CN116020667A - Balancing centrifuge tube for centrifuge, centrifuge tube kit and centrifuge - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a trim centrifuge tube, centrifuge tube kit, and centrifuge for a centrifuge. This balancing centrifuging tube includes: at least two sub-centrifuge tubes, each comprising a receiving cavity adapted to receive a sample to be tested and being adapted to be arranged in a centrifuge centred on a rotational axis of the centrifuge for centrifuging the sample to be tested, each of the at least one pair of sub-centrifuge tubes being at a non-zero angle with respect to the rotational axis; and a communicating tube connected between two of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes and having a passage adapted to keep the samples to be measured in the two sub-centrifuge tubes connected by the communicating tube in communication so that the centers of gravity of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes containing the samples to be measured fall on a circumference centered on the rotation axis and equally divide the circumference. Through the balancing centrifuge tube implemented according to the present disclosure, automatic balancing of a sample to be tested can be achieved in a simple and reliable manner, and thus the centrifuge structure is simplified and the centrifuge efficiency is improved.

Description

Balancing centrifuge tube for centrifuge, centrifuge tube kit and centrifuge

Technical Field

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of centrifuges, and in particular, to a trim centrifuge tube, a centrifuge tube kit, and a centrifuge for a centrifuge.

Background

Cells in the sample can be broken after being stored for a certain time or frozen and thawed, and a large amount of impurities such as protein, nucleic acid, lipid and the like are released to interfere subsequent extraction, detection and analysis. Therefore, after the sample is collected, the sample needs to be subjected to pretreatment such as centrifugation to remove impurities such as cells, organelles, and cell debris. One of the most common examples is that after whole blood collection, serum or plasma is obtained by timely centrifugation, and then extracted, detected and analyzed.

Centrifugation of the sample is typically accomplished using a centrifuge. The centrifugation is to utilize the strong centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the centrifuge rotor to accelerate the sedimentation velocity of particles in the liquid and separate substances with different sedimentation coefficients and density masses from the sample. It is necessary to use a centrifuge to generate a strong centrifugal force to force the particles against the suspension to create a settling motion. The balancing operation is required before the sample is centrifuged, otherwise, the centrifuge may be damaged, and a safety accident may occur.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a trim centrifuge tube for a centrifuge is provided. This balancing centrifuging tube includes: at least two sub-centrifuge tubes, each comprising a receiving cavity adapted to receive a sample to be tested and being adapted to be arranged in a centrifuge centred on a rotational axis of the centrifuge for centrifuging the sample to be tested, each of the at least one pair of sub-centrifuge tubes being at a non-zero angle with respect to the rotational axis; and a communicating tube connected between two of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes and having a passage adapted to keep the samples to be measured in the two sub-centrifuge tubes connected by the communicating tube in communication so that the centers of gravity of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes containing the samples to be measured fall on a circumference centered on the rotation axis and equally divide the circumference.

In some embodiments, the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes have the same physical properties, including at least one of: size, weight, volume of the receiving chamber, shape and angle relative to the axis of rotation.

In some embodiments, the number of at least two of the sub-centrifuge tubes is an even number, and the communicating tube connects the two sub-centrifuge tubes symmetrically arranged about the axis of rotation as an axis of symmetry.

In some embodiments, the different communication tubes communicate with each other at or near the axis of rotation.

In some embodiments, the number of at least two of the sub-centrifuge tubes is an odd number, and the communicating tube connects adjacent ones of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes.

In some embodiments, the communicating tube comprises at least one sub-communicating tube, each sub-communicating tube comprising a sub-channel adapted to hold in communication a sample to be tested in two sub-centrifuge tubes to which the communicating tube is connected.

In some embodiments, the communication tube includes: two sub-communicating pipes parallel to each other; and the connecting part is arranged between the two sub-communicating pipes and comprises a coupling hole positioned at the rotation axis, and the coupling hole is suitable for being coupled with a driving rod of the centrifugal machine, which is coaxial with the rotation axis, so as to allow the driving rod to drive at least two sub-centrifugal pipes to do centrifugal motion.

In some embodiments, the communication tube is adapted to be disposed in a coupling groove of a rotor of the centrifuge.

In some embodiments, the angle of the sub-centrifuge tube relative to the axis of rotation is in the range of 5 ° to 60 °.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a centrifuge tube kit for a centrifuge is provided. The centrifuge tube kit comprises the balancing centrifuge tube mentioned in the first aspect above and a rotating assembly adapted to be coupled to the balancing centrifuge tube and adapted to be placed in a centrifuge to be driven by a drive mechanism of the centrifuge to thereby drive the balancing centrifuge tube for centrifugation.

