Sample pipe diameter distinguishing device, sample loading mechanism and assembly line

Abstract

The invention discloses a sample pipe diameter distinguishing device, a sample loading mechanism and an assembly line, the sample pipe diameter distinguishing device is used for distinguishing N sample pipes with different pipe diameters, the pipe diameters of the first sample pipe to the Nth sample pipe are sequentially increased, and the sample pipe diameter distinguishing device comprises a containing groove with an upper opening, at least one inner side wall of the accommodating groove is sequentially provided with first, second,..., (N-1) th protruding parts from bottom to top; and when the Nth sample tube falls into the device from the opening, the tube bottom of the sample tube is supported at the (N-1) th bulge. According to the device for automatically distinguishing the pipe diameters of the samples, pipe diameter distinguishing is not affected by the sizes of pipe caps, and the pipe tails of the sample pipes are inevitably supported at the bottoms of the containing grooves or a certain protruding part and then detected by the pipe position sensors at the corresponding positions; that is to say, the distinguishing effect of the scheme of the invention is not affected when the sizes of the pipe caps of the sample pipes with the same pipe diameter are different due to supplier switching.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to a sample tube diameter distinguishing device, a sample loading mechanism and an assembly line. Background Art

[0002] In the in vitro diagnostic industry, it is generally believed that the inspection line is the best choice for high-throughput testing in large hospitals. The samples tested are all sample tubes that store blood and other samples, and different types of samples often use sample tubes of different standard specifications. There are certain differences in the lengths and diameters of these sample tubes. In the existing technology, disordered loading devices are mostly used to transport these sample tubes to the assembly line track.

[0003] In the prior art, a plurality of leakage holes are generally arranged in sequence on an inclined plate in a feeding mechanism, and the sizes of the leakage holes are arranged in order from small to large. The sample tube rolls along the inclined plate, and sample tubes of different diameters pass through different leakage holes, so as to distinguish sample tubes of different diameters. The effect of this distinction is extremely limited, because the opening of the sample tube includes a tube cap, and the diameter of the tube cap is larger than the tube body. The above-mentioned prior art is used to distinguish leakage holes of different diameters and should also consider allowing the tube cap of the sample tube to pass through with the sample tube. However, the tube cap diameters of different manufacturers are inconsistent, especially the tube cap sizes of sample tubes of different diameters of a small number of manufacturers are similar. At this time, if a certain sample tube is to be guaranteed to pass through the leakage hole completely, the size of the leakage hole is usually appropriately enlarged to avoid the tube cap being stuck in the leakage hole. At this time, it is difficult to ensure that the large sample tube does not leak out of the leakage hole at all. That is, the prior art has high requirements on the tube cap during implementation and cannot adapt to the actual assembly line detection conditions.

[0004] Especially under actual working conditions, it is difficult for testing agencies to ensure that they purchase sample tubes from the same supplier for a long time. After switching suppliers, it is very likely that the tube diameters cannot be distinguished at all due to the different diameters of the sample tube caps. Summary of the invention

[0005] The invention discloses a sample tube diameter distinguishing device, a sample loading mechanism and an assembly line to solve the problem in the prior art that the tube diameter cannot be distinguished accurately when the assembly line is loading samples.

[0006] The present invention provides a sample tube diameter distinguishing device, which is used to distinguish N sample tubes with different diameters, wherein the diameters of the first sample tube to the Nth sample tube increase in sequence, and the device comprises a receiving groove with an upper opening, and at least one inner side wall of the receiving groove is provided with 1st, 2nd, ..., N-1 protrusions in sequence from bottom to top; when the Nth sample tube falls into the device from the opening, the bottom of the sample tube is supported at the N-1th protrusion; after the first sample tube falls into the device from the opening, the bottom of the sample tube is supported at the bottom of the receiving groove.

[0007] Optionally, it also includes a tube position sensor for detecting whether there is a sample tube at each protrusion and / or the bottom of the receiving groove, and a power unit; the power unit is used to drive the receiving groove to move from an initial position to a corresponding carrying position for receiving the sample tube that falls into it.

[0008] Optionally, the pipe position sensor is arranged on a side of the accommodating groove, and a through hole is provided on a side wall of the accommodating groove for allowing light detected by the pipe position sensor to pass through.

