Experiment control method and automatic experiment device

Abstract

To provide an experiment control method which can inhibit occurrence of solution discharge failure, and to provide an automatic experiment device.SOLUTION: An experiment control method is an experiment control method of an automatic experiment device including a discharge part capable of discharging a solution to a container, and an application part configured to apply energy to the discharge part and includes: a step in which the discharge part is controlled to discharge the solution to the container; and a step in which the application part is controlled to apply energy to the discharge part when the solution is discharged by the discharge part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to experimental control methods and automated laboratory equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, it has become known to use robotic devices to automatically carry out chemical experiments, etc. As the robotic device, for example, a device capable of holding an experimental instrument, such as a robot hand, is used in the automatic experiment (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In an automated experiment, for example, the gripping part of the robot device sucks up a solution into an ejection tool (e.g., a dropper, etc.), then moves the ejection tool to a location where a container is placed, and ejects the solution from the ejection tool into the container. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-30316 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when a solution is discharged from a discharge device, depending on the physical properties of the solution, discharge defects may occur in which the solution is not sufficiently discharged from the discharge part of the discharge device. When discharge defects occur, the amount of solution to be discharged into the container may be insufficient, and the accuracy of the experiment may decrease.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an experiment control method and an automatic experiment device that are capable of suppressing the occurrence of poor solution discharge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The experiment control method according to the present disclosure includes: 1. A method for controlling an experiment in an automatic experiment apparatus including a discharge unit capable of discharging a solution into a container and an application unit that applies energy to the discharge unit, A step of controlling the discharging unit to discharge the solution into the container; controlling the application unit so as to apply energy to the ejection unit when the solution is ejected by the ejection unit; has.

[0008] The automated laboratory equipment according to the present disclosure comprises: A discharge part capable of discharging a solution into a container; An energy applying unit that applies energy to the ejection unit; a control unit that controls the discharge unit to discharge the solution into the container; Equipped with The control unit controls the application unit to apply energy to the ejection unit when the ejection unit ejects the solution. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor solution ejection. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1A] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic laboratory apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 1B] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic laboratory apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which energy is applied to a discharge tool. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of automatic experiment control in the robot device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic experiment device according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of automatic experiment control in a robot device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of an automatic laboratory apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In the explanation of Fig. 1A etc., a Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y) is used. The same Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y) is used in the drawings to be described later. For example, the X direction indicates the left-right direction, and the Y direction indicates the up-down direction.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B, the automatic experimental apparatus 1 is an apparatus that automatically performs experiments such as chemical experiments. For example, as shown in Fig. 1A, the automatic experimental apparatus 1 aspirates a solution from a container 2 containing the solution using a discharge tool 10. Then, as shown in Fig. 1B, the automatic experimental apparatus 1 moves the discharge tool 10 to the position of a container 3 that is placed in a position different from the container 2, and discharges the solution into the container 3. The automatic experimental apparatus 1 has the above-mentioned discharge tool 10, a robot device 20, and an application unit 30.

[0013] The discharge device 10 is, for example, a device such as a dropper, and has an operating part 11 and a tube part 12. The operating part 11 is a part that is held by a hand part 22 described later, and is configured to be elastically deformable. The discharge device 10 is capable of sucking and discharging a solution into the space within the tube part 12 by changing the volume of the space within the operating part 11 with the hand part 22, thereby changing the pressure within the space within the tube part 12. The discharge device 10 corresponds to the "discharge part" of this disclosure.

[0014] The robot device 20 is, for example, a robot device modeled after a human hand, and has a function of gripping and transporting the discharging instrument 10. The robot device 20 includes an arm unit 21, a hand unit 22, and a control unit .

[0015] The arm unit 21 is, for example, a vertical articulated robot, a SCARA robot, or the like, and has a base end fixed to a stage or the like and a tip connected to a hand unit 22 capable of holding the discharge instrument 10. The arm unit 21 is configured to be capable of moving the hand unit 22 in all directions, such as up and down, left and right, front and back, etc.

[0016] The hand unit 22 is a hand portion for gripping the discharge instrument 10. The hand unit 22 has a base 22A and a pair of gripping units 22B. The base 22A is a portion attached to the tip of the arm unit 21. The pair of gripping units 22B are connected to the base 22A, and are configured to be capable of performing opening and closing operations by a drive mechanism (not shown) to which torque is transmitted from an actuator or the like.

