Reaction cup transfer control method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of chemiluminescence immunoassay, and provides a reaction cup transfer control method which comprises the following steps: marking a station where a transfer disc is connected with a slideway as a slideway position, and marking a station where a cup grabbing mechanism grabs a reaction cup on the transfer disc as a cup grabbing position; a first reaction cup sensor is arranged on the transfer disc, and the first reaction cup sensor is used for detecting whether a reaction cup exists at a station on the transfer disc or not; and obtaining the station number without the reaction cup on the transfer disc, and controlling the transfer disc to rotate according to the station number without the reaction cup on the transfer disc. According to the reaction cup transfer control method provided by the invention, empty grabbing caused by insufficient reaction cups in the transfer disc can be prevented, and failure shutdown of an instrument and test failure caused by empty grabbing after supply interruption of the reaction cups are effectively avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of chemiluminescent immunoassay, and in particular to a reaction cup transport control method. Background Art

[0002] The chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer is a highly sensitive, wide linear range detection instrument that combines chemiluminescence with the principle of immune antibody-antigen reaction. It has been widely used in the quantitative detection of protein substances, hormones, tumor markers, infectious diseases and other antibody antigens in human serum, and has important clinical significance and application value. In the fully automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer, the automatic feeding system is used to continuously and orderly supply disposable reaction cups to the instrument for grabbing by mechanisms such as the cup gripper for subsequent testing processes. High-efficiency and high-reliability automatic feeding technology is one of the key technologies of in vitro diagnostic automation instruments. The automatic feeding system is generally divided into tray feeding and bulk feeding. Among them, the reaction cup bulk feeding reaction cup is added in bulk at one time, and the reaction cup is directional discharged and fed by the whole column sorting of the relevant structure. The system automation and efficiency are higher than tray feeding. Chemiluminescence analysis instruments have very high requirements on the efficiency and reliability of automatic loading of reaction cups. Once faults such as low loading efficiency, cup blockage, and cup jam occur, resulting in a cut-off of reaction cups or an empty cup being grabbed by the hand, the instrument may be suspended or shut down, and the test cannot be continued, resulting in a waste of reagents, time, and manpower, and even delaying the diagnosis of the disease. Summary of the invention

[0003] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that the supply of reaction cups is cut off and the gripping hand is empty in the prior art, so as to provide a reaction cup transportation control method.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0005] The present invention provides a reaction cup transfer control method, comprising: recording the workstation where a transfer plate is connected to a slideway as a slideway position, and recording the workstation on the transfer plate for a cup grabbing mechanism to grab a reaction cup as a cup grabbing position; arranging a first reaction cup sensor on the transfer plate, the first reaction cup sensor being used to detect whether there is a reaction cup at a workstation on the transfer plate; obtaining the number of workstations without a reaction cup on the transfer plate, and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of workstations without a reaction cup on the transfer plate.

[0006] Furthermore, the method of obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate includes: obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate; if the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is 0, controlling the transfer plate to rotate once within a timing cycle to transfer the workstation with cups to the cup grabbing position.

[0007] Furthermore, the method of obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate includes: obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups continuously on the transfer plate; if the number of workstations without reaction cups continuously on the transfer plate is greater than 0 and less than N, controlling the transfer plate to rotate continuously within a timing cycle to skip the empty cup workstation and transfer the workstation with cups to the cup grabbing workstation.

[0008] Furthermore, the method of obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate also includes: if the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is greater than or equal to N, pausing the cup grabbing and quickly filling the transfer plate with cups.

[0009] Furthermore, within a timing cycle, if the number of workstations without reaction cups is less than N, the first reaction cup sensor is not triggered, and the transfer plate provides reaction cups to the cup grabbing mechanism; within a timing cycle, if the number of workstations without reaction cups is greater than or equal to N, the first reaction cup sensor is triggered, and the transfer plate is paused to provide reaction cups to the cup grabbing mechanism.

[0010] Furthermore, there are M workstations between the cup grabbing position and the slide position, and the first reaction cup sensor is arranged between the cup grabbing position and the slide position.

[0011] Furthermore, the first reaction cup sensor is arranged at one side of a station adjacent to the slide position.

[0012] Furthermore, after pausing the cup grabbing, the fast cup filling is started, and the transfer plate continues to rotate to fill the cup; if the first reaction cup sensor detects that there are more than M stations in a row or all stations have reaction cups, the cup grabbing is restarted.

[0013] Furthermore, N≥2, and N is less than M.

[0014] Furthermore, M is 6; N is 3.

[0015] Furthermore, a second reaction cup sensor is arranged on the slide; if the second reaction cup sensor is not triggered, the silo loading assembly continues to load the reaction cups to the slide; if the second reaction cup sensor is triggered, the silo loading assembly is suspended from loading the reaction cups to the slide.