[0009] Optionally, the protrusion is an edge, a step or a discontinuous point structure.

[0010] Optionally, both inner side walls of the accommodating groove are provided with protrusions, and the protrusions on both sides are arranged at the same height.

[0011] Optionally, a single side wall of the accommodating groove is provided with a protrusion.

[0012] Optionally, a slot position sensor is also included for detecting whether the receiving slot is in an initial position or a bearing position.

[0013] Optionally, the power unit includes a motor, a synchronous wheel, and a synchronous belt, the synchronous belt is sleeved on each synchronous wheel, the output end of the motor is fixedly connected to one of the synchronous wheels, and the accommodating groove is connected to the synchronous belt.

[0014] Optionally, the device further comprises a base plate, the power unit and the slot position sensor are located at the lower part of the base plate, a slide rail is arranged on the base plate, and the receiving slot is slidably connected to the slide rail.

[0015] Optionally, the slot position sensor is an optical coupler, and a light shielding sheet is provided at the lower portion of the receiving slot, and the light shielding sheet triggers the corresponding optical coupler when the receiving slot is in an initial position or a bearing position.

[0016] The present invention also provides a sample loading mechanism, comprising any one of the above-mentioned sample tube diameter distinguishing devices.

[0017] The present invention also provides an assembly line, comprising the above-mentioned sample loading mechanism.

[0018] The present invention adopts the above technical solution and has the following advantages: 1. The tube diameter distinguishing device of the present application is not affected by the size of the tube cap when distinguishing tube diameters. The tail of the sample tube must be supported at the bottom of the receiving groove or a protrusion, and then detected by the tube position sensor at the corresponding position; the tube cap of the sample tube is located at any position above the tube tail and will not affect the detection result of the tube position sensor, that is, when the tube cap sizes of sample tubes of the same diameter are different due to switching suppliers, it will not affect the distinguishing effect of the present application scheme; that is, the device disclosed in the present application has strong applicability and can work normally without frequent maintenance and replacement of parts.

[0019] 2. The present application can distinguish more sample tubes with different diameters by replacing the receiving grooves with different numbers of protrusions. It has obvious scalability and is conducive to the expansion of assembly line testing projects.

[0020] 3. The present application is provided with a receiving groove with multiple protrusions. Sample tubes of different diameters are located at different positions in the receiving groove, and the receiving groove is an open structure. Under the influence of the above factors, while meeting the requirement of differentiating sample tubes when there is no standard size of tube caps and there are many types, it also solves the problem that sample tubes in different positions may not be able to be transferred later.

[0021] 4. In a more preferred embodiment, the type of sample tube is determined by the signal detected by the tube position sensor on one side of the protrusion, and then the holding tank can be moved as a whole to the corresponding station of the sample tube through a power unit. The whole process does not require manual intervention, that is, it is no longer necessary to manually classify the sample tubes, thereby further improving the overall detection efficiency. In addition, the holding tank with the sample tube is transferred to the specified position by the power unit. This transfer process is relatively smooth, and the sample tube will not be damaged by collision. The specific posture of the sample tube after moving to the station can also be accurately maintained. In addition, the whole tube diameter differentiation process will not cause sample blockage and affect the overall tube diameter differentiation progress, ensuring the stable and smooth operation of the entire assembly line.

[0022] In summary, the present application provides a device, a loading mechanism and an assembly line for automatically distinguishing sample tube diameters. The type of sample tube is identified by detecting the position of sample tubes of different diameters in the receiving slot, and then the sample tube is transferred to the designated workstation through a power unit. The posture of the sample tube after moving is stable and easy to transfer to the track. At the same time, the entire distinction process is safe and efficient. A one-time design can cope with the situation where the tube caps are frequently replaced in actual working conditions, which makes it impossible to distinguish with the existing technology. After completing the tube diameter distinction, it is also more conducive to the subsequent inspection operations of the assembly line modules such as centrifugation and opening the cover, thereby improving the inspection efficiency of the entire assembly line. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sample tube diameter differentiation device of the present application; Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a sample tube diameter differentiation device from another perspective of the present application; Figure 3 This is a right side view of a sample tube diameter differentiation device of the present application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the state of placing a rough sample tube in Example 1 of the present application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the state of placing a thin sample tube in Example 1 of the present application; Figure 6A partial schematic diagram of a sample loading mechanism configured for the sample tube distinguishing device of the present application.

