CN116265141A

CN116265141A - Sample analyzer and method for controlling cleaning of pipetting needle

Info

Publication number: CN116265141A
Application number: CN202111555541.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周洋; 刘右林
Original assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-17
Filing date: 2021-12-17
Publication date: 2023-06-20

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a sample analyzer and a method of controlling cleaning of a pipetting needle, the sample analyzer comprising: the device comprises a dispensing mechanism, an ultrasonic cleaning mechanism, a first liquid path supporting mechanism, a second liquid path supporting mechanism and a controller; the controller is configured to: controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism to provide a first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank; controlling the second liquid path supporting mechanism to inject the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle; controlling the moving member to insert the pipetting needle at least partially into the first rinse liquid in the first rinse tank; and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly to provide sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool and the second cleaning liquid in the inner cavity of the pipetting needle. The sample analyzer can clean the pipetting needle in a simple and easy way, has higher cleaning efficiency, can effectively disperse and strip residues, and has better cleaning effect.

Description

Sample analyzer and method for controlling cleaning of pipetting needle

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of sample analyzers, and in particular relates to a sample analyzer and a cleaning control method of a pipetting needle.

Background

In-vitro diagnosis and inspection equipment needs to use a probe to fill samples and reagents, and after filling, the samples and the reagents need to be further stirred and mixed uniformly so as to ensure full reaction. Wherein the probe device is reusable, and it contacts different liquid media during operation. In order to eliminate the carrying pollution among different media, the devices are required to be cleaned after each operation so as to remove the residual substances on the surfaces of the devices, and the substances are prevented from being brought into the next reaction to cause cross pollution and influence the accuracy of the test results.

The working mediums of each unit are various, and the physical characteristics corresponding to the mediums are different, so that if a good cleaning effect is required, a specific cleaning scheme design is often required. The traditional cleaning design mode is that a cleaning position is arranged for each device, after each device finishes the medium dispensing once, cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning position through a liquid supply system, the device is moved to the cleaning position for cleaning, and after the cleaning is finished, the next medium dispensing is executed again.

However, in such a cleaning mode, on one hand, the corresponding cleaning medium and the cleaning mode are relatively fixed, especially for the occasion with smaller cleaning stripping force, the cleaning mode may not completely remove pollutants, and as the instrument is used for a long time, the accumulation of tiny pollution on the surface of the instrument may eventually cause cross pollution to exceed standard, or the accumulation of residues may cause the attribute of the surface of the component to change, the liquid residues after cleaning are increased, and the residues after entering the reaction system may cause abnormal test results; on the other hand, the liquid supply system can only provide cleaning liquid for the cleaning position, and the probe needs to suck the cleaning liquid from the cleaning position, so that the operation process is complex, and the cleaning efficiency is seriously affected.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing problems in the prior art, the present disclosure provides a sample analyzer and a method for controlling cleaning of a pipette needle. The technical scheme adopted by the embodiment of the disclosure is as follows.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a sample analyzer comprising:

a dispensing mechanism including a moving member and a pipetting needle provided on the moving member; the moving component is used for driving the pipetting needle to move between different working positions so as to suck or discharge target liquid, and the target liquid comprises at least one of a sample and a reagent;

the ultrasonic cleaning mechanism comprises a first cleaning pool and an ultrasonic sound source assembly, wherein the first cleaning pool is used for containing cleaning liquid, and the ultrasonic sound source assembly is used for providing sound field vibration for the cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool;

a first liquid path support mechanism for supplying a first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank;

the second liquid path supporting mechanism is used for injecting a second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle;

a controller configured to:

Controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism to provide a first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank;

controlling the second liquid path supporting mechanism to inject the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle;

controlling the moving member to insert the pipetting needle at least partially into the first rinse liquid in the first rinse tank; the method comprises the steps of,

and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly to provide sound field vibration for the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool and the second cleaning liquid in the inner cavity of the pipetting needle.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to:

and controlling the second liquid path supporting mechanism to inject the second cleaning liquid into the pipetting needle before the pipetting needle moves to the first cleaning tank or during the lowering of the pipetting needle.

In some embodiments, the first cleaning fluid is of a different composition or source than the second cleaning fluid.

In some embodiments, the first cleaning liquid is a chemically aggressive liquid and the second cleaning liquid is cleaning water.

In some embodiments, the second liquid path support mechanism includes a second cleaning liquid supply part, a pumping component and a control valve which are sequentially connected, one end of the control valve is communicated with the pumping component, the other end of the control valve is communicated with the inner cavity of the pipetting needle, and the controller is further configured to control the second liquid path support mechanism to execute in the process of injecting the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle: and opening the pumping component and the control valve, and closing the pumping component and the control valve after the second cleaning liquid is injected into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle.

In some embodiments, the second cleaning liquid is cleaning water, the second cleaning liquid supply part comprises a water tank, the second liquid path supporting mechanism further comprises a syringe and a motor, one end of the syringe is connected with the control valve, the other end of the syringe is communicated with the inner cavity of the pipetting needle, the motor is in driving connection with the syringe, and the controller is further configured to control the motor to drive the syringe to provide power for sucking and discharging target liquid.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to: before the second liquid path supporting mechanism is controlled to inject the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle, the pumping component and the control valve are started to provide the second cleaning liquid to flush the inner cavity of the pipetting needle, and after the inner cavity of the pipetting needle is flushed for a first preset time period, the pumping component and the control valve are closed.

In some embodiments, the sample analyzer further comprises a drain mechanism provided with a drain for draining the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank through the drain, the controller being further configured to, after the ultrasonic sound source assembly provides a sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank for a second preset period of time and/or a first preset number of times:

Closing the ultrasonic sound source assembly and controlling the liquid discharge mechanism to discharge the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank;

and controlling the pipetting needle to drain the second cleaning liquid.

In some embodiments, the first fluid path support mechanism is further configured to provide a third cleaning fluid into the first cleaning tank, the controller being further configured to, after turning off the ultrasonic sound source assembly and controlling the drain mechanism to drain the first cleaning fluid in the first cleaning tank:

controlling the pipetting needle to drain the second cleaning liquid;

controlling the second liquid path supporting mechanism to provide a second cleaning liquid or a fourth cleaning liquid for the inner cavity of the pipetting needle;

controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism to provide a third cleaning liquid to the first cleaning tank;

controlling the moving member to insert the pipetting needle at least partially into the third rinse liquid in the first rinse tank;

controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly to provide sound field vibration to the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank;

after providing sound field vibration to the third cleaning liquid for a third preset time period and/or a second preset times, closing the ultrasonic sound source assembly and controlling the liquid discharge mechanism to discharge the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool;

And controlling the pipetting needle to drain the second cleaning liquid or the fourth cleaning liquid.

