CN215728206U - Reagent supply device and pipette needle - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a reagent supply device and a liquid sucking needle, wherein the liquid sucking needle is used for sucking liquid from a sealed bottle and comprises a needle tube and a vent pipe connected to the outer wall surface of the needle tube, the axial length of the vent pipe is smaller than that of the needle tube, the bottom end of the needle tube is inserted into the bottle to suck the liquid when the liquid sucking needle is used, the lower end of the vent pipe is inserted into the bottle, the upper end of the vent pipe is exposed out of the bottle, the lower end of the vent pipe is provided with a lower opening to be communicated with the space in the bottle, and the upper end of the vent pipe is provided with an upper opening to be communicated with the outside, so that the air pressure inside and outside the bottle is consistent, the phenomenon that the liquid sucking needle sucks the liquid by the needle tube due to unstable air pressure or negative pressure is avoided, the liquid sucking needle can smoothly suck the liquid in the bottle only by one-time puncture when the liquid sucking needle is used, and the sucked liquid amount can be accurate.

Description

Reagent supply device and pipette needle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of sample analysis technology, and in particular, to a reagent supply device and a pipette tip for a sample analyzer.

Background

The sample analyzer is the most commonly used blood cell analyzer, which performs statistical analysis on various cells in a blood sample by means of reagents and provides a basis for diagnosis and treatment of doctors. Reagents are used as consumables, and are usually stored in reagent bottles in a sealed manner so as not to be volatilized or deteriorate. When the reagent bottle is used, the liquid suction needle penetrates into the reagent bottle to suck reagent solution and convey the reagent solution to a detection module of an analyzer.

However, due to the pressure prevailing in the sealed reagent bottle, the pipette needle usually needs two punctures at present, the first puncture releases the pressure in the reagent bottle, and the second puncture is to suck up the reagent. Usually, the pipette needle needs to be cleaned between two punctures, which makes the reagent sucking operation rather cumbersome and affects the detection speed of the sample analyzer to some extent.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, a pipette needle capable of aspirating a solution by one puncture and a reagent supply device having the pipette needle are provided.

A liquid suction needle is used for sucking liquid from a sealed bottle and comprises a needle tube and a vent pipe connected to the outer wall surface of the needle tube, the axial length of the vent pipe is smaller than that of the needle tube, when the liquid suction needle is used, the bottom end of the needle tube is inserted into the bottle to suck the liquid, the lower end of the vent pipe is inserted into the bottle, the upper end of the vent pipe is exposed out of the bottle, a lower opening is formed at the lower end of the vent pipe to be communicated with the space in the bottle, and an upper opening is formed at the upper end of the vent pipe to be communicated with the outside.

A reagent supply device comprises a reagent bottle and the liquid suction needle, wherein a film is sealed at the mouth of the reagent bottle, and the bottom end of a needle tube of the liquid suction needle and the lower end of a vent pipe pierce the film and extend into the reagent bottle.

Compared with the prior art, the liquid sucking needle of the reagent supply device is communicated with the space inside and outside the bottle through the vent pipe when in use, so that the air pressure inside and outside the bottle is kept consistent, the generation of unstable air pressure and even negative pressure is avoided, the liquid in the bottle can be smoothly sucked by one-time puncture of the needle tube, the sucked liquid amount can be accurate, and the accuracy of subsequent sample detection is ensured.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a reagent supplying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the reagent supply device of FIG. 1 in an unlocked position.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the reagent supply apparatus of FIG. 1 in a locked position.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the reagent supplying apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a pipette tip according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the pipette needle shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a state of use of the pipette needle shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a pipette needle of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a pipette tip according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

To facilitate an understanding of the utility model, the utility model will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings to provide a more accurate and thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

The same or similar reference numbers in the drawings correspond to the same or similar parts; in the description of the present invention, it should be understood that if there is an orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, it is only for convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, but it is not intended to indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed in a specific orientation, and be operated, and therefore, the terms describing the positional relationship in the drawings are only used for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting the present patent, and the specific meaning of the terms may be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific circumstances.