[0024] Figure numerals: 1-motor, 2-base plate, 3-slide rail, 4-accommodating groove, 5-synchronous wheel, 6-synchronous belt, 7-tube position sensor, 8-slot position sensor, 9-shading plate, 10 U-type lever. Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] In the prior art, the size of the tube body of the sample tube has a series of standard sizes, while the tube caps actually used in testing sites such as hospitals do not have standard sizes that correspond one-to-one to the tube body, resulting in a large number of unpredictable possibilities in the combined sizes of the tube caps and the tube body. Therefore, it is difficult to design a standard distinguishing piece to distinguish the various sample tubes in the above situations.

[0027] To this end, the present application discloses a sample tube diameter distinguishing device, which is used to distinguish N sample tubes with different diameters (assuming that the diameters of the first sample tube to the Nth sample tube increase successively, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) without considering the influence of the tube caps, and can still easily realize the transfer of the sample tubes after differentiation while solving this problem.

[0028] The sample tube diameter distinguishing device provided in the present application has a receiving groove 4 with an upper opening, the receiving groove 4 has a bottom, and a side wall is provided on both sides above the bottom; at least one of the inner side walls is provided with 1st, 2nd, ..., N-1 protrusions in sequence from bottom to top; when the Nth sample tube is transported to the top of the sample tube diameter distinguishing device by the previous sample processing mechanism and falls into the distinguishing device, the tube bottom of the sample tube can be supported only at the N-1th protrusion, when the protrusion is provided on only one inner side wall, the tube bottom is limited by the N-1th protrusion and the corresponding other inner side wall together; when the protrusion is provided on both inner side walls, the tube bottom is limited by two opposite N-1th protrusions together; and after the first sample tube with the smallest tube diameter falls into the device from the opening, its tube bottom is supported on the bottom of the receiving groove 4, thereby the tube bottoms of N sample tubes with different tube diameters can be limited at different positions, so that the sample tubes have different postures after being distinguished, which is further conducive to taking subsequent transfer actions for sample tubes with different postures.

[0029] Specifically, the present application designs the protrusion to at least have a limiting effect on the bottom of the sample tube, and the influence of the sample tube cap can be completely ignored. This is because even if tube caps of different sizes are used, the tube cap may be limited to the protrusion where the tube bottom is located and the protrusion at any height above it. Since the protrusion that limits the tube bottom is unique, no matter what the size of the tube cap is, the bottoms of N sample tubes of different diameters are limited to positions at different heights, thereby achieving the distinction between sample tubes without considering the influence of the tube cap size.

[0030] Furthermore, after solving the problem of how to separate sample tubes of different sizes without considering the tube caps, there is also the difficulty of how to transport the sample tubes. Because solving the above two problems at the same time requires combining two different structural designs, the difficulty of solving the above difficulties at the same time is greater.

[0031] In order to solve the above problems at the same time, in a more preferred embodiment, the sample tube diameter distinguishing device provided by the present application is provided with only two side walls including protrusions above the bottom, and the other two sides are open side parts, thereby enabling sample tubes with different tube bottom positions to be transferred from any open side parts. Due to the design and structural characteristics of the sample tube diameter distinguishing device provided by the present application, the difficulty of transferring multiple distinguished sample tubes can be solved by simply providing the structure of the open side parts.

[0032] In order to facilitate the transfer of sample tubes of different diameters that have been distinguished by posture to corresponding carrying positions, the sample tube diameter distinguishing device of this embodiment may also include a tube position sensor 7 for detecting whether there is a sample tube at each protrusion and / or the bottom of the receiving groove 4, and a power unit for driving the receiving groove 4 to move; the power unit is used to drive the receiving groove 4 to move from an initial position to a corresponding carrying position for receiving the sample tube that has fallen into it.

[0033] In a specific preferred embodiment, a first pipe position sensor 7 is provided on one side of the bottom of the accommodating groove 4, a pipe position sensor 7 may not be provided on one side of the uppermost protrusion, and pipe position sensors 7 are provided on the remaining protrusions, which are the second, third ... N-1th pipe position sensors 7 from bottom to top.