In some embodiments, the sample analyzer further comprises a second wash tank and a third fluid path support mechanism for providing wash water to the second wash tank, the second fluid path support mechanism further for providing wash water inward of the pipetting needle, the controller further configured to perform, in controlling the pipetting needle to drain the second wash liquid:

controlling the pipetting needle to move to the second cleaning pool to discharge the second cleaning liquid;

after controlling the pipetting needle to drain the second cleaning liquid, performing:

controlling the third liquid path supporting mechanism to supply washing water to the second washing tank so as to wash the outer wall of the pipetting needle with the washing water;

and controlling the second liquid path mechanism to provide cleaning water into the pipetting needle so as to flush the inner wall of the pipetting needle.

In some embodiments, the first liquid path support mechanism is further configured to provide wash water into the first wash tank, the controller further configured to:

after controlling the liquid discharging mechanism to discharge the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid, controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism to supply cleaning water to the first cleaning tank;

After the third preset period of time is provided for the cleaning water, the liquid draining mechanism is controlled to drain the cleaning water in the first cleaning tank.

In some embodiments, the sample analyzer further comprises a liquid level detection component for detecting a liquid level of the liquid within the first wash tank, the controller further configured to:

acquiring the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting component;

and when the liquid level is smaller than a first preset liquid level, controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism to provide the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid into the first cleaning pool.

In some embodiments, the first liquid path support mechanism includes a first liquid path assembly for supplying a cleaning agent and a second liquid path assembly for supplying cleaning water, the first cleaning agent being formed by mixing the cleaning agent and the cleaning water.

In some embodiments, the first liquid path assembly is provided with a first liquid outlet, the second liquid path assembly is provided with a second liquid outlet, the first cleaning tank is provided with a liquid inlet, the first liquid outlet and the second liquid outlet are both communicated with the liquid inlet via an adjusting component, and the controller is further configured to: and adjusting the outlet flow of the first liquid outlet and the outlet flow of the second liquid outlet so as to provide the first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning pool.

In some embodiments, the sample analyzer further comprises a liquid level detection component for detecting a liquid level of the liquid within the first wash tank, the controller further configured to: after the first liquid path supporting mechanism supplies the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank, acquiring the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting component; and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly to provide sound field vibration for the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool under the condition that the absolute value of the difference value between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference value.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to: and under the condition that the absolute value of the difference value between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference value, controlling the moving part to drive the liquid moving needle to descend to the preset height, and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly to provide sound field vibration.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic sound source assembly is positioned at the bottom of the first cleaning tank to transmit sound field vibrations through the bottom of the first cleaning tank to the cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank.

In some embodiments, the first wash basin is provided with a wash chamber and an overflow chamber, the pipetting needle being inserted into the wash liquid in the wash chamber, the overflow chamber for receiving wash liquid that overflows from the wash chamber, the controller being further configured to: and controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism to provide the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning cavity for a fourth preset time period so that the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning cavity overflows to the overflow cavity.

In some embodiments, the first fluid path support mechanism and the second fluid path support mechanism share a power component.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for controlling washing of a pipetting needle, which is applied to a sample analyzer, the method comprising:

providing a first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank;

injecting a second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle;

inserting the pipetting needle at least partially into a first rinse solution in the first rinse tank; and

providing sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank and the second cleaning liquid in the pipetting needle.

In some embodiments, after the step of providing sonic field vibrations to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank and the second cleaning liquid in the pipetting needle, the method further comprises:

Stopping providing sound field vibration and discharging the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank after providing sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank for a second preset period of time and/or a first preset number of times;

draining the second cleaning fluid from the inner cavity of the pipetting needle;

providing a fourth cleaning liquid or a second cleaning liquid to the inner cavity of the pipetting needle;

providing a third cleaning solution to the first cleaning tank;

at least partially inserting the pipetting needle into the third wash liquid in the first wash tank

Providing sound field vibration to a third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank;

stopping providing sound field vibration and discharging the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank after providing sound field vibration for the third cleaning liquid for a third preset time period and/or a second preset times;

and discharging the second cleaning liquid or the fourth cleaning liquid in the inner cavity of the pipetting needle.

The sample analyzer of this disclosed embodiment is provided with first liquid way supporting mechanism and second liquid way supporting mechanism for first washing pond and pipetting needle respectively, provide first washing liquid to first washing pond through first liquid way supporting mechanism, provide the second washing liquid to pipetting needle through second liquid way supporting mechanism, provide the sound field vibration to the second washing liquid in the inner chamber of first washing liquid and pipetting needle in the first washing pond through the ultrasonic sound source subassembly, carry out ultrasonic cleaning to the outer wall of pipetting needle through first washing liquid, carry out ultrasonic cleaning to the inner wall of pipetting needle through the second washing liquid, not only can simplify the operation process, improve cleaning efficiency, but also can effectual dispersion and peel off the residue, have better cleaning performance.

Drawings

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. The same reference numerals with letter suffixes or different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments by way of example in general and not by way of limitation, and together with the description and claims serve to explain the disclosed embodiments. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Such embodiments are illustrative and not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive of the present apparatus or method.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a sample analyzer of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a portion of a sample analyzer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the structure of an ultrasonic cleaning mechanism;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic views of the structure of the first cleaning tank at different angles;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of a method of controlling the cleaning of a pipetting needle in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Reference numerals illustrate:

10-a dispensing mechanism; 11-a moving part; 12-pipetting needle;

20-an ultrasonic cleaning mechanism; 21-a first cleaning tank; 211-cleaning the cavity; 212-an overflow chamber; 213-liquid inlet; 214-a first drain; 215-a second drain; 22-an ultrasonic sound source assembly; a 221-ultrasonic transducer; 222-a transfer member; 23-a second cleaning tank; 24-a liquid discharge mechanism;

30-a first fluid path support mechanism; 31-a first fluid circuit assembly; 32-a second fluid path assembly; 33-an adjustment member;

40-a second liquid path supporting mechanism;

50-a controller;

61-reaction plate; 62-a reaction cup;

70-a mixing mechanism;

80-detection mechanism.

Detailed Description

In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present disclosure, the following detailed description of the present disclosure is provided with reference to the accompanying drawings and the specific embodiments. Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments, but not by way of limitation of the present disclosure.

The terms "first," "second," and the like, as used in this disclosure, do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The word "comprising" or "comprises" and the like means that elements preceding the word encompass the elements recited after the word, and not exclude the possibility of also encompassing other elements. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, which may also be changed when the absolute position of the object to be described is changed.

