Sample container sorting device

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a specimen container sorting device capable of sorting specimen containers in a short time. To this end, this specimen container sorting device is provided with: a container gripping / raising / lowering unit that moves a specimen container in the vertical direction while gripping the specimen container that accommodates a specimen; a transport unit that moves the container holding / raising / lowering unit in the horizontal direction; a container recognition unit that recognizes attributes of the specimen container; and a control unit that controls the container gripping / raising / lowering unit, the transport unit, and the container recognition unit, and classifies the specimen containers from a first rack in which the specimen containers having different attributes are mixed to different second racks according to the attributes. The control unit causes the container recognition unit to recognize attributes of the plurality of sample containers in a state in which the container gripping / raising / lowering unit grips the plurality of sample containers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a specimen container sorting device. Background Art

[0002] In clinical examinations at hospitals and examination centers, a plurality of collected specimens are classified according to examination categories such as blood tests, biochemical tests, and general tests. After performing necessary pretreatment such as centrifugation and unsealing according to the category, the target examination is finally performed. In such clinical examinations at hospitals or examination centers, it is important to quickly and correctly process and examine the collected specimens. Conventionally, the colors, shapes, etc. of the stoppers of specimen containers are distinguished according to each examination type of the specimens, and based on this distinction, the specimen containers are manually sorted by each examination type to perform necessary processing. However, for the purpose of efficiency, automation of the specimen sorting operation is required.

[0003] As a technique for automatically sorting specimens by each examination category, for example, in Patent Document 1, a sorting device is disclosed that includes a sorting unit that receives and conveys a rack on which a plurality of containers are placed and transfers the containers placed on the rack to a specified container placement unit (Claim 1 of this document).

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-140141 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the rack is temporarily conveyed to a specified place, and based on the sorting conditions of the barcodes read from the containers at this time, the containers are extracted one by one and inserted into the sorting destination one by one, so the sorting operation takes time.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a specimen container sorting device that can sort specimen containers in a short time.

[0010] Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the specimen container sorting device of the present invention includes: a container gripping and lifting unit that grips a specimen container containing a specimen and moves it in the vertical direction; a conveying unit that moves the container gripping and lifting unit in the horizontal direction; a container identification unit that identifies the attributes of the specimen container; and a control unit that controls the container gripping and lifting unit, the conveying unit, and the container identification unit, and sorts the specimen containers from a first rack where specimen containers of different attributes are mixed according to their attributes into different second racks. The specimen container sorting device is characterized in that the control unit causes the container identification unit to identify the attributes of a plurality of specimen containers while the container gripping and lifting unit grips the plurality of specimen containers.

[0012] Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a specimen container sorting device that can sort specimen containers in a short time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the structure of the specimen container sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a top view of the operation of the conveying unit when sorting specimen containers.

[0016] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing a state where a drawer of a support tray of the specimen container sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is pulled out.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a side view showing a state where each gripping and lifting mechanism independently grips a specimen container.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a side view showing an example of a case where the pitch of the specimen containers is smaller than that of the gripping and lifting mechanism for the specimen containers.

[0019] Figure 6 It is in Figure 5 When sorting a plurality of specimen containers on a pre-sorting rack by the gripping and lifting mechanism of, it is a top view showing an example of the specimen containers gripped in each sorting cycle.

[0020] Figure 7 It is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the container identification unit at the identification position and the container gripping and lifting unit.

[0021] Figure 8 It is a side view showing a state where the container identification unit collectively identifies barcodes attached to specimen containers.

[0022] Figure 9It is a side view showing a state of detecting the liquid volume of a specimen contained in a specimen container.

[0023] Figure 10 It is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a gripping and lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 11 It is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a gripping and lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not construed as being limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand that the specific structure can be changed without departing from the spirit or gist of the present invention.