[0017] The control unit 23 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and an input / output circuit (not shown). The control unit 23 transmits control signals to the arm unit 21 and the hand unit 22 via a cable (not shown) or the like to control the operations of the arm unit 21 and the hand unit 22.

[0018] The control unit 23 may be a control device connected to the robot device 20, or may be an external control device (e.g., a PC (Personal Computer), a mobile terminal, etc.) capable of communicating with the control device connected to the robot device 20.

[0019] 1A, the control unit 23 controls the opening and closing operation of the pair of gripping parts 22B to cause the hand unit 22 to grip the operating part 11 of the discharge instrument 10. The control unit 23 controls the arm unit 21 to place the tube part 12 of the discharge instrument 10 in the container 2 and adjusts the gripping force of the gripping part 22B so as to suck in the solution. This causes the discharge instrument 10 to suck in the solution from the container 2.

[0020] 1B, the control unit 23 controls the arm unit 21 to move the hand unit 22 gripping the discharge instrument 10 from a position corresponding to the container 2 to a position corresponding to the container 3. The control unit 23 adjusts the gripping force of the gripping unit 22B so as to eject the solution. As a result, the solution S1 is ejected from the discharge instrument 10 into the container 3.

[0021] The applying unit 30 is provided in, for example, the hand unit 22, and applies energy to the discharge instrument 10 in order to discharge a solution that is not discharged from the discharge instrument 10. Specifically, the control unit 23 controls the applying unit 30 to apply energy to the discharge instrument 10 when the discharge instrument 10 discharges the solution.

[0022] The energy is applied to the discharge device 10 to make the viscosity of the solution in the discharge device 10 lower than before the energy was applied, and may be energy based on vibration, ultrasound, heat, microwaves, etc.

[0023] When a solution is discharged from the discharge device 10, a part of the solution may not be discharged from the discharge device 10 and may remain inside the discharge device 10. This is likely to occur, for example, when the solution is a high-viscosity liquid. The high-viscosity liquid may be, for example, an epoxy monomer or other liquid having a viscosity similar to that of honey, or may be a liquid having a viscosity of 1 Pa·s or more.

[0024] In this embodiment, since energy is applied to the discharge device 10 by the application unit 30, the solution S2 remaining in the discharge device 10 can be effectively discharged as shown in FIG.

[0025] As the application unit 30, for example, a vibration generator such as a vibrator, an ultrasonic generator, a microwave generator, a heating device, or the like can be used.

[0026] Next, a description will be given of an example of the operation of the robot device 20. Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of automatic experiment control in the robot device 20 according to the first embodiment.

[0027] 3, the control unit 23 of the robot device 20 controls the arm unit 21 and the hand unit 22 to grip the discharge tool 10 and cause the discharge tool 10 to suck the solution from the container 2 (step S101). Next, the control unit 23 controls the arm unit 21 and the hand unit 22 to move the discharge tool 10 to a position corresponding to the container 3 (step S102).

[0028] After moving the discharge instrument 10, the control unit 23 controls the hand unit 22 to discharge the solution from the discharge instrument 10 (step S103). Then, the control unit 23 controls the application unit 30 to apply energy to the discharge instrument 10 (step S104).

[0029] After step S104, this control ends. After step S104, the control unit 23 may proceed to the next experimental process using the container 3. After step S104, the control unit 23 may move the discharge instrument 10 and repeatedly execute the processes of steps S101 to S104. In this case, the container 3 from which the solution has been discharged may be moved to another location by another robot device. After step S104, the control unit 23 may return the discharge instrument 10 to its original location.

[0030] According to the present embodiment as described above, when the discharging device 10 discharges the solution, energy is applied to the discharging device 10, so that even if the solution remains in the discharging device 10, the solution remaining in the discharging device 10 can be effectively discharged. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor discharging of the solution.

[0031] Moreover, by suppressing the occurrence of poor solution discharge, it is possible to prevent the amount of solution to be discharged into the container 3 from becoming insufficient, and thus to prevent a decrease in the accuracy of the experiment.