In this disclosure, when a particular device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intervening device between the particular device and either the first device or the second device. When it is described that a particular device is connected to other devices, the particular device may be directly connected to the other devices without intervening devices, or may be directly connected to the other devices without intervening devices.

All terms (including technical or scientific terms) used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless specifically defined otherwise. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a sample analyzer, the sample analyzer comprising: the device comprises a dispensing mechanism, an ultrasonic cleaning mechanism, a first liquid path supporting mechanism, a second liquid path supporting mechanism and a controller.

The dispensing mechanism comprises a moving part and a pipetting needle arranged on the moving part; the moving member is used for driving the pipetting needle to move between different working positions to aspirate or discharge a target liquid including at least one of a sample and a reagent.

The ultrasonic cleaning mechanism comprises a first cleaning tank and an ultrasonic source assembly, wherein the first cleaning tank is used for containing cleaning liquid, and the ultrasonic source assembly is used for providing sound field vibration for the cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank.

The first liquid path supporting mechanism is used for providing a first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning pool.

The second liquid path supporting mechanism is used for injecting a second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle.

The controller is configured to: controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism to provide a first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank; controlling the second liquid path supporting mechanism to inject the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle; controlling the moving member to insert the pipetting needle at least partially into the first rinse liquid in the first rinse tank; and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly to provide sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool and the second cleaning liquid in the inner cavity of the pipetting needle.

The structure and principle of the sample analyzer according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the specific embodiments.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a sample analyzer of an embodiment of the present disclosure may specifically include a dispensing mechanism 10, an ultrasonic cleaning mechanism 20, a first liquid path support mechanism 30, a second liquid path support mechanism 40, and a controller 50.

The dispensing mechanism 10 includes a moving member 11 and a pipetting needle 12 provided on the moving member 11; the moving part 11 is used for driving the pipetting needle 12 to move between different working positions to aspirate or discharge a target liquid comprising at least one of a sample and a reagent.

Alternatively, the dispensing mechanism 10 may comprise a sample dispensing mechanism 10. The sample dispensing mechanism 10 may include a first moving member for driving the sample needle to move on its moving track to aspirate or discharge a sample, and a sample needle provided on the first moving member. For example, the first moving member may drive the sample needle to draw the sample from the sample tube at the sample site, and then drive the sample needle to move to the reaction plate 61, and discharge the drawn sample into the reaction cup 62 on the reaction plate 61.

Alternatively, the dispensing mechanism 10 may also include a reagent dispensing mechanism 10. The reagent dispensing mechanism 10 may include a second moving member for driving the reagent needle to move on its moving track to aspirate or discharge the reagent, and a reagent needle provided on the second moving member. For example, the second moving member may drive the reagent needle to move between the reagent disk and the reaction disk 61 to draw the actual from the reagent container on the reagent disk through the reagent needle and discharge the reagent into the reaction cup 62 on the reaction disk 61 to mix with the sample liquid in the reaction cup 62 and incubate the reaction liquid.

The ultrasonic cleaning mechanism 20 includes a first cleaning tank 21 for containing cleaning liquid, and an ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 for providing sound field vibration to the cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21, as shown in fig. 3.

Alternatively, the first washing bath 21 may be a washing bath dedicated to washing the sample needle, and the first washing bath 21 may be disposed on a moving track of the sample needle. The first washing tank 21 may be a washing tank dedicated to washing the reagent needles, and the first washing tank 21 may be disposed on the moving track of the reagent needles. In the case where the sample analyzer has both the sample needle and the reagent needle, the first washing tank 21 may be provided at the intersection of the movement trajectories of the sample needle and the reagent needle, and the sample needle and the reagent needle may share the first washing tank 21 at this time; alternatively, the first washing tank 21 may be provided for each of the sample needle and the reagent needle.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 3 to 5, the first washing reservoir 21 is provided with a washing chamber 211 and an overflow chamber 212, the washing chamber 211 being adapted to hold washing liquid to wash the pipetting needle 12, and the overflow chamber 212 being adapted to receive washing liquid overflowed from the washing chamber 211. Alternatively, the cleaning chamber 211 may have a cylindrical shape and an open top, the cleaning chamber 211 may be disposed in the middle, the overflow chamber 212 may be disposed around the cleaning chamber 211, and the liquid inlet 213 of the cleaning chamber 211 may extend out of the overflow chamber 212 through a passage. The bottom of the cleaning chamber 211 may be provided with a first drain port 214, and the first drain port 214 is used to drain the cleaning liquid in the cleaning chamber 211. The bottom of the overflow chamber 212 may be provided with a second drain 215, the second drain 215 being for draining the cleaning liquid in the overflow chamber 212.

Alternatively, the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 may be provided at, for example, the bottom of the first washing tank 21, and the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 may be configured to transmit sound field vibration to the washing liquid in the first washing tank 21 through the bottom of the first washing tank 21 to ultrasonically wash the outer wall of the pipette needle 12 with the washing liquid.

Alternatively, the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 may include an ultrasonic transducer 221 and a transmission member 222, the ultrasonic transducer 221 may be connected to one end of the transmission member 222, the other end of the transmission member 222 may be abutted against the bottom of the first cleaning tank 21, the ultrasonic transducer 221 generates sound source vibration, the sound source vibration is transmitted to the first cleaning tank 21 through the transmission member 222, and the sound source vibration is transmitted to the cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 through the first cleaning tank 21.

Of course, the specific configurations of the first cleaning tank 21 and the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 described above are exemplary. In the implementation, the first cleaning tank 21 or the ultrasonic source assembly 22 can have other structures on the basis of meeting the basic use function.

The first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 is configured to supply the first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21.

Alternatively, the first cleaning liquid may be already prepared when being filled into the sample analyzer, or the first cleaning liquid may be a single-component cleaning liquid, and the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 may directly supply the first cleaning liquid to the first cleaning reservoir 21. At this time, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 may include, for example, a first cleaning liquid supply part, an infusion pump, and an electric control valve connected in this order, the electric control valve may be connected to the first cleaning tank 21 through an infusion line, the controller 50 may be connected to the electric control valve and the infusion pump, respectively, and the first cleaning liquid supplied from the first cleaning liquid supply part may be supplied to the first cleaning tank 21 by opening the infusion pump and the electric control valve.

Alternatively, the first liquid path support mechanism 30 may be configured to acquire the respective components, perform real-time mixing preparation to form the first cleaning liquid, and supply the first cleaning liquid in the real-time mixing preparation to the first cleaning tank 21. For example, the first cleaning liquid may be formed by mixing a cleaning agent and cleaning water. At this time, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 may include a first liquid path assembly 31 and a second liquid path assembly 32, the cleaning agent is supplied through the first liquid path assembly 31, the cleaning water is supplied through the second liquid path assembly 32, and the cleaning agent and the cleaning water are mixed to form the first cleaning liquid.

