A reaction tube feeding mechanism

Abstract

The present invention discloses a reaction tube loading mechanism, comprising a hopper, wherein the bottom of the inner cavity of the hopper is provided with a mounting hole, a push plate is slidably mounted in the mounting hole, and a drive assembly is provided at the lower end of the hopper for driving the push plate to move up and down. The upper end of the push plate is provided with a receiving groove for accommodating the reaction tubes, and the upper end surface of the receiving groove is an inclined surface arranged outward along the interior of the hopper. When the push plate moves downward to the lowest point, the reaction tubes in the hopper enter the receiving groove and are arranged vertically, and the limiting lugs on the outer side walls of the upper ends of the reaction tubes abut against the upper end surface of the receiving groove. When the push plate rises to a first preset height, the reaction tubes in the receiving groove slide along the inclined surface and are transferred to the next workstation. The reaction tube loading mechanism disclosed by the present invention has a simple structure, high efficiency, and a high degree of automation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of medical testing instruments, in particular to a reaction tube loading mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In in vitro diagnostic medical testing instruments, reaction tubes are essential containers for storing biological samples and conducting reaction tests and testing. With technological advancements, the demand for testing efficiency is increasing. Traditionally, in assembly-line testing processes, reaction tubes are loaded manually onto a carrier and then transferred to the subsequent workflow by a robotic arm. This traditional loading method is physically demanding for the operator and lacks a high degree of automation, resulting in low loading efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: in order to overcome the defects of the prior art, to provide a reaction tube feeding mechanism with simple structure, high efficiency and high degree of automation.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is: to provide a reaction tube loading mechanism, including a hopper, an inner cavity bottom of the hopper is provided with a mounting hole, a push plate is slidably provided in the mounting hole, and the lower end of the hopper is provided with a driving component for driving the push plate to move up and down; the upper end of the push plate is provided with a receiving groove for accommodating the reaction tube, and the upper end surface of the receiving groove is an inclined surface arranged along the inside of the hopper outward; when the push plate moves downward to the lowest point, the reaction tube in the hopper enters the receiving groove and is arranged vertically, and the limiting lug on the outer side wall of the upper end of the reaction tube abuts against the upper end surface of the receiving groove; when the push plate rises to a first preset height, the reaction tube in the receiving groove slides along the inclined surface and is transferred to the next workstation.

[0005] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0006] In the reaction tube loading mechanism of the present invention, a push plate that moves up and down is set in the hopper, and a accommodating groove is provided at the upper end of the push plate, and the upper end surface of the accommodating groove is an inclined surface arranged to be inclined outward along the inside of the hopper; after such arrangement, the push plate continuously moves up and down, which is equivalent to a stirring mechanism, so that the reaction tubes in the hopper are kept in a random state, and the reaction tubes are more likely to enter the accommodating groove at the upper end of the push plate along the guiding inclined surface, and when the push plate rises to a preset position, the reaction tubes in the accommodating groove can automatically slide to the next work station along the inclined surface, and the continuous up and down movement of the push plate can realize the continuous output of the reaction tubes. In this process, there is no need for manual discharge of materials, and the entire loading process is automatically output with high work efficiency.

[0007] As an improvement, two parallel baffles are provided in the inner cavity of the hopper, and a gap is left between the two baffles to form a sliding channel connected to the mounting hole; the push plate slides in the sliding channel, and a feed through hole connected to the inner cavity of the hopper is provided on the side wall at the lower end of the sliding channel.

[0008] A further improvement is that the lower end of the hopper cavity is provided with a guide slope that slopes downward from top to bottom toward the mounting hole. In this improved structure, the corresponding guide slope is provided. When the push plate is at its lowest point, the reaction tube at the lower end of the hopper cavity can more effectively and automatically slide into the receiving groove at the upper end of the push plate, without the need for other auxiliary pushing mechanisms.

[0009] In a further improvement, a discharge hole is provided on the side wall of the hopper, and the lower end of the receiving groove is connected to the discharge hole. A correction component is provided on the side wall of the hopper at a position corresponding to the discharge hole. If the reaction tube does not slide into the discharge hole in an upright position with its opening facing upward, the reaction tube cannot pass through the discharge hole. The drive assembly drives the push plate to rise to a second preset height, and the correction component is used to drive the misaligned reaction tube back into the hopper. In this improved structure, the correction component ensures that each reaction tube discharged from the discharge hole is discharged to the next workstation in an upright position with its opening facing upward, eliminating the need to adjust the angle of the reaction tube and improving efficiency.