[0026] In the structure of the invention described below, for the same parts or parts having the same functions, the same reference numerals are commonly used among different drawings, and repeated descriptions are sometimes omitted. In addition, for easy understanding of the invention, the positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, etc. of the respective structures shown in the drawings and the like sometimes do not represent the actual positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, etc. disclosed in the drawings and the like.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the structure of a specimen container sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 1 shown, the specimen container sorting device 1 mainly includes a container gripping and lifting unit 11, a conveying unit 12, a container identification unit 13, an operation unit 14, a display unit 15, and a control unit 16. The container gripping and lifting unit 11 grips a specimen container containing a specimen and moves it in the vertical direction, and is installed on the conveying unit 12. The container gripping and lifting unit 11 has a plurality of (for example, four) gripping and lifting mechanisms, and can grip and lift a plurality of specimen containers 20 simultaneously, which can improve the processing speed. The conveying unit 12 moves the container gripping and lifting unit 11 in the horizontal direction ( Figure 1 the xy direction), and is provided on the top surface of the housing of the specimen container sorting device 1. The container identification unit 13 identifies the attributes of the specimen container 20 (the inspection category and inspection items of the specimen contained in the specimen container 20), and is, for example, a camera that photographs the specimen container 20. The operation unit 14 is used for an operator to input settings of the specimen container sorting device 1 and the like, and is provided on the front surface of the housing of the specimen container sorting device 1. The display unit 15 is used to display the operation status of the specimen container sorting device 1, and is provided on the upper part of the housing of the specimen container sorting device 1. The control unit 16 controls the container gripping and lifting unit 11, the conveying unit 12, the container identification unit 13, the operation unit 14, and the display unit 15.

[0028] In addition, the specimen container sorting device 1 further includes a pre-sorting tray 17 (first tray) provided with a plurality of pre-sorting racks 170 on the bottom surface inside its housing, and a post-sorting tray 18 (second tray) provided with a plurality of post-sorting racks 180. The control unit 16 controls the container gripping and lifting unit 11, the conveying unit 12, etc., and sorts the specimen containers 20 from the respective pre-sorting racks 170 where the specimen containers 20 of different attributes are mixed according to the attributes to different post-sorting racks 180.

[0029] Figure 2 A top view of the operation of the conveying unit when sorting specimen containers. First, the conveying unit 12 moves the container gripping and lifting unit 11 horizontally on the vertical projection of the pre-sorting rack 170 to be extracted provided on the pre-sorting tray 17. Then, when the gripping and lifting mechanism of the container gripping and lifting unit 11 descends to grip the specimen container 20 and then ascends, the conveying unit 12 moves the container gripping and lifting unit 11 horizontally to the identification position as shown by the arrow 201 in Figure 2 .

[0030] At this time, in a state where the control unit 16 grips a plurality of specimen containers 20 with the container gripping and lifting unit 11, the container identification unit 13 (camera) identifies the attributes of the plurality of specimen containers 20 as the sorting destinations at one time, so that the processing time can be shortened. When identifying the attributes of the specimen container 20, for example, the color or shape of the lid of the specimen container 20 included in the image captured by the camera is extracted, and the attributes of the specimen container 20 are determined by comparing the extraction result with a pre-determined attribute table.

[0031] In addition, the analysis process of the image can be executed in the camera or in the control unit 16.

[0032] When the attributes of the specimen container 20 are identified, the post-sorting rack 180 corresponding to the attributes is determined. Therefore, as shown by the arrow 202 in Figure 2 , the conveying unit 12 moves the container gripping and lifting unit 11 horizontally on the vertical projection of the post-sorting rack 180 to be inserted provided on the post-sorting tray 18. In addition, when different-attribute specimen containers are mixed among the plurality of specimen containers 20 gripped by the container gripping and lifting unit 11, which specimen container 20 to move to the post-sorting rack 180 in sequence, for example, is appropriately determined according to the order of the post-sorting racks 180 close to the identification position.

[0033] Next, the gripping and lifting mechanism of the specimen container 20 holding this attribute is independently lowered, the specimen container 20 is inserted into the sorted rack 180, and after releasing the grip, it rises. Among them, when the container gripping and lifting unit 11 is still gripping specimen containers 20 with different attributes, the container gripping and lifting unit 11 horizontally moves on the vertical projection of the sorted rack 180 corresponding to this attribute, and then inserts the specimen container 20. After all the multiple specimen containers 20 held by the container gripping and lifting unit 11 are inserted into the sorted rack 180, as Figure 2 shown by the arrow 203 in

[0034] the conveying unit 12 horizontally moves the container gripping and lifting unit 11 on the vertical projection of the next specimen container 20 to be extracted. The above-described operations are repeated until all the specimen containers 20 in all the pre-sorting racks 170 provided on the pre-sorting tray 17 are used up, or until any one of the sorted racks 180 provided on the sorted tray 18 is full. In the former case, that is, when all the pre-sorting racks 170 become empty, the operator replaces the pre-sorting rack 170 with a new pre-sorting rack on which the specimen container 20 is placed, and then operates the operation unit 14 to start the sorting operation again. In the latter case, that is, when one of the sorted racks 180 is full, the operator replaces the sorted rack 180 with an empty new sorted rack 180, and then operates the operation component 14 to restart the sorting operation.