In one embodiment, a rotating assembly includes: a rotor adapted to be driven for rotation about an axis of rotation, and comprising: at least two well slots for receiving at least two sub-centrifuge tubes, respectively; and a coupling groove adapted to accommodate the communication pipe.

In some embodiments, the rotor includes a plurality of rotor lobes that are radially segmented and have the same gauge, each rotor lobe including a portion of the wall of the bore slot.

In some embodiments, the rotating assembly comprises: a drive rod coaxial with the axis of rotation and adapted to couple with the coupling aperture of the balancing centrifuge tube to drive the balancing centrifuge tube into centrifugal motion.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a centrifuge is provided. The centrifuge comprises a drive mechanism adapted to drive a rotating assembly in a centrifuge tube kit according to the second aspect of the foregoing.

Drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals denote like or similar elements, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a trim centrifuge tube according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate schematic structural views of trim centrifuge tubes according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2D shows a schematic diagram of the balancing centrifuge tube of FIG. 2A when it contains a sample to be tested;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a centrifuge tube kit disposed in a centrifuge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective structural schematic of a centrifuge tube kit disposed in a centrifuge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a structural schematic of a rotor according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a trim centrifuge tube according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective schematic view of a trim centrifuge tube according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional side schematic view of a trim centrifuge tube according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of a drive rod disposed in a centrifuge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram of a centrifuge tube kit with a drive rod disposed in a centrifuge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a trim centrifuge tube according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a trim centrifuge tube according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

figures 13 and 14 illustrate perspective schematic views of trim centrifuge tubes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

fig. 15 illustrates a schematic diagram of a trim centrifuge tube employed in manipulating a sample according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While certain embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

In describing embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "comprising" and its like should be taken to be open-ended, i.e., including, but not limited to. The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like, may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions are also possible below.

Centrifugation is a method of separating different particles from a solution by centrifugal force, and the particles are separated according to different sizes, shapes, densities, medium viscosity and rotation speeds. The high density component of the mixture will be at the periphery of the centrifuge while the low density component will be at the inside of the centrifuge. Chemists and biologists can increase the equivalent gravity of the centrifuge tube, causing the sediment to move rapidly to the bottom of the tube. The liquid remaining above the precipitate is called supernatant.

The sample must be trimmed prior to centrifugation using the centrifuge. Centripetal force F=mω to which the sample is subjected during high-speed rotation ² r, where m is the weight of the sample, ω is the angular velocity of rotation, and r is the length of the radius of the object's circumference of motion. When the relative sample masses are different, or only one sample is separated, the difference in centripetal force developed across the axis of rotation of the centrifuge is inversely proportional to the square of the angular velocity of rotation. This results in that the unpaired sample cannot be centrifuged directly, otherwise the centrifuge may be damaged, and safety accidents may occur.

However, the process of trimming is cumbersome and complex. The additional trimming process is detrimental to the point-of-care testing (POCT) device development, to the point-of-care processing, to the development of automated instrumentation. At a sample collection point with a large sample size, an additional trimming process is added in the process of immediately sampling and processing the sample of a patient, so that additional equipment and cost, namely a balance or a scale, are added, and the operation efficiency is seriously affected. For sample collection points where samples are relatively few and are not sampled at regular intervals, balancing and centrifuging are required for each individual sample received immediately, and a great deal of time and effort is wasted. In the background of the high-speed development of product automation, the extraction and detection of samples can realize automatic operation, but in the stage of sample pretreatment, the automatic products are less, the cost is very high, and one important difficulty is the difficulty of automatic balancing in the process of sample centrifugation. Currently, in the POCT field, it is difficult to integrate the centrifugation process, since POCT devices are generally lighter, as the rotational speed increases, the centripetal force increases, which if not balanced, is likely to cause damage to the instrument or even to cause a safety accident. Furthermore, the centrifugal device with automatic balancing has a complex structure and a large volume, and is difficult to integrate into POCT products.

Although many solutions for realizing automatic balancing have been proposed, there are basically no centrifugal devices on the market that can realize automatic balancing, and the price is very high due to the limitation of productivity and complexity of the process. The additional purchase of centrifuge opportunities to achieve automated balancing for collection points or laboratories based on existing conventional centrifuges creates a significant economic burden that is very unfriendly to hospitals in small sample collection points or remote areas. Furthermore, the centrifugal device structure that can achieve automated balancing is more complex than conventional centrifuges and is difficult to integrate into small POCT devices.