[0010] Preferably, the error correction component includes a paddle and a first drive motor, the first drive motor is installed on the outer side wall of the hopper, the output shaft of the first drive motor is connected to a first eccentric wheel, the first eccentric wheel is provided with a first connecting rod, one end of the paddle is provided with a waist-shaped slide groove, the first connecting rod slides in the waist-shaped slide groove, and the other end of the paddle is hinged to the upper end of the discharge hole; the paddle is provided with a convex plate, and the convex plate slides in the discharge hole.

[0011] As a further improvement, the upper end of the sliding channel is provided with limiting ribs on both sides of the channel, and one end of the limiting rib close to the discharge hole is provided with a blanking notch.

[0012] As a further improvement, a downwardly inclined feeding chute is provided on the outer wall of the hopper at a position corresponding to the discharge hole, and one end of the feeding chute at a higher point passes through the discharge hole and abuts against one end of the sliding channel; and a sensor for sensing the reaction tube is also provided on the feeding chute, and the sensor is connected to the drive component signal.

[0013] In a further improvement, the drive assembly includes a mounting base, a second drive motor mounted on the mounting base, a second eccentric connected to the output shaft of the second drive motor, a second connecting rod mounted on the second eccentric, and a horizontally disposed long waist-shaped portion at the lower end of the pusher plate. The second connecting rod slides within a hole in the long waist-shaped portion. This structure achieves reciprocating up and down motion of the pusher plate through the circumferential rotation of the motor combined with the driving action of the eccentric, resulting in a simple structure and stable drive.

[0014] Further improved, a code disk is provided on the output shaft of the second drive motor, and two notches are provided on the outer edge of the code disk along the circumferential direction. A code disk optical coupler is provided on the mounting seat, and the code disk optical coupler is connected to the second drive motor and the sensor signal; when the code disk is rotated so that the two notches are respectively rotated into the detection slots of the code disk optical coupler, the push plate is correspondingly maintained at the first preset height or the second preset height position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the reaction tube feeding mechanism of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the reaction tube loading mechanism of the present invention perpendicular to the direction of the pushing plate.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the reaction tube loading mechanism of the present invention parallel to the direction of the push plate.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of another working state of the reaction tube feeding mechanism of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A sectional view parallel to the push plate (the push plate is located at a first preset height).

[0020] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 A sectional view parallel to the push plate (the push plate is located at a second preset height).

[0021] Figure 7 It is a structural diagram of the driving component part of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 8 It is a structural diagram of the code disk in the present invention.

[0023] Figure 9 yes Figure 2 The X in the figure is an enlarged structural diagram.

[0024] Among them, 1-hopper, 1.1-discharge hole, 2-mounting hole, 3-guide slope, 4-push plate, 4.1-accommodation groove, 4.2-long waist hole, 5-baffle, 6-sliding channel, 6.1-feeding through hole, 7-paddle, 7.1-waist-shaped chute, 8-first drive motor, 9-convex plate, 10-first eccentric wheel, 11-first connecting rod, 12-limiting rib, 12.1-blank notch, 13-feeding chute, 14-sensor, 15-mounting seat, 16-second drive motor, 17-second eccentric wheel, 18-second connecting rod, 19-code disk, 19.1-notch, 20-code disk optical coupler. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "bottom," "upper and lower," "upper end," "outer sidewall," "lower end," and the like, indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, in the description of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used solely for convenience and distinction and do not have specific meanings.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections, electrical connections; direct connections, indirect connections through an intermediate medium, and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0028] like Figure 1 、 2 As shown, the present invention provides a reaction tube feeding mechanism, comprising a hopper 1 with an upper opening, a mounting hole 2 provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the hopper 1, a push plate 4 slidingly provided in the mounting hole 2, and a drive assembly for driving the push plate 4 to slide up and down provided at the lower end of the hopper 1; in this embodiment, specifically, the drive assembly includes a mounting seat 15, a second drive motor 16 is mounted on the side wall of the upper end of the mounting seat 15, a second eccentric wheel 17 is connected to the output shaft of the second drive motor 16, a second connecting rod 18 is provided on the second eccentric wheel 17, and a horizontally arranged long waist 4.2 is provided at the lower end of the push plate 4, and the second connecting rod 18 is fitted in the long waist hole 4.2. In this structure, the continuous lifting and lowering movement of the push plate 4 is achieved by the circumferential rotation of the second eccentric wheel 17.