[0035] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the drawer of the support tray of the specimen container sorting device according to the embodiment of the present invention is pulled out. The pre-sorting tray 17 is supported by the pre-sorting drawer 171, and the sorted tray 18 is supported by the sorted drawer 181. Hereinafter, the structure of the sorted tray 18 will be described as an example, but the same applies to the pre-sorting tray 17.

[0036] As Figure 3 shown by the arrow 301 in Figure 3 the sorted drawer 181 can be pulled out from the lower part of the specimen container sorting device 1 to the front side. In addition, as Figure 3 shown by the arrow 302 in

[0037] the sorted tray 18 can be removed from the sorted drawer 181. And, as shown by the arrow 303 in Figure 3 the sorted rack 180 can be detached from the sorted tray 18. Note that the sorted rack 180 can be detached from the sorted tray 18 even while maintaining the state where the sorted tray 18 is supported by the sorted drawer 181.Among them, on the upper surface of the bottom of the sorted tray 18, a rack setting portion corresponding to the shape and size of the sorted rack 180 is formed by a groove, a partition, or the like, and the sorted rack 180 is positioned relative to the sorted tray 18. When a user including an operator wants to use a sorted rack 180 that does not correspond to the shape or size of the rack setting portion of the set sorted tray 18, another sorted tray 18 with a different rack setting portion is prepared and replaced with the set sorted tray. However, when the sorted tray 18 is replaced, that is, when changing to the desired sorted rack 180, the operator uses the operation unit 14 to input the number of racks, the spacing, the reference coordinates, etc. as the position information of the sorted rack 180. When the operator inputs the position information, the control unit 16 automatically changes the position information of the sorting destination of the specimen container 20. In this way, the specimen container sorting device 1 of the present embodiment can utilize the desired rack according to an inspection facility such as a hospital by registering the position information of the rack only by replacing the tray, so the versatility is high.

[0038] In addition, the container gripping and lifting unit 11 of the present embodiment has a plurality of gripping and lifting mechanisms 110a to 110d, and they can be operated independently of each other. Therefore, it has the following advantages: by gripping and transporting the specimen containers 20 simultaneously, the processing speed is increased, and even if a part of the gripping and lifting mechanisms fails, by gripping the specimen containers 20 with other gripping and lifting mechanisms and continuing the transportation, the sorting operation can be continued without stopping, and maintenance can be performed at any time. Hereinafter, Figures 4 - 6 A method of gripping a plurality of specimen containers 20 will be specifically described.

[0039] Figure 4 It is a side view showing a state in which each gripping and lifting mechanism independently grips a specimen container. Each of the gripping and lifting mechanisms 110a to 110d of the container gripping and lifting unit 11 is provided with an independent Z-axis moving mechanism, and the moving amount is determined in accordance with the heights of the specimen containers 20a to 20d provided on the pre-sorted rack 170 to grip each specimen container. Each of the gripping and lifting mechanisms 110a to 110d is provided with distance measuring units 111a to 111d, and when in the gripping standby position on the vertical projection of the specimen containers 20a to 20d, the distance to each specimen container can be measured. In addition, when the specimen container 20 has no lid, it is also possible to determine whether there is a specimen in the specimen container 20 through the distance measuring unit, and not sort the specimen container 20 that does not contain a specimen. In addition, it is also possible to use the distance measuring units 111a to 111d to confirm whether the gripping and lifting mechanism can grip the specimen container 20. In the case of a gripping failure, a retry operation may be performed until the gripping of the target specimen container 20 is successful. However, since the gripping failure may be due to the setting state of the specimen container 20, a retry operation may be performed in such a way that other specimen containers 20 are gripped first.

