Reaction cup arranging device and cup arranging control method

Abstract

The invention discloses a reaction cup arranging device and a cup arranging control method. The cup arranging device comprises a material groove, a conveying belt, a cup fishing mechanism, a cup hitting mechanism, a vertical cache channel, a cup placing mechanism, a rotary cache mechanism and a control module. According to the cup arranging control method, a first part state machine and a second part state machine are included, the first part state machine is used for converting reaction cups in an unordered state into reaction cups in an ordered state to be output, and the second part state machine is used for outputting the reaction cups in the ordered state to other devices. According to the cup arranging device and the cup arranging control method, the reaction cups can be continuously, timely and efficiently supplemented, the operation performance and the automation level of in-vitro diagnosis equipment can be remarkably improved, and the problems that in an existing cup arranging system, the reaction cups are not supplemented in time, operation is not synchronous, and fault processing is complex are solved; and the operation efficiency of the equipment and the detection continuity are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of in vitro diagnostic equipment, and in particular to a reaction cup unscrambling device and a cup unscrambling control method used by the device. Background Art

[0002] In vitro diagnostics (IVDs) involve sampling and testing blood, body fluids, tissues, and other samples in vitro to obtain information for clinical diagnosis, providing a basis for diagnosing the patient's body functions and diseases. These tests require the use of in vitro diagnostic equipment (IVDs), such as biochemical analyzers and immunoassay analyzers.

[0003] Samples are typically placed in cuvettes, which are then fed into in vitro diagnostic equipment. Since in vitro diagnostic equipment is often used for continuous testing of large numbers of samples, this places high demands on the continuity, reliability, and efficiency of the cuvette supply. Furthermore, these systems require automatic cuvette replenishment to avoid test interruptions, precise mechanical control to coordinate with other equipment, and troubleshooting for situations like cuvette jams. Currently, existing cuvette handling systems fail to meet these requirements. Common issues include discontinuous and untimely cuvette replenishment, asynchronous operation, and complex troubleshooting, resulting in poor equipment operating efficiency and test continuity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, one of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a reaction cup unscrambling device, and the second purpose is to provide a cup unscrambling control method used in the reaction cup unscrambling device, which can solve the problems of poor supply continuity and reliability and low supply efficiency of the current cup unscrambling system.

[0005] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A cup handling device comprises: a material trough, on which a material trough sensor is provided; a conveyor belt, on which a plurality of cup holders are arranged, wherein the cup holders have a supporting portion for laterally supporting the cups; the conveyor belt comprises a cup scooping section and an empty cup section along the conveying direction; a cup scooping mechanism comprises: the cup scooping section, a cup scooping motor for driving the conveyor belt, and a cup scooping motor sensor; the lower end of the material trough abuts against the starting end of the cup scooping section; a cup clinking mechanism comprises: an oblique guide plate, a cup clinking motor, a cup clinking transmission assembly, a cup pushing member, a cup clinking motor sensor, and a cup clinking channel; the oblique guide plate is used to guide the cup at the end of the cup scooping section to the cup clinking channel, one end of the cup clinking channel has a vertical inlet, and the cup clinking motor is connected to the cup clinking transmission assembly. a driving assembly to drive the cup pushing member to move in the cup clinking channel; a vertical buffer channel, connected to the vertical entrance, and provided with a buffer channel sensor; a cup placing mechanism, comprising: a cup placing motor, a falling stopper and a cup placing motor sensor; the falling stopper is arranged at the lower end of the vertical buffer channel, and the cup placing motor is used to drive the falling stopper to control the falling of the reaction cup; a rotating buffer mechanism, comprising: a turntable buffer area, a turntable motor, a turntable motor sensor and a hole position detection sensor; a plurality of hole positions are provided on the turntable buffer area, and a status register is provided in each hole position; the turntable motor is used to drive the turntable buffer area to rotate, and the hole position detection sensor is arranged below the cup placing mechanism; a control module for controlling the coordinated operation of various mechanisms.

[0007] Furthermore, the material trough has a funnel-shaped cavity inside, and the lower end of the funnel-shaped cavity abuts against the starting end of the cup-scooping section of the conveyor belt, so that the disordered reaction cups are stacked on the starting end of the cup-scooping section; the side of the cup holder is provided with a long strip of opening, and the lower end of the opening is formed with a shovel-shaped structure, and the opening is connected to the supporting part inside the cup holder.

[0008] Furthermore, a conveyor belt cover is provided above the cup-clinking mechanism; the cup-catching section of the conveyor belt has a falling section with a lowered horizontal height on the side close to the cup-clinking mechanism, and the conveyor belt cover surrounds the outer side of the cup holder of the falling section to prevent the reaction cup on the falling section from being limited and guided.

[0009] Furthermore, the cup-clinking channel includes a horizontal channel and the vertical entrance located at the end of the horizontal channel, the diameter of the vertical entrance is larger than the width of the horizontal channel, and the lower end of the inclined guide plate extends to the horizontal channel; the cup-clinking transmission assembly includes a synchronous pulley and a linear guide rail, the cup-clinking motor is connected to the pulley, the slider of the linear guide rail is connected to the synchronous belt, and the cup-pushing member is fixed on the slider of the linear guide rail; the cup-pushing member slides linearly in the cup-clinking channel to push the reaction cup on the horizontal channel to the vertical entrance, so that the reaction cup falls into the vertical cache channel.