[0029] The upper end of the push plate 4 is provided with a receiving groove 4.1 for accommodating the reaction tube 100, and the lower end of the inner cavity of the hopper 1 is provided with a guide slope 3 inclined from top to bottom toward the mounting hole 2; in this structure, the guide slope 3 is arranged so that the reaction tube 100 in the hopper 1 slides into the receiving groove 4.1 along the guide slope 3 under the action of its own gravity; and a discharge hole 1.1 is provided on the side wall of the hopper 1, and the upper end surface of the receiving groove 4.1 is an inclined surface inclined outward along the inside of the hopper; when the push plate 4 moves downward to the lowest point, the reaction tube 100 in the hopper 1 enters the receiving groove 4.1 and is arranged vertically under the action of the gravity of the tube body, and the limiting lug 101 on the outer wall of the upper end of the reaction tube 100 abuts against the upper end surface of the receiving groove 4.1, as shown in FIG. Figure 9 As shown, when the push plate 4 rises to a first predetermined height, the lower end of the receiving groove 4.1 aligns with the discharge hole 1.1, allowing the reaction tube 100 in the receiving groove 4.1 to slide through the discharge hole 1.1 and be transferred to the next station. In this structure, the upper end surface of the receiving groove 4.1 has an inclination angle of 25°-30°, and in this embodiment, the inclination angle is preferably 25°.

[0030] In order to ensure that the reaction tube 100 in the accommodating groove 4.1 can remain stable during the rising process of the push plate 4, two parallel baffles 5 are provided in the inner cavity of the hopper 1, and a gap is left between the two baffles 5 to form a sliding channel 6 connected to the mounting hole 2; the push plate 4 slides in the sliding channel 6, and the side wall at the lower end of the sliding channel 6 is provided with a feed through hole 6.1 connected to the inner cavity of the hopper 1. In this embodiment, the mounting hole 2 is arranged at the center position of the bottom of the inner cavity of the hopper 1, and guide slopes 3 are provided on both sides of the inner cavity of the hopper 2. The two guide slopes 3 are inclined toward the position of the mounting hole 2. After such arrangement, when the push plate 4 in the mounting hole 2 drops to the lowest point, the upper end surface of the push plate 4 is parallel to the lowest point of the bottom of the inner cavity of the hopper 1, and the reaction tube 100 at the lower end of the hopper 1 passes through the feed through hole 6.2 and enters the accommodating groove 4.1 under the guidance of the guide slope 3, and is arranged in a vertical direction with the opening upward under the action of the center of gravity adjustment of the reaction tube 100 itself, and the limiting lug 101 on the upper end side wall of each reaction tube 100 abuts against the upper end surface of the accommodating groove 4.1.

[0031] In this embodiment, a correction component is further provided on the side wall of the hopper 1 at a position corresponding to the discharge hole 1.1. When the reaction tube 100 slides to the discharge hole 1.1 in an upright state with the opening facing upward, the reaction tube 100 can pass through the discharge hole 1.1 to discharge the material. Figure 3 When the reaction tube 100 does not slide to the discharge hole 1.1 in an upright state with the opening facing upward, the dislocated reaction tube 100 cannot pass through the discharge hole 1.1. At this time, the error correction component is used to drive the dislocated reaction tube 100 back to the hopper 1.

[0032] Specifically, the error correction assembly includes a paddle 7 and a first drive motor 8. The first drive motor 8 is mounted on the outer wall of the hopper 1. One end of the paddle 7 is hinged to the side wall of the hopper 1, and the other end of the paddle 7 is connected to the output shaft of the first drive motor 8. The paddle 7 is provided with a convex plate 9, which slides in the upper end of the discharge hole 1.1. On the other hand, to improve the continuity of the reciprocating motion of the paddle 7, a first eccentric wheel 10 is provided on the output shaft of the first drive motor 8. The first eccentric wheel 10 is provided with a first connecting rod 11. The paddle 7 is provided with a waist-shaped chute 7.1, which slides in the waist-shaped chute 7.1. The first drive motor 8 drives the first eccentric wheel 10 to rotate circumferentially, driving the first connecting rod 11 to reciprocate between the waist-shaped chute 7.1, so that the convex plate 9 can swing back and forth at the upper end of the discharge hole 1.1 along the sliding direction of the reaction tube.

