CN115530156B - Embryo automatic vitrification freezing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic embryo vitrification freezing device, which comprises: the device comprises a frame, a rotary workbench module, a consumable area, a vitrification reagent processing module, a transfer module, a heat sealing module and a freezing module, wherein the rotary workbench module, the consumable area, the vitrification reagent processing module, the transfer module, the heat sealing module and the freezing module are positioned on the frame; the vitrification reagent processing module, the transfer module and the heat sealing module are circumferentially distributed along the rotation center of the rotary workbench module; when the rotary workbench module drives the consumable part to carry out rotary conveying, the consumable part moves to the vitrification reagent processing module, the transfer module and the heat sealing module respectively so as to correspondingly carry out embryo processing, cover transfer and freezing dish sealing operation, and then the freezing dish is put into the freezing module, thereby realizing automation of embryo vitrification freezing. The invention has even space distribution and reduced whole volume, and each operation module is distributed in a scattered way, thereby reducing the influence of heat generated by the heat sealing module on other modules and being beneficial to heat dissipation of the heat sealing module; the embryo movement times can be reduced, and the influence of the movement impact on the embryo is effectively reduced.

Description

Embryo automatic vitrification freezing device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of embryo freezing, and in particular to an automatic embryo vitrification freezing device.

Background technique

Embryo rapid freezing methods include programmed freezing and vitrification. Compared with programmed freezing, vitrification has the advantages of simple operation, low cost, high survival rate and high success rate, and has now become the main freezing method. At present, embryo vitrification is mainly achieved through two methods: manual vitrification operation and fully automatic vitrification equipment.

Currently, there is a fully automatic vitrification freezing device. Genea Biomedx has developed an automated instrument for embryo vitrification (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0137080). However, the internal consumable plate of the instrument adopts the traditional crawler drive, and the consumable plate needs to frequently reciprocate according to the change of the operating station. This will cause movement impact on the embryo inside the consumable, and the position of the embryo inside the consumable will also shift, affecting the embryo survival rate. In addition, the operating modules inside the instrument are relatively concentrated, and the heat sealing module is not easy to dissipate heat. When the heat sealing module works for a long time, the high temperature it generates will also affect other modules inside the instrument, which is not conducive to the long-term stable operation of the instrument, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of embryo vitrification.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new method to solve the above technical problems.

Summary of the invention

In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic embryo vitrification freezing device, which has uniform spatial distribution, reduced overall machine volume, and dispersed arrangement of various operating modules, thereby reducing the impact of heat generated by the heat sealing module on other modules and facilitating heat dissipation of the heat sealing module; the number of embryo movements can be reduced, effectively reducing the impact of the impact of the movement on the embryo.

The technical solution of the present invention is summarized as follows:

An automatic embryo vitrification freezing device, comprising:

A rack and a rotary table module, a consumables area, a vitrification reagent processing module, a transfer module, a heat sealing module and a freezing module located on the rack; wherein,

The consumables area includes a freezing dish support plate, a cover carrier plate, a sample tip hole and a reagent bottle seat; the freezing dish support plate is used to place a plurality of freezing dishes, the sample tip hole is used to place disposable sample tips, the cover carrier plate is used to place a plurality of covers, and the reagent bottle seat is used to place a plurality of reagent bottles;

The rotary table module is used to hold the consumables area and drive the consumables area to rotate and transport;

The vitrification reagent processing module includes a plurality of pipettes, the ends of which are equipped with the disposable sample tips, which are used to suck the reagents in the reagent bottles and transfer them to the freezing dish for embryo processing;

The transfer module is used to transfer the cover carrier plate to the freezing dish support plate so that the cover contacts the freezing dish to realize the cover transfer;

The heat sealing module is used to press the lid onto the freezing dish to achieve sealing of the freezing dish;

The freezing module is used to freeze and store the sealed freezing dish;

The vitrification reagent processing module, transfer module, and heat-sealing module are distributed along the circumference of the rotation center of the turntable module; when the turntable module drives the consumables area to rotate and transport, the consumables area moves to the vitrification reagent processing module, the transfer module, and the heat-sealing module respectively, so as to perform embryo processing, lid transfer, and freezing dish sealing operations accordingly, and then put the freezing dish into the freezing module to realize the automation of embryo vitrification freezing.

Preferably, the rotary table module comprises:

A workbench, on which a mounting structure is formed for fixing the consumable area;

A rotary drive device, used to drive the workbench to rotate;

A rotary transmission mechanism, which is connected to the workbench and the rotary drive device respectively;

The rotary drive device drives the workbench to move through the rotary transmission mechanism, so as to achieve the position change of the consumable area through the rotational movement of the workbench.

Preferably, the vitrification reagent processing module further comprises:

A liquid transfer substrate, which is used to be fixedly connected to the frame;

A pipetting fixing plate, which is slidably connected to the pipetting base plate;

A pipetting lifting plate, which is slidably connected to the pipetting fixing plate and the pipette respectively;

Among them, the pipette is provided with a piston rod; the pipette lifting plate is provided with a first driving device for driving the piston rod to move up and down, so as to enable the disposable sample tip to suck or discharge the reagent; the pipette fixed plate is provided with a second driving device for driving the pipette lifting plate to move up and down, so as to pierce or withdraw the disposable sample tip; the pipette base plate is provided with a third driving device for driving the pipette fixed plate to move horizontally, so as to realize the position change of the disposable sample tip between the reagent bottle and the freezing dish.