Still other solutions have proposed balancing centrifuge tubes. However, so-called trim centrifuge tubes still require manual trimming after adding liquid to the trim tube. Still other balancing centrifuge tubes require manual addition of a balancing weight to make manual balancing. At present, no balancing centrifuge tube can realize automatic balancing. Therefore, there is a need to develop a device or centrifuge tube that can automatically trim to solve the above-mentioned problems.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a balancing centrifuge tube 100 that addresses, or at least partially addresses, the above-described problems or other potential problems with conventional centrifuges 200 when balancing. The trim centrifuge tube 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure utilizes the principles of a communicating vessel to enable automatic trimming of a sample 300 to be tested contained therein. The communicating vessel is a vessel with an upper end opening not communicated and a lower part communicated. For example, a U-tube is a typical connector. When water is poured into the communicating vessel, the liquid surface of the communicating vessel becomes flat when the water stops flowing. Because the depth from the water surface to the bottom of the device on the same horizontal plane is the same, the pressure is the same, and the liquid can keep a static state. The inventors utilized this principle in combination with the structure of centrifuge 200, improved the structure of the centrifuge tube used with centrifuge 200, and proposed balancing centrifuge tube 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to the balancing centrifuge tube 100 of the embodiment of the disclosure, automatic balancing of the sample 300 to be measured is realized from the perspective of a centrifuge tube (consumable material), dependence on an automatic balancing centrifuge device is eliminated, meanwhile, the technical difficulty threshold for realizing automatic balancing is reduced, the cost is effectively reduced, and the embarrassment that no low-price and reliable automatic balancing centrifuge device is sold is avoided.

Figures 1 and 2A illustrate perspective and cross-sectional views of a trim centrifuge tube 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1 and 2A, a trim centrifuge tube 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure generally includes at least two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 and a communicating tube 102. In the example shown in fig. 1 and 2A, the trim centrifuge tube 100 has two sub-centrifuge tubes 101. Of course, it should be understood that the number of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 per trim centrifuge tube 100 may be adjusted as desired. For example, the number of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 per trim centrifuge tube 100 can be 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 or more. The case where the balancing centrifuge tube 100 has 2 and 4 sub-centrifuge tubes 101 will be described below by way of specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the case where the balancing centrifuge tube 100 has other numbers of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is also similar and will not be described in detail below.

The sub-centrifuge tube 101 is used for accommodating a sample 300 to be tested, and comprises an accommodating cavity for accommodating the sample 300 to be tested. The sub-centrifuge tube 101 can be arranged in the centrifuge 200 centered on the rotational axis R of the centrifuge 200 to centrifuge the sample 300 to be tested. To adapt the structure of the centrifuge 200 and facilitate operation of the centrifuge 200, each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is at a non-zero angle relative to the rotational axis R of the centrifuge 200. That is, each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is disposed at an incline with respect to the rotational axis R, and the opening 1011 is closest to the rotational axis R, while the bottom 1012 is farthest from the rotational axis R, thereby preventing the sample to be tested from being spilled from the opening 1011 during centrifugation. For example, in some embodiments, the angle of the sub-centrifuge tube 101 relative to the axis of rotation R is in the range of 5 ° to 60 °. In some embodiments, the angle of the sub-centrifuge tube 101 relative to the axis of rotation R can be in a smaller range, such as in the range of 14 ° to 40 °.

In some embodiments, the plane of the opening of each sub-centrifuge tube 101 (i.e., the plane in which the opening 1011 lies) may also be at a non-zero angle to the axis of rotation R, as shown, for example, in fig. 1 and 2A. In some alternative embodiments, the plane of the opening of each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 may extend in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation R, as shown in fig. 2B, even though each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is at a non-zero angle relative to the axis of rotation R of the centrifuge 200. In some embodiments, alternatively or additionally, a sealing cap (not shown) or the like may be provided at the opening 1011 of each sub-centrifuge tube 101 to further prevent accidental spillage of the sample to be tested therein. The concept according to the present disclosure will be mainly described below with an example shown in fig. 2A, and it should be understood that the same is true for other cases, and will not be repeated below.

