Patent Description:
At present, the storage and taking operation of biological sample storage vials and boxes is automated. In the prior art, storage and taking of the storage vials and boxes are implemented through a liquid-nitrogen storage container. The conventional storage of biological samples does not achieve programmed automation, and lacks a programmed cooling process. Biological samples usually need to be stored at ultra-low temperatures (such as -<NUM>, -<NUM>, and -<NUM>) to maintain their activity. The storage velocity plays an important role in maintaining the activity of biological samples. In conventional storage methods, the storage box in the transfer box or container is directly placed into the liquid-nitrogen storage container, without a gradient cooling operation. As a result, the biological samples are prone to damage due to rapid cooling.

In order to solve the problem of cooling storage and taking of storage vials existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need for a sample cooling and storage mechanism. The sample cooling and storage mechanism is intended to improve the activity of biological samples stored in the storage vials. Adding the gradient cooling of the storage box in the storage process can better maintain the activity of biological samples in the storage box, and reduce safety hazards. <CIT> discloses a storage apparatus comprises a housing for defining a cryogenic storage unit and a plurality of low-temperature chambers disposed one next to the other, the housing including partitions for separating the chambers from one another. A plurality of individually operable freezing/thawing units are also connected to the cryogenic unit for controlling the freezing and thawing of specimens or groups of specimens at different freezing and thawing rates. Each freezing/thawing unit comprises resistive heating circuits and cooling circuit or coil similar to cooling circuits and/or respective sets of spray nozzles similar to spray nozzles. These are controlled by a computer in accordance with a warming or thawing protocol or schedule selected from a memory in accordance with the type of specimen. Thus, computer CC1 acts by controlling the heating through the resistive heating circuits or by decreasing the temperature by controlling the action of the cooling circuits. <CIT> discloses a program cooling and storage equipment which comprises a low-temperature storage area, a program cooling area, a temporary storage area, a freezing component and a grabbing component. The grabbing component can grab a target piece and can grab the target piece to the program cooling area, the low-temperature storage area and the temporary storage area. Wherein the low-temperature storage area can store a target part at a low temperature, and the programmed cooling area can perform programmed cooling on the target part; the temporary storage area can temporarily store the target part at a low temperature; the freezing component can perform low-temperature supply or temperature control on the low-temperature storage area, the programmed cooling area and the temporary storage area respectively; when the program cooling amount is large, the grabbing component can be used for temporarily storing a plurality of target pieces needing program cooling in the temporary storage area for cryopreservation; and performing programmed cooling one by one.

In view of the aforementioned shortcomings in the prior art, it is necessary to design an innovative sample cooling and storage mechanism with industrial value through active research and innovation.

To solve the aforementioned technical problem existing in the prior art, that is, samples cannot be effectively stored at a suitable temperature and programed gradient-cooling storage of samples cannot be achieved, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a sample cooling and storage mechanism.

The sample cooling and storage mechanism provided by the present disclosure includes a refrigeration device and a gradient cooling device, where
the refrigeration device is configured to perform temperature-controlled refrigeration on storage vials; the gradient cooling device is configured to perform programmed gradient cooling on the storage vials; the refrigeration device includes at least one refrigeration zone; a nitrogen spraying component, a heating component and a storage vial rack are provided in the refrigeration zone; the nitrogen spraying component is configured to spray nitrogen in the refrigeration zone; and the heating component heats the interior of the refrigeration zone. The nitrogen spraying component is configured to convert liquid nitrogen into gaseous nitrogen to supply the nitrogen in gaseous form. The nitrogen spraying component includes a nitrogen spraying tube; the nitrogen spraying tube is provided with a plurality of nitrogen spraying holes; and an end of the nitrogen spraying tube is communicated with a nitrogen supply tube assembly. The nitrogen supply tube assembly includes a solenoid valve, a nitrogen supply coil tube, and a heating tube; the nitrogen spraying tube is communicated with the nitrogen supply coil tube; the nitrogen supply coil tube is circled around the heating tube; and the solenoid valve is configured to control the start of the heating tube.