Preferably, the transfer module comprises:

A visual inspection structure for collecting data on the lids on the lid carrier;

A robot assembly capable of lifting and lowering to transfer the lid carrier to the freezing dish support plate;

A transfer substrate, which is used to be fixedly connected to the frame;

A transfer fixing plate, one side of which is slidably connected to the transfer substrate, and the other side of which is fixed to the visual detection structure and the manipulator assembly;

Among them, a fourth driving device is provided on the transfer substrate to drive the transfer fixing plate to move horizontally; the transfer fixing plate drives the visual detection structure and the manipulator assembly to move, the visual detection structure detects the cover carrier, and the manipulator assembly grabs and places the cover carrier according to the detection data fed back by the visual detection structure to realize the transfer of the cover carrier.

Preferably, the manipulator assembly includes a manipulator, a manipulator mounting plate and a manipulator fixing plate; wherein,

The manipulator is located at the end of the manipulator assembly;

One end of the manipulator mounting plate is fixedly connected to the manipulator, and the other end is slidably connected to the manipulator fixing plate;

The manipulator fixing plate is used to connect with the transfer fixing plate;

Among them, a fifth driving device for controlling the opening and closing of the manipulator is provided on the manipulator mounting plate to achieve the grabbing and placement of the cover carrier plate; a sixth driving device for controlling the lifting movement of the manipulator mounting plate is provided on the manipulator fixing plate.

Preferably, the heat sealing module comprises:

Several heat sealing head assemblies;

A heat sealing head mounting plate, a plurality of the heat sealing head assemblies are mounted on the bottom of the heat sealing head mounting plate, and the arrangement of the heat sealing head assemblies is adapted to the arrangement of the freezing dishes on the freezing dish support plate;

A heat sealing substrate, two sides of which are respectively used to connect the frame and the heat sealing head mounting plate;

Wherein, a seventh driving device is installed on the heat sealing substrate to drive the heat sealing head mounting plate to move up and down, driving the heat sealing head assembly to move up and down to complete the sealing of several lids and several freezing dishes at the same time.

Preferably, the heat sealing head assembly comprises a heat sealing head, a heat sealing head mounting block, at least two guide members and an elastic member; wherein,

The shape of the heat sealing head is adapted to the shape of the freezing dish so as to heat-press and seal the lid and the freezing dish;

The two ends of the heat sealing head mounting block are respectively connected to the heat sealing head and the heat sealing head mounting plate;

The two ends of the guide member are respectively connected to the heat sealing head and the heat sealing head mounting block;

The elastic member is sleeved on the guide member and is located between the heat sealing head and the heat sealing head mounting block.

Preferably, the consumables area further includes:

A slide table, which is used for sliding connection with the rotary table module;

A consumables plate is installed above the slide, and the freezing dish support plate, the cover carrier plate, the sample tip hole and the reagent bottle seat are arranged on the consumables plate in sequence along the slide installation direction;

A heating device, which is installed at the bottom of the slide, and the heating device corresponds to the position of the freezing dish support plate to heat the freezing dish;

The needle withdrawal mechanism spans over the consumable plate, and a recovery hole is provided at a corresponding position of the consumable plate to receive the disposable sample tip removed from the pipette.

Preferably, the cover carrier plate is provided with a plurality of carrying openings, and each of the carrying openings is correspondingly provided with a hollow carrying cover; after the cover is placed in the carrying opening, the carrying cover is closed on the edge of the cover;

The arrangement of the carrying ports corresponds to the arrangement of the freezing dishes, and under the pressing action of the heat sealing module, a plurality of lids can simultaneously seal a plurality of freezing dishes.

Preferably, the freezing module is in a box structure, in which a freezing medium is stored; by placing the freezing dish into the freezing module, the embryos in the freezing dish can be quickly frozen and preserved.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

1. The present invention provides an automatic embryo vitrification freezing device, which adopts a rotary worktable module inside, and the consumables area is installed on the rotary worktable module, and the vitrification reagent processing module, the transfer module and the heat sealing module are distributed along the circumference of the rotation center of the rotary worktable module, the spatial distribution is uniform, and the volume of the whole machine is reduced; when the rotary worktable module drives the consumables area to rotate and transfer, the freezing dish containing the embryo moves to the bottom of the corresponding operating station in turn, and no reciprocating motion is required, thereby avoiding movement impact on the embryo in the freezing dish and improving the embryo survival rate; at the same time, the present invention can realize the completion of embryo processing, lid transfer and freezing dish sealing operations in one rotary transfer process, reducing the number of embryo movements, saving time, and effectively improving the embryo vitrification freezing efficiency.

2. In the present invention, the operating modules are distributed along the circumference of the rotary table module, and the modules are dispersedly arranged, which can not only reduce the influence of the heat generated by the heat sealing module on other modules inside the instrument, but also facilitate the heat dissipation of the heat sealing module.