In some embodiments, at least two of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 of the trim centrifuge tube 100 can have the same physical properties. The physical attributes referred to herein may include at least one of the size, weight, volume of the receiving cavity, shape, and angle relative to the axis of rotation R of the sub-centrifuge tube 101. In some embodiments, to facilitate balancing, the size, weight, volume, shape, and angle of the sub-centrifuge tube 101 of the balancing centrifuge tube 100 relative to the axis of rotation R may all be the same. In this way, when the sample 300 to be measured accommodated therein is kept in communication through the passage of the communicating tube 102, the weight of the sample 300 to be measured therein is also the same, thereby effectively achieving automatic balancing of the balancing centrifuge tube 100 and the sample 300 to be measured. Of course, it should be understood that only one of the physical properties described above may be the same, and that balancing may be accomplished in other ways.

A communication tube 102 is connected between two of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 of the trim centrifuge tube 100. In the case of a balancing centrifuge tube 100 having two sub-centrifuge tubes 101, the communication tube 102 is connected between the two sub-centrifuge tubes 101. In the case of a balancing centrifuge tube 100 having more than two sub-centrifuge tubes 101, the communication tube 102 may be positioned between some two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 depending on the circumstances such that each sub-centrifuge tube 101 is connected to at least one other sub-centrifuge tube 101 by the communication tube 102. For example, in some embodiments, where the number of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 in the balancing centrifuge tube 100 is an even number (e.g., 2, 4, or 6, etc.), the communication tube 102 may connect two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 symmetrically arranged about the axis of rotation R as an axis of symmetry, which may further facilitate balancing. For example, in the case of 4 sub-centrifuge tubes 101 (also described in detail below), the communication tube 102 will be at least two. In the case of 6 sub-centrifuge tubes 101, there may be at least 3 communication tubes 102. In some embodiments, different centrifuge tubes may communicate with each other at or near the rotational axis R of the centrifuge 200 to facilitate automatic balancing of the samples 300 to be tested in the plurality of sub-centrifuge tubes 101.

In some embodiments, for cases where the number of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 in the trim centrifuge tube 100 is an odd number (e.g., 3 or 5 or more), the communication tube 102 may be connected between two adjacent sub-centrifuge tubes 101. In this way, the production of balancing centrifuge tube 100 and placement in centrifuge 200 will be more facilitated.

Of course, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments of the connection of the communication tube 102 to the sub-centrifuge tube 101 are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The communication tube 102 may be connected between any two of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101. For example, in some embodiments, alternatively or additionally, where the number of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is an even number (e.g., 2, 4, or 6, etc.), the communication tube 102 may also connect two adjacent sub-centrifuge tubes 101.

The concepts of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter primarily with reference to the number of sub-centrifuge tubes 1011 in trim centrifuge tube 100 being 2 or 4. In some embodiments, the communication tube 102 may be disposed at any suitable position in the height direction of each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101, and the position in the height direction of each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is the same. For example, fig. 2A shows that the communication pipe 102 is arranged at a position on the side of the middle offset opening 1011 in the height direction of the sub centrifuge tube 101. The trim centrifuge tube 100 in this form can be more securely positioned in the centrifuge 200 when the amount of sample to be measured that needs to be contained is relatively large. In some alternative embodiments, as shown in fig. 2C, the communication tube 102 may also be disposed at a position offset from the bottom 1012 in the height direction of the sub-centrifuge tube 101. This arrangement may be suitable for situations where there is less volume of sample 300 to be tested.

The communicating tube 102 has a channel that can hold the sample 300 to be tested in the two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 to which the communicating tube 102 is connected. Fig. 2D illustrates the trim centrifuge tube 100 of fig. 2A containing a sample 300 to be tested. As can be seen from fig. 2D, since the liquid level of the sample 300 to be measured is higher than the position where the communicating tube 102 is connected to each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101, the channel of the communicating tube 102 keeps the sample 300 to be measured in communication, whereby the liquid level in each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is kept at the same height based on the principle of communicating vessels. In this way, the center of gravity of the plurality of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 can fall on a circumference centered on the rotation axis R and equally divide the circumference when the sub-centrifuge tube 101 containing the sample 300 to be measured is placed in the centrifuge 200, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, thereby achieving automatic balancing of the plurality of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 and the sample 300 to be measured therein.