The utility model provides a reagent supply device and a pipette needle, which are preferably applied to a sample analyzer and provide reagents required for detection of a biological sample. In the detection of biological samples, reagents used in different detection items are different, and a plurality of different reagents are often used in the same detection item, for example, in the detection of blood samples, the reagents used in the detection of blood samples generally include some reagents for blood analysis detection such as diluent, staining solution, hemolytic agent, etc., or some reagents for cleaning liquid path components, and therefore the reagents need to be replenished or replaced in time. Fig. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the reagent supplying apparatus according to the present invention, which includes a rack 10, reagent bottles 30 disposed in the rack 10, and a reagent transferring unit 50. The reagent conveying unit 50 is connected to the reagent bottle 30 and a detection module of the sample analyzer, and conveys a reagent of a predetermined type and a predetermined dosage to the detection module to interact with a biological sample to be detected, so as to obtain a detection result.

The rack 10 serves as a support mechanism for the entire reagent supply apparatus, and includes a holder 12 for accommodating a reagent bottle 30. In this embodiment, the rack 10 is provided with two fixing frames 12, the two fixing frames 12 are arranged side by side left and right, each fixing frame 12 is used for placing one reagent bottle 30, and the two reagent bottles 30 are respectively used for containing different reagents. Each reagent bottle 30 is connected to the test module by a reagent delivery unit 50 so that two different reagents can be delivered to the test module simultaneously. Preferably, the two reagent bottles 30 may have different or the same sizes, the two reagent bottles 30 are used for accommodating reagents for different detection modes, the reagent bottle 30 with a larger volume can accommodate reagents with relatively faster consumption, and the reagent bottle 30 with a smaller volume can accommodate reagents with relatively slower consumption, so that the period for replacing each reagent bottle 30 is moderate. It should be understood that the two reagent bottles 30 may contain different types of reagents, as well as the same type of reagents. In addition, the size of the rack 10 may be varied accordingly according to the size of the installation space of the sample analyzer, and the holder 12 of the rack 10 may be single or plural. When the number of the holders 12 is plural, reagent bottles 30 having different sizes may be placed therein, or reagent bottles 30 having the same size may be placed therein.

The front surface of the rack 10 is opened at a position corresponding to each holder 12 so that the reagent bottle 30 can be inserted into the holder 12 through the opening. As shown in fig. 2, a sensor 60 is disposed at the rear end (i.e. the end near the back of the rack 10) of each fixing frame 12, and the sensor 60 is preferably an optical sensor, such as a correlation optical coupler sensor or a reflection optical coupler sensor, for determining the position of the inserted reagent bottle 30 by the correlation or reflection of light. The sensor 60 is connected to a display through a control module, the control module compares the position fed back by the sensor 60 with a predetermined position to determine whether the reagent bottle 30 is mounted in place, and if not, the control module sends an alarm message to prompt the user through the display. The four corners of the back of the rack 10 are respectively formed with a lug 14, the lug 14 is formed with a fixing hole 140, and the rack 10 can be connected to a sample analyzer, such as a rack of the sample analyzer, by a fixing member such as a screw passing through the fixing hole 140.

The support 10 is provided with a slide rail frame 16 above each fixing frame 12, in the illustrated embodiment, the slide rail frame 16 is a vertical hollow rectangular structure, the fixing frame 12 is a horizontal hollow rectangular structure, and the bottom end of the slide rail frame 16 is communicated with the front end of the fixing frame 12. Preferably, the rail frame 16 and the fixing frame 12 are an integral structure, and have an L shape as a whole. The slide rail frame 16 is internally provided with a slide block 18, the slide block 18 is connected with a shifting block 20, and the shifting block 20 extends outwards from the front surface of the slide rail frame 16, so that a user can push the shifting block 20 to drive the slide block 18 to slide up and down in the slide rail frame 16. Preferably, the rail frame 16 is formed with rails 22 at inner side surfaces thereof in the left-right direction, and the rails 22 vertically extend to guide the up-down sliding of the slider 18. Preferably, the front surface of the rail frame 16 is formed with a vertical elongated slot 160, so that the dial 20 has enough space to move in the vertical direction, and the elongated slot 160 also provides a guide for the user to operate the dial 20.