3. The present invention provides a lid carrier and a transfer module for transferring the lid carrier, so that after the lid is placed at a fixed position on the lid carrier, the lid carrier is transferred to the freezing dish support plate via the transfer module to achieve lid transfer, and the lid and the freezing dish are sealed via the heat sealing module; through this arrangement, during the lid transfer process, deformation caused by the lid being in direct contact with the transfer module and bearing an external load is avoided, thereby ensuring that the lid and the freezing dish are in full contact; in addition, during the process of transferring the lid carrier by the transfer module, the lid is always fixed by the lid carrier, effectively avoiding falling off and greatly improving the sealing quality of the freezing dish; furthermore, the method of transferring the lid carrier by the transfer module to achieve lid transfer in the present invention can significantly reduce the noise generated during the operation of the instrument.

The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention and implement it according to the contents of the specification, the following is a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The specific implementation of the present invention is given in detail by the following embodiments and their accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic embryo vitrification freezing device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a second schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic embryo vitrification freezing device of the present invention;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic embryo vitrification freezing device of the present invention;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the assembly relationship between the rotary table module and the consumables area in the present invention;

FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a rotary table module in the present invention;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the consumables area in the present invention;

FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a cover carrier in the present invention;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the assembly relationship between the cover carrier, the cover and the cover carrier in the present invention;

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vitrification reagent processing module in the present invention;

FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the explosion structure of the vitrification reagent processing module of the present invention;

FIG11 is a structural schematic diagram 1 of a transfer module in the present invention;

FIG12 is a second structural diagram of the transfer module in the present invention;

FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robot assembly of the present invention;

FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a heat sealing module in the present invention;

FIG15 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the heat sealing module of the present invention;

FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the heat sealing head assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the freezing module in the present invention.

In the figure: 1. Automatic embryo vitrification freezing device; 101. Rack;

10. Rotary worktable module; 11. Worktable; 111. Slideway; 112. Notch; 12. Rotary drive device; 13. Rotary transmission mechanism;

20. Consumables area; 21. Slide; 22. Consumables plate; 221. Freezing dish support plate; 2211. Freezing dish; 222. Cover carrier plate; 2221. Cover; 22211. Extension portion; 2222. Carrying port; 22221. Clamp; 22222. Clearance hole; 2223. Carrying cover; 22231. Clamp portion; 2224. Raised strip; 22241. Groove; 223. Sample tip hole; 2231. Disposable sample tip; 224. Reagent bottle holder; 2241. First reagent bottle; 2242. Second reagent bottle; 225. Recovery hole; 23. Heating device; 24. Needle withdrawal mechanism; 241. Needle withdrawal port;

30. Vitrification reagent processing module; 31. Pipette; 311. Piston rod; 312. Pipette mounting plate; 313. Pipette mounting seat; 32. Pipette substrate; 33. Pipette fixing plate; 331. First pipette fixing plate; 332. Second pipette fixing plate; 34. Pipette lifting plate; 35. First driving device; 36. Second driving device; 37. Third driving device;

40. Transfer module; 41. Visual inspection structure; 42. Manipulator assembly; 421. Manipulator; 4211. Clamping claw; 4212. Buffer pad; 422. Manipulator mounting plate; 423. Manipulator fixing plate; 424. Fifth driving device; 425. Sixth driving device; 43. Transfer substrate; 44. Transfer fixing plate; 441. First transfer fixing plate; 442. Second transfer fixing plate; 44. Fourth driving device;

50. heat sealing module; 51. heat sealing head assembly; 511. heat sealing head; 512. heat sealing head mounting block; 513. guide member; 514. elastic member; 52. heat sealing head mounting plate; 53. heat sealing substrate; 54. seventh driving device;

60. Refrigeration module; 61. Box body; 62. Box cover.

Detailed ways

The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

In the drawings, the shapes and dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout to designate the same or like components.

In the following description, words such as center, thickness, height, length, front, back, rear, left, right, top, bottom, upper, lower, etc. are defined relative to the structure shown in the drawings. In particular, "height" is equivalent to the dimension from top to bottom, "width" is equivalent to the dimension from left to right, and "depth" is equivalent to the dimension from front to back. They are relative concepts and may change accordingly according to their different positions and different usage states. Therefore, these or other directions should not be interpreted as restrictive terms.

Terms related to attachment, coupling, and the like (eg, "connected" and "attached") refer to either a fixed or attached relationship between structures, either directly or indirectly, and either movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly stated otherwise, of the structures to one another through intermediate structures.

Example 1

The embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic embryo vitrification freezing device, as shown in FIGS. 1-17 , comprising:

The frame 101 and the rotary table module 10, the consumable area 20, the vitrification reagent processing module 30, the transfer module 40, the heat sealing module 50 and the freezing module 60 located on the frame 101; wherein,

The consumables area 20 includes a freezing dish support plate 221, a cover carrier plate 222, a sample tip hole 223 and a reagent bottle seat 224; the freezing dish support plate 221 is used to place a plurality of freezing dishes 2211, the cover carrier plate 222 is used to place a plurality of covers 2221, the sample tip hole 223 is used to place a disposable sample tip 2231, and the reagent bottle seat 224 is used to place a plurality of reagent bottles;

The rotary table module 10 is used to hold the consumable area 20 and drive the consumable area 20 to rotate and transport;

The vitrification reagent processing module 30 includes a plurality of pipettes 31, the ends of which are equipped with the disposable sample tips 2231, which are used to aspirate the reagents in the reagent bottles and transfer them to the freezing dish 2211 for embryo processing;