[0034] After the first sample tube falls into the device from the opening, the bottom of the sample tube is supported on the bottom of the accommodating groove 4, triggering the first tube position sensor 7, and the sample tube is determined to be the first sample tube; when the nth (1<n<N) sample tube falls into the device from the opening, the bottom of the sample tube is supported on the n-1th protrusion; the nth tube position sensor 7 is triggered, and the sample tube is determined to be the nth sample tube; when the Nth sample tube falls into the device from the opening, the bottom of the sample tube is supported on the N-1th protrusion (that is, the uppermost protrusion); since the tube position sensor 7 is not provided here, that is, there is no tube position sensor 7 to obtain the sample tube signal, the sample tube is determined to be the Nth sample tube, and the distinction and identification of the N sample tubes are completed.

[0035] Specifically, in order to more clearly describe the above technical solution, the following discloses an embodiment in which the sample tubes are divided into two types according to the tube diameter. Figure 1-2 When loading on the assembly line, the previous process places the sample tubes one by one through the upper opening in the receiving groove 4. In this embodiment, the two inner walls of the receiving groove 4 are symmetrically (i.e., at the same height) provided with a step-shaped protrusion, which divides the interior of the receiving groove 4 into two accommodating spaces. The width of the upper accommodating space is greater than 16 mm, and the width of the lower accommodating space is less than 16 mm and greater than 13 mm, that is, the upper accommodating space can accommodate the tube body of a 16 mm sample tube, and the gap of the lower accommodating space cannot accommodate the tube body of a 16 mm tube diameter, but can accommodate the tube body of a 13 mm tube; in this embodiment, when a 16 mm sample tube is placed in the receiving groove 4, the posture of the sample tube is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the tube body is nearly horizontal (it may also be in an inclined state due to the large diameter of the tube cap); when the 13 mm sample tube is placed in the receiving groove 4, the posture of the sample tube is as follows Figure 5 As shown, since the tube cap is limited by the protruding portion and stuck in the upper accommodation space, the tube body falls into the lower accommodation space and is in an inclined posture as a whole.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the postures of sample tubes with a diameter of 16 mm and 13 mm after falling into the receiving groove 4 are obviously different, thereby achieving the distinction between the two types of sample tubes. It is worth mentioning that in this embodiment, if it is necessary to divide sample tubes with more than two diameters into two groups according to the diameter, it is only necessary to adjust the gap between the protrusions to distinguish the two groups of sample tubes. For example, if it is necessary to divide three sample tubes with diameters of 16 mm, 13 mm, and 8 mm into one group of 16 mm and 13 mm and another group of 8 mm, it is only necessary to set the gap between the protrusions so that the sample tube with a diameter of 13 mm cannot fall to the bottom of the receiving groove 4. In summary, the solution of this embodiment can divide sample tubes of various diameters into two groups according to the size of the diameter. The two groups of sample tubes present different postures, which is convenient for the next process in the assembly line to move or process the sample tubes separately.

[0037] More preferably, in the present embodiment, the tube position sensor 7 is arranged on the side of the receiving groove 4, and a through hole is opened on the side wall of the receiving groove 4 for the tube position sensor 7 to detect the passage of light, and it should be ensured that when the power unit drives the receiving groove 4 to move, the tube position sensor 7 can continuously detect whether there is a sample tube in the corresponding accommodating space. Since the sample tubes are only divided into two groups of coarse and thin according to the tube diameter in the present embodiment, only one group of tube position sensors 7 needs to be arranged at the bottom of the receiving groove 4. When the tube position sensor 7 detects the tube body, it means that the sample tube currently located between the receiving grooves 4 is a thin sample tube of standard, otherwise it is a coarse sample tube; at this time, the power unit will drive the receiving groove 4 to move to the corresponding carrying position according to the type of the sample tube, so as to facilitate the next process of the assembly line to continue processing.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the corresponding effect can also be achieved by only setting a protrusion on a single side wall of the receiving groove 4, and it is only necessary to ensure that the gap at the position of the protrusion can only allow the tube body of a thin sample tube to pass through, but not the tube body of a thick sample tube. The device of the present application also includes a plurality of slot position sensors 8 for detecting whether the receiving groove 4 is in a specified position. The number of slot position sensors 8 is at least two, and is generally set to the number of protrusions on a single side wall of the receiving groove 4 plus one, that is, the number of slot position sensors 8 should generally be the same as the number of types of tube diameters to be divided, so as to indicate whether the receiving groove 4 has moved to the specified position, wherein the specified position is to facilitate the next process to process different positions of sample tubes of various specifications; refer to the attached Figure 1 , 2 The number of protrusions on a single side wall of the receiving slot 4 is one. The two reference numerals 8 in the figure are two slot position sensors, which are used to identify whether the power unit drives the receiving slot 4 to move to the corresponding position, ensuring that the receiving slot 4 moves to the right position so that the sample tube in the receiving slot 4 can be smoothly removed in the next process. The protrusion can be selected as an edge, a step or a discontinuous point structure, as long as it can produce a corresponding blocking effect. The protrusion in the figure is a step structure.