In the case of a balancing centrifuge tube 100 having two sub-centrifuge tubes 101, the circumference on which the centers of gravity of the two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 are equally divided means that the centers of gravity of the two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the rotation axis R. In the case where the balancing centrifuge tube 100 has two or more sub-centrifuge tubes 101, the circumference on which the centers of gravity of the plurality of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 are equally divided means that the centers of gravity of the plurality of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 are distributed on the vertices of a regular polygon inscribed in the circumference. In this way, an automatic balancing of a plurality of sub-centrifuge tubes 101 and of the samples 300 to be tested therein can be achieved in a simple and reliable manner.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a centrifuge tube kit. The centrifuge tube kit includes, in addition to the balancing centrifuge tube 100 previously mentioned, a spin pack 201 adapted to be disposed in a centrifuge 200. The spin assembly 201 can be coupled to the trim centrifuge tube 100 and can be driven by a drive mechanism, such as a motor, in the centrifuge 200 to carry the trim centrifuge tube 100 through centrifugation. Fig. 3 and 4 illustrate schematic diagrams of a centrifuge 200 capable of centrifugation using the centrifuge tube kit described above, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Using the centrifuge 200 of the prior art solution or with only minor modifications to the centrifuge 200, the centrifuge tube kit can be used to perform centrifugation of the sample 300 to be tested on the basis of automatic balancing. In this way, the dependence on an automatic balancing centrifugal device is eliminated, the technical difficulty threshold for realizing automatic balancing is reduced, and the cost is effectively reduced.

A spin assembly carrying the trim centrifuge tube 100 can be disposed in the centrifuge 200 and coupled to a drive mechanism of the centrifuge 200. The rotating assembly is rotatable about the axis of rotation R under the drive of the drive mechanism to thereby drive the balancing centrifuge tube 100 and the sample 300 to be tested therein for centrifugation. As shown in the examples shown in fig. 3 and 4, in some embodiments, the rotating assembly may include a rotor 201. The rotor 201 includes at least two bore slots 2011 and a coupling slot 2012. The aperture 2011 is used to receive the sub-centrifuge tube 101 and the coupling slot 2012 is used to receive the communication tube 102 in such a way that the trim centrifuge tube 100 can be coupled to the rotor 201.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and 4, the number of the hole slots 2011 is four. When used to house a trim centrifuge tube 100 having two sub-centrifuge tubes 101, two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 may be placed in any two opposing well 2011 of four wells 2011. In this way, a rotor 201 with such four aperture slots 2011 can be used to place two trim centrifuge tubes 100 with two sub-centrifuge tubes 101. For example, two well slots 2011 of rotor 201 are shown in fig. 3 and 4 as having placed two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 of balancing centrifuge tube 100, while the other two well slots 2011 are in a blank state. The two wells in the empty state can also be used to place the two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 of the trim centrifuge tube 100. In this case, to avoid interference of the communication tubes 102 of the two balancing centrifuge tubes 100, in some embodiments, the two interdigitated aperture slots 2011 may have different depths, as shown in fig. 5. In this way, when placing a trim centrifuge tube 100 having two sub-centrifuge tubes 101, one trim centrifuge tube 100 may be placed at the well 2011 position of the coupling well 2012 having a lower depth, and then another trim centrifuge tube 100 may be placed at the other well 2011 position, thereby enabling the communication tubes 102 of the two trim centrifuge tubes 100 to be placed up and down in the coupling wells 2012 of different depths without interfering with each other.

The above describes embodiments of placing one or two balancing centrifuge tubes 100 using a rotor 201 with 4 aperture slots 2011 as an example. Of course, it should be understood that in some embodiments, rotor 201 may also have only 2 slots 2011 or 6 or even more slots 2011. In some embodiments, where there are 6 or 8 slots 2011, each pair of slots 2011 has a coupling slot corresponding thereto. In this case, different coupling grooves 2012 may be provided to have different depths, and the depth of the hole groove 2011 connected thereto may be adjusted accordingly. In this way, when placing multiple trim centrifuge tubes 100, the communication tubes 102 of multiple trim centrifuge tubes 100 can be positioned in the coupling slots 2012 at different depths, avoiding interference with each other.

In some embodiments, balancing centrifuge tube 100 according to the teachings herein may be integrally formed from a flexible material such as a plastic or silicone material. For a trim centrifuge tube 100 made of flexible material, the angle between the sub-centrifuge tube 101 and the communication tube 102 can be changed by an external force and restored upon removal of the external force. In this way, when placing the balancing centrifuge tube 100 in the rotor 201 as shown in fig. 3-5, the angle of the sub-centrifuge tube 101 relative to the rotation axis R can be adjusted first to thereby place the sub-centrifuge tube 101 in the corresponding aperture slot 2011.

