System and method for detecting malfunctions in reaction cup supply devices

Abstract

This invention relates to a system and method for detecting malfunctions in a reaction vessel supply device. The system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction vessel supply device may include: a grating coaxially disposed with a motor of the reaction vessel supply device to rotate with the motor; a sensor that transmits signals to the grating and receives signals reflected or transmitted by the grating to output a signal; and a controller configured to: control the sensor to transmit signals to the grating and receive the sensor's output signal during the transport of the reaction vessel by the reaction vessel supply device; and determine whether a malfunction has occurred in the reaction vessel supply device based on changes in the sensor's output signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device, which can detect whether a reaction cup is stuck and release the stuck reaction cup to improve detection efficiency and avoid damage to the reaction cup supply device. Background Technology

[0002] In modern medical testing, particularly in clinical testing, in vitro diagnostics (IVD), and blood analysis equipment, samples and reagents typically undergo the testing process within reaction vessels. To improve the ease of adding reaction vessels and operational efficiency for users, reaction vessel feeding devices are widely used in various medical testing equipment. These devices allow users to freely insert reaction vessels, and a rotating mechanism sequentially transports the inserted vessels to the dispensing position, significantly improving the efficiency of reaction vessel loading.

[0003] However, since the reaction cup supply device is assembled from multiple components, and the reaction cups placed by the user in the device have a random orientation, it often causes a series of problems in actual use.

[0004] For example, because the orientation of the reaction cups in the reaction cup supply device is random, they are prone to jamming when passing through a certain component during transport, leading to an interruption in the supply of reaction cups. In such cases, the only solution is usually to stop the machine, thus affecting the detection efficiency.

[0005] Furthermore, because the reaction cups are transported to the cup-retrieving position via multiple stages of components, it is difficult to quickly locate the point of failure if a reaction cup becomes stuck. In such cases, it is usually necessary to remove all remaining reaction cups from the reaction cup supply device for troubleshooting and repair, which also affects testing efficiency.

[0006] In addition, jamming of the reaction cup can cause the reaction cup supply device to malfunction and increase noise. It can also accelerate the wear of moving parts in the reaction cup supply device (such as the reaction cup and the feeding mechanism), which can easily damage the reaction cup supply device.

[0007] To address the aforementioned issues, existing technologies typically incorporate maintenance access channels into medical testing equipment. When a reaction vessel becomes stuck, the equipment stops operating, and the stuck vessel is manually removed through the maintenance port. However, this approach is not only inefficient but also compromises the continuity and automation of the testing process.

[0008] To overcome the shortcomings of existing solutions, a system and method for detecting malfunctions in reaction cup supply devices are needed. This system should be able to automatically detect whether the reaction cup is stuck and take appropriate measures when the reaction cup is stuck to ensure the continuous and stable operation of the reaction cup supply device while avoiding damage to the reaction cup supply device.

[0009] The information contained in the background section of this invention is only intended to enhance the understanding of the general background of this invention and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that such information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The various aspects of the present invention are dedicated to solving the aforementioned problems in the prior art, and other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following detailed description of the specification.

[0011] Various aspects of the present invention are dedicated to providing a system and method for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device, which can detect whether a reaction cup is stuck and release the stuck reaction cup, thereby improving detection efficiency and avoiding damage to the reaction cup supply device.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, a system for detecting a malfunction of a reaction cup supply device may include: a grating, a sensor, and a controller, wherein the grating is coaxially arranged with a motor of the reaction cup supply device to rotate together with the motor; the sensor transmits a signal to the grating and receives a signal reflected or transmitted by the grating to output a signal; the controller is configured to: control the sensor to transmit a signal to the grating and receive the output signal of the sensor during the process of the reaction cup supply device transporting the reaction cup; and determine whether a malfunction has occurred in the reaction cup supply device based on a change in the output signal of the sensor.