[0039] Specifically, in the present embodiment, since the tube position sensor 7 is arranged at the bottom of the receiving slot 4, if the tube position sensor 7 fails to detect the tube body signal, it indicates that there is no sample tube or a thick sample tube in the receiving slot 4, and the power unit does not drive the receiving slot 4 to move and continues to be located at the current station. At this time, the slot position sensor 8 at the corresponding position is always triggered; on the contrary, when the tube position sensor 7 is triggered and detects the tube body signal, the power unit drives the receiving slot 4 to move until another slot position sensor 8 is triggered. At this time, the receiving slot 4 is in the second station. After the next process removes the sample tube located at the second station, the tube position sensor 7 loses the tube body signal and is no longer triggered. The power unit drives the receiving slot 4 to reset to the first station, waiting for the sample tube to enter next time. Refer to the attached Figure 6This is a partial schematic diagram of the loading mechanism of the sample tube diameter differentiation device of the present application. The loading mechanism is provided with a U-shaped lever 10 for moving the sample tube. The state in the figure is that the receiving groove 4 is located at a workstation. At this time, the external power source drives the U-shaped lever 10 to move toward the opening side of the receiving groove 4 to move the sample tube to the next process.

[0040] The power unit includes a motor 1, a synchronous wheel 5, and a synchronous belt 6. The synchronous belt 6 is sleeved on each synchronous wheel 5 and there is no slippage between the synchronous belt 6 and the synchronous wheel 5. The output end of the motor 1 is fixedly connected to one of the synchronous wheels 5. The receiving slot 4 is fixedly connected to the synchronous belt 6, that is, when the synchronous belt 6 moves, it will inevitably drive the receiving slot 4 to move synchronously, ensuring that the motor 1 of the power unit can accurately drive the receiving slot 4 to move, thereby realizing the transfer of the sample tube.

[0041] The device of the present application also includes a base plate 2, and the motor 1, the synchronous wheel 5, the synchronous belt 6, and the slot position sensor 8 are located at the lower part of the base plate 2. A slide rail 3 is provided on the base plate 2, and the receiving slot 4 is slidably connected to the slide rail 3, so that the movement of the receiving slot 4 is smoother; the base plate 2 separates the receiving slot 4 from the power part up and down, and is used to install components such as the motor 1, the synchronous wheel 5, the pipe position sensor 7, etc., so that the overall installation is easier.

[0042] A through hole is provided on the bottom plate 2, and the receiving slot 4 is connected to the synchronous belt 6 through a rigid connector passing through the through hole; the slot position sensor 8 of this embodiment uses an optical coupler, and a shading sheet 9 is fixedly provided at the lower part of the receiving slot 4. The shading sheet 9 triggers the corresponding optical coupler when the receiving slot 4 is in the initial position or the bearing position, which is used to indicate whether the receiving slot 4 is located at the workstation corresponding to the sample tube inside it, thereby effectively distinguishing the sample tubes into different workstations according to the tube diameter.