[0010] Furthermore, the falling stopper is provided with a connected passing groove and a blocking groove; the width of the passing groove is greater than the diameter of the reaction cup, and the width of the blocking groove is less than the diameter of the reaction cup; the falling stopper is horizontally passed through the lower end of the vertical cache channel and is arranged to slide horizontally so that the passing groove and the blocking groove can enter the vertical cache channel alternatively.

[0011] Furthermore, the cup placing mechanism also includes a cup placing transmission assembly; the cup placing transmission assembly includes: an eccentric plate and an eccentric wheel; the output shaft of the cup placing motor and the eccentric wheel are respectively arranged on the two ends of the eccentric plate, so that the eccentric wheel is arranged at the eccentric position of the cup placing motor; the falling blocking member is also provided with an eccentric wheel limiting groove, and the eccentric wheel limiting groove is opened along a length direction perpendicular to the through slot; the eccentric wheel is slidably arranged in the eccentric wheel limiting groove to drive the falling blocking member to slide horizontally along the length direction of the through slot.

[0012] Furthermore, the hole positions include: cup-replenishing hole positions and cup-discharging hole positions; and the hole position detection sensor is arranged on the cup-replenishing hole positions.

[0013] A cup unscrambling control method, using the reaction cup unscrambling device, includes: a first state machine S1, including:

[0014] S1.1, System initialization step: The control module controls each mechanism to automatically reset and check whether there is any abnormal state;

[0015] S1.2, material tank detection step: read the data of the material tank sensor to determine whether the number of reaction cups is insufficient. If insufficient, jump to the alarm state; if sufficient, jump to step S1.3;

[0016] S1.3, channel buffer detection step: read the data of the buffer channel sensor to determine whether the cuvette in the vertical buffer channel is full. If so, jump to step S1.2; if not, jump to step S1.4;

[0017] S1.4, cup scooping mechanism operation step: The control module controls the cup scooping mechanism to operate. The conveyor belt rotates one reaction cup position. The cup holder at the starting end of the cup scooping section scoops out a reaction cup from the material trough where the reaction cups are randomly placed. The cup is then output to the cup clinking channel. After the operation is completed, the process jumps to step S1.5.

[0018] S1.5, cup scooping mechanism abnormality detection step: read the data of the cup scooping motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the cup scooping motor, and determine whether the cup scooping mechanism is abnormal. If the cup is stuck, jump to the alarm state; if it is normal, jump to step S1.6;

[0019] S1.6, cup-clinking mechanism operation steps: the cup-clinking motor drives the cup-pushing member to move horizontally, and the cup-clinking member resets, exposing the cup-clinking channel. The reaction cup is guided by the inclined guide plate and falls onto the cup-clinking channel. At this time, the reaction cup is placed flat on the cup-clinking channel.

[0020] S1.7, abnormality detection step of the cup-clinking mechanism: read the data of the cup-clinking motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the cup-clinking motor to determine whether the operation of the cup-clinking mechanism is abnormal. If the cup is stuck, the process jumps to the alarm state; if it is normal, the process jumps to step S8;

[0021] S1.8, Cup-pushing Step by the Cup-clinking Mechanism: The cup-clinking motor drives the cup-pushing member to move horizontally, which pushes the reaction cup placed flat on the cup-clinking channel horizontally, causing the reaction cup to move toward the vertical inlet. Due to the large radius of the vertical inlet, the bottom of the reaction cup first falls into the vertical inlet, and then the entire cup falls into the vertical buffer channel.

[0022] S1.9, Secondary Abnormality Detection Step for the Clink Mechanism: Read the data from the clink motor sensor and the number of steps of the clink motor to determine whether the action of the clink mechanism is abnormal. If a stuck cup abnormality occurs, the system switches to the alarm state; if normal, the system switches to the S3 channel buffer detection state.

[0023] S1.10, Alarm step: jump to this state after an abnormality occurs and issue an alarm message;

[0024] The second part, the state machine, is used to output the reaction cups in an ordered state to other devices.

[0025] Furthermore, the second state machine S2 includes:

[0026] S2.1, System initialization step: The control module controls each mechanism to automatically reset and inspects the vehicle for abnormal conditions;

[0027] S2.2, other device refill request step: Check whether a refill request from other devices is received. If so, jump to step S2.3; if not, jump to step S2.5;

[0028] S2.3, cup discharge step: the turntable buffer area moves the hole where the reaction cup is placed to the cup discharge hole; after the action is completed, jump to step S2.4;

[0029] S2.4, request end step: clear the status register of the well where the cuvette was grabbed to indicate that there is no cuvette in the well, and then jump to step S2.2;

[0030] S2.5, turntable buffer status detection step: by reading the information in the status register of each well on the turntable buffer, it is determined whether the cuvettes on the turntable buffer are full; if so, jump to step S2.2; if not, jump to step S2.6;

[0031] S2.6, turntable buffer area progressive step: the control module controls the turntable motor to rotate progressively by the distance of one hole position, and then jumps to step S2.7;

[0032] S2.7, turntable buffer abnormality detection step: read the data of the turntable motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the turntable motor to determine whether there is any abnormality in the state of the turntable buffer; if there is a cup jamming abnormality, jump to step S2.14; if there is no abnormality, jump to step S2.8;

[0033] S2.8, first well position detection step: read the data from the well position detection sensor to determine whether there is a reaction cup in the cup filling well; if yes, jump to step S2.5; if not, jump to step S2.9;

[0034] S2.9, cup placement step: The cup placement motor drives the drop stopper to actuate, causing one cuvette in the vertical buffer channel to drop onto a replenishing cup hole in the turntable buffer area, and then the process proceeds to S2.10;