[0033] The upper end of the sliding channel 6 is provided with limiting ribs 12 on both sides of the channel, and one end of the limiting rib 12 close to the discharge hole 1.1 is provided with a blanking notch 12.1.

[0034] On the other hand, in order to further ensure that the reaction tube 100 is stably fed to the next station, a downwardly inclined feeding chute 13 is provided on the outer wall of the hopper 1. The upper end of the feeding chute 13 passes through the discharge hole 1.1 and abuts against the lower end of the sliding channel 6. The feeding chute 13 is also provided with a sensor 14 for sensing the reaction tube 100. The sensor 14 is connected to the drive component signal. In this structure, in order to further improve the automatic control effect, a code disk 19 is also provided on the output shaft of the second drive motor 16. The outer edge of the code disk 19 is provided with two notches 19.1 along the circumferential direction. A code disk optical coupler 20 is provided on the mounting seat 15. Figure 7 、 8 As shown, the code disc optocoupler 20 is connected to the second drive motor 16 and the sensor 14 signal; when the code disc 19 is rotated so that the two notches 19.1 are respectively rotated into the detection slots of the code disc optocoupler 20, the push plate 4 is correspondingly maintained at the first preset height or the second preset height position.

[0035] like Figure 1 、 3 As shown, when the push plate 4 rises to the first preset height position, and each reaction tube 100 in the accommodating groove 4.1 at the upper end of the push plate 4 has been opened and slid out in an upright state with the opening facing upward, the upper end of the reaction tube 100 can just pass through the discharge hole 1.1, realizing automatic loading of the reaction tube 100.

[0036] The error correction component works as follows:

[0037] like Figure 4 、 5The figure shows that the push plate 4 rises to the first preset height position. At this time, one of the notches 19.1 on the code disk 19 is located in the detection slot of the code disk optical coupler 20, and at this time, there is a misplaced reaction tube 100 lying horizontally at the upper end of the push plate 4. At this time, due to the limiting effect of the limiting lug 101 on the side wall of the reaction tube 100, the reaction tube 100 is blocked on the side wall of the inner cavity of the hopper 1 near the discharge hole 1.1. At this time, the sensor 14 cannot detect that there is no reaction tube 100 passing through, and the second drive motor 16 continues to rotate until the other notch 19.1 on the code disk 19 rotates to the detection slot of the code disk optical coupler 20, and the second drive motor 19 stops. At this time, the push plate 4 is at the second preset height position, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the first drive motor 8 then operates, driving the paddle 7 to rotate, so that the convex plate 9 on the paddle 7 pushes the horizontally lying reaction tube 100 to move toward one end of the inner cavity of the hopper 1. Since a blanking notch 12.1 is provided at one end of the upper end of the sliding channel 6 near the discharge hole 1.1, the reaction tube 100 after reverse movement rolls from the upper end of the push plate 4 into the inner cavity of the hopper 1, thereby realizing the removal of the misplaced reaction tube 100 and ensuring that the reaction tube 100 outputted each time is outputted in the correct upright direction.

[0038] In this structure, when multiple reaction tubes 100 are stacked or inverted, the reaction tubes 100 that are not positioned in the correct direction cannot pass through the discharge hole 1.1 smoothly, and the error correction component will perform a discharge action.

[0039] In addition, in the above structure, the driving component drives the push plate 4 to move up and down continuously, which is equivalent to a stirring mechanism, so that the reaction tube 100 in the hopper 1 remains in a random state, and the reaction tube 100 is more likely to enter the accommodating groove 4.1 at the upper end of the push plate along the guide slope 3, thereby improving the loading rate; and, in this embodiment, the push plate 4 is made of POM material with good surface smoothness.