The reagent delivery unit 50 includes a pipette tip 52, and the pipette tip 52 is connected to the slider 18 by a fixing nut 54 and moves up and down with the slider 18. The bottom end of the liquid suction needle 52 penetrates out of the lower part of the slide block 18 and is used for puncturing the reagent bottle 30 to suck the reagent; the top end of the pipette tip 52 extends out from the upper side of the slide block 18 and is connected to the detection module of the sample analyzer through a liquid supply pipeline 56. Preferably, a liquid pipe rack 58 is connected above the sliding block 18 to support and guide the liquid supply pipeline 56, so as to ensure that the reagent can smoothly flow to the detection module along the liquid supply pipeline 56. The slide rail frame 16 is provided with a locking position and an unlocking position, wherein the unlocking position is arranged above the locking position and at a distance. When the slide block 18 slides to the locking position, the pipette needle 52 moves down along with the slide block 18 and pierces into the reagent bottle 30, and at this time, the pipette needle 52 can suck the reagent and output the reagent to the detection module through the liquid supply pipeline 56; conversely, when the slide block 18 slides to the unlocking position, the pipette needle 52 moves up along with the slide block 18 and disengages from the reagent bottle 30, and the reagent bottle 30 can be replaced.

In the illustrated embodiment, a positioning member is movably coupled to a rear surface of the slider 18, and the slider 18 can be locked or unlocked in the locked position or the unlocked position by the positioning member. In the illustrated embodiment, the positioning element is a roller 28, an elastic element 29 is disposed between the roller 28 and the slider 18, and the elastic element 29 forms a pre-tightening force so that the outer peripheral surface of the roller 28 can abut against the back surface of the slide rail frame 16. The back of the slide rail frame 16 forms a first position-limiting stop 162 and a second position-limiting stop 164, wherein the first position-limiting stop 162 corresponds to the unlocking position, and the second position-limiting stop 164 corresponds to the locking position. In the illustrated embodiment, the first detent 162 and the second detent 164 are through holes penetrating through the back surface of the slide block 18, and when the slide block 18 moves down to the locking position, the roller 28 partially engages with the second detent 164 to form a large resistance, so as to keep the pipette needle 52 in a state of moving down and piercing into the reagent bottle 30; conversely, when the slide block 18 moves up to the unlock position, the roller 28 partially engages with the first engaging portion 162 to provide a large resistance, and the pipette tip 52 is kept away from the reagent bottle 30.

When the user pushes the slider 18 to move up and down through the dial 20, the roller 28 is engaged with the first detent 162 and the second detent 164, so that the user feels a large resistance when the slider 18 reaches the unlocking position or the locking position and determines that the slider 18 has moved to the proper position. In addition, the roller 28 may generate a "snap" like sound when engaging the first and second detents 162, 164, which may also indicate to the user that the slider 18 has been moved into position. At this point, the dial 20 is released to maintain the slide 18 in the unlocked or locked position until the reagent bottle 30 is replaced or reagent aspiration and delivery is complete. When the position of the slider 18 needs to be changed, the user pushes the dial 20 hard to make the roller 28 overcome the resistance and disengage from the first detent 162 and the second detent 164. Due to the arrangement of the elastic member 29, when the roller 28 is snapped into the first detent 162 and the second detent 164, the roller 28 is kept pressed against the back surface of the rail frame 16 by the thrust of the elastic member 29 against the roller 28. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the rail frame 16 may have other retaining structures, such as a recess that is recessed outward by a certain depth; the positioning member may have other structures, such as an elastic ball or an elastic column, and the elastic member 29 may be omitted.