[0040] In addition, as Figure 4 shown, if the intervals between the specimen containers 20 in the rack 170 before classification are the same as the intervals of the respective gripping and lifting mechanisms, the gripping and lifting mechanisms 110a to 110d can grip the specimen containers 20a to 20d simultaneously, and a high processing speed can be achieved. Therefore, the set intervals of the gripping and lifting mechanisms 110a to 110d are preferably adjusted in advance according to the rack 170 before classification used in the inspection facility. In addition, the adjustment of the set intervals of the gripping and lifting mechanisms can be performed manually by the operator, or can be automatically performed by the control unit 16 when the operator inputs the intervals between the specimen containers 20 and the like using the operation unit 14. In addition, a camera for monitoring the intervals between the specimen containers 20 in the rack 170 before classification may be additionally provided in the specimen container sorting device 1, and the control unit 16 can automatically perform the adjustment based on the captured image.

[0041] Figure 5 FIG. is a side view showing an example in which the interval between the specimen containers is smaller than that of the gripping and lifting mechanisms for the specimen containers. When the interval between the specimen containers is smaller than the minimum interval of the gripping and lifting mechanisms, the interval of the gripping and lifting mechanisms is preferably set to an integer multiple of the interval between the specimen containers. Figure 5 It shows that by setting the intervals of the gripping and lifting mechanisms 110a to 110d to three times the intervals between the specimen containers 20a to 20d, each gripping and lifting mechanism can skip two and grip the specimen containers simultaneously. Thus, even for a rack before classification with a small interval between the specimen containers, a plurality of specimen containers can be gripped simultaneously for efficient conveyance, and an improvement in the processing speed can be achieved.

[0042] Figure 6 is a top view showing an example of the specimen containers gripped in each sorting cycle in the case of sorting a plurality of specimen containers on a rack before classification by the Figure 5 gripping and lifting mechanisms. As Figure 2 shown, the sorting cycle refers to one cycle that is repeated in the order of extraction, identification, and insertion. Figure 6 The numbers in

[0043] From the viewpoint of improving the processing speed, it is preferable that as many as possible of the gripping and lifting mechanisms grip the specimen containers 20 when the container gripping and lifting unit 11 is in the identification position. In the Figure 6 example, in any of the sorting cycles (1) to (5), all four gripping and lifting mechanisms are in the state of gripping the specimen containers 20 through at least two lifting operations.

[0044] In Figure 6In the example, a pre-sorting rack 170 of a type that can arrange specimen containers 20 in 10 rows by 5 columns is used. On the other hand, as described above, the container gripping and lifting unit has four gripping and lifting mechanisms at a setting interval that is three times the pitch of the specimen containers 20 provided on the pre-sorting rack 170. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the least common multiple of the number of specimen containers in each column, which is "10", and the number of gripping and lifting mechanisms, which is "4", that is, "20", is set as one group, and first, the first two columns in the pre-sorting rack 170 are sorted.

[0045] First, in cycle (1), by one lifting motion, four of the ten specimen containers in the first column are simultaneously gripped. Next, in cycle (2), in the first lifting motion, three of the specimen containers remaining in the first column are simultaneously gripped, and in the second lifting motion, one of the ten specimen containers in the second column is gripped. Further, in cycle (3), in the first lifting motion, three of the specimen containers remaining in the first column are simultaneously gripped, and in the second lifting motion, one of the specimen containers remaining in the second column is gripped. Then, in cycle (4), by one lifting motion, the four specimen containers remaining in the second column are simultaneously gripped. Finally, in cycle (5), in the first lifting motion, two of the specimen containers remaining in the second column are simultaneously gripped, and in the second lifting motion, the other two of the specimen containers remaining in the second column are simultaneously gripped.

[0046] By the above-described procedure, 20 specimen containers up to the first two columns in the pre-sorting rack 170 can be efficiently sorted by a total of eight lifting motions. In addition, the above procedure is merely an example, and the procedure is appropriately determined according to the type of the pre-sorting rack 170, the number of gripping and lifting mechanisms, and the like.

[0047] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the container identification unit for identifying the position and the container gripping and lifting unit. As described above, when the container gripping and lifting unit 11 is in the identification position, substantially all of the gripping and lifting mechanisms are in a state of gripping the specimen containers 20. Therefore, in order to identify the attributes of multiple specimen containers 20 at once, all the multiple specimen containers 20 need to be included in the image captured by the camera (container identification unit 13). Therefore, the control unit 16 of the present embodiment controls the conveying unit 12 so that, in the identification position, in a direction perpendicular to the shooting direction of the camera, the multiple gripping and lifting mechanisms are arranged in a row. In order to maintain the shooting accuracy of the camera well, it is preferable to stop the conveying unit 12 in the identification position. In addition, the row of the multiple gripping and lifting mechanisms may not be strictly perpendicular to the shooting direction of the camera, and may have an offset at a certain angle from the right angle (for example, ±3°). The position adjustment of the container gripping and lifting unit 11 relative to the container identification unit 13 is basically performed by the control unit 16 controlling the conveying unit 12, but asFigure 7 As shown, it can also be performed by controlling the recognition unit position adjustment mechanism 19 of the fixed container recognition unit 13 through the control unit 16.