Of course, embodiments according to the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, trim centrifuge tube 100 according to the teachings herein may also be integrally formed using a rigid material such as glass. In such an embodiment, to facilitate placement of balancing centrifuge tube 100 in rotor 201, rotor 201 may include a plurality of rotor lobes formed by radial splitting, and the plurality of rotor lobes may have the same specifications. That is, the rotor 201 is equally divided into a plurality of rotor lobes in the radial direction. For example, for a rotor 201 with 4 bore slots 2011, it may be split into four rotor lobes. Each rotor lobe has a portion of the wall of the aperture slot 2011 thereon such that each aperture slot 2011 is formed by the combination of two adjacent rotor lobes.

In placing the rigid trim centrifuge tube 100 on the rotor 201, the rotor lobes of the rotor 201 need only be disassembled first to open each aperture slot 2011 from the side, thereby placing the trim centrifuge tube 100 into the aperture slots 2011 from the side and then combining the rotor lobes. The rotor lobes of rotor 201 may be fastened or coupled together in a suitable manner. For example, in some embodiments, the rotor lobes of rotor 201 may be coupled together by way of snap-fit structures, fasteners, or the like. In some embodiments, rotor 201 in centrifuge 200 may also be replaced with drive rod 202. This will be further elucidated hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In some embodiments, the cuvettes 102 may include at least one sub-cuvettes 1021, each sub-cuvettes 1021 including a sub-channel that communicates the samples 300 under test of the two connected sub-centrifuge tubes 101. For example, the above description has been given of the embodiments in which the communication pipes 102 each have one sub-communication pipe 1021. In some alternative embodiments, the communication tube 102 may also have two or more sub-communication tubes 1021, and each sub-communication tube 1021 has one sub-channel. Fig. 6, 7 and 8 show an example in which the communication pipe 102 has two sub-communication pipes 1021.

In the example shown in fig. 6 to 8, two sub-communication pipes 1021 are arranged in parallel with each other. The communication pipe 102 includes, in addition to the two sub-communication pipes 1021 arranged in parallel, a connection 1022 provided between the two sub-communication pipes 1021. A coupling hole 1023 is provided at a middle position of the connection part 1022. The trim centrifuge tube 100 having such a structure may be integrally formed using a rigid material such as glass. In some embodiments, the centrifuge tube kit may include, in addition to such balancing centrifuge tubes 100, a drive rod 202 that can be coupled to the drive mechanism of the centrifuge 200 in an appropriate manner. The coupling aperture 1023 of the trim centrifuge tube 100 can be coupled to the drive rod 202 to thereby perform a centrifugation operation.

Fig. 9 shows an example of a centrifuge tube kit having a drive rod 202 disposed in a centrifuge 200. In the example shown in fig. 9, the drive rod 202 is coupled to the drive mechanism of the centrifuge 200 instead of the rotor 201 in the previous example. The drive rod 202 can be driven to rotate about its own axis (i.e., the rotation axis R). The coupling aperture 1023 of the trim centrifuge tube 100 shown in fig. 6-8 can be coupled to the drive rod 202. In this manner, the trim centrifuge tube 100 can be driven by the drive rod 202 for centrifugation, as shown in FIG. 10. In some embodiments, the cross-section of the drive rod 202 may have a polygonal shape such as a rectangle, square, pentagon, etc. The cross-sectional shape of the coupling hole 1023 corresponds thereto. In this way, the balancing centrifuge tube 100 can be sleeved on the driving rod 202 via the coupling hole 1023 and rotated by the driving rod 202, thereby performing the centrifugation operation.

In some embodiments, a stop may be provided at a predetermined location on the drive rod 202 to stop the trim centrifuge tube 100 nested thereon to prevent movement of the trim centrifuge tube 100 in the vertical direction during centrifugation. The stopper may include an upper stopper and a lower stopper. The lower stop may be fixedly positioned at a predetermined location on the drive rod 202 to prevent the trim centrifuge tube 100 from sliding downward. The upper stop may be placed over the drive rod 202 after the trim centrifuge tube 100 is placed on the drive rod 202 to prevent the trim centrifuge tube 100 from sliding upward during the centrifugation operation. In some embodiments, alternatively or additionally, a support (not shown) may also be provided in place of the bottom 1012 of the centrifuge 200 for supporting the bottom 1012 of the trim centrifuge tube 100.