[0035] S2.10, cup placement abnormality detection step: read the data of the cup placement motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the cup placement motor to determine whether there is any abnormality in the action of the cup placement mechanism; if there is a cup jamming abnormality, jump to step S2.16; if not, jump to step S2.11;

[0036] S2.11, second well position detection step: read the data of the well position detection sensor again to determine whether there is a reaction cup in the cup filling well; if yes, jump to step S2.12; if not, jump to step S2.13;

[0037] S2.12, Set the well status register to 1: Set the status register for the well to 1 to indicate that a cuvette is placed in the well, and then jump to S2.2;

[0038] S2.13, setting the well status register to 0: Set the status register for the well to 0 to indicate that there is no cuvette in the well, and then jump to step S2.2;

[0039] S2.14, self-recovery step: When an abnormality is detected in the turntable buffer area, an operation process is automatically executed to try to restore the stuck cup to normal;

[0040] S2.15 Self-recovery result detection step: read the data of the turntable motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the turntable motor to determine whether the self-recovery is successful; if successful, jump to step S2.2;

[0041] S2.16, Alarm step: After an exception occurs, jump to this state and issue an alarm message.

[0042] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0043] (1) State machine control mechanism with high controllability and stability: The cup untangling process of the reaction cup is divided into two independent state machine controls, from disordered state to ordered state and from ordered state to output. The two state machines are decomposed into multiple clear states respectively. The cup untangling function is realized by efficient switching between states through state transfer logic. This structured control logic improves the controllability and stability of the cup untangling process.

[0044] (2) Real-time monitoring and dynamic adjustment capabilities: The control module uses sensors to provide real-time feedback on the hole position status of the buffer area and dynamically adjusts the cup unscrambling operation based on the current state of the state machine, giving priority to cup replenishment requests from other devices. This real-time adjustment capability ensures the accuracy of the cup unscrambling operation and quickly responds to changing needs during equipment operation.

[0045] (3) Fault self-detection and automatic recovery capabilities: During the cup unscrambling process, if a fault such as a stuck cup is detected, the state machine can automatically enter the fault handling state, execute the preset troubleshooting steps, and automatically resume normal operation after the fault is resolved. This automatic recovery function improves the robustness of the system and reduces the need for human intervention.

[0046] (4) Efficient resource management capabilities: Through precise control and optimized scheduling of the state machine, the reaction cup resources can be utilized to the maximum extent.

[0047] In summary, the present invention provides a cup sorting device and a cup sorting control method that can continuously, timely and efficiently replenish reaction cups, which can significantly improve the operating performance and automation level of in vitro diagnostic equipment, solve the problems that may occur in existing cup sorting systems such as untimely replenishment of reaction cups, asynchronous operation, and complex fault handling, and improve the operating efficiency of the equipment and the continuity of detection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 Shown is a three-dimensional diagram of a reaction cup arrangement device;

[0049] Figure 2 The figure shows a side view of the reaction cup arrangement device;

[0050] Figure 3Shown is a schematic diagram of the segmentation of the conveyor belt;

[0051] Figure 4 Shown is another perspective view of the reaction cup arrangement device;

[0052] Figure 5 Shown is a schematic diagram of the cup-clinking mechanism;

[0053] Figure 6 Shown is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the clinking mechanism;

[0054] Figure 7 Shown is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the clinking cup structure from another angle;

[0055] Figure 8 Shown is a schematic diagram of the cup placing mechanism;

[0056] Figure 9 Shown is a schematic diagram of the cup placing mechanism from another angle;

[0057] Figure 10 Shown is a schematic diagram of a rotary cache mechanism;

[0058] Figure 11 Shown is a flow logic diagram of the control method;

[0059] Figure 12 Shown is a flow logic diagram of the first part of the state machine in the control method;

[0060] Figure 13 Shown is a flow logic diagram of the second part of the state machine in the control method.

[0061] In the figure: 10, material trough; 11, material trough sensor; 20, conveyor belt; 21, cup scooping section; 22, empty cup section; 23, conveyor belt cover; 30, cup holder; 31, supporting portion; 32, opening; 40, cup scooping mechanism; 41, cup scooping motor; 42, cup scooping motor sensor; 50, cup clinking mechanism; 51, inclined guide plate; 52, cup clinking motor; 53, cup clinking transmission assembly; 531, synchronous pulley; 532, linear guide rail; 54, cup pusher; 55, cup clinking motor sensor; 56, cup clinking channel; 561, horizontal channel; 562. Vertical entrance; 60. Vertical cache channel; 61. Cache channel sensor; 70. Cup placing mechanism; 71. Cup placing motor; 72. Cup placing transmission assembly; 721. Eccentric plate; 722. Eccentric wheel; 73. Falling blocking member; 731. Passing slot; 732. Blocking slot; 733. Eccentric wheel limiting slot; 80. Rotary cache mechanism; 81. Turntable cache area; 811. Hole position; 8111. Cup replenishing hole position; 8112. Cup discharging hole position; 82. Turntable motor; 83. Turntable motor sensor; 84. Hole position detection sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. It should be noted that, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments or technical features described below can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments.

[0063] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0064] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature identified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0065] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and may encompass internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0066] The invention discloses a reaction cup organizing device and a control method thereof, which are used in conjunction with in vitro diagnostic equipment such as a bioanalyzer and an immunoanalyzer.