[0048] Figure 8 It is a side view showing the state where the container recognition unit collectively recognizes the barcodes attached to the specimen containers. The gripping and lifting mechanisms 110a to 110d of the container gripping and lifting unit 11 each have an independent rotation mechanism and can rotate the gripped specimen container 20 as shown by the arrows 801a to 801d in Figure 8 . When the container gripping and lifting unit 11 is at the recognition position, the control unit 16 can also rotate the specimen container 20 through each gripping and lifting mechanism, and identify the attributes of the specimen container based on the barcode information of each specimen container photographed by the camera at this time. Among them, before identifying the barcode information, the attributes of the specimen container are identified according to the color of the lid of the specimen container or the shape of the specimen container. Therefore, when the recognition result based on the barcode is inconsistent with the recognition result based on the color of the lid of the specimen container, etc., the control unit 16 can also output an error to the display unit 15, etc. Through the double-check of the recognition based on the color of the lid of the specimen container, etc. and the recognition based on the barcode, it is possible to confirm the collection of the specimen into the wrong specimen container, the error in pasting the barcode, etc., and the classification accuracy is improved.

[0049] Figure 9 It is a side view showing the state of collectively detecting the liquid volume of the specimen contained in the specimen container.

[0050] The control unit 16 rotates the specimen container 20. If the barcode information is recognized based on the image photographed by the camera, then from the time point when the recognition is successful, the specimen container 20 is further rotated through the gripping and lifting mechanisms 110a to 110d at a specified angle as shown by the arrows 901a to 901d in Figure 9 . Then, the surface of the specimen container 20 other than the barcode attachment surface is located in front of the camera.

[0051] At this time, the control unit 16 detects the liquid volume of the specimen based on the image of the specimen container 20 photographed by the camera. As a method for detecting the liquid volume, consider the following method: After extracting the height of the edge located in the gap of the barcode from the photographed image, consider the length information of the specimen container determined by the attributes of the specimen container to calculate the amount of liquid. In addition, the above-mentioned specified angle is appropriately set according to the barcode pasting area, for example, it is a half rotation. When the detected liquid volume is not within the appropriate range, the control unit 16 can also output an error to the display unit 15, etc.

[0052] In addition, the control unit 16 can also detect the gripping state of the specimen container 20 by the gripping and lifting mechanism (e.g., the inclination of the specimen container) based on the captured image of the camera, and output an error when the specimen container 20 is not properly gripped. In addition, when the specimen container 20 is not properly gripped, it may not be possible to correctly insert the specimen container 20 into the sorted rack 180. Therefore, the sorting destination can be a box shape without restrictions instead of a rack where the insertion location is restricted by holes or the like.

[0053] Next, use Figure 10 and Figure 11 to describe the structure of the gripping and lifting mechanism 110 of the present embodiment.

[0054] Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the gripping and lifting mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 10 shown, the gripping and lifting mechanism 110 has a Z-axis moving mechanism 113, which is driven in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) by the first drive source 112. The first drive source 112 is equipped with a brake and does not operate when the power is OFF. Thus, even during a power outage or an emergency stop, the specimen container can be held at a specified height without falling. In addition, the gripping and lifting mechanism 110 has a distance measuring unit 111 that can measure the height of the specimen container.

[0055] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the gripping and lifting mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 11 shown, in the gripping and lifting mechanism 110 of the present embodiment, the power from the second drive source 114 is transmitted to the opening and closing movement of the claw tip 118 via the drive shaft 115. The claw tip 118 opens and closes through a triangular structure and closes by spring force. In addition, the first one-way clutch 116 and the second one-way clutch 117 are arranged in a double structure with respect to the drive shaft 115. That is, the first one-way clutch 116 is mounted on the drive shaft 115 in a manner that locks the CCW direction, and the second one-way clutch 117 is mounted on the drive shaft 115 in a manner that locks the CW direction. Thus, when the drive shaft 115 rotates in the CW direction 1101, the rotation of the drive shaft 115 is transmitted to the first one-way clutch 116 and rotates between the second one-way clutches 117. Therefore, the specimen container can be rotated while maintaining the gripping state without rotating the cam. On the other hand, when the drive shaft 115 rotates in the CCW direction 1102, only the drive shaft 115 rotates. Therefore, the claw tip 118 opens and closes through the cam structure. At this time, the transmission force of the rotation of the first one-way clutch 116 received from the drive shaft 115 can be stopped by locking the second one-way clutch 117.