Preferably, the heating component includes at least one electric heating element; the nitrogen spraying tube vertically runs through inside the refrigeration zone; and the electric heating element is vertically provided on an inner wall of the refrigeration zone.

Preferably, the storage vial rack is slidable up and down in the refrigeration zone, and a supporting mesh plate is provided below the storage vial rack.

Preferably, the refrigeration device includes a plurality of refrigeration zones, and the plurality of refrigeration zones are arranged in an array in a refrigerator component.

Preferably, an upper end of the refrigeration device is provided with a movable insulation cover, and the movable insulation cover rolls or slides to open or close the refrigeration device;.

Preferably, the gradient cooling device includes a liquid-nitrogen container, a storage rack located above an opening of the liquid-nitrogen container, and a storage rack lifting device for driving the storage rack to move up and down; and the storage rack lifting device includes a frame and a lifter fixed to the frame; a lifting platform of the lifter is provided with a mounting plate; the storage rack is provided at a bottom end of the mounting plate; a lifting motor is provided on the mounting plate; a body of the lifting motor is fixed to the mounting plate; an output shaft of the lifting motor is connected to a screw rod; the screw rod is threaded to a first slider; and the first slider is slidably fit with the mounting plate, and a temperature sensor is provided on the first slider.

Preferably, the sample cooling and storage mechanism further includes a three-axis robotic arm; and the three-axis robotic arm is provided above the refrigeration device and the gradient cooling device and is configured to move the storage vials in three directions.

Preferably, the refrigeration zone is a square box with a certain height, and an upper end surface of the square box is provided with a box insulation cover.

Preferably, the gradient cooling device further includes a nitrogen delivery tube; one end of the nitrogen delivery tube is communicated with the nitrogen supply tube, and the other end of the nitrogen delivery tube serves as an open end and extends into the liquid-nitrogen container; the nitrogen delivery tube is sheathed with a guide sleeve; and the guide sleeve is provided with a plurality of vents.

According to the above technical solution, the embodiment of the present disclosure has at least the following advantages. In the present disclosure, the sample cooling and storage mechanism achieves a gradient cooling function for biological samples through the gradient cooling device, thereby preventing damage to the biological samples caused by rapid cooling. In addition, the sample cooling and storage mechanism achieves a temperature-controlled refrigeration function for the biological samples through the refrigeration device, and strengthens the cold insulation performance of the refrigeration device through a movable insulation cover assembly, achieving automatic storage and taking of the biological samples.

In summary, the sample cooling and storage mechanism of the present disclosure has a gradient cooling function, such that the biological samples are not easily damaged.

The above described is only an overview of the technical solutions of the present disclosure. To understand the technical means of the present disclosure more clearly and implement the technical means according to the content of the specification, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

Reference Numerals: <NUM>. refrigeration device; <NUM>. refrigeration zone; <NUM>. nitrogen spraying component; <NUM>. nitrogen spraying tube; <NUM>. nitrogen spraying hole; <NUM>. heating component; <NUM>. electric heating element; <NUM>. refrigerator component; <NUM>. movable insulation cover; <NUM>. guide rail; <NUM>. movable rod; <NUM>. flexible insulation cover; <NUM>. drive motor; <NUM>. drive shaft; <NUM>. driving wheel; <NUM>. driving belt; <NUM>. driven wheel; and <NUM>. second slider;.

The specific implementations of the present disclosure are described in further detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present disclosure, rather than to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

A sample cooling and storage mechanism includes refrigeration device <NUM> and gradient cooling device <NUM>. The refrigeration device <NUM> is configured to perform temperature-controlled refrigeration on storage vials. The gradient cooling device <NUM> is configured to perform programmed gradient cooling on the storage vials. The refrigeration device <NUM> includes at least one refrigeration zone <NUM>. Nitrogen spraying component <NUM> and heating component <NUM> are provided in the refrigeration zone <NUM>. The nitrogen spraying component <NUM> is configured to spray nitrogen in the refrigeration zone <NUM>. The heating component <NUM> heats the interior of the refrigeration zone <NUM>.