[0067] See Figures 1-4 The reaction cup sorting device includes: a material trough 10, a conveyor belt 20, a cup scooping mechanism 40, a cup touching mechanism 50, a vertical buffer channel 60, a cup placing mechanism 70, a rotating buffer mechanism 80 and a control module.

[0068] The material tank 10 is used to store a large number of cuvettes in a disordered state. A material tank sensor 11 is provided at the lower end of the material tank 10 to detect whether the cuvettes in the material tank 10 are full.

[0069] See Figure 3A plurality of cup holders 30 are arranged on the conveyor belt 20, and the cup holders 30 circulate as the conveyor belt 20 rotates. Figure 4 The cup holder 30 has a supporting portion 31 for laterally supporting the reaction cup. More specifically, the cross section of the cup holder 30 is similar to a C-shaped structure, and a long strip-shaped opening 32 is opened on its side. The lower end of the opening 32 forms a shovel-like structure, and the opening 32 allows the reaction cup to enter the supporting portion 31 of the cup holder 30. Figure 3 The conveyor belt 20 can be divided into two sections, including a cup scooping section 21 and an empty cup section 22 connected end to end along the conveying direction. The cup scooping section 21 refers to a section on the cup holder 30 carrying reaction cups, and the empty cup section 22 refers to a section on the cup holder 30 without reaction cups.

[0070] For slot 10, see Figure 3-Figure 4 Specifically, the material trough 10 has a funnel-shaped cavity, the lower end of which abuts against the starting end of the cup scooping section 21 of the conveyor belt 20. As a result, the reaction cups in the material trough 10 are in a naturally stacked state, and the starting end of the cup scooping section 21 is filled with reaction cups. When the conveyor belt 20 rotates, the cup holder 30 at the starting end of the cup scooping section 21 scoops out a reaction cup and transports the reaction cup along the direction of movement of the conveyor belt 20.

[0071] See Figure 1-Figure 2 、 Figure 4 The cup scooping mechanism 40 includes a cup scooping section 21 of the conveyor belt 20, a cup scooping motor 41 for driving the conveyor belt 20, and a cup scooping motor sensor 42 for detecting the status of the cup scooping motor 41. When the cup scooping motor 41 is activated, the conveyor belt 20 drives the cup holder 30 on the belt to rotate in the conveying direction.

[0072] See Figure 5-Figure 7 The cup-clinking mechanism 50 includes an inclined guide plate 51, a cup-clinking motor 52, a cup-clinking transmission assembly 53, a cup-clinking motor sensor 55, and a cup-clinking channel 56. The inclined guide plate 51 is a triangular inclined plate, with its upper and lower ends located at the end of the cup-lifting section 21 and the cup-clinking channel 56, respectively. The reaction cup on the cup holder 30 at the end of the cup-lifting section 21 naturally slides onto the inclined guide plate 51 and is guided by it to slide onto the cup-clinking channel 56. The horizontal end of the cup-clinking channel 56 has a vertical inlet 562, which leads to the vertical buffer channel 60. A cup-push member 54 is slidably disposed within the cup-clinking channel 56. The cup-clinking motor 52, driven by the cup-clinking transmission assembly 53, drives the cup-push member 54, causing it to move within the cup-clinking channel 56, thereby pushing the reaction cup into the vertical inlet 562. The cup-clinking motor sensor 55 is used to detect the status of the cup-clinking motor 52.

[0073] See Figure 8 、 Figure 5-Figure 7The vertical buffer channel 60 is used to store cuvettes entering vertically. The upper end of the vertical buffer channel 60 is connected to the aforementioned vertical inlet 562. The buffer channel 60 is used to accommodate multiple vertically arranged cuvettes and is equipped with a buffer channel sensor 61 for detecting whether the channel is full of cuvettes.

[0074] See Figure 8-Figure 9 The cup placement mechanism 70 controls the drop of cuvettes within the vertical buffer channel 60, i.e., controls the cup supply process. The cup placement mechanism 70 includes a cup placement motor 71, a drop stopper 73, and a sensor for the cup placement motor 71. The drop stopper 73 is located at the lower end of the vertical buffer channel 60, and the cup placement motor 71 drives the drop stopper 73 to control the drop of the cuvette.

[0075] See Figure 10 The rotary buffer mechanism 80 includes a turntable buffer area 81, a turntable motor 82, a turntable motor sensor 83, and a well position detection sensor 84. The turntable buffer area 81 is provided with a plurality of wells 811 for accommodating reaction cups, each well 811 being equipped with a status register. In this embodiment, there are four wells 811, including a cup replenishment well 8111 and a cup discharge well 8112. The cup replenishment wells 8111 are located below the vertical buffer channel 60, and the well position detection sensor 84 is located on the cup replenishment wells 8111.

[0076] The control module is electrically connected to the above-mentioned sensors and motors at the same time, so as to control the various action mechanisms to work in coordination through the information fed back by the sensors.

[0077] Specifically, see Figure 1 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 A conveyor belt cover 23 is installed above the cup-clinking mechanism 50. The cup-catching section 21 of the conveyor belt 20 has a descending section near the cup-clinking mechanism 50. Because the cup holder 30 continuously moves along with the conveyor belt 20, its position (horizontal angle) changes with the direction of the conveyor belt 20. At this descending section, the reaction cups in the cup holder 30 are prone to falling out of the opening 32. Therefore, a conveyor belt cover 23 is provided, extending outward from the outer side of the descending section, to limit the position of the reaction cups in this section, preventing them from falling and guiding them to the cup-clinking mechanism 50.