For the convenience of identification, the reagent bottle 30 is provided with a color label on the exposed end face, such as the front end face. Preferably, the rack 10 is provided with a baffle 169 above each fixing frame 12, and the baffle 169 is adhered with a corresponding color label, wherein the color label displays the same color as the color label on the reagent bottle 30 in the corresponding fixing frame 12. In the illustration, the flap 169 is attached to the top of the rail frame 16, the size and position of the color label on the flap 169 are larger, and the user can visually and accurately identify the type of reagent used. The color labels on the reagent bottle 30 and the baffle 169 are printed with reagent type prompting words corresponding to different detection channels or detection modes, such as WDF, RET or PLT.

As shown in fig. 5 to 7, the reagent bottle 30 is substantially rectangular in shape as a whole. The front end of the reagent bottle 30, i.e. the top of the reagent bottle 30 corresponding to one end of the slide rail frame 16, forms a bottle mouth 32, and the bottle mouth 32 is located right below the liquid sucking needle 52. Preferably, the spout 32 is provided with a light-tight sealing film 34, such as a plastic film or the like. Of course, in other embodiments, a slightly light transmissive rubber film is also possible. The outer wall surface of the reagent bottle 30 is formed with a positioning structure, such as a step 36 formed on the top surface of the reagent bottle 30, and the step 36 makes the reagent bottle 30 low in front and high in back, and also increases the capacity of the reagent bottle 30. Correspondingly, a limiting member, such as a limiting member 184, is connected below the slide block 18, and the limiting member 184 abuts against the step 36 when the slide block 18 moves down to the locking position, so that the movement of the reagent bottle 30 is limited in the vertical direction, and the movement of the reagent bottle 30 is limited in the front-rear direction, so that the reagent bottle 30 cannot move in the fixing frame 12, and the liquid sucking needle 52 can be ensured to be accurately punctured. In addition, the limiting block 184 is matched with the step 36 to limit downward movement of the slider 18, so that damage to the liquid suction needle 52 caused by excessive downward movement of the slider 18 is avoided.

The pipette tip 52 includes a needle pipe 521 and a vent pipe 522 connected to an outer wall surface of the needle pipe 521, and the vent pipe 522 and the needle pipe 521 may be formed integrally or may be formed separately and then connected by laser welding, bonding, or the like. The needle tube 521 is an elongated circular tube structure, the top end of the needle tube passes through the slide block 18 and is connected to the liquid supply line 56, and the bottom end of the needle tube is shaped so as to pierce the film 34 into the reagent bottle 30 to suck the reagent solution and deliver the reagent solution to the detection module through the liquid supply line 56. As shown in FIG. 6, the vent tube 522 has an axial length that is much less than the axial length of the needle tube 521, and preferably, the axial length H of the vent tube 522 is no greater than 1/6 of the axial length H of the needle tube 521. The vent pipe 522 is located at an axial middle position of the needle pipe 521, such that the bottom end of the vent pipe 522 is higher than the bottom end of the needle pipe 521 by a certain distance, so that the bottom end of the vent pipe 522 can be suspended above the liquid level when the bottom end of the needle pipe 521 is inserted into the reagent bottle 30 for pipetting.

When the needle pipe 521 penetrates into the reagent bottle 30 and the tip thereof reaches the bottom of the reagent bottle 30, the lower end of the vent pipe 522 extends into the reagent bottle 30 and the upper end thereof is exposed outside the reagent bottle 30, so that the internal space of the reagent bottle 30 is communicated with the outside, and the air pressure inside and outside the reagent bottle 30 is uniform. In one embodiment, the length of the portion of the vent tube 522 extending into the reagent bottle 30 (i.e., the portion below the membrane 34) is equivalent to the length of the portion exposed outside the reagent bottle 30 (i.e., the portion above the membrane 34), both being 5-10 mm. Through the arrangement of the vent pipe 522, the liquid sucking needle 52 of the present invention only needs one puncture, and the reagent bottle 30 is always communicated with the outside during the process of sucking the reagent container by the needle tube 521, such that the air pressure inside and outside the reagent bottle 30 is consistent, the unstable air pressure or the negative pressure generated in the reagent bottle 30 is avoided, the needle tube 521 is ensured to smoothly suck the reagent solution with the predetermined dosage, and the smooth sample detection is further ensured.