[0013] Preferably, the grating may include a light-blocking portion and a light-transmitting portion, wherein the light-blocking portion is capable of blocking or reflecting the signal emitted from the sensor; and the light-transmitting portion is capable of allowing the signal emitted from the sensor to pass through; wherein the output signal of the sensor varies depending on the light-blocking portion and the light-transmitting portion of the grating to which the signal emitted by the sensor is incident.

[0014] Preferably, the controller can be further configured to: when it is determined that the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned, control the motor to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle, and increment the cumulative number of times the motor rotates in the reverse direction by one.

[0015] Preferably, the controller can be further configured to: determine whether the cumulative number of times the motor reverses has reached a first predetermined number before controlling the motor to reverse rotate by a predetermined angle; when it is determined that the cumulative number of times the motor reverses has not reached the first predetermined number, control the motor to reverse rotate by a predetermined angle; when it is determined that the cumulative number of times the motor reverses has reached the first predetermined number, prevent the motor from reversing.

[0016] Preferably, the controller can be further configured to: when determining whether the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned, determine whether the output signal of the sensor has changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than a first predetermined time; when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than the first predetermined time, determine whether the output signal of the sensor has changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time; when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time, determine that the reaction cup supply device has not malfunctioned, and reset the accumulated number of reverse rotations of the motor to zero.

[0017] Preferably, the controller can be further configured to: determine that the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period of less than a first predetermined time, or when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period of more than a second predetermined time.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for detecting a malfunction of a reaction cup supply device may include: during the process of the reaction cup supply device transporting the reaction cup, controlling a sensor to transmit a signal to a grating and receiving the output signal of the sensor, wherein the grating is coaxially arranged with the motor of the reaction cup supply device to rotate together with the motor of the reaction cup supply device, the sensor transmits a signal to the grating and receives the signal reflected or transmitted by the grating to output a signal; and determining whether a malfunction has occurred in the reaction cup supply device based on the change in the output signal of the sensor.

[0019] Preferably, the method may further include: when it is determined that the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned, controlling the motor to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle, and incrementing the cumulative number of times the motor rotates in the reverse direction by one.

[0020] Preferably, the method may further include: determining whether the cumulative number of times the motor reverses has reached a first predetermined number before controlling the motor to reverse rotate by a predetermined angle; when it is determined that the cumulative number of times the motor reverses has not reached the first predetermined number, controlling the motor to reverse rotate by a predetermined angle; and when it is determined that the cumulative number of times the motor reverses has reached the first predetermined number, preventing the motor from reversing.

[0021] Preferably, the method may further include: when determining whether the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned, determining whether the output signal of the sensor has changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than a first predetermined time; when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than the first predetermined time, determining whether the output signal of the sensor has changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time; when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time, determining that the reaction cup supply device has not malfunctioned, and resetting the accumulated number of reverse rotations of the motor to zero.

[0022] Preferably, the method may further include: determining that the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than a first predetermined time, or when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than a second predetermined time. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the following detailed description presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 A top view of the reaction cup supply device is shown. Figure 2 A front view illustrating a system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A configuration diagram illustrating a system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting a malfunction in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale, but rather illustrate various features that are presented in a slightly simplified manner to explain the basic principles of the invention. In the accompanying drawings of this invention, the same reference numerals denote the same or equivalent parts of the invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] In view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the present invention proposes a novel system and method for detecting faults in reaction cup supply devices.

[0026] A system and method for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Figure 1A top view showing the reaction cup supply device.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the reaction cup supply device 10 may include: a reaction cup chamber 11, a feeding toothed belt 12, a reaction cup transfer chamber 13, a reaction cup downward channel 14, and a reaction cup picking position 15.

[0029] The reaction vessel compartment 11 can be used to store reaction vessels (not shown). Users can freely place reaction vessels into the reaction vessel compartment 11.

[0030] The feeding toothed belt 12 can be used to transport the reaction cups that are randomly placed in the reaction cup chamber 11 to the reaction cup transfer chamber 13 in an orderly manner.

[0031] The reaction vessel transfer chamber 13 can be used to temporarily store a small number of reaction vessels to ensure continuous feeding.