[0078] Specifically, see Figure 5-Figure 7The cup-clinking channel 56 includes a horizontal channel 561 and a vertical inlet 562 at the end of the horizontal channel 561. The diameter of the vertical inlet 562 is larger than the width of the horizontal channel 561 (and also larger than the diameter of the reaction cup). The lower end of the inclined guide plate 51 extends to the horizontal channel 561 to guide the reaction cup into the horizontal channel 561. The cup-clinking transmission assembly 53 specifically includes a synchronous pulley 531 and a linear guide 532. The cup-clinking motor 52 is connected to the pulley. The slider of the linear guide 532 is connected to the synchronous belt. The cup-pushing member 54 is fixed to the slider of the linear guide 532. The cup-pushing member 54 slides linearly within the cup-clinking channel 56 to push the reaction cup in the horizontal channel 561 to the vertical inlet 562, causing the reaction cup to fall into the vertical buffer channel 60.

[0079] Specifically, for the cup placing mechanism 70, see Figure 8-Figure 9 The drop-stopper 73 defines a connecting passage slot 731 and a blocking slot 732. The width of the passage slot 731 is greater than the diameter of the cuvette, while the width of the blocking slot 732 is less than the diameter of the cuvette. The drop-stopper 73 extends horizontally through the lower end of the vertical buffer channel 60 and slides horizontally. When the passage slot 731 enters the vertical buffer channel 60, the cuvette naturally falls downward. When the blocking slot 732 enters the vertical buffer channel 60, the cuvette is blocked and remains stationary.

[0080] More specifically, the cup placement mechanism 70 further includes a cup placement transmission assembly 72, which comprises an eccentric plate 721 and an eccentric wheel 722. The output shaft of the cup placement motor 71 and the eccentric wheel 722 are disposed at opposite ends of the eccentric plate 721, such that the eccentric wheel 722 is positioned eccentrically relative to the cup placement motor 71. The drop-stop member 73 also includes an eccentric wheel retaining groove 733 extending perpendicularly to the length of the passage slot 731. The eccentric wheel 722 slides within the eccentric wheel retaining groove 733, driving the drop-stop member 73 to slide horizontally along the length of the passage slot 731. When the cup placement motor 71 is driven, the eccentric wheel 722 rotates eccentrically. Because the eccentric wheel 722 is retained within the eccentric wheel retaining groove 733, it pushes the drop-stop member 73 to slide horizontally, thereby controlling the drop of the cuvette.

[0081] The mechanical working principle of the cup supply device is as follows:

[0082] The cup scooping motor 41 is activated, driving the conveyor belt 20 and its cup holder 30. The cup holder 30, located at the starting end of the cup scooping section 21 of the conveyor belt 20, scoops up a reaction cup, supporting it horizontally as it moves in the conveying direction. Upon reaching the cup-clinking mechanism 50, the cup is guided by the inclined surface of the inclined guide plate 51, sliding onto the cup-clinking channel 56 and resting on its horizontal channel 561. The cup-clinking motor 52 is activated, and after transmission, it drives the cup pusher 54 to move horizontally, pushing the cup to the vertical inlet 562, where it falls into the vertical buffer channel 60 for storage. The cup-releasing motor 71 is activated, driving the drop-stopper 73 to move, causing a reaction cup in the vertical buffer channel 60 to fall into the cup replenishment hole 8111 on the turntable buffer area 81. The turntable motor 82 is started, driving the turntable buffer area 81 to rotate, and the reaction cup is rotated and advanced to the cup outlet hole 8112 for use by other equipment that needs to replenish the cup.

[0083] The present invention also discloses a cup unscrambling control method, which is applied to the above-mentioned reaction cup unscrambling device. This control method is developed based on the FPGA platform and uses a state machine mechanism for control. The cup unscrambling process of the reaction cup is divided into two independent state machines for control, from disorder to order and from order to output. Figure 11 .

[0084] See Figure 11 , the control method includes a first state machine S1 and a second state machine S2. Figure 12 The first part of the state machine S1 is used to convert the disordered state of the reaction cup into an ordered state output, which specifically includes the following process steps:

[0085] S1.1, System initialization step: The control module controls each mechanism to automatically reset and check whether there is any abnormal state;

[0086] S1.2, material tank 10 detection step: read the data of the material tank sensor 11 to determine whether the number of reaction cups is insufficient. If insufficient, jump to the alarm state; if sufficient, jump to step S1.3;

[0087] S1.3, channel buffer detection step: Read the data from the buffer channel sensor 61 to determine whether the cuvettes in the vertical buffer channel 60 are full. If so, jump to step S1.2; if not, jump to step S1.4;

[0088] S1.4. Cup scooping mechanism 40 actuates: The control module controls the cup scooping mechanism 40 to actuate, causing the conveyor belt 20 to rotate one reaction cup position. The cup holder 30 at the starting end of the cup scooping section 21 scoops out a reaction cup from the material trough 10 where the reaction cups are randomly placed, and delivers the reaction cup to the cup clinking channel 56. Upon completion of the rotation, the process proceeds to S1.5.

[0089] S1.5. Detecting abnormalities in the cup scooping mechanism 40: Reading data from the cup scooping motor sensor 42 and the number of movement steps of the cup scooping motor 41 to determine whether the cup scooping mechanism 40 is abnormal. If a cup jam is detected, the system switches to an alarm state; if normal, the system switches to S1.6.

