficiency is higher.

Illustratively, the controller may be specifically configured to: after the other pipetting guns 4910 except for blocked pipetting gun 4910 have finished pipetting, all gripper assemblies 4300 are controlled to rotate synchronously through a predetermined angle and blocked pipetting gun 4910 is controlled to pipette again.

For ease of description, referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 in conjunction, it is contemplated that plurality of pipette guns 4910 may include pipette gun 4911, pipette gun 4912, pipette gun 4913, and pipette gun 4914. The operation of the liquid suction mechanism and the linkage relationship between the components inside the liquid suction mechanism will be described in detail with reference to this embodiment.

In practice, when gun 4911 is blocked, gun 4912, gun 4913, and gun 4914 may be unaffected to complete pipetting. When pipette gun 4912, pipette gun 4913, and pipette gun 4914 have finished pipetting, the controller can control all gripper assemblies 4300 to rotate synchronously through a predetermined angle and pipette gun 4911 to pipette again. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and that many variations and modifications, such as the number of pipette guns 4910, may be made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention and fall within the scope of the invention as claimed. It should be noted that the number of blocked pipette guns 4910 may be any number, including but not limited to one, and may be, for example, three or more, as long as it is a part of the plurality of pipette guns 4910.

With this arrangement, blocked gun 4910 does not affect the other guns 4910 from aspirating. And the control logic is more concise.

In other embodiments, the controller may be specifically configured to: after the other gun 4910 except for blocked gun 4910 has finished pipetting, only gripper assembly 4300 corresponding to blocked gun 4910 is controlled to rotate a predetermined angle and blocked gun 4910 is controlled to pipette again.

Illustratively, the controller may be specifically configured to control the pipetting gun 4910 to extend further into the object 4500 to be capped from the current pipetting position and to perform a pipetting operation again during rotation of the gripper assembly 4300. The distance of said further penetration may be arbitrary. Illustratively, the further penetration distance may be between 4mm and 6mm, for example 4mm, 5mm or 6 mm. The distance of said further penetration may be pre-set at the time of production or installation of the pipetting means or may be set by the user.

Illustratively, taking the further extending distance as 5mm as an example, when the pipette gun 4910 moves 172mm in a predetermined direction toward the object 4500 to be capped, the pipette gun 4910 is blocked. During rotation of gripper assembly 4300, the controller may control pipette gun 4910 to move 5mm again in the direction of object 4500 to be capped along the predetermined direction, i.e., the total movement distance of pipette gun 4910 is 177 mm.

Through the arrangement, the rotation can be matched, so that the liquid suction gun 4910 and an object in the object 4500 to be opened and closed are staggered, the success rate of liquid suction can be further improved, and the smooth completion of liquid suction is ensured.

The timing of the rotation and further penetration may be arbitrary. Illustratively, the timing of the start times of the rotation and the further penetration may be arbitrary. Specifically, the rotation may be later than the start time of the further penetration, or the rotation may be earlier than the start time of the further penetration, or the rotation may be the same as the start time of the further penetration. Illustratively, the timing of the completion time of the rotation and the further penetration may be arbitrary. Specifically, the rotation may be later than the completion time of the further penetration, or the rotation may be earlier than the completion time of the further penetration, or the rotation may be the same as the completion time of the further penetration.

Illustratively, the controller is configured to perform the pipetting operation after the action of the pipetting gun 4910 extending further into the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500 from the current pipetting position is ended and/or the gripper assembly 4300 is rotated by a predetermined angle. This ensures that the pipette 4910 is displaced from the object in the object 4500 to be opened and closed as much as possible, thereby ensuring smooth completion of pipetting.

Illustratively, the controller may be configured to complete the further extension of the pipetting gun 4910 from the current pipetting position into the to-be-opened and closed cap object 4500 later than a completion time of the rotation of the clamp assembly 4300 by a predetermined angle. Therefore, the success rate of liquid suction can be improved, and the successful completion of liquid suction is ensured.

According to still another aspect of the invention, a method of uncapping is also provided. The cover opening method can be applied to any one of the cover opening and closing devices.

As shown in fig. 11, the cover closing method may include:

step S1: the body of the cover object 4500 to be opened and closed is clamped with the clamping assembly 4300. Illustratively, the clamping assembly 4300 may have a clamping station and a release station. Wherein the clamping assembly 4300, when in the clamping station, can clamp the body of the object 4500 to be opened and closed. With the clamp assembly 4300 in the release station, the body of the cover object 4500 to be opened and closed may be released.

Step S2: the lid portion of the lid object 4500 to be opened and closed is clamped by the clamping mechanism 4600. Illustratively, the capping mechanism 4600 aligns the cap and body portions of the object to be capped 4500. The capping mechanism 4600 may restrict the rotation of the cap.

Step S3: the clamping assembly 4300 is driven to rotate in the door opening direction by the driving assembly 4200. Illustratively, by rotating the clamp assembly 4300 by the drive assembly 4200, the body of the object 4500 to be opened and closed can be rotated, so that the cap can be unscrewed and the opening of the cap can be completed.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of closing a cover is also provided. The cover closing method can be applied to any one of the cover opening and closing devices.