The top end of the needle tube 521 is sleeved with a connecting piece 523, and the connecting piece 523 and the needle tube 521 can be welded, bonded, tightly fitted and fixed, and the like. Link 523 includes a large end 524 and a small end 525, the small end 525 being located above the large end 524 and having a smaller diameter than the large end 524 with a stepped surface 526 formed therebetween. The slider 18 is formed with a through hole in the center thereof, the through hole having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the large end 524 but not smaller than the diameter of the small end 525. The outer peripheral surface of the small end 525 is formed with external threads 527 for engagement with the retaining nut 54. During assembly, the top end of the needle tube 521 passes through the through hole from the lower direction of the slider 18, the stepped surface 526 of the connecting piece 523 abuts against the bottom surface of the slider 18, and the small end 525 passes through the through hole to be screwed with the fixing nut 54 to fixedly connect the needle tube 521 to the slider 18, so that the needle tube 521 and the slider 18 can synchronously move up and down to drive the needle tube 521 to puncture the reagent bottle 30 or leave the reagent bottle 30.

Preferably, the outer peripheral surface of the large end 524 is notched to form a positioning plane 528, and the positioning plane 528 cooperates with the sliding block 18 to circumferentially position the pipette tip 52 for facilitating connection with the fixing nut 54. Preferably, the locating plane 528 is circumferentially offset from the vent tube 522, with the locating plane 528 facing the back of the slide 18 and the vent tube 525 facing the right side of the slide 18, which are circumferentially offset by 90 degrees. When assembled, the flat 528 overlaps the surface of the slider 18 to circumferentially position the pipette tip 52 and prevent the air vent 522 from interfering with other components.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5-6, the vent pipe 522 is an axially open structure with two ends, which respectively form an upper opening at the upper end and a lower opening at the lower end. When in use, the lower opening extends into the reagent bottle 30 and is communicated with the inner space of the reagent bottle 30; the upper opening is located outside the reagent bottle 30 and is communicated with the outside, so that the reagent bottle 30 is communicated with the outside to enable the internal air pressure and the external air pressure of the reagent bottle 30 to be consistent, the needle tube 521 can smoothly suck liquid in the bottle only by one-time puncture, the sucked liquid amount can be accurate, and accurate and rapid sample detection is guaranteed. Preferably, the vent tube 522 is formed with notches 529 in the circumferential direction, the notches 529 extending axially through the upper and lower ends of the vent tube 522 such that the vent tube 522 is C-shaped in cross-section. Through set up notch 529 in the circumference, enlarged the cross-section of air current circulation for the air current business turn over reagent bottle 30 is more smooth and easy. In addition, the vent tube 522 of the C-shaped structure may be formed by rolling a square thin plate, which is simpler in molding. Preferably, the upper and lower ends of the vent tube 522 are beveled so that the ends, and particularly the bottom end, of the vent tube 522 form a sharp tip 520 that facilitates piercing of the membrane 34 into the reagent bottle 30.

It should be understood that the vent tube 522 is provided to communicate the reagent bottle 30 with the outside, and the vent tube 522 may have a variety of different configurations. In other embodiments, the bottom end of the vent tube 522 may be flush with the bottom end of the needle 521; the bottom end of the vent tube 522 may also extend below the liquid level when inserted into the reagent bottle 30. In the other two embodiments of the aspirating needles 52a, 52b shown in fig. 8 and 9, the vent pipes 522a, 523b may be open only at both ends in the axial direction but closed in the circumferential direction, and in this case, the cross sections of the vent pipes 522a, 523b are closed circular ring structures, so that when in use, as long as the bottom ends of the vent pipes 522a, 523b are inserted into the reagent bottle 30, the inside and outside spaces of the reagent bottle 30 can be communicated to achieve the effect of balancing the air pressure, and the needle tubes 521a, 521b can smoothly aspirate the reagent solution. The vent tube 522b shown in fig. 9 is different from the vent tube 522a shown in fig. 8 in that both ends of the vent tube 522b are flat, and since the vent tube 522b itself is relatively thin, even if there is no bevel, the vent tube can pierce the film 34 and enter the reagent bottle 30.