[0090] S1.6, operation steps of the cup clinking mechanism 50: the cup clinking motor 52 drives the cup pusher 54 to move horizontally, and the cup pusher 54 returns to its original position, exposing the cup clinking channel 56. The reaction cup is guided by the inclined guide plate 51 and falls onto the cup clinking channel 56. At this time, the reaction cup is placed flat on the cup clinking channel 56.

[0091] S1.7, abnormality detection step of the cup clinking mechanism 50: read the data of the cup clinking motor sensor 55 and the movement steps of the cup clinking motor 52, and determine whether the operation of the cup clinking mechanism 50 is abnormal. If the cup is stuck, the process jumps to the alarm state; if it is normal, the process jumps to step S8;

[0092] S1.8. Cup-pushing step by cup-clinking mechanism 50: The cup-clinking motor 52 drives cup-pushing member 54 to move horizontally. Cup-pushing member 54 pushes the cuvette placed flat on cup-clinking channel 56 horizontally, causing the cuvette to move toward vertical inlet 562. Due to the large radius of vertical inlet 562, the bottom of the cuvette first falls into vertical inlet 562 and then falls entirely into vertical buffer channel 60.

[0093] S1.9, Secondary Abnormality Detection Step for the Clinking Mechanism 50: Read the data from the clinking motor sensor 55 and the number of movement steps of the clinking motor 52 to determine whether the operation of the clinking mechanism 50 is abnormal. If a stuck cup abnormality occurs, the system switches to the alarm state; if normal, the system switches to the S3 channel buffer detection state.

[0094] S1.10, Alarm step: Jump to this state after an abnormality occurs and issue an alarm message.

[0095] See Figure 13 The second state machine S2 is used to output the ordered reaction cups to other devices, which specifically includes the following process steps:

[0096] S2.1, System initialization step: The control module controls each mechanism to automatically reset and inspects the vehicle for abnormal conditions;

[0097] S2.2, other device refill request step: Check whether a refill request from other devices is received. If so, jump to step S2.3; if not, jump to step S2.5;

[0098] S2.3, cup discharge step: The turntable buffer area 81 moves the hole 811 where the reaction cup is placed to the cup discharge hole 8112; after the action is completed, jump to step S2.4;

[0099] S2.4, end request step: clear the status register of well 811 where the cuvette was grabbed to indicate that there is no cuvette in well 811, and then jump to step S2.2;

[0100] S2.5, Checking the Status of Turntable Buffer 81: The process reads the status register information of each well 811 on the turntable buffer 81 to determine whether the cuvettes on the turntable buffer 81 are full. If so, the process proceeds to S2.2; if not, the process proceeds to S2.6.

[0101] S2.6, step of advancing the turntable buffer area 81: the control module controls the turntable motor 82 to rotate and advance the distance of one hole position 811, and then jumps to step S2.7;

[0102] S2.7, abnormality detection step for turntable buffer area 81: Read the data of the turntable motor sensor 83 and the number of movement steps of the turntable motor 82 to determine whether there is any abnormality in the state of the turntable buffer area 81; if there is a cup jamming abnormality, jump to step S2.14; if there is no abnormality, jump to step S2.8;

[0103] S2.8. First detection step of well position 811: Read the data from well position detection sensor 84 to determine whether there is a cuvette in the cup filling well position 8111. If yes, jump to step S2.5; if not, jump to step S2.9;

[0104] S2.9, cup placement step: Cup placement motor 71 drives drop stopper 73 to cause one cuvette in vertical buffer channel 60 to drop onto cuvette replenishment hole 8111 in turntable buffer area 81, and then the process proceeds to step S2.10.

[0105] S2.10, cup placement abnormality detection step: read the data from the cup placement motor 71 sensor and the number of movement steps of the cup placement motor 71 to determine whether there is any abnormality in the operation of the cup placement mechanism 70; if there is a cup jamming abnormality, jump to step S2.16; if not, jump to step S2.11;

[0106] S2.11, second detection step of well position 811: read the data of the well position detection sensor 84 again to determine whether there is a reaction cup in the cup filling well position 8111; if so, jump to step S2.12; if not, jump to step S2.13;

[0107] S2.12, setting the status register of well position 811 to 1: Set the status register of well position 811 to 1 to indicate that a cuvette is placed in well position 811, and then jump to step S2.2;

[0108] S2.13, setting the status register of well position 811 to 0: Set the status register of well position 811 to 0 to indicate that there is no cuvette in well position 811, and then jump to step S2.2;

[0109] S2.14, self-recovery step: When an abnormality is detected in the turntable buffer area 81, an operation process is automatically executed to try to restore the stuck cup to normal;

[0110] S2.15 Self-recovery result detection step: read the data of the turntable motor sensor 83 and the number of movement steps of the turntable motor 82 to determine whether the self-recovery is successful; if successful, jump to step S2.2;

[0111] S2.16, Alarm step: After an exception occurs, jump to this state and issue an alarm message.

[0112] The present invention has the following technical effects:

[0113] (1) State machine control mechanism with high controllability and stability: The cup untangling process of the reaction cup is divided into two independent state machine controls, from disordered state to ordered state and from ordered state to output. The two state machines are decomposed into multiple clear states respectively. The cup untangling function is realized by efficient switching between states through state transfer logic. This structured control logic improves the controllability and stability of the cup untangling process.

[0114] (2) Real-time monitoring and dynamic adjustment capabilities: The control module uses sensors to provide real-time feedback on the status of the hole positions 811 in the buffer area and dynamically adjusts the cup unscrambling operation based on the current state of the state machine, giving priority to cup replenishment requests from other devices. This real-time adjustment capability ensures the accuracy of the cup unscrambling operation and quickly responds to changing needs during equipment operation.