[0043] The above embodiment only distinguishes between two tube diameters. In another more preferred embodiment, three tube diameters can be distinguished. For example, commonly used sample tubes also include 8mm diameter erythrocyte sedimentation tubes. In this case, the sample tubes of three tube diameters are distinguished: two protrusions of different heights are set on a single side wall of the receiving groove 4, and the receiving groove 4 is divided into three large, medium and small spaces with decreasing widths from top to bottom. The protrusions make the width ranges of the large, medium and small spaces D1>16mm, 16mm>D2>13mm, and 13mm>D3>8mm; similarly, two groups of tube position sensors 7 should be set, respectively located on the lower protrusion and one side of the bottom of the receiving groove 4, for detecting whether the sample tube passes through the two protrusions.

[0044] When a thick sample tube with a diameter of 16 mm enters the receiving groove 4, it cannot pass through the upper protrusion. At this time, the sample tube cannot trigger the tube position sensor 7, and it can be determined that the sample tube in the receiving groove 4 is a thick sample tube.

[0045] When the medium sample tube with a diameter of 13 mm enters the receiving groove 4, it can pass through the protruding portion on the upper side but cannot pass through the protruding portion on the lower side, that is, it can trigger the upper tube position sensor 7 but cannot trigger the lower tube position sensor 7. It can be determined that the medium sample tube is located in the receiving groove 4.

[0046] When a thin sample tube with a diameter of 8 mm enters the receiving groove 4, it can pass through the two protrusions and enter the bottom of the receiving groove 4, thereby triggering the tube position sensor 7 on the lower side, and it can be determined that the thin sample tube is located in the receiving groove 4.

[0047] After the type of the sample tube in the receiving tank 4 is determined, the motor 1 is controlled by a preset program to drive the receiving tank 4 to move to the corresponding station. At this time, the number of stations is generally set to two or three, such as: placing three types of sample tubes in three stations respectively; or placing the thick and thin sample tubes in one station, and the medium sample tube in another station. Further, the number of stations here is not strictly limited, as long as it is easy to continue to process the sample tubes in the next process.

[0048] It should be noted that: in routine production and life, the diameters of the tube caps of sample tubes of different diameters are different but all larger than the diameter of the tube body. Therefore, in the present application, the tube cap is often stuck on a certain protrusion and cannot enter the corresponding protrusion lower space with the tube body, so that it is in an inclined posture. At this time, multiple tube position sensors 7 may be triggered. For example, when distinguishing three tube diameters, the tube cap of the thin sample tube may be stuck on any protrusion, but the bottom of the sample tube must be located at the bottom of the receiving groove 4. At this time, two tube position sensors 7 will be triggered at the same time. However, in fact, as long as the lower tube position sensor 7 is triggered, it can be determined that the sample tube in the receiving groove 4 is a thin sample tube. If the lower tube position sensor 7 is not triggered and the upper tube position sensor 7 is triggered, it can be determined that the sample tube in the receiving groove 4 is a medium sample tube. If both tube position sensors 7 are not triggered, and the sample tube has been input into the device of the present application in the previous process, it can be determined that the sample tube in the receiving groove 4 is a thick sample tube.

[0049] In summary: during the process of distinguishing N sample tubes, if multiple tube position sensors 7 are triggered, the tube diameter of the sample tube is calculated based on the triggered bottommost sensor, and then the subsequent work such as moving the receiving slot 4 is performed.

[0050] Furthermore, since the detection range of a single sensor is limited and the sample tube may be tilted in the receiving tank 4, a group of tube position sensors 7 is provided with multiple sensors. It is only necessary to ensure that when the sample tube enters the corresponding area, at least one of the sensors can be triggered. Figure 3 There are four pipe position sensors 7 in one group.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the tube position sensor 7 is not provided at the uppermost protrusion, that is, the sample tube that cannot pass through any protrusion is not detected; for example: when distinguishing between sample tubes of two diameters, the power unit does not work when the thick sample tube is located in the receiving groove 4; but in fact, the tube position sensor 7 can also be provided on the protrusion. If the sensor is provided, it can be determined whether there is a thick sample tube in the receiving groove 4, instead of relying on the signal feedback of the previous process to make a judgment as in the above embodiment, so that the receiving groove 4 can be moved to other positions in time.