[0032] The reaction cup down passage 14 can be used to transport the reaction cups in the reaction cup transfer chamber 13 to the reaction cup retrieval position 15 in an orderly manner.

[0033] The reaction cup retrieval position 15 may include multiple placement positions for placing reaction cups, and the reaction cups can be placed in each placement position for use by other functional modules of the medical testing equipment.

[0034] The reaction cup may get stuck during the process of being transported from the reaction cup compartment 11 to the reaction cup transfer compartment 13.

[0035] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a system 100 for detecting malfunctions of a reaction cup supply device can detect whether the reaction cup in the reaction cup supply device 10 is stuck during the aforementioned transport process.

[0036] Figure 2 A front view illustrating a system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a configuration diagram illustrating a system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a system 100 for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include: a grating 110, a sensor 120, and a controller 130.

[0038] like Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the grating 110 can be coaxially mounted with the motor 16 of the reaction cup supply device 10 to rotate together with the motor 16. The motor 16 can be a stepper motor, DC motor, or other type of motor. A servo motor has an encoder, which provides accurate position feedback to precisely control the motor's operation. Compared to ordinary motors, servo motors are more expensive, adding extra cost; therefore, the motor 16 of this invention does not use a servo motor and therefore does not have an encoder.

[0039] To determine the operating status of the motor (e.g., the motor 16 cannot rotate normally because the reaction vessel is stuck), the present invention employs a grating 110 and a sensor 120. The grating 110 may include a light-shielding portion 111 and a light-transmitting portion 112. The light-shielding portion 111 and the light-transmitting portion 112 may be arranged alternately at equal intervals and periodically.

[0040] In one embodiment, the light-shielding part 111 may be made of a light-absorbing material to block (absorb) the signal emitted from the sensor 120. In another embodiment, the light-shielding part 111 may be made of a material with high reflectivity to reflect the signal emitted from the sensor 120. The light-transmitting part 112 allows the signal emitted from the sensor 120 to pass through the grating 110.

[0041] Sensor 120 may include a transmitter and a receiver (not shown). The transmitter of sensor 120 may transmit a signal to grating 110. The receiver of sensor 120 may receive a signal reflected by the light-blocking portion 111 of grating 110, or a signal transmitted by the light-transmitting portion 112 of grating 110. Sensor 120 may be a through-beam photoelectric sensor or a reflective photoelectric sensor. In the case of a through-beam photoelectric sensor, the transmitter and receiver of sensor 120 may be respectively disposed on opposite sides of grating 110, such that the receiver may receive the signal transmitted by the light-transmitting portion 112 of grating 110. In the case of a reflective photoelectric sensor, the transmitter and receiver of sensor 120 may be respectively disposed on the same side of grating 110, such that the receiver may receive the signal reflected by the light-blocking portion 111 of grating 110.

[0042] The following explanation uses a through-beam photoelectric sensor, 120, as an example. When the motor 16 of the reaction vessel supply device 10 is running, the grating 110, coaxially arranged with the motor 16, can rotate together with the motor 16. When the signal emitted by the transmitter of sensor 120 is incident on the light-blocking part 111 of the grating 110, the signal emitted by the transmitter is blocked by the light-blocking part 111, so that the receiver of sensor 120 cannot receive the signal. At this time, sensor 120 can output a first signal with a low level to controller 130. As the motor 16 rotates, the signal emitted by the transmitter of sensor 120 is incident on the light-transmitting part 112 of the grating 110, so that the receiver of sensor 120 can receive the signal transmitted by the light-transmitting part 112. At this time, sensor 120 can output a second signal with a high level to controller 130.

[0043] The controller 130 can be electrically connected to the sensor 120 to receive the output signal of the sensor 120. The controller 130 can determine whether the reaction cup supply device 10 has malfunctioned (e.g., whether the reaction cup is stuck) based on changes in the output signal of the sensor 120 (e.g., a first signal and a second signal).