Optionally, the first liquid path component 31 is provided with a first liquid outlet, the second liquid path component 32 is provided with a second liquid outlet, the first cleaning tank 21 is provided with a liquid inlet 213, and the first liquid outlet and the second liquid outlet are both communicated with the liquid inlet 213 through the adjusting component 33, as shown in fig. 3. The controller 50 may control the opening degrees of the first and second liquid outlets by controlling the adjusting part 33, thereby adjusting the outlet flow rates of the first and second liquid outlets, adjusting the ratio of the cleaning agent to the cleaning water, forming the first cleaning liquid by mixing the cleaning agent and the cleaning water in an appropriate ratio, and supplying the first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning reservoir 21. Of course, in implementation, the first fluid path support mechanism 30 may further include a third fluid path assembly, or even more fluid path assemblies, to provide additional fluid to the first cleaning tank 21.

The second liquid path support mechanism 40 is used for injecting a second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12.

Alternatively, the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 may include a second cleaning liquid supply part, a pumping part, and a control valve connected in sequence, one end of the control valve is communicated with the pumping part, the other end of the control valve is communicated with the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, and the controller 50 may inject the second cleaning liquid supplied from the second cleaning liquid supply part into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 by opening the pumping part and the control valve; after the second cleaning solution is injected into the lumen of the pipetting needle 12, the pumping means and the control valve may be closed to stop the injection of the second cleaning solution into the lumen of the pipetting needle 12.

The controller 50 is configured to: controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 to supply the first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21; controlling the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 to inject the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12; controlling the moving member 11 to insert the pipetting needle 12 at least partially into the first wash liquid in the first wash tank 21; and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 to provide sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning reservoir 21 and the second cleaning liquid in the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12.

Alternatively, the controller 50 is configured as the controller 50 including a processor and a storage medium storing a computer program. In particular, the controller 50 includes at least a processing component, RAM, ROM, a communication interface, memory, and an I/O interface. The processing components, RAM, ROM, communications interfaces, memory, and I/O interfaces communicate over a bus. The processing component may be a CPU, GPU or other chip with computing capabilities. The memory stores various computer programs such as an operating system and application programs for execution by the processor element and data required for execution of the computer programs. In addition, during sample analysis, data stored locally may be stored in memory if needed. The I/O interface is constituted by a serial interface such as USB, IEEE or RS-C, a parallel interface such as SCSI, IDE or IEEE, and an analog signal interface composed of a D/a converter, an a/D converter, and the like. An input device consisting of a keyboard, mouse, touch screen or other control buttons is connected to the I/O interface, and a user can directly input data to the controller 50 using the input device. In addition, a display device having a display function, for example, may be connected to the I/O interface: liquid crystal screens, touch screens, LED display screens, and the like. The controller 50 may output the processed data as image display data to a display device for display, for example: analytical data, instrument operating parameters, etc. The communication interface is an interface that may be any communication protocol presently known. The communication interface communicates with the outside through a network. The controller 50 may communicate data with any device connected via the network via a communication interface in a communication protocol.

The sample analyzer may further include a mixing mechanism 70, and the mixing mechanism 70 may include a driving part and a stirring rod disposed on the driving part, where the driving part is used to drive the stirring rod to perform a stirring operation on the target liquid. For example, the driving member may drive the stirring rod to stir the reaction liquid in the reaction cup 62.

The sample analyzer may further include, for example, a detection mechanism 80 for detecting the reaction liquid in the cuvette 62 to obtain a detection result. For example, the detection means may detect the luminescence intensity of the reaction liquid to determine the concentration of the target component in the sample, or the like.

The sample analyzer of the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured with the first washing tank 21 and the pipetting needle 12 with the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 and the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40, respectively, the first washing liquid is supplied to the first washing tank 21 through the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30, the second washing liquid is supplied to the pipetting needle 12 through the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40, the sound field vibration is supplied to the first washing liquid in the first washing tank 21 and the second washing liquid in the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 through the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22, the outer wall of the pipetting needle 12 is ultrasonically washed by the first washing liquid, and the inner wall of the pipetting needle 12 is ultrasonically washed by the second washing liquid, so that not only the operation process can be simplified, but also the washing efficiency can be effectively dispersed and peeled off, and the better washing effect is achieved.

In a specific implementation, the operations of controlling the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 to inject the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 to supply the first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21, and controlling the moving member 11 to insert the pipetting needle 12 into the first cleaning tank 21 at least partially are not in a specific order, and the operation of injecting the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 may be performed in synchronization with any one of the two operations or may be performed in a distributed manner. Of course, from the viewpoint of improving the cleaning efficiency, the operation of injecting the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 may be performed in synchronization with one of the two operations, so that the cleaning time is shortened and the cleaning efficiency is improved.

In an alternative embodiment, the controller 50 is further configured to:

the second liquid path support mechanism 40 is controlled to inject the second cleaning liquid into the pipetting needle 12 before the pipetting needle 12 moves to the first cleaning tank 21. Alternatively, the controller 50 may control the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 to inject the second cleaning liquid into the pipetting needle 12 in synchronization with the control of the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 to supply the first cleaning liquid to the first cleaning tank 21, and of course, the controller 50 may control the movement member 11 to drive the pipetting needle 12 to move toward the first cleaning tank 21 in synchronization with this.

In another alternative embodiment, the controller 50 is further configured to:

during the descent of the pipetting needle 12, the second liquid path support mechanism 40 is controlled to inject the second cleaning liquid into the pipetting needle 12. That is, the controller 50 controls the moving member 11 to drive the pipetting needle 12 downward and synchronously controls the second liquid path support mechanism 40 to inject the second cleaning liquid into the pipetting needle 12. The first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 may also supply the first cleaning liquid to the first cleaning tank 21 simultaneously during the descent of the pipetting needle 12, and at this time, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 may also have completed the operation of injecting the first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21.

In particular embodiments, the first cleaning solution and the second cleaning solution may have the same or different compositions. In the case where the first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning liquid are identical in composition, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 and the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 may acquire the cleaning liquids from the same cleaning liquid supply section, that is, the sources of the first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning liquid may be identical at this time.

In some embodiments, the first cleaning fluid is of a different composition or source than the second cleaning fluid. In the case where the first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning liquid are different in composition, the sources of the first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning liquid may also be different. In this case, the sample analyzer may be configured with the first liquid path support mechanism 30 as a first liquid-supplying portion, and the second liquid path support mechanism 40 as a second liquid-supplying portion, the first liquid being supplied by the first liquid-supplying portion, and the second liquid being supplied by the second liquid-supplying portion.