The nitrogen supply tube assembly <NUM> includes solenoid valve <NUM>, nitrogen supply coil tube <NUM>, and heating tube <NUM>. The nitrogen spraying tube <NUM> is communicated with the nitrogen supply coil tube <NUM>, and the nitrogen supply coil tube <NUM> is circled around the heating tube <NUM>. The solenoid valve <NUM> controls the start of the heating tube <NUM>. Each or each two refrigeration zones <NUM> are provided with one nitrogen supply assembly <NUM>. The liquid nitrogen in the nitrogen supply coil tube <NUM> is heated by the heating tube <NUM> and then enters the refrigeration zone <NUM>. The design avoids direct splashing of the liquid nitrogen at a too low temperature onto the storage vial rack <NUM> or an internal area in the refrigeration zone <NUM>, reducing sample damage.

Extracted biological samples are stored in the storage vials. Usually, the storage vials are first stored uniformly on storage vial rack <NUM> and then put into the sample cooling and storage mechanism for storage. The low-temperature storage mechanism in the prior art only focuses on low temperature and does not consider the situation of biological samples themselves. The sample cooling and storage mechanism of the present disclosure is provided with the gradient cooling device <NUM>. The storage vials holding the biological samples are first cooled by the gradient cooling device <NUM>, and then are stored in the refrigeration device <NUM> for low-temperature storage. The refrigeration device <NUM> is provided with the nitrogen spraying component <NUM> and the heating component <NUM>, and the storage vial rack <NUM> for storing the storage vials is provided in the refrigeration zone <NUM>. After the gradient cooling is completed by the gradient cooling device <NUM>, the storage vials are put into the refrigeration zone <NUM> of the refrigeration device <NUM> for refrigeration. The refrigeration zone <NUM> is different from the liquid-nitrogen container in the prior art. In the prior art, the bottom part of the liquid-nitrogen container is directly provided with a nitrogen supply tube to achieve the refrigeration function. In the present disclosure, the refrigeration zone <NUM> has a temperature control function, and is more suitable for storing biological samples. The refrigeration zone is provided with the nitrogen spraying component <NUM>. The nitrogen spraying component <NUM> converts liquid nitrogen into gaseous nitrogen. Therefore, in the present disclosure, the nitrogen is supplied in gaseous form, which is different from the supply of liquid form in the prior art. The liquid nitrogen supply method in the prior art has the problem that the influx of liquid nitrogen will cause too low temperatures at some parts, such as those close to the inlet, and the temperature cannot be controlled. The nitrogen spraying component <NUM> converts liquid nitrogen into gaseous nitrogen, solving the problem of locally too low temperatures and temperature imbalance, facilitating the storage of the biological samples. The refrigeration device is provided with the heating component <NUM>. When the temperature in the refrigeration zone is too low, the heating component <NUM> heats the refrigeration zone <NUM> to achieve the required and adjustable temperatures. Of course, the refrigeration zone <NUM> is provided with a temperature measurement component, which will not be described herein.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, the nitrogen spraying component <NUM> includes nitrogen spraying tube <NUM>. The nitrogen spraying tube <NUM> is provided with a plurality of nitrogen spraying holes <NUM>. An end of the nitrogen spraying tube <NUM> is communicated with nitrogen supply tube assembly <NUM>. The shape of the nitrogen spraying tube <NUM> is set according to the shape of the refrigeration zone <NUM>, achieving nitrogen balance in the refrigeration zone <NUM>. The nitrogen spraying tube <NUM> is communicated with the nitrogen supply tube assembly <NUM>.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, the heating component <NUM> includes at least one electric heating element <NUM>. The nitrogen spraying tube <NUM> vertically runs through inside the refrigeration zone <NUM>. The electric heating element <NUM> is vertically provided on an inner wall of the refrigeration zone <NUM>. When the temperature in the refrigeration zone is too low, the electric heating element <NUM> heats to reach the required temperature.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, the storage vial rack <NUM> is slidable up and down in the refrigeration zone <NUM>, and supporting mesh plate <NUM> is provided below the storage vial rack <NUM>. The storage vial rack is slidable in the refrigeration zone to achieve position adjustment. The supporting mesh plate <NUM> limits the movement of the storage vial rack <NUM>.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, the refrigeration device <NUM> includes a plurality of refrigeration zones <NUM>, and the plurality of refrigeration zones <NUM> are arranged in an array in refrigerator component <NUM>. The sample cooling and storage mechanism achieves electric refrigeration and liquid nitrogen refrigeration functions through the refrigerator component <NUM>, saving resources and avoiding the impact of insufficient nitrogen supply or other special circumstances.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, an upper end of the refrigeration device <NUM> is provided with movable insulation cover <NUM>, and the movable insulation cover <NUM> rolls or slides to open or close the refrigeration device. The flexible insulation cover structure does not occupy much space inside the sample cooling and storage mechanism, opens or closes the refrigeration device as needed, and can be operated internally.