[0040] The above description is based on the preferred embodiments of the present invention, but it should not be understood as limiting the claims. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and its specific structure is allowed to be varied. All variations made within the scope of protection of the independent claims of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A reaction tube loading mechanism, characterized in that: The invention comprises a hopper (1), wherein a mounting hole (2) is provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the hopper (1), a push plate (4) is slidably provided in the mounting hole (2), and a driving component for driving the push plate (4) to move up and down is provided at the lower end of the hopper (1); a receiving groove (4.1) for receiving a reaction tube (100) is provided at the upper end of the push plate (4), and the upper end surface of the receiving groove (4.1) is an inclined surface arranged to be inclined outward along the inside of the hopper (1); When the push plate (4) moves downward to the lowest point, the reaction tube (100) in the hopper (1) enters the receiving groove (4.1) and is arranged vertically, and the limiting lug (101) on the outer wall of the upper end of the reaction tube (100) abuts against the upper end surface of the receiving groove (4.1); when the push plate (4) rises to a first preset height, the reaction tube (100) in the receiving groove (4.1) slides along the inclined surface and is transferred to the next workstation; a discharge hole (1.1) is provided on the side wall of the hopper (1), and the lower height of the receiving groove (4.1) One end is connected to the discharge hole (1.1); a correction component is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge hole (1.1) on the side wall of the hopper (1); a downwardly inclined feeding chute (13) is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge hole (1.1) on the outer side wall of the hopper (1), and one end of the feeding chute (13) at a higher position passes through the discharge hole (1.1) and abuts against one end of the sliding channel (6); and a sensor (14) for sensing the reaction tube (100) is also provided on the feeding chute (13), and the sensor (14) is connected to the drive component signal; When the reaction tube (100) does not slide to the discharge hole (1.1) in an upright state with its opening facing upward, the reaction tube (100) cannot pass through the discharge hole (1.1), the sensor (14) cannot detect that the reaction tube (100) has passed through, the driving component drives the push plate (4) to rise to a second preset height, and the error correction component is used to drive the misplaced reaction tube (100) back to the hopper (1); the error correction component includes a paddle (7) and a first drive motor (8), and the first drive motor (8) is installed On the outer wall of the hopper (1), a first eccentric wheel (10) is connected to the output shaft of the first drive motor (8), a first connecting rod (11) is provided on the first eccentric wheel (10), one end of the paddle (7) is provided with a waist-shaped chute (7.1), the first connecting rod (11) is slidably fitted in the waist-shaped chute (7.1), and the other end of the paddle (7) is hinged to the upper end of the discharge hole (1.1); a convex plate (9) is provided on the paddle (7), and the convex plate (9) is slidably fitted in the discharge hole (1.1).

2. The reaction tube loading mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two mutually parallel baffles (5) are provided in the inner cavity of the hopper (1), and a gap is left between the two baffles (5) to form a sliding channel (6) connected to the mounting hole (2); the push plate (4) is slidably fitted in the sliding channel (6), and a feed through hole (6.1) connected to the inner cavity of the hopper (1) is provided on the side wall of the lower end of the sliding channel (6).

3. The reaction tube loading mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower end of the inner cavity of the hopper (1) is provided with a guide slope (3) that is inclined from top to bottom toward the mounting hole (2).

4. The reaction tube loading mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both sides of the upper end of the sliding channel (6) are provided with limiting ribs (12), and one end of the limiting rib (12) close to the discharge hole (1.1) is provided with a blanking notch (12.1).

5. The reaction tube loading mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The driving assembly includes a mounting seat (15), a second driving motor (16) is provided on the mounting seat (15), a second eccentric wheel (17) is connected to the output shaft of the second driving motor (16), a second connecting rod (18) is provided on the second eccentric wheel (17), and a horizontally arranged long waist hole (4.2) is provided at the lower end of the push plate (4), and the second connecting rod (18) is slidably fitted in the long waist hole (4.2).

6. The reaction tube loading mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: A code disc (19) is also provided on the output shaft of the second drive motor (16), and two notches (19.1) are provided on the outer edge of the code disc (19) along the circumferential direction. A code disc optical coupler (20) is provided on the mounting seat (15), and the code disc optical coupler (20) is connected to the second drive motor (16) and the sensor (14) by signal. When the code disc (19) is rotated so that the two notches (19.1) are respectively rotated into the detection slots of the code disc optical coupler (20), the push plate (4) is correspondingly maintained at the first preset height or the second preset height position.

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