The transfer module 40 is used to transfer the cover carrier plate 222 to the freezing dish support plate 221 so that the cover 2221 contacts the freezing dish 2211 to realize the transfer of the cover 2221;

The heat sealing module 50 is used to press the cover 2221 onto the freezing dish 2211 to achieve sealing of the freezing dish 2211;

The freezing module 60 is used to freeze and preserve the sealed freezing dish 2211;

The vitrification reagent processing module 30, the transfer module 40, and the heat-sealing module 50 are distributed along the circumference of the rotation center of the turntable module 10; when the turntable module 10 drives the consumables area 20 to rotate and transport, the consumables area 20 moves to the vitrification reagent processing module 30, the transfer module 40, and the heat-sealing module 50 respectively, so as to perform embryo processing, lid 2221 transfer, and freezing dish 2211 sealing operations accordingly, and then the freezing dish 2211 is put into the freezing module 60 to realize the automation of embryo vitrification freezing.

Firstly, the automatic embryo vitrification freezing device 1 of the present invention adopts a rotary table module 10 inside, and the consumables area 20 is installed on the rotary table module 10, and the vitrification reagent processing module 30, the transfer module 40 and the heat sealing module 50 are distributed along the circumference of the rotation center of the rotary table module 10, the spatial distribution is uniform, and the volume of the whole machine is reduced; when the rotary table module 10 drives the consumables area 20 to rotate and transfer, the freezing dish 2211 containing the embryos moves to the bottom of the corresponding operating station in turn without the need for reciprocating motion, thereby avoiding movement impact on the embryos in the freezing dish 2211 and improving the embryo survival rate; at the same time, the present invention can complete the embryo processing, lid transfer and freezing dish sealing operations in one rotation and transfer process, reduce the number of embryo movements, save time, and effectively improve the embryo vitrification efficiency.

Secondly, in the present invention, the operating modules are distributed along the circumference of the rotation center of the rotary table module 10. The modules are dispersedly arranged, which can not only reduce the impact of the heat generated by the heat sealing module 50 on the inside of the instrument, but also facilitate the heat dissipation of the heat sealing module 50.

In addition, since the lid is a thin film sheet with relatively weak strength, in order to avoid direct contact between the lid 2221 and the transfer module 40 during the transfer of the lid 2221, which may cause deformation after being subjected to external loads and result in insufficient contact between the lid and the freezing dish, the present invention provides a lid carrier 222 and a transfer module 40 for transferring the lid carrier 222, so that after the lid 2221 is placed in a fixed position on the lid carrier 222, the lid carrier 222 is transferred to the freezing dish support plate 221 via the transfer module 40, thereby realizing the transfer of the lid 2221 and avoiding direct action of the transfer module 40 on the lid 2221, thereby improving the sealing quality of the lid 2221 to the freezing dish 2211.

Moreover, during the process of the transfer module 40 transferring the cover carrier 222, the cover 2221 is always fixed by the cover carrier 222, which effectively prevents the cover 2221 from falling off. Furthermore, the method of transferring the cover carrier 222 by the transfer module 40 in the present invention to achieve the transfer of the cover 2221 can significantly reduce the noise generated during the operation of the instrument.

Since the automatic embryo vitrification freezing device 1 needs to complete the operations of vitrification reagent treatment, packaging and rapid freezing in sequence for vitrification of embryos, during the above operations, the embryos are always stored in the freezing dish 2211, and the embryos need to be transferred to the corresponding operating station by changing the position of the freezing dish 2211, wherein the position change of the freezing dish 2211 is achieved by the rotary workbench module 10.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the rotary table module 10 includes:

A workbench 11, on which a mounting structure is formed for fixing the consumable area 20;

A rotary drive device 12, used to drive the workbench 11 to rotate;

A rotary transmission mechanism 13, which is connected to the workbench 11 and the rotary drive device 12 respectively;

The rotary drive device 12 drives the workbench 11 to move through the rotary transmission mechanism 13 , so as to achieve position change of the consumable area 20 through the rotational movement of the workbench 11 .

Specifically, the workbench 11 is disc-shaped, and a slide groove 111 is provided on the workbench 11. The shape of the slide groove 111 is adapted to the outer shape of the consumable area 20, and the consumable area 20 can be detachably installed in the slide groove 111; preferably, the rotary drive device 12 can be set as a motor, and the rotary transmission mechanism 13 can be set as a gear. The motor provides driving force to the gear, and the gear is driven by a combination of multiple gears to drive the workbench 11 to rotate, which can achieve higher precision and more refined transmission requirements, has a reliable operation process, a long service life, improves the stability of the rotation of the workbench 11, and has a buffering and vibration absorption function to avoid movement impact on the embryos in the freezing dish 2211.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4-8 , the consumables area 20 further includes:

The slide 21 is used for being slidably connected with the rotary table module 10 ; and the shape of the slide 21 is adapted to the shape of the slide slot 111 , so that the slide 21 can be snapped into the slide slot 111 to ensure that the consumable area 20 and the workbench 11 are fixed to each other.