[0115] (3) Fault self-detection and automatic recovery capabilities: During the cup unscrambling process, if a fault such as a stuck cup is detected, the state machine can automatically enter the fault handling state, execute the preset troubleshooting steps, and automatically resume normal operation after the fault is resolved. This automatic recovery function improves the robustness of the system and reduces the need for human intervention.

[0116] (4) Efficient resource management capabilities: Through precise control and optimized scheduling of the state machine, the reaction cup resources can be utilized to the maximum extent.

[0117] In summary, the present invention provides a cup sorting device and a cup sorting control method that can continuously, timely and efficiently replenish reaction cups, which can significantly improve the operating performance and automation level of in vitro diagnostic equipment, solve the problems that may occur in existing cup sorting systems such as untimely replenishment of reaction cups, asynchronous operation, and complex fault handling, and improve the operating efficiency of the equipment and the continuity of detection.

[0118] The above embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any non-substantial changes and replacements made by technicians in this field on the basis of the present invention fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A reaction cup arrangement device, characterized in that: include: Material trough, which is equipped with a material trough sensor; A conveyor belt is provided with a plurality of cup holders, each of which has a supporting portion for laterally supporting the reaction cup; The conveyor belt includes a cup scooping section and an empty cup section along the conveying direction; The cup scooping mechanism includes: the cup scooping section, a cup scooping motor for driving the conveyor belt, and a cup scooping motor sensor; the lower end of the material trough abuts against the starting end of the cup scooping section; The cup-clinking mechanism includes an inclined guide plate, a cup-clinking motor, a cup-clinking transmission assembly, a cup-pushing member, a cup-clinking motor sensor, and a cup-clinking channel. The inclined guide plate is used to guide the reaction cup at the end of the cup-catching section to the cup-clinking channel. One end of the cup-clinking channel has a vertical inlet. The cup-clinking motor drives the cup-pushing member to move in the cup-clinking channel through the cup-clinking transmission assembly. a vertical buffer channel, connected to the vertical entrance and provided with a buffer channel sensor; The cup placing mechanism includes: a cup placing motor, a drop stopper, and a cup placing motor sensor; the drop stopper is provided at the lower end of the vertical buffer channel, and the cup placing motor is used to drive the drop stopper to control the drop of the reaction cup; The rotary buffer mechanism includes: a turntable buffer area, a turntable motor, a turntable motor sensor, and a hole position detection sensor; the turntable buffer area is provided with a plurality of hole positions, each of which is provided with a status register; the turntable motor is used to drive the turntable buffer area to rotate, and the hole position detection sensor is provided below the cup placement mechanism; A control module used to control the coordinated operation of various mechanisms.

2. The reaction cup arrangement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material trough has a funnel-shaped cavity inside, and the lower end of the funnel-shaped cavity abuts against the starting end of the cup-lifting section of the conveyor belt, so that disordered reaction cups are stacked on the starting end of the cup-lifting section; A long strip opening is provided on the side of the cup holder, a shovel-shaped structure is formed at the lower end of the opening, and the opening is communicated with the supporting portion inside the cup holder.

3. The reaction cup arrangement device according to claim 1, wherein: A conveyor belt cover is provided above the cup-clinking mechanism; the cup-catching section of the conveyor belt has a falling section with a lowered horizontal height on the side close to the cup-clinking mechanism, and the conveyor belt cover surrounds the outer side of the cup holder of the falling section to prevent the reaction cup on the falling section from being limited and guided.

4. The reaction cup arrangement device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The clinking channel includes a horizontal channel and the vertical inlet located at the end of the horizontal channel, the diameter of the vertical inlet is larger than the width of the horizontal channel, and the lower end of the inclined guide plate extends to the horizontal channel; The cup-clinking transmission assembly includes a synchronous pulley and a linear guide rail, the cup-clinking motor is connected to the pulley, the slider of the linear guide rail is connected to the synchronous belt, and the cup-pushing member is fixed to the slider of the linear guide rail; the cup-pushing member slides linearly in the cup-clinking channel to push the reaction cup on the horizontal channel to the vertical entrance, so that the reaction cup falls into the vertical buffer channel.

5. The reaction cup arrangement device according to claim 1, wherein: The falling stopper is provided with a connected passing groove and a blocking groove; the width of the passing groove is greater than the diameter of the reaction cup, and the width of the blocking groove is less than the diameter of the reaction cup; the falling stopper passes horizontally through the lower end of the vertical cache channel and is arranged to slide horizontally so that the passing groove and the blocking groove can enter the vertical cache channel alternatively.

6. The reaction cup arrangement device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cup placing mechanism also includes a cup placing transmission assembly; the cup placing transmission assembly includes: an eccentric plate and an eccentric wheel; the output shaft of the cup placing motor and the eccentric wheel are respectively arranged on the two ends of the eccentric plate, so that the eccentric wheel is arranged at the eccentric position of the cup placing motor; the falling blocking member is also provided with an eccentric wheel limiting groove, and the eccentric wheel limiting groove is opened along a length direction perpendicular to the through slot; the eccentric wheel is slidably arranged in the eccentric wheel limiting groove to drive the falling blocking member to slide horizontally along the length direction of the through slot.

7. The reaction cup arrangement device according to claim 1, wherein: The hole positions include: a cup-replenishing hole position and a cup-discharging hole position; the hole position detection sensor is arranged on the cup-replenishing hole position.