The movable insulation cover <NUM> includes two parallel guide rails <NUM>, movable rod <NUM> with two ends slidably provided on the guide rails, and flexible insulation cover <NUM> with one end provided on the movable rod and the other end connected to a counterweight and suspended. The movable insulation cover further includes drive motor <NUM> and drive shaft <NUM> connected to an output shaft of the drive motor. Driving wheel <NUM> is provided on the drive shaft <NUM>. The driving wheel <NUM> is synchronized and connected to driven wheel <NUM> through driving belt <NUM>. The driving belt <NUM> is provided with second slider <NUM>. An end of the movable rod <NUM> is fixedly connected to the second slider <NUM>. The second slider <NUM> is slidably fit with the guide rail <NUM>.

A process of opening the insulation cover is described below. The drive motor drives the drive shaft to rotate. The driving belt is provided between the driving wheel on the drive shaft and the driven wheel. The driving belt drives the second slider to move, thereby driving the movable rod to move. In this way, the flexible insulation cover is opened or closed.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, the gradient cooling device <NUM> includes liquid-nitrogen container <NUM>, storage rack <NUM> located above an opening of the liquid-nitrogen container <NUM>, and storage rack lifting device <NUM> for driving the storage rack to move up and down.

The storage rack lifting device <NUM> includes frame <NUM> and lifter <NUM> fixed to the frame. Lifting platform <NUM> of the lifter <NUM> is provided with mounting plate <NUM>. The storage rack <NUM> is provided at a bottom end of the mounting plate <NUM>. Lifting motor <NUM> is provided on the mounting plate <NUM>. A body of the lifting motor <NUM> is fixed to the mounting plate, and an output shaft of the lifting motor <NUM> is connected to screw rod <NUM>. The screw rod <NUM> is threaded to first slider <NUM>. The first slider <NUM> is slidably fit with the mounting plate <NUM>. Temperature sensor <NUM> is provided on the first slider <NUM>. The temperature sensor <NUM> can be driven to enter the liquid-nitrogen container <NUM> for temperature measurement at any time.