The consumable plate 22 is installed above the slide 21, and the freezing dish support plate 221, the cover carrier plate 222, the sample tip hole 223 and the reagent bottle seat 224 are arranged on the consumable plate 22 in sequence along the installation direction of the slide 21; specifically, the consumable plate 22 includes a freezing dish support plate 221, a cover carrier plate 222, four sample tip holes 223, and four reagent bottle seats 224; wherein,

Four freezing dishes 2211 can be placed on one freezing dish support plate 221 at the same time, and the embryos are placed in the freezing dishes 2211;

Four covers 2221 can be placed on one cover carrier 222 at the same time, and the covers 2221 are fixed on the cover carrier 222;

A disposable sample tip 2231 is placed in each sample tip hole 223;

Two reagent bottles are placed in sequence on each reagent bottle seat 224, including a first reagent bottle 2241 and a second reagent bottle 2242. The first reagent bottle 2241 is an ES bottle for storing a balance reagent, and the second reagent bottle 2242 is a VS bottle for storing a vitrified reagent bottle.

When the freezing dish 2211 , the cover 2221 , the disposable sample tip 2231 and the reagent bottle are placed respectively, the arrangement of the freezing dish 2211 , the cover 2221 , the disposable sample tip 2231 and the reagent bottle corresponds to each other, so as to facilitate the subsequent corresponding operations.

A heating device 23 is installed at the bottom of the slide 21, and the heating device 23 corresponds to the position of the freezing dish support plate 221 to heat the freezing dish 2211 to provide the temperature required for the embryo; wherein a notch 112 is provided on the workbench 11, and when the consumable area 20 is assembled to the workbench 11, the heating device 23 is partially exposed at the notch 112 to prevent the heat of the heating device 23 from accumulating on the workbench 11 and affecting the normal operation of the workbench 11.

The needle withdrawal mechanism 24 spans across the consumable plate 22, and a recovery hole 225 is provided at a corresponding position of the consumable plate 22 to accommodate the disposable sample tip 2231 removed from the pipette 31; specifically, the needle withdrawal mechanism 24 is in the shape of a bent plate, and a needle withdrawal port 241 is provided on it. When the pipette 31 moves to the needle withdrawal port 241, the disposable sample tip 2231 is aligned with the recovery hole 225. When the pipette 31 removes the disposable sample tip 2231, the disposable sample tip 2231 can directly fall into the recovery hole 225.

Furthermore, the cover carrier plate 222 is provided with a plurality of carrying openings 2222, and each carrying opening 2222 is correspondingly provided with a hollow carrying cover 2223; after the cover 2221 is placed in the carrying opening 2223, the carrying cover 2223 covers the edge of the cover 2221;

The arrangement of the carrying openings 2222 corresponds to the arrangement of the freezing dishes 2211 . Under the pressing action of the heat sealing module 50 , a plurality of covers 2221 can seal a plurality of freezing dishes 2211 at the same time.

Further, a buckle portion 22231 is formed on the carrier cover 2223, and a buckle 22221 is formed correspondingly at the carrier port 2222. The buckle portion 22231 can be buckled into the buckle 22221, so that the operator can open or close the carrier cover 2223 through the structure, and the operation of installing the cover 2221 on the cover carrier plate 222 is convenient. Preferably, the cover 2221 is formed with an extension portion 22211, which is circular and has an extension portion 22211 protruding radially from the edge. The circular portion is used to be in close contact with the end surface of the freezing dish 2211 to achieve sealing, and the extension portion 22211 can be partially attached to the freezing dish 2211 or not. The operator can easily tear off the cover 2221 by holding the extension portion 22211, which is conducive to improving the convenience and comfort of the operator. At the same time, when the lid 2221 and the carrier cover 2223 are installed, the extension 22211 is located in the clearance hole 22222 formed in the bearing port 2222 under the pressing action of the carrier cover 2223. In this embodiment, the lid carrier 222 is transferred to the freezing dish support plate 221 and the two are spliced and installed to achieve the sealed contact between the lid 2221 and the freezing dish 2211; therefore, by setting the above structure, during the transfer process of the lid carrier 222, the lid 2221 is always located in the fixed position of the lid carrier 222, and the carrier cover 2223 can prevent the lid 2221 from falling off or deforming during the transfer process.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 , the vitrification reagent processing module 30 further includes:

A liquid transfer substrate 32, which is used to be fixedly connected to the frame 101;

A pipetting fixing plate 33, which is slidably connected to the pipetting base plate 32;

A liquid transfer lifting plate 34, which is slidably connected to the liquid transfer fixing plate 33 and the liquid transfer device 31 respectively;

Among them, the pipette 31 is provided with a piston rod 311; the pipetting lifting plate 34 is provided with a first driving device 35 for driving the piston rod 311 to move up and down, so that the disposable sample tip 2231 can suck or discharge the reagent; the pipetting fixed plate 33 is provided with a second driving device 36 for driving the pipetting lifting plate 34 to move up and down, so as to pierce or withdraw the disposable sample tip 2231; the pipetting base plate 32 is provided with a third driving device 37 for driving the pipetting fixed plate 33 to move horizontally, so as to realize the position change of the disposable sample tip 2231 between the reagent bottle and the freezing dish 2211.

The vitrification freezing reagent includes a balancing reagent and a vitrification reagent. The balancing reagent and the vitrification reagent are sequentially processed on the embryo through the vitrification reagent processing module 30 .