[0044] If the reaction vessel supply device 10 is operating normally and the reaction vessel is not jammed, then as the motor 16 rotates, the light-blocking part 111 and the light-transmitting part 112 of the grating 110 will pass in front of the transmitter of the sensor 120 at a fixed frequency. Correspondingly, the output signal of the sensor 120 will also switch between a first signal and a second signal at a fixed frequency. When the output signal of the sensor 120 switches from the first signal to the second signal, or when the output signal of the sensor 120 switches from the second signal to the first signal, the controller 130 can determine that the output signal of the sensor 120 has changed once. Therefore, if the reaction vessel is not jammed, the output signal of the sensor 120 will change a certain number of times within a certain time period.

[0045] Conversely, if the reaction cup supply device 10 malfunctions and the reaction cup becomes stuck, the motor 16 will not be able to rotate normally, causing the grating 110 to also fail to rotate normally. The light-blocking portion 111 and the light-transmitting portion 112 of the grating 110 will not pass in front of the transmitter of the sensor 120 at a fixed frequency. Accordingly, the output signal of the sensor 120 will not switch between the first and second signals at a fixed frequency. Therefore, in the case of a stuck reaction cup, the output signal of the sensor 120 will remain unchanged for a certain period of time.

[0046] There are exceptions. For example, when the reaction cup is stuck, the signal emitted by the transmitter of sensor 120 may happen to be incident on the boundary between the light-blocking portion 111 and the light-transmitting portion 112 of grating 110 (referred to here as the "detection critical zone"). Although the stuck reaction cup prevents motor 16 from rotating normally, it does not mean that motor 16 is completely stationary; motor 16 may vibrate. If motor 16 vibrates and the signal emitted by the transmitter of sensor 120 happens to be incident on the detection critical zone, the vibration of motor 16 will also cause a change in the output signal of sensor 120. In this case, there is a possibility that controller 130 will misjudge the situation.

[0047] To determine whether the reaction cup supply device 10 has malfunctioned and to reduce the possibility of false positives, the controller 130 can first determine whether the output signal of the sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than a first predetermined time. The first predetermined time and the second predetermined number of times can be determined based on the rotational speed of the motor 16 and the spacing between the light-blocking portion 111 and the light-transmitting portion 112 of the grating 110.

[0048] When it is determined that the output signal of sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than the first predetermined time, it may indicate that the reaction cup supply device 10 is operating normally and the reaction cup is not stuck. However, the following situation cannot be ruled out: the reaction cup is stuck, but due to the vibration of motor 16 and the signal emitted by the transmitter of sensor 120 just falling into the detection critical region, the output signal of sensor 120 also changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than the first predetermined time.

[0049] To eliminate misjudgments caused by the above situations, the controller 130 can further determine whether the output signal of the sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time. The second predetermined time can be determined based on the frequency of output signal changes within the predetermined time.

[0050] The reason for avoiding false judgments by determining whether the output signal of sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than a second predetermined time, rather than by determining whether the change in the output signal is detected at the same period, is that the reaction cup may occasionally be briefly stuck on the feeding toothed belt 12, but due to the vibration of motor 16, the reaction cup will disengage from the stuck position, which will cause the change in the output signal of sensor 120 to not have a fixed period.

[0051] When it is determined that the output signal of sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than a second predetermined time, it can be ruled out that the change in the output signal of sensor 120 is caused by the vibration of motor 16. Therefore, controller 130 can determine that the reaction cup supply device 10 has not malfunctioned.

[0052] Conversely, when it is determined that the output signal of sensor 120 has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than the first predetermined time, or when it is determined that the output signal of sensor 120 has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time, controller 130 may determine that the reaction cup supply device 10 has malfunctioned.