[0032] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the first embodiment, energy is always applied to the discharge device 10 after the solution is discharged by the discharge device 10. However, if there is no solution remaining in the discharge device 10, there is no need to apply energy to the discharge device 10. In the second embodiment, energy is applied to the discharge device 10 when at least a part of the solution is not discharged by the discharge device 10.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the automatic laboratory equipment 1 according to the second embodiment includes a discharging tool 10, a robot device 20, an applying unit 30, and a detecting unit 40.

[0034] The detection unit 40 is a device, such as a camera, capable of detecting the ejection state of the ejection instrument 10 when the ejection instrument 10 ejects a solution, and is positioned at a position corresponding to the position at which the ejection instrument 10 is positioned when ejecting the solution.

[0035] When the detection unit 40 is a camera, the detection unit 40 obtains image information after the solution is discharged by the discharge instrument 10, and outputs the image information to the control unit 23. The control unit 23 obtains information on the scale of the tube part 12 of the discharge instrument 10 in the image information obtained from the detection unit 40, and determines whether a predetermined amount of solution has been discharged. The predetermined amount is, for example, the amount of solution to be discharged by the discharge instrument 10 into the container 3. The predetermined amount may be the amount of all the solution contained in the discharge instrument 10 before discharge, or may be the amount of solution discharged in accordance with the gripping force of the hand part 22.

[0036] Furthermore, the control unit 23 compares the image information acquired from the detection unit 40 with a correct image stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) or the like to determine whether or not the solution is being discharged from the discharge instrument 10. The correct image may be, for example, an image of the discharge instrument 10 in a state where a predetermined amount of solution has been completely discharged.

[0037] When the control unit 23 determines from the image information that the solution remains in the discharge instrument 10, it detects that at least a part of the solution has not been discharged by the discharge instrument 10.

[0038] The detection unit 40 may be a device capable of measuring the weight of the container 3. The control unit 23 obtains information on the weight of the container 3 after the solution is discharged from the discharge instrument 10 by the detection unit 40, and when it detects that a predetermined amount of solution is not contained in the container 3, it detects that at least a part of the solution has not been discharged by the discharge instrument 10.

[0039] When the control unit 23 detects that at least a part of the solution (a predetermined amount of the solution) has not been discharged, the control unit 23 applies energy to the discharge device 10. When the control unit 23 detects that a predetermined amount of the solution has been discharged, the control unit 23 does not apply energy to the discharge device 10.

[0040] Next, an operation example of the robot device 20 according to the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of automatic experiment control in the robot device 20 according to the second embodiment. Note that the flowchart shown in Fig. 5 is obtained by adding the process of step S105 between steps S103 and S104 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. In the following explanation, the same processes as those in the flowchart shown in Fig. 3 will not be explained.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, after step S103, the control unit 23 acquires the detection result of the detection unit 40 and determines whether or not a predetermined amount of solution has been discharged (step S105).

[0042] If the result of the determination is that the predetermined amount of solution has been discharged (step S105, YES), this control ends. On the other hand, if the predetermined amount of solution has not been discharged (step S105, NO), that is, if at least a portion of the solution has not been discharged, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0043] According to the second embodiment described above, energy is applied to the discharge device 10 only when it is necessary to apply energy, which prevents energy from being applied in vain to the discharge device 10, thereby simplifying the overall operation of the automatic laboratory device 1.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the manner of energy application is not particularly distinguished, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 23 may change the manner of energy application depending on the type of solution. The information on the type of solution may be material information of the solution used in the experiment. The information on the type of solution may be obtained by inputting it to the control unit 23 before the start of the experiment, or may be set in advance.

[0045] For example, the control unit 23 may lengthen the energy application time as the viscosity of the solution increases. Specifically, when the viscosity of the solution is a high-viscosity liquid, the control unit 23 sets the energy application time to be longer than the application time when the solution is a medium-viscosity liquid. Also, when the viscosity of the solution is a medium-viscosity liquid, the control unit 23 sets the energy application time to be longer than the application time when the solution is a low-viscosity liquid.

[0046] By changing the energy application time in this manner, the efficiency of energy application can be improved.