For a balancing centrifuge tube 100 with two sub-cuvettes 1021 in a cuvettes 102, the cuvettes 102 may also be positioned at the appropriate location in the height direction of each sub-centrifuge tube 101. The examples of fig. 6-8 show the communication tube 102 in a position closer to the opening 1011 in the height direction of each sub-centrifuge tube 101. In some alternative embodiments, as shown in fig. 11, a communication tube 102 may also be provided at the bottom 1012 of each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101. In this way, the sample 300 to be tested in both of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 can remain automatically trimmed even though the amount of sample 300 to be tested is relatively small.

Various embodiments of balancing centrifuge tube 100 having two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 are described above. As mentioned previously, in some embodiments, the trim centrifuge tube 100 may also have more than two sub-centrifuge tubes 101. For example, figures 12-14 illustrate a trim centrifuge tube 100 having 4 sub-centrifuge tubes 101. In such an embodiment, the communication tube 102 is connected between two sub-centrifuge tubes 101 opposite with respect to the rotation axis R. Further, in the example shown in fig. 12 to 14, each of the communication pipes 102 may have two sub-communication pipes 1021. The sub-passages of the four sub-communication tubes 1021 of the two communication tubes 102 communicate with each other in the vicinity of the coupling hole 1023. The coupling hole 1023 may be used to couple to the driving rod 202 located in the centrifuge 200 to thereby perform a centrifugal operation under the driving of the driving rod 202.

It should be appreciated that for the balancing centrifuge tube 100 with coupling holes 1023 mentioned above, it can be coupled to the rotor 201 mentioned above in addition to the drive rod 202. For example, a coupling groove 2012 matching the shape of the communication pipe 102 may be provided on the rotor 201. The coupling groove 2012 for accommodating the communication tube 102 having two sub-communication tubes 1021 has a wider width than the communication tube 102 having only one sub-communication tube 1021. In this way, a balancing centrifuge tube 100 of the type shown in fig. 12-14 can also be provided in the rotor 201 and centrifuged under the drive of the rotor.

The embodiments in which balancing centrifuge tube 100 may be placed in centrifuge 200 for centrifugation through drive rod 202 or through aperture slot 2011 in rotor 201 are described above with reference to the figures. Of course, it should be understood that the trim centrifuge tube 100 may be securely disposed in the centrifuge in any suitable manner so long as it is rotatable about the rotational axis R for centrifugation by the drive mechanism of the centrifuge. For example, in some alternative embodiments, the trim centrifuge tube 100 may also be provided directly in the centrifuge in a suitable manner for performing the centrifugation operation without the aid of the drive rod 202 or the bore slot 2011 of the rotor 201.

Fig. 15 shows an example diagram of a process of centrifuging a blood test sample 300 using the centrifuge 200 and trim centrifuge tube 100 shown in fig. 10. Wherein (a) - (C) in fig. 15 illustrate the process of adding a blood test sample 300 from the left side sub-centrifuge tube 101 to the balancing centrifuge tube 100, wherein circles represent larger impurities such as cells in the blood, and the horizontal black line in the sub-centrifuge tube 101 represents the current position of the liquid surface. With the continuous addition of the blood test sample 300, after the liquid level in the left side sub-centrifuge tube 101 is higher than the communicating tube 102, the blood sample will flow to the right side sub-centrifuge tube 101 under the pressure until the test sample 300 in both sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is higher than the communicating tube 102, as shown in fig. 15 (C). At this point, the sample 300 to be tested in the sub-centrifuge tube 101 is communicated through the sub-channels and held balanced.

Next, the coupling hole 1023 of the balancing centrifuge tube 100 is nested into the driving rod 202, and the centrifuge 200 is started without balancing, so that the whole blood sample 300 to be measured can be centrifugally separated. After centrifugation, as shown in fig. 15 (D), larger components such as cells settle to the bottom 1012 of each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 of the balancing centrifuge tube 100, and the supernatant (in this example, the desired serum or plasma) is in the upper portion of each of the sub-centrifuge tubes 101.

It can be seen that the device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can achieve the separation of plasma, or serum, from whole blood without manual trimming. Automated balancing may also be achieved and centrifuged for a single sample 300 to be tested using a balancing centrifuge tube 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Depending on the sample size to be tested, the balancing centrifuge tube 100 with more sub-centrifuge tubes 101 mentioned above may also be selected for centrifugation. The process is also similar and will not be described in detail herein.