When the storage vials need programed cooling, the storage vials are placed on the storage rack <NUM>. The storage rack <NUM> has the same functional settings as the storage vial rack. The lifter <NUM> drives the storage vials on the storage rack into the liquid-nitrogen container <NUM>. Due to the fact that the nitrogen supply to the liquid-nitrogen container <NUM> starts from a bottom part of the liquid-nitrogen container, an internal temperature of the liquid-nitrogen container <NUM> gradually decreases from top to bottom. The temperature at the opening of the liquid-nitrogen container <NUM> is between -<NUM> and -<NUM>. The lifter drives the storage vials on the storage rack to stay in this temperature range for a period of time. Then, the storage vials descend to a certain height, such that the temperature field of the storage vial is between -<NUM> and -<NUM>. The storage vials stay at this temperature field for a certain period of time and then drop to a certain height, causing the temperature field of the storage vials to be between -<NUM> and -<NUM>. The storage vials stay at this temperature field for a certain period of time and then drop to a certain height, causing the temperature field of the storage vials to be between -<NUM> and -<NUM>. The operation is repeated until the temperature field of the storage vials reaches below -<NUM>, thereby achieving programmed cooling of the storage rack.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, the sample cooling and storage mechanism further includes three-axis robotic arm <NUM>. The three-axis robotic arm <NUM> is provided above the refrigeration device <NUM> and the gradient cooling device <NUM> and is configured to move the storage vials in three directions. After the gradient cooling device <NUM> completes the programed cooling of the storage vials, the three-axis robotic arm <NUM> drives the storage vials or the storage vial rack with the storage vials to enter the refrigeration device for low-temperature storage. The storage vial rack with the storage vials are put into transfer tank <NUM>, and then the transfer tank is put into the sample cooling and storage mechanism through the three-axis robotic arm.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, the refrigeration zone <NUM> is a square box with a certain height, and an upper end surface of the square box is provided with a box insulation cover. The design is more suitable for the storage structure of the storage vials and the storage vial rack.

In a further preferred implementation of this embodiment, the gradient cooling device <NUM> further includes nitrogen delivery tube <NUM>. One end of the nitrogen delivery tube <NUM> is communicated with the nitrogen supply tube, and the other end of the nitrogen delivery tube <NUM> serves as an open end and extends into the liquid-nitrogen container <NUM>. The nitrogen delivery tube <NUM> is sheathed with guide sleeve <NUM>. The guide sleeve <NUM> is provided with a plurality of vents <NUM>. When the nitrogen liquid is supplied, the nitrogen delivery tube <NUM> will generate condensate water, so the guide sleeve <NUM> is needed to solve the problem of condensate water. The plurality of vents <NUM> of the guide sleeve <NUM> can export the condensate water generated by the nitrogen delivery tube <NUM> and achieve dehumidification inside the liquid-nitrogen container.

Claim 1:
A sample cooling and storage mechanism, comprising:
a refrigeration device (<NUM>) and a gradient cooling device (<NUM>);
wherein the refrigeration device (<NUM>) is configured to perform temperature-controlled refrigeration on storage vials;
the gradient cooling device (<NUM>) is configured to perform programmed gradient cooling on the storage vials; and
the refrigeration device (<NUM>) comprises at least one refrigeration zone (<NUM>); a nitrogen spraying component (<NUM>), a heating component (<NUM>) and a storage vial rack (<NUM>) are provided in the refrigeration zone (<NUM>); the nitrogen spraying component (<NUM>) is configured to spray nitrogen in the refrigeration zone (<NUM>); and the heating component (<NUM>) heats an interior of the refrigeration zone (<NUM>);
the nitrogen spraying component (<NUM>) comprises a nitrogen spraying tube (<NUM>); the nitrogen spraying tube (<NUM>) is provided with a plurality of nitrogen spraying holes (<NUM>); and an end of the nitrogen spraying tube (<NUM>) is communicated with a nitrogen supply tube assembly (<NUM>),
characterized in that the nitrogen spraying component (<NUM>) is configured to convert liquid nitrogen into gaseous nitrogen to supply the nitrogen in gaseous form; the nitrogen supply tube assembly (<NUM>) comprises a solenoid valve (<NUM>), a nitrogen supply coil tube (<NUM>), and a heating tube (<NUM>); wherein the nitrogen spraying tube (<NUM>) is communicated with the nitrogen supply coil tube (<NUM>); the nitrogen supply coil tube (<NUM>) is circled around the heating tube (<NUM>); and the solenoid valve (<NUM>) is configured to control a start of heating of the heating tube (<NUM>).