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the vitrification reagent processing module 30 includes a 4-channel pipette 31, and the pipette 31 includes a piston rod 311, and each pipette 31 is respectively installed with a disposable sample tip 2231, and the disposable sample tip 2231 is sucked and discharged by the reagent by controlling the movement of the piston rod 311; the two ends of the pipette 31 are respectively connected with a pipette mounting plate 312 and a pipette mounting seat 313, wherein the pipette mounting seat 313 is fixedly connected with the pipette lifting plate 34, one side of the pipette mounting plate 312 is fixed with the piston rod 311, and the other side is connected with the first driving device 35. It can be understood that, under the drive of the first driving device 35, the pipette mounting plate 312 can perform lifting movement relative to the pipette mounting seat 313, so that, driven by the pipette mounting plate 312, the piston rod 311 performs lifting movement.

The pipetting fixed plate 33 includes a first pipetting fixed plate 331 and a second pipetting fixed plate 332, wherein the first pipetting fixed plate 331 is horizontally arranged to be slidably connected to the pipetting base plate 32, and the second pipetting fixed plate 332 is vertically arranged to be connected to the pipetting lifting plate 34; specifically, the third driving device 37 is located between the pipetting base plate 32 and the first pipetting fixed plate 331, so that the first pipetting fixed plate 331 can move horizontally relative to the pipetting base plate 32, and since the first pipetting fixed plate 331 and the second pipetting fixed plate 332 are fixedly connected to each other, under the driving action of the third driving device 37, the first pipetting fixed plate 331 can drive the second pipetting fixed plate 332 and the structure connected to the second pipetting fixed plate 332 to move horizontally together; the second driving device 36 is located between the pipetting lifting plate 34 and the second pipetting fixed plate 332, so that the pipetting lifting plate 34 can move up and down relative to the second pipetting fixed plate 332.

The first drive device 35, the second drive device 36 and the third drive device 37 all include a drive mechanism and a transmission mechanism. Preferably, the drive mechanism is a motor and the transmission mechanism is a guide rail assembly. Under the driving action of the first drive device 35, the second drive device 36 and the third drive device 37, the 4-channel pipette 31 can simultaneously pump out reagents and change positions, so that the 4-channel pipette 31 can simultaneously perform embryo processing on 4 freezing dishes 2211. The arrangement of the 4-channel pipette 31 corresponds to the arrangement of the reagent bottles and the freezing dishes 2211.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11-13 , the transfer module 40 includes:

A visual inspection structure 41 for collecting data on the cover 2221 on the cover carrier 222;

A robot assembly 42 capable of lifting and lowering to transfer the lid carrier plate 222 to the freezing dish support plate 221;

A transfer substrate 43, which is used to be fixedly connected to the frame 101;

A transfer fixing plate 44, one side of which is slidably connected to the transfer substrate 43, and the other side of which is fixed to the visual detection structure 41 and the robot assembly 42;

Among them, a fourth driving device 44 is provided on the transfer substrate 43 for driving the transfer fixing plate 44 to move horizontally; the transfer fixing plate 44 drives the visual detection structure 41 and the manipulator assembly 42 to move, the visual detection structure 41 detects the cover carrier 222, and the manipulator assembly 42 grabs and places the cover carrier 222 according to the detection data fed back by the visual detection structure 41 to realize the transfer of the cover carrier 222.

Specifically, the transfer fixing plate 44 includes a first transfer fixing plate 441 and a second transfer fixing plate 442, wherein the first transfer fixing plate 441 is horizontally arranged, one side of which is slidably connected to the transfer substrate 43, and the other side is fixedly connected to the visual detection structure 41 and the second transfer fixing plate 442, and the second transfer fixing plate 442 is vertically arranged to be fixedly connected to the manipulator assembly 42; and since the first transfer fixing plate 441 and the second transfer fixing plate 442 are fixed to each other, when the first transfer fixing plate 441 moves horizontally relative to the transfer substrate 43 under the driving action of the fourth driving device 44, the first transfer fixing plate 441 drives the visual detection structure 41, the second transfer fixing plate 442 and the structure connected thereto (i.e., the manipulator assembly 42) to move horizontally together. Among them, the visual detection structure 41 and the manipulator assembly 42 are arranged on both sides of the second transfer fixing plate 442.

Before transferring the lid carrier 222, the visual inspection structure 41 is used to observe and confirm whether the lid 2221 on the lid carrier 22 is contaminated or damaged, so as to ensure that when the lid carrier 222 is transferred to the freezing dish support plate 221, the lid 2221 and the freezing dish 2211 can be effectively sealed and contacted.

Furthermore, the robot assembly 42 includes a robot 421, a robot mounting plate 422 and a robot fixing plate 423; wherein,

The manipulator 421 is located at the end of the manipulator assembly 42;

One end of the manipulator mounting plate 422 is fixedly connected to the manipulator 421, and the other end is slidably connected to the manipulator fixing plate 423;

The manipulator fixing plate 423 is used to connect with the transfer fixing plate 44;

Among them, a fifth driving device 424 for controlling the opening and closing of the manipulator 421 is provided on the manipulator mounting plate 422 to achieve the grabbing and placement of the cover carrier plate 222; a sixth driving device 425 for controlling the lifting movement of the manipulator mounting plate 422 is provided on the manipulator fixing plate 423.