Alternatively, the first cleaning liquid may be a chemically aggressive liquid and the second cleaning liquid may be cleaning water. The chemically aggressive liquid may include, for example, an acidic cleaning liquid, an alkaline cleaning liquid, a strongly oxidizing cleaning liquid, or a base cleaning liquid, etc. For example, the first cleaning liquid may be formed by mixing a cleaning agent and cleaning water. The first cleaning liquid adopts chemical aggressive liquid, so that the outer wall of the pipetting needle 12 has a good cleaning effect. The second cleaning liquid is cleaning water, so that pollution to the liquid path system of the pipetting needle 12 can be avoided.

Optionally, in the case where the second cleaning liquid is cleaning water, the second cleaning liquid supply part includes a water tank, the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 further includes a syringe and a motor, one end of the syringe is connected to the control valve, the other end of the syringe is communicated with the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, the motor is in driving connection with the syringe, and the controller 50 is further configured to control the motor to drive the syringe to provide power for sucking and discharging the target liquid.

When power for sucking and discharging the target liquid is required to be provided for the pipetting needle 12, the control valve can be closed, then the syringe is only communicated with the pipetting needle 12 at this time, and the control motor can drive the plunger of the syringe to move so as to provide power for sucking and discharging the target liquid for the pipetting needle 12.

When it is necessary to supply the second cleaning liquid to the pipetting needle 12, the control valve and the pumping means are opened to supply the second cleaning liquid supplied from the second cleaning liquid supply unit to the syringe, and the second cleaning liquid can be supplied to the pipetting needle 12 by controlling the motor to drive the plunger of the syringe to move.

In this way, the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 can provide the power for sucking and discharging the target liquid for the pipetting needle 12, and also has the capability of providing the second cleaning liquid for the pipetting needle 12, so that the functions of the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 are expanded, and the structure of the sample analyzer is beneficial to simplification.

In some embodiments, the first fluid path support mechanism 30 and the second fluid path support mechanism 40 share power components. For example, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 and the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 may share a pumping member which may be connected to the first cleaning liquid supply portion and the second cleaning liquid supply portion through different liquid paths, respectively, and which is connected to the pipetting needle 12 and the first cleaning tank 21 through different liquid paths, respectively, and the connection path of the pumping member may be switched by a control valve to supply the first cleaning liquid to the first cleaning tank 21 through the pumping member, or to supply the second cleaning liquid to the pipetting needle 12 through the pumping member. Also for example, the first liquid path support mechanism 30 and the second liquid path support mechanism 40 may share part of the power components. When the first cleaning liquid is formed by mixing the cleaning agent and the cleaning water and the second cleaning liquid is the cleaning water, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 may share a tank and a pumping member for supplying the cleaning water to the first cleaning tank 21 and the pipetting needle 12, respectively. The first liquid path support mechanism 30 may further include another pumping member for supplying the cleaning liquid to the first cleaning tank 21. The sharing of the power components is beneficial to simplifying the mechanism of the sample analyzer, reducing the production cost of the sample analyzer, and achieving miniaturization of the sample analyzer.

In some embodiments, the controller 50 is further configured to: before the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 is controlled to inject the second cleaning solution into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, the pumping unit and the control valve are opened to provide the second cleaning solution to flush the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, and after the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 is flushed for a first preset time period, the pumping unit and the control valve are closed. That is, before the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 is ultrasonically cleaned by the second cleaning solution, the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 is cleaned by the second cleaning solution, so that the pollutants easy to clean can be cleaned first, and then the pollutants not easy to clean are cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning solution, which is beneficial to improving the cleaning effect.

In some embodiments, the sample analyzer further comprises a drain mechanism 24, the first washing reservoir 21 being provided with a drain port, the drain mechanism 24 being for draining the first washing liquid in the first washing reservoir 21 through the drain port; the controller 50 is further configured to:

after the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 supplies the sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 for a second preset period of time and/or a first preset number of times, turning off the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 and controlling the liquid discharge mechanism 24 to discharge the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21;

The pipetting needle 12 is controlled to drain the second washing liquid.

Alternatively, the drain mechanism 24 may be connected to the first drain 214 of the cleaning chamber 211 and the second drain 215 of the overflow chamber 212, respectively. After the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 supplies the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 with the sound field vibration for the second preset period of time and/or the first preset number of times, the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 may be turned off to stop the ultrasonic cleaning, the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 may be discharged by controlling the liquid discharge mechanism 24, and the second cleaning liquid may be discharged into the first cleaning tank 21 by controlling the liquid transfer needle 12, and the second cleaning liquid may be discharged by the liquid discharge mechanism 24 of the first cleaning tank 21. In particular, the first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning liquid may be simultaneously discharged, or the second cleaning liquid may be discharged to the first cleaning tank 21 first, and then the first cleaning liquid and the second cleaning liquid may be discharged together by the liquid discharging mechanism 24.

The second preset duration and the first preset number of times may be different according to different cleaning modes, for example, in the cleaning process for each detection period, the cleaning duration may be configured to be shorter, the number of times of ultrasonic cleaning may be smaller, in the periodic cleaning process for each day or each week, the cleaning duration may be configured to be longer, and the number of times of ultrasonic cleaning may be configured to be more, specifically, may be configured according to actual conditions, so as to achieve the purpose of thoroughly cleaning the pollutants.

In some embodiments, the first liquid path support mechanism 30 is further configured to provide a third cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21, and the controller 50 is further configured to, after turning off the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 and controlling the liquid discharge mechanism 24 to discharge the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21:

controlling the pipetting needle 12 to drain the second cleaning liquid;

controlling the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 to supply the second cleaning liquid or the fourth cleaning liquid to the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12;

controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 to supply the third cleaning liquid to the first cleaning tank 21;

controlling the moving member 11 to insert the pipetting needle 12 at least partially into the third rinse liquid in the first rinse tank 21;

controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 to provide sound field vibration to the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21;

after the third cleaning liquid is provided with the sound field vibration for a third preset period of time and/or a second preset number of times, the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 is turned off and the liquid discharge mechanism 24 is controlled to discharge the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21;

the pipetting needle 12 is controlled to drain the second or fourth washing liquid.

That is, the pipette needle 12 may be cleaned by a variety of cleaning fluids. For example, the acidic cleaning liquid may be first supplied to the first cleaning tank 21 by the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30, the cleaning water may be supplied to the inner cavity of the pipette needle 12 by the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40, the pipette needle 12 may be inserted into the acidic cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21, the sound source vibration may be supplied to the acidic cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 by the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22, the sound source vibration may be transmitted to the cleaning water in the inner cavity of the pipette needle 12 by the acidic cleaning liquid, the outer wall of the pipette needle 12 may be ultrasonically cleaned by the acidic cleaning liquid, and the inner wall of the pipette needle 12 may be ultrasonically cleaned by the cleaning liquid.

