Automated process for silk fibroin extraction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11932968-B2
Application number	US-201917265381-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2019
Priority date	Aug 3, 2018
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and a method for automated extraction of silk fibroin from silk cocoons. The silk extraction system can include a boiling tank, a rinsing tank, and a rinse bowl attached to a robotic arm. The rinse bowl has a porous bottom surface adapted to retain an extracted silk fibroin. The robotic arm can move the rinse bowl between the boiling tank and the rinsing tank for separate stages of processing. A silk processing algorithm is executed by a processor to automate the process.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for automated extraction of silk fibroin from silk cocoons, the system comprising:
a rinse bowl having a porous bottom surface, the rinse bowl having a rinse bowl volume, the porous bottom surface comprising a plurality of openings adapted to support the extracted silk fibroin within the rinse bowl volume;
a robotic arm coupled to the rinse bowl such that the robotic arm moves the rinse bowl;
a first boiling tank having a boiling tank top opening and a first temperature regulator, the first boiling tank adapted to contain a first boiling solution adapted for degumming the silk cocoons, the first temperature regulator adapted to elevate a temperature of the first boiling solution when present in the first boiling tank to a boiling temperature, the first boiling tank adapted to receive the rinse bowl via the boiling tank top opening;
a first rinsing tank having a rinsing tank top opening, the first rinsing tank adapted to contain a first rinsing liquid adapted for rinsing degummed silk, the first rinsing tank adapted to receive the rinse bowl via the rinsing tank top opening;

a power supply coupled to the robotic arm and the first temperature regulator;
a processor in electronic communication with the robotic arm and the first temperature regulator; and
a memory accessible by the processor and having stored thereon a silk processing algorithm that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:
a) send an increase boiling tank temperature to boiling signal to the first temperature regulator;
b) send a move rinse bowl to boiling tank signal to the robotic arm;
c) after a pre-determined boiling time, send a move rinse bowl to rinsing tank signal to the robotic arm; and
d) after a pre-determined rinsing time, send a remove rinse bowl from rinsing tank signal to the robotic arm,
wherein the robotic arm moves the rinse bowl into the first boiling tank in response to receiving the move rinse bowl to boiling tank signal,
wherein first temperature regulator increases a temperature of the first boiling solution present in the first boiling tank in response to receiving the increase boiling tank temperature to boiling signal,
wherein the robotic arm moves the rinse bowl from the first boiling tank into the first rinsing tank in response to receiving the move rinse bowl to rinsing tank signal, and
wherein the robotic arm removes the rinse bowl from the first rinsing tank in response to receiving the remove rinse bowl from rinsing tank signal.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the extracted silk fibroin is retained within the rinse bowl volume.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the robotic arm is selectively coupled to the rinse bowl.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the robotic arm is adapted to move to a rinse bowl destination location.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the robotic arm is adapted to selectively decouple from the rinse bowl at the rinse bowl destination location.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the robotic arm is adapted to invert the rinse bowl at the rinse bowl destination location to empty a content of the rinse bowl.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises one or more additional boiling tanks and one or more additional temperature regulators, each of the one or more additional boiling tanks having one of the one or more additional temperature regulators adapted to elevate the temperature of an additional boiling solution contained therein.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises one or more additional rinsing tanks.

9. The system of claim 1 , the first boiling tank further comprising a first boiling tank cover, the first boiling tank cover movable between an open position and a closed position, the first boiling tank cover optionally being dimensioned to form a first seal at least partially with at least one peripheral wall to form a first sealed rinse bowl volume.

10. The system of claim 9 , the first boiling tank further comprising a first boiling tank cover actuator coupled to the first boiling tank cover, the first boiling tank cover actuator moving the first boiling tank cover to the open position in response to receiving a boiling tank cover open signal, the first boiling tank cover actuator moving the first boiling tank cover to the closed position in response to receiving a boiling tank cover close signal.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the silk processing algorithm, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to: b1) after step b) and after the robotic arm has moved the rinse bowl into the first boiling tank, send the boiling tank cover close signal to the first boiling tank cover actuator; and b4) prior to step c), send the boiling tank cover open signal to the first boiling tank cover actuator.

12. The system of claim 11 , the silk processing algorithm, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to: b3) after steps a) and b1) and prior to step b4), send a boiling tank extraction signal to the robotic arm, wherein the robotic arm moves the rinse bowl toward the first boiling tank cover while engaging and/or retaining the first seal in response to the boiling tank extraction signal, thereby reducing the first sealed rinse bowl volume, thereby squeezing at least a portion of a content of the first sealed rinse bowl volume through the porous bottom surface.

13. The system of claim 1 , the silk processing algorithm, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to: b2) after step b), send a boiling tank agitation signal to the robotic arm, wherein the robotic arm moves the rinse bowl upward and downward at predefined speeds and distances, thereby agitating liquids contained in the rinse bowl volume.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first boiling tank further comprises a boiling tank inlet having a boiling tank inlet valve, wherein the boiling tank inlet valve is operable to provide selective fluid communication between a boiling tank solution source and the first boiling tank, wherein the boiling tank solution source is optionally a Na2CO3 solution source.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first boiling tank further comprises a boiling tank outlet having a boiling tank outlet valve, wherein the boiling tank outlet valve is operable to drain the first boiling tank.

16. The system of claim 1 , the first rinsing tank further comprising a first rinsing tank cover, the first rinsing tank cover movable between an open position and a closed position, the first rinsing tank cover optionally being dimensioned to form a second seal at least partially with at least one peripheral wall to form a second sealed rinse bowl volume.

17. The system of claim 1 , the silk processing algorithm, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to: c4) after step c), send a rinsing tank agitation signal to the robotic arm, wherein the robotic arm moves the rinse bowl upward and downward at predefined speeds and distances, thereby agitating liquids contained in the rinse bowl volume.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first rinsing tank further comprises a rinsing tank inlet having a rinsing tank inlet valve and a rinsing tank outlet having a rinsing tank outlet valve, wherein the rinsing tank inlet valve is operable to provide selective fluid communication between a rinsing tank liquid source and the first rinsing tank, wherein the rinsing tank outlet valve is operable to drain the first rinsing tank, the silk processing algorithm, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor

Assignees

• Tufts College
• Canon Virginia Inc

Inventors

• Iuchi Kenichiro
• Wheeless Thomas
• Battah Samuele
• Omenetto Fiorenzo G

Classifications

• D01B7/06 Primary

  Obtaining silk from cocoons or portions thereof not suitable for reeling (de-gumming silk D01C3/02) · CPC title

• B25J18/00

  Arms · CPC title

• D01B7/00 Primary

  Obtaining silk fibres or filaments · CPC title

• B25J11/00

  Manipulators not otherwise provided for · CPC title