Among them, the fourth driving device 44, the fifth driving device 424 and the sixth driving device 425 all include a driving mechanism and a transmission mechanism; preferably, the driving mechanism is configured as a motor, and the transmission mechanism is configured as a guide rail assembly.

Furthermore, two convex strips 2224 are formed on the cover carrier 222 , and the robot 421 includes two clamping jaws 4211 , which clamp the cover carrier 222 to achieve position transfer by respectively acting on the two convex strips 2224 .

Furthermore, the inner surface of the clamping jaw 4211 is covered with a buffer pad 4212 to reduce the impact force between the clamping jaw 4211 and the convex strip 2224 to prevent the cover 2221 from falling off or being misplaced.

Preferably, a groove 22241 is formed on the surface where the protrusion 2224 contacts the clamp 4211, and a snap-fit structure matching the groove 22241 is formed at the corresponding position of the clamp 4211. By snapping the snap-fit structure into the groove 22241, the clamp 4211 can clamp the cover carrier 222 more stably, so that during the transfer process, the cover carrier 222 is always fixed on the robot 421.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14-16 , the heat sealing module 50 includes:

A plurality of heat sealing head assemblies 51;

A heat sealing head mounting plate 52, a plurality of the heat sealing head assemblies 51 are mounted on the bottom of the heat sealing head mounting plate 52, and the arrangement of the heat sealing head assemblies 51 is adapted to the arrangement of the freezing dishes 2211 on the freezing dish support plate 221;

The heat sealing substrate 53 has two sides for connecting the frame 101 and the heat sealing head mounting plate 52 respectively;

The heat sealing substrate 53 is provided with a seventh driving device 54 for driving the heat sealing head mounting plate 52 to move up and down, thereby driving the heat sealing head assembly 51 to move up and down to simultaneously complete the sealing of the plurality of lids 2221 and the plurality of freezing dishes 2211 .

Specifically, in this embodiment, the end of the heat sealing module 50 includes a four-channel heat sealing head assembly 51, and the four-channel heat sealing head assembly 51 works simultaneously. The heat sealing head mounting plate 52 is driven to move up and down through the seventh driving device 54 to drive the heat sealing head assembly 51 to move up and down.

Furthermore, the heat sealing head assembly 51 includes a heat sealing head 511, a heat sealing head mounting block 512, at least two guide members 513 and an elastic member 514; wherein,

The shape of the heat sealing head 511 is adapted to the shape of the freezing dish 2211 so as to heat-press and seal the lid 2221 and the freezing dish 2211;

The two ends of the heat sealing head mounting block 512 are respectively connected to the heat sealing head 511 and the heat sealing head mounting plate 52;

The two ends of the guide member 513 are respectively connected to the heat sealing head 511 and the heat sealing head mounting block 512;

The elastic member 514 is sleeved on the guide member 513 and is located between the heat sealing head 511 and the heat sealing head mounting block 512 .

Among them, the guide member is a guide shaft, and the elastic member is a compression spring. Through this setting, the consistency of the simultaneous operation of the four-channel heat sealing head assembly 51 is guaranteed.

After the lids 2221 are in sealing contact with the freezing dishes 2211 , the four heat pressing heads 511 of the heat sealing module 50 are used to simultaneously press the four lids 2221 onto the four freezing dishes 2211 , so that the freezing dishes 2211 are completely sealed.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17 , the freezing module 60 is in a box structure, including a box body 61 and a box cover 62 , and a freezing medium is stored in the box body 61 ; by placing the freezing dish 2211 into the freezing module 60 , the embryos in the freezing dish 2211 can be quickly frozen and preserved.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed as above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and the implementation modes, and they can be fully applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. For those familiar with the art, additional modifications can be easily implemented. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and the scope of equivalents, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and the illustrations shown and described herein.

Claims (6)