[0016] The technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0017] The reaction cup transfer control method provided by the present invention records the workstation where the transfer tray and the slide are connected as the slide station, and the workstation on the transfer tray for the cup grabbing mechanism to grab the reaction cup as the cup grabbing position; a first reaction cup sensor is arranged on the transfer tray, and the first reaction cup sensor is used to detect whether there is a reaction cup at the workstation on the transfer tray; the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer tray is obtained, and the transfer tray is controlled to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer tray; with such arrangement, the transfer tray can be controlled to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer tray, so as to prevent the transfer tray from being empty due to insufficient reaction cups, and effectively avoid the empty grabbing after the reaction cup supply is cut off, which leads to instrument failure and shutdown and test invalidation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the process of the cuvette transport control method in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a flow chart showing the corresponding conditions of whether there are reaction cups on the transfer plate or not in the reaction cup transfer control method in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the position distribution of the first reaction cup sensor and the second reaction cup sensor in the reaction cup transport control method in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Description of reference numerals:

[0023] 1. Transfer plate; 2. Slide; 3. First reaction cup sensor; 4. Second reaction cup sensor; 5. Slide position; 6. Grasping cup position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, 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.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0027] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0028] In order to more clearly understand the technical solution in this application, it should be noted that the reaction cup loading system involved in this application mainly includes a silo loading assembly, a slide 2 and a transfer tray 1. The silo loading assembly is connected to the slide 2, and the slide 2 is connected to the transfer tray 1; the slide 2 is tilted up and down, and the gap in the middle allows the reaction cup to slide freely from top to bottom; a number of reaction cup stations are set on the transfer tray 1, and the reaction cup can fall into the station of the transfer tray 1 through the slide.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a reaction cup transfer control method, including: recording the station where the transfer plate is connected to the slide as the slide position, and recording the station of the transfer plate for the cup grabbing mechanism to grab the reaction cup as the cup grabbing position; setting a first reaction cup sensor on the transfer plate, and the first reaction cup sensor is used to detect whether there is a reaction cup at the station on the transfer plate; obtaining the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate, and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate. Specifically, the number of stations with or without reaction cups on the transfer plate can be divided into three situations: the first situation is that all stations have reaction cups, the second situation is that there are some stations without reaction cups but the number of stations without reaction cups is less than N, and the third situation is that there are some stations without reaction cups and the number of stations without reaction cups is greater than or equal to N.

[0030] like Figure 2As shown, therefore, the method of obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate also includes three control methods:

[0031] In each case, it is necessary to first obtain the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate through the first reaction cup sensor; if the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is 0, corresponding to the first case, at this time, the transfer plate can be controlled to rotate once within a timing cycle. For example, the transfer plate can be rotated in a counterclockwise direction in sequence to transfer the workstation with cups to the cup grabbing position.

[0032] For the second case, if the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is greater than 0 and less than N, the transfer plate is controlled to rotate continuously within a time sequence cycle to skip the empty cup station, so as to transfer the station with cups to the cup grabbing station. For example, N can be 3, which means that the transfer plate can rotate up to 3 times within a time sequence cycle. Then, when the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is less than 3, for example, 2, the transfer plate can skip these 2 empty cup stations by rotating, and rotate the third station with cups to the cup grabbing station.

[0033] For the third case: if the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is greater than or equal to N, the cup grabbing is paused and the transfer plate is quickly filled with cups. For example, N can be 3, which means that the transfer plate can be rotated up to 3 times in one timing cycle. Then, when the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is greater than or equal to 3, for example, 4, the transfer plate cannot skip these 4 empty cup stations by rotating and rotate the 5th station with a cup to the cup grabbing position. In this case, it is necessary to pause the cup rotation and start the cup filling operation to add new reaction cups to the transfer plate.

[0034] With such an arrangement, when there are enough reaction cups on the transfer plate, it can be effectively ensured that the cup grabbing mechanism can grab a new reaction cup every time; when there is a shortage of reaction cups on the transfer plate, the cup rotation can be paused and the cups can be replenished, thereby preventing the instrument from malfunctioning and pausing or shutting down due to empty cups, making it impossible to continue testing, resulting in a waste of reagents, time and manpower, and even delaying the diagnosis of the disease.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, there are M stations between the cup grabbing position 6 and the slide position 5, and the first reaction cup sensor 3 is arranged between the cup grabbing position 6 and the slide position 5. For example, the first reaction cup sensor 3 can be arranged on one side of the station adjacent to the slide position 5.

[0036] Among them, after pausing the cup grabbing, the fast cup filling is started, and the transfer plate 1 continues to rotate to fill the cup; if the first reaction cup sensor 3 detects that there are more than M stations in a row or all stations have reaction cups, the cup grabbing is restarted.

[0037] Wherein, N≥2, and N is less than M. For example, M may be 6; N may be 3.

[0038] Among them, a second reaction cup sensor 4 can be set on the slide 2; if the second reaction cup sensor 4 is not triggered, the silo loading component continues to load the reaction cups to the slide 2; if the second reaction cup sensor is triggered, the silo loading component is suspended from loading the reaction cups to the slide. Such a setting can ensure that sufficient reaction cups are temporarily stored on the slide, and when the transfer tray needs to be quickly filled with cups, the slide can fill the transfer tray with cups in time, avoiding the impact of the transfer tray filling due to the low loading efficiency of the silo loading component.