[0056] In this way, the gripping and lifting mechanism 110 of the present embodiment can perform the actions of gripping and releasing the specimen container, that is, the opening and closing action of the claw tips 118 and the rotation action of the gripped specimen container, by the same second drive source 114, so that miniaturization can be achieved.

[0057] Reference Signs

[0058] 1: Specimen container sorting device; 11: Container gripping and lifting unit; 12: Conveyor unit; 13: Container identification unit; 14: Operation unit; 15: Display unit; 16: Control unit; 17: Tray before sorting; 18: Tray after sorting; 19: Identification unit position adjustment mechanism; 20, 20a to 20d: Specimen containers; 110, 110a to 110d: Gripping and lifting mechanisms; 111, 111a to 111d: Distance measurement units; 112: First drive source; 113: Z-axis movement mechanism; 114: Second drive source; 115: Drive shaft; 116: First one-way clutch; 117: Second one-way clutch; 118: Claw tips; 170: Rack before sorting; 171: Drawer for use before sorting; 180: Rack after sorting; 181: Drawer for use after sorting.

Claims

1. A specimen container sorting device, comprising: A container gripping and lifting unit that grips a specimen container containing a specimen and moves it in the vertical direction; A conveying unit that moves the container gripping and lifting unit in the horizontal direction; A container identification unit that identifies the attributes of the specimen container; and A control unit that controls the container gripping and lifting unit, the conveying unit, and the container identification unit, Sorting the specimen containers from a first rack where specimen containers of different attributes are mixed according to their attributes into different second racks, The specimen container sorting device is characterized in that The control unit makes the container identification unit identify the attributes of a plurality of the specimen containers while the container gripping and lifting unit grips the plurality of specimen containers.

2. The specimen container sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that The container gripping and lifting unit has a plurality of independent gripping and lifting mechanisms, The control unit controls the conveying unit to horizontally move the container gripping and lifting unit onto the vertical projection of the second rack corresponding to the attribute identified by the container identification unit, The control unit controls the gripping and lifting mechanism to independently lower the specimen containers identified by the container identification unit and insert them into the second rack.

3. The specimen container classification device according to claim 1, wherein It further comprises: A tray formed with a rack setting portion corresponding to the shape and size of the first rack or the second rack; and A drawer for supporting the tray, The tray can be replaced with a tray having a different rack setting portion.

4. The specimen container sorting device according to claim 3, characterized in that When the tray is replaced, the control unit changes the position information of the first rack or the second rack.

5. The specimen container sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that The container identification unit is a camera that photographs the specimen container, The control unit makes the container identification unit identify the attributes of a plurality of the specimen containers while the plurality of gripping and lifting mechanisms are arranged in a row in a direction perpendicular to the photographing direction of the camera.

6. The specimen container sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that The container identification unit is a camera that photographs the specimen container, Based on the color of the lid of the specimen container or the shape of the specimen container included in the image photographed by the camera, the attributes of the specimen container are identified.

7. The specimen container sorting device according to claim 6, characterized in that The gripping and lifting mechanism is provided with a rotating mechanism for rotating the gripped specimen container, The control unit identifies the attributes of the specimen container based on the bar code of the specimen container photographed by the camera when the specimen container is rotated, When the identification result based on the color or the shape of the specimen container is inconsistent with the identification result based on the bar code, an error is output.

8. The specimen container sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that The container identification unit is a camera that photographs the specimen container, The gripping and lifting mechanism is provided with a rotating mechanism for rotating the gripped specimen container, After the control unit captures the barcode of the specimen container with the camera, the control unit rotates the specimen container by a predetermined angle through the rotation mechanism, and then detects the liquid volume of the specimen based on the image of the specimen container captured by the camera.

9. The specimen container sorting device according to claim 2, wherein: The gripping and lifting mechanism performs the actions of gripping and releasing the specimen container and the rotation action of the gripped specimen container by means of a dual structure of a one-way clutch using a common drive source.

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