[0052] In the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, after the diameter of the sample tube is identified, the power unit drives the sample tube to run smoothly to different workstations, which can ensure that the posture of the sample tube remains stable, making it convenient for the next process to move the sample tube onto the track; at the same time, the transfer process of the present application has little impact on the sample tube, and the sample tube will not be damaged. On the contrary, in the prior art, there are immature technical solutions: generally, a leak hole is set to allow sample tubes of different diameters to fall or roll to the next station. First of all, there is often obvious impact in the movement process of the sample tube in these solutions, and there is a certain probability that the sample tube will be damaged; in addition, falling down or rolling down cannot guarantee the posture of the sample tube at the next station, which makes the previous process of distinguishing the sample tubes one by one in the present application meaningless; the reason why the above-mentioned rolling and falling into the next station cannot guarantee the posture of the sample tube is that: the diameter of the sample tube cap is larger than the tube body, and when it rolls along a plane, it will rotate and roll around a point, and because the lengths of the sample tubes are different and the diameter ratios of the tube body and the tube cap are different, the radius of this rotation and rolling is also different, so it is not feasible to set an arc track to determine the posture of the sample tube after rotation and rolling; in summary, it is impossible to use the above-mentioned prior art to achieve practical tube diameter differentiation.

[0053] On the other hand, although the diameters of sample tubes of different diameters are obviously different, the tube caps used are not much different. For example, the diameters of the tube caps of the 16mm and 13mm sample tubes are approximately 17.5mm and 15.5mm respectively, and the difference is relatively small. When using the above rolling distinction method, the width of the leak hole should be set to be larger than 15.5mm and smaller than 16mm, so that the tube cap of the thin sample tube can also pass through the leak hole; and because the diameter of the tube cap of the sample tube is larger than the tube body, that is, one side of the tube cap will protrude outward a small amount, so that even if the entire sample tube is placed on a flat surface, it will not be completely horizontal, but will be slightly tilted at the end of the tube. state, this tilted posture causes it to occupy a higher space when rolling, forcing the above-mentioned leak hole to be set wider, that is, the width of the leak hole must be based on the diameter of the thin sample tube cap plus the height difference caused by the tilting, at this time it is almost the same as the diameter of the 16mm thick sample tube; although the diameters of the tube caps of different manufacturers are different, after comprehensive calculation, the diameter of the leak hole that can just allow the 13mm sample tube to pass through completely must be close to 16mm. At this time, a small amount of burrs or small foreign matter attached to the tube cap due to manufacturing may cause the 13mm sample tube to be unable to pass through the leak hole smoothly, resulting in the inability to effectively distinguish the tube diameters. That is, for two sample tubes with adjacent diameters, the diameter of the tube cap of the smaller diameter sample tube is similar to the diameter of the tube body of the larger diameter sample tube. Considering the small amount of deformation that may occur in the tube cap during daily use, it is even more difficult to distinguish with the existing technology.

[0054] When distinguishing sample tubes with more diameters, the success rate of the rolling leak method in the prior art is even lower, because at this time there are more types of sample tube diameters, resulting in a smaller difference in the diameters of various tube caps, and even the diameter of the cap of the smaller diameter tube is larger than the diameter of the larger tube body, which makes it impossible to distinguish the tube diameters.

[0055] In summary: the present application places the sample tube in the receiving slot 4, and uses a sensor to detect which protrusion in the receiving slot 4 supports the sample tube, thereby determining the tube diameter of the sample tube, and during the detection, the tube cap being stuck on any protrusion will not affect the detection result, thereby ensuring accurate distinction of the sample tubes and having a low failure rate compared to the prior art.

[0056] The present application also provides an assembly line loading mechanism, including the sample tube diameter distinguishing device shown in the above embodiments. When working, the loading mechanism first separates the disordered sample tubes one by one and places them in the above sample tube diameter distinguishing device in turn, thereby distinguishing sample tubes of various diameters and placing them in different workstations. The equipment in these workstations is more suitable for the current tube diameter, such as mechanical claws for clamping sample tubes, sample tube seats or sample tube racks for carrying sample tubes on tracks, etc., so that these sample tubes with different diameters are all clamped on sample tube seats or sample tube racks of appropriate sizes until the sample tubes are transported to the track, which is more convenient for subsequent inspection operations of modules such as centrifugation and opening the cover of the assembly line, thereby realizing improved inspection efficiency of the entire assembly line.