[0047] The control unit 23 may also set the energy intensity to be stronger as the viscosity of the solution increases. For example, when the viscosity of the solution is a high-viscosity liquid, the control unit 23 sets the energy intensity to be stronger than the energy intensity when the solution is a medium-viscosity liquid. Also, when the viscosity of the solution is a medium-viscosity liquid, the control unit 23 sets the energy intensity to be stronger than the energy intensity when the solution is a low-viscosity liquid.

[0048] By varying the intensity of the energy in this manner, the efficiency of the energy application can be improved.

[0049] Further, in the above embodiment, the solution is aspirated using an ejection instrument, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, when an ejection instrument is connected to a storage section that stores the solution, the solution may not be aspirated using the ejection instrument.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the discharge tool is held by the hand (holding part) of the robot device, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the robot device and the discharge tool may be integrally configured. In other words, the robot device may have the discharge part.

[0051] In the above embodiment, a dropper is used as an example of the discharging device, but a different type of discharging device may be used depending on the viscosity of the solution. For example, when the viscosity of the solution is about 0.5 Pa·s or less than 0.5 Pa·s, a syringe may be used as the discharging device. When the viscosity of the solution is about 5 Pa·s or in the range of 0.5 Pa·s to 5 Pa·s, a dropper or a micropipette may be used as the discharging device. When the viscosity of the solution is about 1000 Pa·s or in the range of 5 Pa·s to 1000 Pa·s, a dispenser may be used as the discharging device.

[0052] Also, a syringe and a dropper may be used as a discharge device because they are inexpensive, easily available, and disposable after use, while a micropipette and a dispenser may be used as a discharge device because they allow the amount of solution to be aspirated at one time to be set and the amount of solution to be measured with high accuracy and efficiency.

[0053] The control unit may also select a discharge instrument depending on the viscosity (type) of the solution or the application or purpose. The selection of the discharge instrument may be performed when the discharge instrument is grasped. For example, when the viscosity of the solution is set to a predetermined value, the control unit may select a discharge instrument corresponding to the set value. The control unit may select a discharge instrument by referring to a table or the like that associates each of the viscosity (type) of the solution, application, and purpose with each discharge instrument.

[0054] In addition, in the above embodiment, the robot device is a single-arm robot having one arm, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and may be configured to have multiple arms, such as a dual-arm robot having two arms. In the case of a configuration having multiple arms, for example, one arm holds a container and the other arm holds a discharge tool, eliminating the need to fix components such as a container. In other words, in the case of a configuration having multiple arms, it is possible to perform work similar to experiments performed by humans. In addition, since two tasks (multiple tasks) can be performed simultaneously, it is possible to improve work efficiency.

[0055] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by them. In other words, the present disclosure can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist or main features thereof. [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The automated laboratory apparatus of the present disclosure is useful as an experiment control method and automated laboratory apparatus that can suppress the occurrence of solution discharge failure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Automatic Experiment Equipment 2 containers 3 containers 10 Dispensing equipment 11 Control section 12 Pipe section 20 Robotic Device 21 Arm section 22 Hand section 22A base 22B Gripping part 23 Control Unit 30 Granting Department 40 Detection unit

Claims

1. 1. A method for controlling an experiment in an automatic experiment apparatus including a discharge unit capable of discharging a solution into a container and an application unit that applies energy to the discharge unit, A step of controlling the discharging unit to discharge the solution into the container; controlling the application unit so as to apply energy to the ejection unit when the solution is ejected by the ejection unit; The experimental control method includes:

2. The method further includes a step of detecting that at least a part of the solution is not being discharged by the discharge unit, In the step of controlling the application unit, when it is detected in the step of detecting that at least a part of the solution is not being discharged, the energy is applied to the discharge unit.

2. The method of claim 1 .

3. the step of controlling the application unit includes a step of determining whether or not to apply the energy to the discharge unit depending on the type of the solution.

2. The method of claim 1 .

4. The step of controlling the application unit includes a step of changing a mode of energy application depending on a type of the solution.

2. The method of claim 1 .

5. A discharge part capable of discharging a solution into a container; An energy applying unit that applies energy to the ejection unit; a control unit that controls the discharge unit to discharge the solution into the container; Equipped with The control unit controls the application unit to apply energy to the ejection unit when the solution is ejected by the ejection unit. Automated experimental equipment.

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