After the second preset time period and/or the first preset number of times is reached, the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 is turned off, and the ultrasonic cleaning is stopped. The pipetting needle 12 is controlled to drain the second cleaning liquid and at least the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning reservoir 21 is drained by the drain mechanism. Then, for example, an alkaline cleaning liquid is supplied to the first cleaning tank 21 through the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30, and cleaning water or, for example, a base cleaning liquid is supplied to the inner cavity of the pipette needle 12 through the second liquid path supporting mechanism 40. The ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 is turned on to supply sound source vibration to the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning reservoir 21, and the sound source vibration is transmitted to the cleaning water or the base cleaning liquid in the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, the outer wall of the pipetting needle 12 is ultrasonically cleaned by the alkaline cleaning liquid, and the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 is ultrasonically cleaned by the cleaning water or the base cleaning liquid.

After the alkaline cleaning solution is provided with the sound field vibration for the third preset time period and/or the second preset number of times, the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 is turned off to stop providing the sound field vibration. The drain mechanism 24 is controlled to drain the alkaline cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21, and the pipetting needle 12 is controlled to drain the cleaning water or the base cleaning liquid.

Of course, after the alkaline cleaning liquid is discharged, it is also possible to supply, for example, a strong oxidizing cleaning agent to the first cleaning tank 21 and to supply cleaning water or other cleaning liquid to the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, and to control the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 to ultrasonically clean the outer wall of the pipetting needle 12 with the strong oxidizing cleaning agent in the first cleaning tank 21 and to ultrasonically clean the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 with the cleaning water or other cleaning liquid.

The above examples of the first cleaning liquid, the second cleaning liquid, the third cleaning liquid, and the fourth cleaning liquid are merely exemplary, and may be specifically configured according to the cleaning mode and the detection item of the sample analyzer.

In some embodiments, the sample analyzer further comprises a second wash tank 23 and a third liquid path support mechanism for providing wash water to the second wash tank 23, the second liquid path support mechanism 40 further for providing wash water inward of the pipetting needle 12, the controller 50 further configured to perform, in controlling the pipetting needle 12 to drain the second wash liquid:

Controlling the pipetting needle 12 to move to the second washing reservoir 23 to drain the second washing liquid;

after controlling the pipetting needle 12 to drain the second cleaning liquid, performing:

controlling the third liquid path supporting mechanism to supply washing water to the second washing tank 23 to wash the outer wall of the pipetting needle 12 with the washing water;

the second liquid path mechanism is controlled to supply washing water into the pipetting needle 12 to wash the inner wall of the pipetting needle 12.

Alternatively, the third liquid path supporting mechanism may include a third cleaning liquid supply part for supplying the cleaning water, a pumping member, and a control valve connected to the pumping member and the second cleaning tank 23, respectively. The third cleaning liquid supply part may be, for example, a water tank. Alternatively, the third fluid path support mechanism may also share a water tank, pumping means and control valve with the second fluid path support mechanism 40, and the control valve may be in communication with the second wash tank 23 and the lumen of the pipetting needle 12, respectively, via different fluid paths.

After the completion of the ultrasonic cleaning, the movable member 11 may be controlled to drive the pipetting needle 12 to move from the first cleaning tank 21 to the second cleaning tank 23, and the pipetting needle 12 may be controlled to discharge the second cleaning liquid to the second cleaning tank 23. Then, the third liquid path supporting mechanism is controlled to supply the second washing tub 23 with washing water to wash the outer wall of the pipette needle 12 with the washing water, so that the first washing liquid and/or the third washing liquid stained on the outer wall of the pipette needle 12 can be washed away. The second liquid path supporting mechanism 40 is controlled to supply the cleaning water into the pipette needle 12 to wash away the contaminant, the second cleaning liquid, and/or the fourth cleaning liquid stained on the inner wall of the pipette needle 12. Therefore, not only can the pollutants be thoroughly cleaned, but also various cleaning liquids can be cleaned, and the cleaning liquids are prevented from influencing the subsequent detection results.

In some embodiments, the first liquid path support mechanism 30 is further configured to provide wash water into the first wash tank 21, and the controller 50 is further configured to:

after controlling the drain mechanism 24 to drain the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid, controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 to supply cleaning water to the first cleaning tank 21;

after the third preset period of time for which the washing water is supplied, the drain mechanism 24 is controlled to drain the washing water in the first washing tub 21.

After the pipette needle 12 is ultrasonically cleaned by the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 can be controlled to supply the cleaning water to the first cleaning tank 21, and the cleaning water is used for cleaning the first cleaning tank 21, so that the first cleaning tank 21 is prevented from being stained with pollutants, the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid, and the cleaning effect of the first cleaning tank 21 is prevented from being affected. Alternatively, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 may be controlled to supply the washing water of the third preset time period to the washing chamber 211 of the first washing tub 21 so that at least a part of the washing water overflows to the overflow chamber 212, and then the drain mechanism 24 is controlled to drain the washing water in the washing chamber 211 and the overflow chamber 212.

In some embodiments, the sample analyzer further comprises a liquid level detection component for detecting a liquid level of the liquid within the first wash tank 21, the controller 50 being further configured to:

acquiring the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting component;

when the liquid level is smaller than a first preset liquid level, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 is controlled to supply the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21.

Wherein the first preset liquid level is a liquid level threshold value capable of characterizing the thorough discharge of liquid in the first cleaning tank 21.

Alternatively, the controller 50 may supply the first washing water to the first washing tub 21 through the second liquid path assembly 32 to wash the first washing tub 21 and then drain the washing water in the first washing tub 21 through the drain mechanism 24 before controlling the first liquid path support mechanism 30 to supply the first washing liquid to the first washing tub 21. After that, it may be determined whether the cleaning water in the first cleaning tank 21 is discharged cleanly, that is, whether the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting means is less than a first preset liquid level, based on the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting means, and the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 may be controlled to supply the first cleaning liquid to the first cleaning tank 21 only when it is determined that the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting means is less than the first preset liquid level.

Alternatively, the controller 50 may determine whether the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting part is less than a first preset liquid level after controlling the drain mechanism 24 to drain the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning reservoir 21, to determine whether the first cleaning liquid is drained cleanly. When it is determined that the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting means is less than the first preset liquid level, it may be determined that the first cleaning liquid has been completely discharged. Then, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 is controlled to supply the third cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21.

In this way, it is possible to avoid the influence of the cleaning liquid remaining in the first cleaning tank 21, which has already been used, on the next cleaning effect.

after the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 supplies the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21, the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting means is obtained;

and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 to provide sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 in the case that the absolute value of the difference between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference.