According to the balancing centrifuge tube 100 in the embodiment of the disclosure, through the characteristics that the liquid levels in the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 are kept consistent under the action of pressure by the mutually communicated sub-centrifuge tubes 101, the automatic balancing of the liquid in the sub-centrifuge tubes 101 is realized, the balancing centrifuge tube 100 is greatly improved, and the balancing centrifuge tube 100 can be suitable for various centrifuges 200 with rotors 201 or driving rods 202, is compatible with common centrifuges 200, can realize automatic balancing and centrifugation without modifying the common centrifuges 200 or replacing the rotors 201 of the common centrifuges 200, and has wide application range.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the various embodiments described. The terminology used herein was chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or the technical improvement of the technology in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims (14)

1. A trim centrifuge tube for a centrifuge, comprising:

-at least two sub-centrifuge tubes (101), each comprising a receiving cavity adapted to receive a sample (300) to be tested, and being adapted to be arranged in the centrifuge (200) centering on a rotation axis (R) of the centrifuge for centrifuging the sample (300) to be tested, each sub-centrifuge tube (101) of the at least one pair of sub-centrifuge tubes (101) being at a non-zero angle with respect to the rotation axis (R); and

a communicating tube (102) connected between two of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes (101) and having a passage adapted to hold the sample (300) to be measured in the two sub-centrifuge tubes (101) to which the communicating tube (102) is connected in communication such that the center of gravity of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes (101) containing the sample (300) to be measured falls on a circumference centered on the rotation axis (R) and equally divides the circumference.

2. The balancing centrifuge tube according to claim 1, wherein the at least two sub centrifuge tubes (101) have the same physical properties, the physical properties comprising at least one of: size, weight, volume, shape of the receiving chamber and angle with respect to the rotation axis (R).

3. Balancing centrifuge tube according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the number of the at least two sub centrifuge tubes (101) is an even number and the communication tube (102) connects two sub centrifuge tubes (101) symmetrically arranged about the rotation axis (R) as symmetry axis.

4. A balancing centrifuge tube according to claim 3, characterized in that the different communication tubes (102) communicate with each other at or near the rotation axis (R).

5. The balancing centrifuge tube according to claim 1, wherein the number of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes (101) is an odd number and the communication tube (102) connects two adjacent sub-centrifuge tubes (101) of the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes (101).

6. The balancing centrifuge tube according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5, wherein the communicating tube (102) comprises at least one sub-communicating tube (1021), each sub-communicating tube (1021) comprising a sub-channel adapted to keep the sample (300) to be tested in the two sub-centrifuge tubes (101) to which the communicating tube (102) is connected in communication.

7. The balancing centrifuge tube according to claim 6, wherein the communication tube (102) comprises:

two sub-communication pipes (1021) parallel to each other; and

a connection (1022) disposed between the two sub-communication tubes (1021), the connection comprising a coupling hole (1023) at the rotation axis (R), the coupling hole being adapted to couple with a driving rod (202) in the centrifuge (200) coaxial with the rotation axis (R) to allow the driving rod (202) to drive the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes (101) to perform a centrifugal motion.

8. The balancing centrifuge tube according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7, wherein the communication tube (102) is adapted to be arranged in a coupling groove (2012) of a rotor (201) in the centrifuge (200).

9. Balancing centrifuge tube according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7, characterized in that the angle of the sub centrifuge tube (101) with respect to the rotation axis (R) is in the range of 5 ° to 60 °.

10. A centrifuge tube kit for a centrifuge (200), comprising:

the trim centrifuge tube of any one of claims 1-9; and

a rotating assembly adapted to be coupled to the balancing centrifuge tube and adapted to be placed in the centrifuge (200) to be driven by a drive mechanism of the centrifuge (200) to thereby drive the balancing centrifuge tube (100) for centrifugation.

11. The centrifuge tube kit of claim 10, wherein the rotating assembly comprises:

-a rotor (201) adapted to be driven to rotate about a rotation axis (R) and comprising:

at least two aperture slots (2011) for receiving the at least two sub-centrifuge tubes (101), respectively; and

a coupling slot (2012) adapted to receive the communication tube (102).

12. The centrifuge tube kit of claim 11, wherein the rotor (201) comprises a plurality of rotor lobes divided radially and having the same gauge, each rotor lobe comprising a portion of a wall of the bore slot (2011).

13. The centrifuge tube kit of claim 10, wherein the rotating assembly comprises:

a drive rod (202) coaxial with the axis of rotation (R) and adapted to couple with the coupling aperture of the balancing centrifuge tube to drive the balancing centrifuge tube into centrifugal movement.

14. A centrifuge (200), comprising:

a drive mechanism adapted to drive a rotating assembly in a centrifuge tube kit according to any one of claims 10-13.

Images