[0039] For example, a preset number of reaction cups can be temporarily stored on the slide in advance. For example, the number of reaction cups temporarily stored on the slide can be more than the number of stations on the transfer tray. With such a configuration, within a timing cycle of the cup grabbing mechanism, if it is detected that the number of stations without cups on the transfer tray is greater than or equal to N, it means that the number of reaction cups on the transfer tray is small. Therefore, pausing the test can effectively avoid the reaction cups being grabbed empty after the supply is cut off, resulting in instrument failure and shutdown and test invalidation. Moreover, since a preset number of reaction cups are temporarily stored on the slide, once the test is suspended, the transfer tray can be quickly filled with reaction cups temporarily stored on the slide until the transfer tray is sufficient and then the test can be continued. It not only avoids grabbing empty, but also gives full play to the cache function of the transfer tray and the slide, balances the fluctuation of feeding efficiency, and has a higher average efficiency.

[0040] For example, when the transfer tray rotates counterclockwise, if it is detected that there is no reaction cup on the slide, but there is a reaction cup on the slide, the transfer tray can be continuously filled with reaction cups stored on the slide, increasing the number of reaction cups on the transfer tray, which is conducive to reducing the risk of empty cups; moreover, it can reduce the number of shutdowns, thereby improving test efficiency. For example, when there is no reaction cup on the slide, the loading component can be used to quickly transport the reaction cup to the slide, and then the transfer tray can be filled with cups through the slide.

[0041] Among them, when the transfer plate rotates counterclockwise, if it is detected that there is no reaction cup at the slide position, and there is a reaction cup on the slide, the cup will be continuously filled through the slide until the station on the transfer plate is filled. This setting can ensure that there are enough reaction cups on the transfer plate to the greatest extent, and avoid the cup grabbing mechanism grabbing empty cups at the grabbing position.

[0042] When the hopper loading component loads the reaction cups to the slide, one reaction cup is dropped into the slide each time. This arrangement can ensure that the reaction cups on the slide are arranged in an orderly manner, avoiding the occurrence of cup inversion, cup blocking and cup jamming that lead to a shortage of reaction cups.

[0043] Among them, a reflective optical coupler can be used as the first reaction cup sensor and the second reaction cup sensor. Of course, the first reaction cup sensor and the second reaction cup sensor can also be in-situ detection sensors with other detection principles.

[0044] Among them, in the reaction cup transport control method, the transfer plate can be replaced by other structures with caching function, which is still applicable to the method in this application.

[0045] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for the purpose of clear explanation, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cuvette transport control method, characterized in that: include: The position where the transfer plate is connected to the slideway is recorded as the slideway position, and the position where the transfer plate is used for the cup grabbing mechanism to grab the reaction cup is recorded as the cup grabbing position; A first reaction cup sensor is arranged on the transfer tray, and the first reaction cup sensor is used to detect whether there is a reaction cup at a station on the transfer tray; The number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is obtained, and the transfer plate is controlled to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate.

2. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate comprises: Get the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate; If the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is 0, the transfer plate is controlled to rotate once within a timing cycle to transfer the station with cups to the cup grabbing station.

3. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate comprises: Obtain the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate; If the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is greater than 0 and less than N, the transfer plate is controlled to rotate continuously within a timing cycle to skip the empty cup station and transfer the station with cups to the cup grabbing station.

4. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method of obtaining the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate and controlling the transfer plate to rotate according to the number of workstations without reaction cups on the transfer plate further includes: Obtain the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate; If the number of stations without reaction cups on the transfer plate is greater than or equal to N, the cup grabbing process is paused and the transfer plate is quickly filled with cups.

5. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In a timing cycle, if the number of stations without reaction cups is less than N, the first reaction cup sensor is not triggered, and the transfer plate provides reaction cups for the cup grabbing mechanism; In a timing cycle, if the number of stations without reaction cups is greater than or equal to N, the first reaction cup sensor is triggered, and the transfer plate is paused to provide reaction cups for the cup grabbing mechanism.

6. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are M workstations between the cup grabbing position and the slideway position, and the first reaction cup sensor is arranged between the cup grabbing position and the slideway position.

7. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first reaction cup sensor is arranged at one side of a station adjacent to the slide position.

8. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: After pausing the cup grabbing, start the fast cup filling, and the transfer plate will continue to rotate to fill the cup; If the first reaction cup sensor detects that more than M stations are continuously or all stations have reaction cups, the cup grabbing function is restarted.

9. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: N≥3, and N is less than M.

10. The cuvette transport control method according to claim 9, characterized in that: M is 6; N is 3.

11. The cuvette transport control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: A second reaction cup sensor is arranged on the slide; If the second reaction cup sensor is not triggered, the hopper loading assembly continues to load the reaction cups to the slideway; If the second reaction cup sensor is triggered, the hopper loading component is paused to load the reaction cup to the slide.

Images