[0053] When a malfunction is determined in the reaction cup supply device 10, measures can be taken to release the jammed reaction cup. For example, the controller 130 can control the motor 16 to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle, which helps to release the jammed reaction cup. The predetermined angle can be determined to maximize the release of the jammed reaction cup from its jammed position while preventing the reaction cup in the reaction cup chamber 11 from being squeezed in the reverse direction by the reverse rotation of the feeding belt 12 driven by the motor 16. At the same time, the controller 130 can count the number of times the motor 16 rotates in the reverse direction. Each time the motor 16 rotates in the reverse direction, the controller 130 can increment the cumulative number of reverse rotations by one. Furthermore, when it is determined that the reaction cup supply device 10 is not malfunctioning, the controller 130 can reset the cumulative number of reverse rotations of the motor 16 to zero.

[0054] When a malfunction is detected in the reaction cup supply device 10, the controller 130 can determine whether the cumulative number of reverse rotations of the motor 16 has reached a first predetermined number before controlling the motor 16 to rotate in reverse. Preferably, the first predetermined number can be four times. If the number of reverse rotations of the motor 16 reaches the first predetermined number but the reaction cup is still stuck, it indicates that simply rotating the motor 16 in reverse cannot release the stuck reaction cup. In this case, if the motor 16 continues to rotate in reverse, not only will the stuck reaction cup not be released, but it may also aggravate the wear of the moving parts in the reaction cup supply device 10, causing damage to the reaction cup supply device 10. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the number of reverse rotations of the motor 16.

[0055] The controller 130 may control the motor 16 to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle and increment the cumulative number of reverse rotations of the motor 16 by one only when it is determined that the cumulative number of reverse rotations of the motor 16 has not reached the first predetermined number. Conversely, when it is determined that the cumulative number of reverse rotations of the motor 16 has reached the first predetermined number, the controller 130 may prevent the motor 16 from rotating in the reverse direction and issue an alarm to remind the user to take other measures (e.g., shutdown).

[0056] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting a malfunction in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 The method shown for detecting malfunctions in the reaction vessel supply device can be derived from... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The controller 130 of the system 100 shown for detecting malfunctions in the reaction cup supply device is executed.

[0057] like Figure 4 As shown, in step S101, the controller 130 can determine whether the output signal of the sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period less than a first predetermined time.

[0058] When it is determined that the output signal of sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than the first predetermined time (yes in step S101), in step S102, controller 130 can determine whether the output signal of sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time.

[0059] When it is determined that the output signal of sensor 120 changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time (yes in step S102), in step S103, controller 130 can determine that the reaction cup supply device 10 has not malfunctioned (i.e., the reaction cup is not stuck), and can reset the accumulated number of times motor 16 rotates in reverse to zero.

[0060] On the other hand, when it is determined that the output signal of sensor 120 has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than the first predetermined time (step S101 is no), or when it is determined that the output signal of sensor 120 has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time (step S102 is no), in step S104, controller 130 can determine that the reaction cup supply device 10 has malfunctioned (i.e., the reaction cup is stuck).

[0061] In step S105, the controller 130 can determine whether the cumulative number of times the motor 16 rotates in the reverse direction has reached a first predetermined number.

[0062] When it is determined that the cumulative number of times the motor 16 rotates in the reverse direction has not reached the first predetermined number (no in step S105), in step S106, the controller 130 can control the motor 16 to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle, and can increment the cumulative number of times the motor 16 rotates in the reverse direction by one.

[0063] When it is determined that the cumulative number of times the motor 16 rotates in reverse reaches the first predetermined number (yes in step S105), the controller 130 may issue an alarm in step S107 to remind the user to take other measures.

[0064] The system and method for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can detect in real time whether the reaction cup is stuck during the transport of the reaction cup, and when the reaction cup is detected to be stuck, the system can help the stuck reaction cup to get out of the stuck position as much as possible by controlling the motor to rotate in the opposite direction.

[0065] The system and method for detecting faults in a reaction cup supply device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can avoid misjudgments caused by motor vibration and sensor misalignment with the detection critical zone, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting faults in the reaction cup supply device.