In practice, when the pipetting needle 12 is lowered to the target position, the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 can submerge the target liquid level of the target needle bar section of the pipetting needle 12, and a preset difference value is configured on the basis of the target liquid level to form a second preset liquid level. So that the liquid level in the first cleaning tank 21 can flood the target needle shaft section of the pipetting needle 12 as long as the absolute value of the difference from the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference. The target needle shaft segment is a needle shaft segment that is contaminated with the target liquid when the pipetting needle 12 is sucking and/or discharging the target liquid.

Before the ultrasonic cleaning is started, the liquid level of the first cleaning reservoir 21 may be detected by the liquid level detecting means, if it is determined that the absolute value of the difference between the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting means and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference, the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 may be controlled to supply sound source vibration to the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning reservoir 21, if it is determined that the absolute value of the difference between the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting means and the second preset liquid level is larger than the preset difference, it may be indicated that the liquid amount of the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning reservoir 21 is small or excessive, the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid may be continuously fed into the first cleaning reservoir 21 to the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30, or the liquid discharging mechanism 24 may be controlled to discharge a part of the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning reservoir 21. In this way, the cleaning effect of the target needle bar section of the pipetting needle 12 can be ensured.

Optionally, the controller 50 is further configured to: and in the case that the absolute value of the difference between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference, controlling the moving part 11 to drive the pipetting needle 12 to descend to the preset height, and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly 22 to provide sound field vibration.

That is, after the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid reaches the proper level in the first cleaning tank 21, the movable member 11 is controlled to drive the pipetting needle 12 down to the preset height, so that it is possible to prevent the needle bar section of the pipetting needle 12 that does not need cleaning from being stained with the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid.

In some embodiments, the first washing reservoir 21 is provided with a washing chamber 211 and an overflow chamber 212, the pipetting needle 12 being inserted into the washing liquid in the washing chamber 211, the overflow chamber 212 being adapted to receive washing liquid overflowed from the washing chamber 211, the controller 50 being further configured to: the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 is controlled to supply the first cleaning liquid into the cleaning chamber 211 for a fourth preset period of time so that the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning chamber 211 overflows to the overflow chamber 212.

The cleaning chamber 211 is used for cleaning the pipetting needle 12, and the overflow chamber 212 is used for receiving cleaning liquid overflowed from the cleaning chamber 211. If the cleaning chamber 211 is not completely cleaned by itself after the last cleaning operation is performed, a part of the contaminants or the cleaning liquid may remain, so that the first cleaning liquid initially added into the cleaning chamber 211 may be contaminated with the part of the contaminants or the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the first liquid path supporting mechanism 30 is controlled to provide the first cleaning liquid to the cleaning cavity 211, and a part of the first cleaning liquid overflows to the overflow cavity 212, so that the purpose of flushing the cleaning cavity 211 with the first cleaning liquid can be achieved, the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning cavity 211 is kept as pure as possible, a better cleaning effect is ensured, and residual pollutants or cleaning liquid are prevented from affecting the cleaning effect.

The disclosed embodiments also provide a method of controlling the cleaning of a pipetting needle 12 that is applied to a sample analyzer that includes a dispensing mechanism 10, an ultrasonic cleaning mechanism 20, a first liquid path support mechanism 30, a second liquid path support mechanism 40, and a controller 50.

Referring to fig. 6, the cleaning control method according to the embodiment of the disclosure may specifically include the following steps:

step 1, supplying a first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning reservoir 21.

And 2, injecting a second cleaning solution into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12.

Step 3, the pipetting needle 12 is at least partially inserted into the first washing liquid in the first washing reservoir 21.

And 4, providing sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool 21 and the second cleaning liquid in the pipetting needle 12.

According to the cleaning control method disclosed by the embodiment of the disclosure, the first cleaning liquid is supplied to the first cleaning pool 21, the second cleaning liquid is injected into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, the pipetting needle 12 is at least partially beyond the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool 21, the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool 21 and the second cleaning liquid in the pipetting needle 12 are supplied with sound field vibration, the outer wall of the pipetting needle 12 is subjected to ultrasonic cleaning by using the first cleaning liquid, and the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 is subjected to ultrasonic cleaning by using the second cleaning liquid, so that a better cleaning effect can be generated.

In some embodiments, after the step of providing sonic field vibrations to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning reservoir 21 and the second cleaning liquid in the pipetting needle 12, the method further comprises:

stopping the supply of the sound field vibration and discharging the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 after the supply of the sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 for a second preset period of time and/or a first preset number of times;

draining the second cleaning fluid from the lumen of the pipetting needle 12;

providing a fourth cleaning liquid or a second cleaning liquid to the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12;

providing a third cleaning liquid to the first cleaning tank 21;

inserting the pipetting needle 12 at least partially into the third wash liquid in the first wash tank 21 to provide sonic field vibration to the third wash liquid in the first wash tank 21;

stopping the supply of the sound field vibration and discharging the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 after the third cleaning liquid is supplied with the sound field vibration for a third preset period of time and/or a second preset number of times;

the second or fourth cleaning liquid in the lumen of the pipetting needle 12 is drained.

In some embodiments, the injecting the second cleaning fluid into the pipetting needle 12 comprises:

The second cleaning liquid is injected into the pipetting needle 12 before the pipetting needle 12 moves to the first cleaning tank 21 or during the lowering of the pipetting needle 12.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

before injecting the second cleaning solution into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, supplying the second cleaning solution into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 to flush the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12, and stopping supplying the second cleaning solution into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 after flushing the inner cavity of the pipetting needle 12 for a first preset period of time.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

after the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 is supplied with the sound field vibration for the second preset time period and/or the first preset number of times:

stopping the supply of the sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21, and discharging the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21;

the pipetting needle 12 is controlled to drain the second washing liquid.

In some embodiments, the controlling the pipetting needle 12 to drain the second cleaning fluid includes:

correspondingly, the method further comprises the steps of:

After controlling the pipetting needle 12 to drain the second cleaning liquid, supplying cleaning water to the second cleaning reservoir 23 to clean the outer wall of the pipetting needle 12 with the cleaning water;

cleaning water is supplied into the pipetting needle 12 to flush the inner wall of the pipetting needle 12.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

after discharging the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21, supplying cleaning water to the first cleaning tank 21;

after the third preset period of time for which the washing water is supplied, the washing water in the first washing tub 21 is discharged.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

detecting the liquid level of the first cleaning tank 21 by a liquid level detecting means;

when the liquid level is smaller than a first preset liquid level, the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid is supplied into the first cleaning tank 21.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

detecting a liquid level of the first cleaning tank 21 by a liquid level detecting means after supplying the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21;

in the case where the absolute value of the difference between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference, sound field vibration is provided to the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21.