[0057] The present application also provides an assembly line, including the loading mechanism shown above, which effectively distinguishes sample tubes of various diameters and transports them to the track, so as to facilitate the orderly processing of various sample tubes by each module in the assembly line, reduce the switching times of each track of the assembly line, that is, reduce the waiting time of each module, thereby improving the overall inspection efficiency of the assembly line.

[0058] To summarize, the body dimensions of the sample tubes are all based on the corresponding industry standards, but the cap dimensions are not limited by any corresponding standards. That is, in actual production, the body diameters of sample tubes provided by different suppliers are the same, but the cap diameters may vary greatly. Even the caps of sample tubes from different batches from the same supplier may be slightly different. Therefore, the existing leak hole technical solution can only readjust the leak hole size to achieve effective tube diameter differentiation again.

[0059] The tube diameter distinguishing device of the present application is not affected by the size of the tube cap when distinguishing sample tubes of different diameters. The tail of the sample tube must be supported at the bottom of the accommodating groove 4 or a certain protrusion, so that it can be detected by the tube position sensor at the corresponding position; the tube cap of the sample tube in any position above the tube tail will not affect the detection result of the tube position sensor, that is, the difference in the tube caps of sample tubes of different diameters will not affect the distinguishing effect of the present application scheme, that is, the device disclosed in the present application has strong applicability and can work normally without frequent maintenance and replacement of parts.

[0060] The above are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are included in the scope of the claims of the present invention to be approved.

Claims

1. A sample tube diameter distinguishing device, used to distinguish N sample tubes with different diameters, wherein the diameters of the first sample tube to the Nth sample tube increase in sequence, characterized in that: The device comprises a receiving groove with an upper opening, wherein at least one inner side wall of the receiving groove is provided with 1st, 2nd, ..., N-1th protrusions in sequence from bottom to top; when the Nth sample tube falls into the device from the opening, the bottom of the sample tube is supported at the N-1th protrusion; after the first sample tube falls into the device from the opening, the bottom of the sample tube is supported at the bottom of the receiving groove.

2. A sample tube diameter distinguishing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a tube position sensor for detecting whether there is a sample tube at each protrusion and / or the bottom of the receiving groove, and a power unit; the power unit is used to drive the receiving groove to move from an initial position to a corresponding carrying position for receiving the sample tube that falls into it.

3. A sample tube diameter distinguishing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The pipe position sensor is arranged on the side of the containing groove, and a through hole for the pipe position sensor to detect light is opened on the side wall of the containing groove.

4. The device for distinguishing sample tube diameters according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protrusion is an edge, a step or a discontinuous point structure.

5. The device for distinguishing sample tube diameters according to claim 2, characterized in that: Both inner side walls of the accommodating groove are provided with protrusions, and the protrusions on both sides are arranged at the same height.

6. The device for distinguishing sample tube diameters according to claim 5, characterized in that: A single side wall of the receiving groove is provided with a protrusion.

7. The device for distinguishing sample tube diameters according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a slot position sensor for detecting whether the receiving slot is in an initial position or a bearing position.

8. The device for distinguishing sample tube diameters according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power unit includes a motor, a synchronous wheel, and a synchronous belt. The synchronous belt is sleeved on each synchronous wheel. The output end of the motor is fixedly connected to one of the synchronous wheels, and the accommodating groove is connected to the synchronous belt.

9. The device for distinguishing sample tube diameters according to claim 8, characterized in that: The device also includes a bottom plate, the power unit and the slot position sensor are located at the lower part of the bottom plate, a slide rail is arranged on the bottom plate, and the accommodating slot is slidably connected to the slide rail.

10. The device for distinguishing sample tube diameters according to claim 7, characterized in that: The slot position sensor is an optical coupler, and a light shielding sheet is arranged at the lower part of the receiving slot. The light shielding sheet triggers the corresponding optical coupler when the receiving slot is in the initial position or the bearing position.

11. A sample loading mechanism on an assembly line, characterized in that: A sample tube diameter distinguishing device comprising the device described in any one of claims 1 to 10 above.

12. A production line, characterized in that: Including the loading mechanism described in claim 11 above.

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