1. An automatic embryo vitrification freezing device, comprising: A rack and a rotary table module, a consumables area, a vitrification reagent processing module, a transfer module, a heat sealing module and a freezing module located on the rack; wherein, The consumables area includes a freezing dish support plate, a cover carrier plate, a sample tip hole and a reagent bottle seat; the freezing dish support plate is used to place a plurality of freezing dishes, the sample tip hole is used to place disposable sample tips, the cover carrier plate is used to place a plurality of covers, and the reagent bottle seat is used to place a plurality of reagent bottles; The rotary table module is used to hold the consumables area and drive the consumables area to rotate and transport; The vitrification reagent processing module includes a plurality of pipettes, the ends of which are equipped with the disposable sample tips, which are used to suck the reagents in the reagent bottles and transfer them to the freezing dish for embryo processing; The transfer module is used to transfer the cover carrier plate to the freezing dish support plate so that the cover contacts the freezing dish to realize the cover transfer; The heat sealing module is used to press the lid onto the freezing dish to achieve sealing of the freezing dish; The freezing module is used to freeze and store the sealed freezing dish; The vitrification reagent processing module, transfer module, and heat sealing module are distributed along the circumference of the rotation center of the rotary table module; when the rotary table module drives the consumables area to rotate and transfer, the consumables area moves to the vitrification reagent processing module, the transfer module, and the heat sealing module respectively, so as to perform embryo processing, lid transfer, and freezing dish sealing operations respectively, and then put the freezing dish into the freezing module to realize the automation of embryo vitrification freezing; The rotary table module comprises: A workbench, on which a mounting structure is formed for fixing the consumable area; A rotary drive device, used to drive the workbench to rotate; A rotary transmission mechanism, which is connected to the workbench and the rotary drive device respectively; Wherein, the rotary transmission mechanism includes a plurality of gears; the rotary drive device drives the workbench to move through the rotary transmission mechanism, so as to realize the position change of the consumable area through the rotation movement of the workbench; The consumables area also includes: A slide table, which is used for sliding connection with the rotary table module; A consumables plate is installed above the slide, and the freezing dish support plate, the cover carrier plate, the sample tip hole and the reagent bottle seat are arranged on the consumables plate in sequence along the slide installation direction; A heating device, which is installed at the bottom of the slide, and the heating device corresponds to the position of the freezing dish support plate to heat the freezing dish; A needle withdrawal mechanism, which spans above the consumable plate, and a recovery hole is opened at a corresponding position of the consumable plate to receive the disposable sample tip removed from the pipette; The cover carrier plate is provided with a plurality of loading openings, each of which is correspondingly provided with a hollow loading cover; after the cover is placed in the loading opening, the loading cover is closed on the edge of the cover; The arrangement of the carrying ports corresponds to the arrangement of the freezing dishes, and under the pressing action of the heat sealing module, a plurality of lids can simultaneously seal a plurality of freezing dishes; The transfer module comprises: A visual inspection structure for collecting data on the lids on the lid carrier; A robot assembly capable of lifting and lowering to transfer the lid carrier to the freezing dish support plate; A transfer substrate, which is used to be fixedly connected to the frame; A transfer fixing plate, one side of which is slidably connected to the transfer substrate, and the other side of which is fixed to the visual detection structure and the manipulator assembly; Among them, a fourth driving device is provided on the transfer substrate to drive the transfer fixing plate to move horizontally; the transfer fixing plate drives the visual detection structure and the manipulator assembly to move, the visual detection structure detects the cover carrier, and the manipulator assembly grabs and places the cover carrier according to the detection data fed back by the visual detection structure to realize the transfer of the cover carrier. 2. The automatic embryo vitrification freezing device according to claim 1, wherein the vitrification reagent processing module further comprises: A liquid transfer substrate, which is used to be fixedly connected to the frame; A pipetting fixing plate, which is slidably connected to the pipetting base plate; A pipetting lifting plate, which is slidably connected to the pipetting fixing plate and the pipette respectively; Among them, the pipette is provided with a piston rod; the pipette lifting plate is provided with a first driving device for driving the piston rod to move up and down, so as to enable the disposable sample tip to suck or discharge the reagent; the pipette fixed plate is provided with a second driving device for driving the pipette lifting plate to move up and down, so as to pierce or withdraw the disposable sample tip; the pipette base plate is provided with a third driving device for driving the pipette fixed plate to move horizontally, so as to realize the position change of the disposable sample tip between the reagent bottle and the freezing dish. 3. The automatic embryo vitrification freezing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: the manipulator assembly comprises a manipulator, a manipulator mounting plate and a manipulator fixing plate; wherein, The manipulator is located at the end of the manipulator assembly; One end of the manipulator mounting plate is fixedly connected to the manipulator, and the other end is slidably connected to the manipulator fixing plate; The manipulator fixing plate is used to connect with the transfer fixing plate; Among them, a fifth driving device for controlling the opening and closing of the manipulator is provided on the manipulator mounting plate to achieve the grabbing and placement of the cover carrier plate; a sixth driving device for controlling the lifting movement of the manipulator mounting plate is provided on the manipulator fixing plate. 4. The automatic embryo vitrification freezing device according to claim 1, wherein the heat sealing module comprises: Several heat sealing head assemblies; A heat sealing head mounting plate, a plurality of the heat sealing head assemblies are mounted on the bottom of the heat sealing head mounting plate, and the arrangement of the heat sealing head assemblies is adapted to the arrangement of the freezing dishes on the freezing dish support plate; A heat-sealing substrate, two sides of which are respectively used to connect the frame and the heat-sealing head mounting plate; Wherein, a seventh driving device is installed on the heat sealing substrate to drive the heat sealing head mounting plate to move up and down, driving the heat sealing head assembly to move up and down to complete the sealing of several lids and several freezing dishes at the same time. 5. The automatic embryo vitrification freezing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: the heat sealing head assembly comprises a heat sealing head, a heat sealing head mounting block, at least two guide members and an elastic member; wherein, The shape of the heat sealing head is adapted to the shape of the freezing dish so as to heat-press and seal the lid and the freezing dish; The two ends of the heat sealing head mounting block are respectively connected to the heat sealing head and the heat sealing head mounting plate; The two ends of the guide member are respectively connected to the heat sealing head and the heat sealing head mounting block; The elastic member is sleeved on the guide member and is located between the heat sealing head and the heat sealing head mounting block. 6. Automatic embryo vitrification freezing device as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that: the freezing module is a box structure, in which a freezing medium is stored; by putting the freezing dish into the freezing module, the embryo in the freezing dish is quickly frozen and preserved.