As shown in fig. 12, the cover closing method may include:

step S10: the lid portion of the lid object 4500 to be opened and closed is placed on the body portion of the lid object 4500 to be opened and closed, which is fixed on the clamp assembly 4300. Illustratively, the lid portion and the body portion of the object to be lidded 4500 may be aligned by the capping mechanism 4600.

Step S20: a pressure toward the body of the cap object 4500 to be opened and closed is applied to the cap portion of the cap object 4500 to be opened and closed. Illustratively, the lid portion of the object to be lidded 4500 is pressed down toward the body portion by the capping mechanism 4600.

Step S30: the lid portion of the object 4500 to be opened and closed is restricted from rotating and the driving assembly 4200 drives the clamping assembly 4300 to rotate toward the lid closing direction. Illustratively, the drive assembly 4200 rotates the clamp assembly 4300 to rotate the body of the object 4500 to be opened and closed in a reverse direction, so that the cap can be screwed down to complete the closing of the cap.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by the directional terms such as "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "lateral", "vertical", "horizontal" and "top", "bottom", etc., are generally based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and in the case of not making a reverse explanation, these directional terms do not indicate and imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore, should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention; the terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the interior and exterior relative to the contours of the components themselves.

For ease of description, relative terms of regions such as "above … …", "above … …", "above … …", "above", and the like may be used herein to describe the regional positional relationship of one or more components or features with other components or features as illustrated in the figures. It is to be understood that the relative terms of the regions are intended to encompass not only the orientation of the element as depicted in the figures, but also different orientations in use or operation. For example, if an element in the drawings is turned over in its entirety, the articles "over" or "on" other elements or features will include the articles "under" or "beneath" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "above … …" can include both an orientation of "above … …" and "below … …". Further, these components or features may also be positioned at various other angles (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other angles), all of which are intended to be encompassed herein.

It is noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, and it should be understood that when the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and claims of this application and in the drawings described above are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the data so used is interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the application described herein are capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

The present invention has been illustrated by the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are for illustrative and descriptive purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention to the scope of the described embodiments. Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and that many variations and modifications may be made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, which variations and modifications are within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. An opening and closing mechanism, characterized in that the opening and closing mechanism comprises a driving component and a clamping component, wherein the clamping component is driven by the driving component to rotate, the clamping component is provided with a clamping station and a releasing station, the clamping component is positioned at the clamping station and used for clamping the body of an object to be opened and closed, and the clamping component is positioned at the releasing station and used for releasing the body of the object to be opened and closed.

2. The switch cover mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said drive assembly includes a motor and a speed reducer, an input shaft of said speed reducer being connected to an output shaft of said motor, an output shaft of said speed reducer being connected to said clamping assembly.

3. The lid opening and closing mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission assembly connected between said drive assembly and said clamping assembly, said transmission assembly including a first transmission wheel connected to an output shaft of said drive assembly, a second transmission wheel connected to said clamping assembly, and a belt connected between said first transmission wheel and said second transmission wheel.

4. The switch cover mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said clamping assembly includes a base rotatable by said drive assembly and a plurality of jaws disposed on said base and centripetally and centrifugally movable in a radial direction to bring said clamping assembly into said clamping station and said release station, respectively.

5. The opening and closing cover mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said base is provided with a limiting portion around which said plurality of holding jaws are wound, said limiting portion being for limiting a body portion of said object to be opened and closed.

6. The opening and closing cover mechanism according to claim 5, wherein said stopper portion is a recessed portion recessed downward from the top surface of said base for fittingly receiving the bottom of the body of said object to be opened and closed.

7. The switch cover mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said clamping assembly further comprises a slip ring, a rotor of said slip ring being fixed to said base, said slip ring being electrically or fluidly connected to said plurality of jaws, said rotor and said base being rotatable upon actuation of said drive assembly.

8. The switch cover mechanism of claim 7, wherein the plurality of jaws are each pneumatic jaws and the slip ring is a fluid slip ring.

9. The opening and closing cover mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said clamping members are plural in number, and a plurality of said clamping members are arranged in line, and said opening and closing cover mechanism further comprises a holder on which said plurality of said clamping members are provided.

10. A switch cover device, comprising: a capping mechanism for gripping a cap portion of an object to be capped and restricting the cap portion from rotating, and the opening and closing mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A pipetting apparatus comprising a switch cover device according to claim 10.

12. A method of opening a cover using the opening and closing cover device according to claim 10, comprising:

clamping the body of the object to be covered by the cover to be opened and closed by using the clamping assembly;

clamping the cover part of the object to be covered by the cover clamping mechanism; and

and driving the clamping assembly to rotate towards the uncovering direction by using the driving assembly.

13. A method of closing a cover using the apparatus of claim 10, comprising:

placing the cover part of the object to be covered on the body part of the object to be covered, which is fixed on the clamping component;

applying a pressure to a lid portion of the object to be closed and opened toward a body portion of the object to be closed and opened; and

and limiting the rotation of the cover part of the object to be covered, and enabling the driving assembly to drive the clamping assembly to rotate towards the cover closing direction.