In addition, the vent pipe 522 may be provided with a notch 529 only in the circumferential direction, so that both ends of the notch 529 may form an upper opening and a lower opening, respectively; alternatively, the top end of the vent tube 522 may be a closed structure or be blocked by the slider 18 to be in a closed shape, in which case the notch 529 on the circumferential wall surface thereof may be used as an upper opening, and the opening at the bottom of the vent tube 522 may be used as a lower opening. Further, the notch 529 may penetrate the vent pipe 522 in the axial direction as illustrated, or may be provided only at the upper and lower ends of the vent pipe 522 so that the middle portion of the vent pipe 522 is closed in the circumferential direction, and in short, the vent pipe 522 is not limited to a specific embodiment as long as it can communicate the reagent bottle 30 with the outside.

While the pipette tip of the present invention has been described above in the context of its application to a reagent supply device for delivering reagents to a sample analyzer, it is to be understood that the pipette tip of the present invention can be used to aspirate any liquid from a vial, particularly a sealed vial, and is not limited to aspirating reagents. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and other changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present invention, and these changes and modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention as claimed.

Claims (10)

1. A liquid suction needle is used for sucking liquid from a sealed bottle and is characterized by comprising a needle tube and a vent pipe connected to the outer wall surface of the needle tube, wherein the axial length of the vent pipe is smaller than that of the needle tube, the bottom end of the needle tube is inserted into the bottle to suck the liquid when the liquid suction needle is used, the lower end of the vent pipe is inserted into the bottle, the upper end of the vent pipe is exposed out of the bottle, a lower opening is formed at the lower end of the vent pipe to be communicated with the space in the bottle, and an upper opening is formed at the upper end of the vent pipe to be communicated with the outside.

2. The pipette needle as recited in claim 1, wherein the bottom end of the vent tube is higher than the bottom end of the needle tube, and the axial ends of the vent tube are open, and the openings at the axial ends of the vent tube constitute the lower opening and the upper opening, respectively.

3. The pipette needle of claim 1 wherein the bottom end of the vent tube is higher than the bottom end of the needle tube, the bottom end of the vent tube opens and defines the lower opening, and the circumferential wall surface of the upper end of the vent tube opens and defines the upper opening.

4. The pipette needle of claim 1 wherein the bottom end of the vent tube is flush with the bottom end of the needle tube, the axial ends of the vent tube are open, and the openings at the axial ends of the vent tube constitute the lower opening and the upper opening, respectively.

5. The pipette needle of claim 1 wherein the bottom end of the vent tube is flush with the bottom end of the needle cannula, the bottom end of the vent tube opens and defines the lower opening, and the circumferential wall of the upper end of the vent tube opens and defines the upper opening.

6. The pipette needle of claim 1 wherein the axial length of the vent tube is no greater than 1/6 of the axial length of the needle cannula, the bottom end of the vent tube being positioned above the liquid level in the bottle in use.

7. The pipette needle of claim 1 wherein the vent tube is formed with a notch in a circumferential direction such that the cross-section of the vent tube is C-shaped.

8. The pipette needle of claim 1 wherein the bottom end of the vent tube is beveled such that the bottom end of the vent tube forms a pointed end.

9. The pipette needle as recited in claim 1, wherein a connecting member is sleeved on a top end of the needle tube, the connecting member comprises a small end with a relatively small diameter and a large end with a relatively large diameter, a step surface is formed between the small end and the large end for axial position limitation of the needle tube, and an external thread is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the small end for connection and fixation of the pipette needle.

10. A reagent supply device comprising a reagent bottle and the pipette needle of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a mouth of the reagent bottle is sealed with a film, and a bottom end of a needle tube and a lower end of a vent tube of the pipette needle penetrate the film and protrude into the reagent bottle.

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