8. A cup unscrambling control method, applied to the reaction cup unscrambling device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include: The first part, state machine S1, is used to convert disordered reaction cups into ordered state outputs, including: S1.1, System initialization step: The control module controls each mechanism to automatically reset and check whether there is any abnormal state; S1.2, material tank detection step: read the data of the material tank sensor to determine whether the number of reaction cups is insufficient. If insufficient, jump to the alarm state; if sufficient, jump to step S1.3; S1.3, channel buffer detection step: read the data of the buffer channel sensor to determine whether the cuvette in the vertical buffer channel is full. If so, jump to step S1.2; if not, jump to step S1.4; S1.4, cup scooping mechanism operation step: The control module controls the cup scooping mechanism to operate. The conveyor belt rotates one reaction cup position. The cup holder at the starting end of the cup scooping section scoops out a reaction cup from the material trough where the reaction cups are randomly placed. The cup is then output to the cup clinking channel. After the operation is completed, the process jumps to step S1.

5. S1.5, cup scooping mechanism abnormality detection step: read the data of the cup scooping motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the cup scooping motor, and determine whether the cup scooping mechanism is abnormal. If the cup is stuck, jump to the alarm state; if it is normal, jump to step S1.6; S1.6, cup-clinking mechanism operation steps: the cup-clinking motor drives the cup-pushing member to move horizontally, and the cup-clinking member resets, exposing the cup-clinking channel. The reaction cup is guided by the inclined guide plate and falls onto the cup-clinking channel. At this time, the reaction cup is placed flat on the cup-clinking channel. S1.7, abnormality detection step of the cup-clinking mechanism: read the data of the cup-clinking motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the cup-clinking motor to determine whether the operation of the cup-clinking mechanism is abnormal. If the cup is stuck, the process jumps to the alarm state; if it is normal, the process jumps to step S8; S1.8, Cup-pushing Step by the Cup-clinking Mechanism: The cup-clinking motor drives the cup-pushing member to move horizontally, which pushes the reaction cup placed flat on the cup-clinking channel horizontally, causing the reaction cup to move toward the vertical inlet. Due to the large radius of the vertical inlet, the bottom of the reaction cup first falls into the vertical inlet, and then the entire cup falls into the vertical buffer channel. S1.9, Secondary Abnormality Detection Step for the Clink Mechanism: Read the data from the clink motor sensor and the number of steps of the clink motor to determine whether the action of the clink mechanism is abnormal. If a stuck cup abnormality occurs, the system switches to the alarm state; if normal, the system switches to the S3 channel buffer detection state. S1.10, Alarm step: jump to this state after an abnormality occurs and issue an alarm message; The second part, the state machine, is used to output the reaction cups in an ordered state to other devices.

9. The cup arrangement control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second state machine S2 for outputting the ordered reaction cups to other devices includes: S2.1, System initialization step: The control module controls each mechanism to automatically reset and inspects the vehicle for abnormal conditions; S2.2, other device refill request step: Check whether a refill request from other devices is received. If so, jump to step S2.3; if not, jump to step S2.5; S2.3, cup discharge step: the turntable buffer area moves the hole where the reaction cup is placed to the cup discharge hole; after the action is completed, jump to step S2.4; S2.4, request end step: clear the status register of the well where the cuvette was grabbed to indicate that there is no cuvette in the well, and then jump to step S2.2; S2.5, turntable buffer status detection step: by reading the information in the status register of each well on the turntable buffer, it is determined whether the cuvettes on the turntable buffer are full; if so, jump to step S2.2; if not, jump to step S2.6; S2.6, turntable buffer area progressive step: the control module controls the turntable motor to rotate progressively by the distance of one hole position, and then jumps to step S2.7; S2.7, turntable buffer abnormality detection step: read the data of the turntable motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the turntable motor to determine whether there is any abnormality in the state of the turntable buffer; if there is a cup jamming abnormality, jump to step S2.14; if there is no abnormality, jump to step S2.8; S2.8, first well position detection step: read the data from the well position detection sensor to determine whether there is a reaction cup in the cup filling well; if yes, jump to step S2.5; if not, jump to step S2.9; S2.9, cup placement step: The cup placement motor drives the drop stopper to actuate, causing one cuvette in the vertical buffer channel to drop onto a replenishing cup hole in the turntable buffer area, and then the process proceeds to S2.10; S2.10, cup placement abnormality detection step: read the data of the cup placement motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the cup placement motor to determine whether there is any abnormality in the action of the cup placement mechanism; if there is a cup jamming abnormality, jump to step S2.16; if not, jump to step S2.11; S2.11, second well position detection step: read the data of the well position detection sensor again to determine whether there is a reaction cup in the cup filling well; if yes, jump to step S2.12; if not, jump to step S2.13; S2.12, Set the well status register to 1: Set the status register for the well to 1 to indicate that a cuvette is placed in the well, and then jump to S2.2; S2.13, setting the well status register to 0: Set the status register for the well to 0 to indicate that there is no cuvette in the well, and then jump to step S2.2; S2.14, self-recovery step: When an abnormality is detected in the turntable buffer area, an operation process is automatically executed to try to restore the stuck cup to normal; S2.15 Self-recovery result detection step: read the data of the turntable motor sensor and the number of movement steps of the turntable motor to determine whether the self-recovery is successful; if successful, jump to step S2.2; S2.16, Alarm step: After an exception occurs, jump to this state and issue an alarm message.

Images