[0066] The foregoing description of specific exemplary embodiments of the invention is for illustrative and descriptive purposes. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and it will be apparent that many modifications and variations can be made in light of the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described to explain certain principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to implement and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the invention, as well as their different alternatives and modifications. The scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction vessel supply device, comprising: The grating is coaxially mounted with the motor of the reaction vessel supply device so that it rotates together with the motor; A sensor that transmits signals to a grating and receives signals reflected or transmitted by the grating in order to output a signal; as well as The controller is configured as follows: During the process of transporting the reaction cup by the reaction cup supply device, the control sensor transmits signals to the grating and receives the output signals of the sensor; Based on changes in the sensor's output signal, it can be determined whether a malfunction has occurred in the reaction vessel supply device.

2. The system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction vessel supply device according to claim 1, wherein, The grating includes: A light-shielding part, which can block or reflect the signal emitted from the sensor; and The light-transmitting part allows signals emitted from the sensor to pass through; The output signal of the sensor varies depending on whether the signal emitted by the sensor to the grating is incident on the light-blocking part or the light-transmitting part of the grating.

3. The system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction vessel supply device according to claim 2, wherein, The controller is further configured as follows: When a malfunction is detected in the reaction cup supply device, the motor is controlled to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle, and the cumulative number of times the motor rotates in the reverse direction is incremented by one.

4. The system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction vessel supply device according to claim 3, wherein, The controller is further configured as follows: Before controlling the motor to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle, determine whether the cumulative number of times the motor rotates in the reverse direction has reached a first predetermined number; When it is determined that the cumulative number of times the motor reverses has not reached the first predetermined number, the motor is controlled to reverse by a predetermined angle. When the cumulative number of times the motor reverses reaches a first predetermined number, the motor will not be reversed.

5. The system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction vessel supply device according to claim 4, wherein, The controller is further configured as follows: When determining whether the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned, it is determined whether the output signal of the sensor changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period less than a first predetermined time. When it is determined that the sensor's output signal changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than a first predetermined time, it is determined whether the sensor's output signal changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than a second predetermined time. When it is determined that the sensor output signal changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time, it is determined that the reaction cup supply device has not malfunctioned, and the accumulated number of reverse rotations of the motor is reset to zero.

6. The system for detecting malfunctions in a reaction cup supply device according to claim 5, wherein, The controller is further configured to: determine that the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than a first predetermined time, or when it is determined that the output signal of the sensor has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than a second predetermined time.

7. A method for detecting a malfunction in a reaction vessel supply device, comprising: During the process of transporting the reaction cup by the reaction cup supply device, the control sensor transmits a signal to the grating and receives the output signal of the sensor. The grating is coaxially arranged with the motor of the reaction cup supply device so as to rotate together with the motor of the reaction cup supply device. The sensor transmits a signal to the grating and receives the signal reflected or transmitted by the grating to output a signal. Based on changes in the sensor's output signal, it can be determined whether a malfunction has occurred in the reaction vessel supply device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: When a malfunction is detected in the reaction cup supply device, the motor is controlled to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle, and the cumulative number of times the motor rotates in the reverse direction is incremented by one.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: Before controlling the motor to rotate in the reverse direction by a predetermined angle, determine whether the cumulative number of times the motor rotates in the reverse direction has reached a first predetermined number; When it is determined that the cumulative number of times the motor reverses has not reached the first predetermined number, the motor is controlled to reverse by a predetermined angle. When the cumulative number of times the motor reverses reaches a first predetermined number, the motor will not be reversed.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: When determining whether the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned, it is determined whether the output signal of the sensor changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period less than a first predetermined time. When it is determined that the sensor's output signal changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than a first predetermined time, it is determined whether the sensor's output signal changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than a second predetermined time. When it is determined that the sensor output signal changes a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time, it is determined that the reaction cup supply device has not malfunctioned, and the accumulated number of reverse rotations of the motor is reset to zero.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: When it is determined that the sensor's output signal has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period shorter than the first predetermined time, or when it is determined that the sensor's output signal has not changed a second predetermined number of times within a time period longer than the second predetermined time, it is determined that the reaction cup supply device has malfunctioned.

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