In some embodiments, the providing the sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21 in the case that the absolute value of the difference between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference includes:

and in the case that the absolute value of the difference between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference, controlling the pipetting needle 12 to descend to the preset height, and providing sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank 21.

In some embodiments, the supplying the first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank 21 includes:

a fourth preset time period of the first cleaning liquid is supplied into the cleaning chamber 211 of the first cleaning tank 21 so that the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning chamber 211 overflows to the overflow chamber 212 of the first cleaning tank 21.

Furthermore, although exemplary embodiments have been described herein, the scope thereof includes any and all embodiments having equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of the various embodiments across schemes), adaptations or alterations based on the present disclosure. Elements in the claims are to be construed broadly based on language employed in the claims and not limited to examples described in the present specification or during the practice of the present disclosure, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. It is intended, therefore, that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims and their full scope of equivalents.

The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. For example, other embodiments may be used by those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the above description. In addition, in the above detailed description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This is not to be interpreted as an intention that the disclosed features not being claimed are essential to any claim. Rather, the disclosed subject matter may include less than all of the features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description as examples or embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that these embodiments may be combined with one another in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the disclosure should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

The above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, which are not intended to limit the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the claims. Various modifications and equivalent arrangements of parts may be made by those skilled in the art, which modifications and equivalents are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A sample analyzer, the sample analyzer comprising:

a controller configured to:

2. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

3. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the first cleaning fluid is of a different composition or source than the second cleaning fluid.

4. The sample analyzer of claim 3 wherein the first cleaning fluid is a chemically aggressive liquid and the second cleaning fluid is cleaning water.

5. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the second fluid path support mechanism comprises a second cleaning fluid supply, a pumping member, and a control valve connected in sequence, one end of the control valve being in communication with the pumping member, the other end of the control valve being in communication with the lumen of the pipetting needle, the controller being further configured to control the second fluid path support mechanism to perform, during injection of the second cleaning fluid into the lumen of the pipetting needle: and opening the pumping component and the control valve, and closing the pumping component and the control valve after the second cleaning liquid is injected into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle.

6. The sample analyzer of claim 5, wherein the second cleaning fluid is cleaning water, the second cleaning fluid supply includes a water tank, the second fluid path support mechanism further includes a syringe and a motor, one end of the syringe is connected to the control valve, the other end of the syringe is in communication with the lumen of the pipetting needle, the motor is in driving connection with the syringe, and the controller is further configured to control the motor to drive the syringe to provide motive force for aspirating and discharging a target fluid.

7. The sample analyzer of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to: before the second liquid path supporting mechanism is controlled to inject the second cleaning liquid into the inner cavity of the pipetting needle, the pumping component and the control valve are started to provide the second cleaning liquid to flush the inner cavity of the pipetting needle, and after the inner cavity of the pipetting needle is flushed for a first preset time period, the pumping component and the control valve are closed.

8. The sample analyzer of claim 1, further comprising a drain mechanism, the first cleaning tank being provided with a drain, the drain mechanism for draining the first cleaning fluid in the first cleaning tank through the drain, the controller being further configured to, after the ultrasonic sound source assembly provides a sound field vibration to the first cleaning fluid in the first cleaning tank for a second preset period of time and/or a first preset number of times:

and controlling the pipetting needle to drain the second cleaning liquid.

9. The sample analyzer of claim 8, wherein the first fluid path support mechanism is further configured to provide a third cleaning fluid into the first cleaning reservoir, the controller further configured to, after turning off the ultrasonic sound source assembly and controlling the drain mechanism to drain the first cleaning fluid from the first cleaning reservoir:

controlling the pipetting needle to drain the second cleaning liquid;

10. The sample analyzer of claim 9, further comprising a second wash tank and a third fluid path support mechanism for providing wash water to the second wash tank, the second fluid path support mechanism further for providing wash water inward of the pipetting needle, the controller further configured to perform, during control of the pipetting needle to drain the second wash liquid:

11. The sample analyzer of claim 9, wherein the first fluid path support mechanism is further configured to provide wash water into the first wash tank, the controller further configured to:

12. The sample analyzer of any one of claims 1-11, further comprising a liquid level detection component for detecting a level of liquid within the first wash tank, the controller further configured to:

acquiring the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting component;

13. The sample analyzer of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the first fluid path support mechanism includes a first fluid path assembly for supplying a cleaning agent and a second fluid path assembly for supplying cleaning water, the first cleaning agent being formed by mixing the cleaning agent and the cleaning water.

14. The sample analyzer of claim 13, wherein the first fluid path assembly is provided with a first fluid outlet, the second fluid path assembly is provided with a second fluid outlet, the first wash basin is provided with a fluid inlet, the first fluid outlet and the second fluid outlet are each in communication with the fluid inlet via an adjustment member, the controller is further configured to: and adjusting the outlet flow of the first liquid outlet and the outlet flow of the second liquid outlet so as to provide the first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning pool.

15. The sample analyzer of any one of claims 1-11, further comprising a liquid level detection component for detecting a level of liquid within the first wash tank, the controller further configured to: after the first liquid path supporting mechanism supplies the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank, acquiring the liquid level detected by the liquid level detecting component; and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly to provide sound field vibration for the first cleaning liquid or the third cleaning liquid in the first cleaning pool under the condition that the absolute value of the difference value between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference value.

16. The sample analyzer of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to: and under the condition that the absolute value of the difference value between the liquid level and the second preset liquid level is smaller than the preset difference value, controlling the moving part to drive the liquid moving needle to descend to the preset height, and controlling the ultrasonic sound source assembly to provide sound field vibration.

17. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic sound source assembly is positioned at a bottom of the first wash tank to transmit sound field vibrations through the bottom of the first wash tank to the wash liquid in the first wash tank.

18. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the first wash basin is provided with a wash chamber and an overflow chamber, the pipette needle being inserted into the wash liquid in the wash chamber, the overflow chamber for receiving wash liquid overflowed from the wash chamber, the controller being further configured to: and controlling the first liquid path supporting mechanism to provide the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning cavity for a fourth preset time period so that the first cleaning liquid in the cleaning cavity overflows to the overflow cavity.

19. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the first fluid path support mechanism and the second fluid path support mechanism share a motive element.

20. A method of controlling cleaning of a pipetting needle, which is applied to a sample analyzer, the method comprising:

providing a first cleaning liquid into the first cleaning tank;

21. The method of claim 20, wherein after the step of providing sound field vibration to the first cleaning liquid in the first cleaning tank and the second cleaning liquid in the pipetting needle, the method further comprises:

providing a third cleaning solution to the first cleaning tank;