Sucker assembly and slide transfer device

Abstract

The invention provides a suction cup assembly and a slide transfer device, and the suction cup assembly comprises a communicating piece which is provided with an air channel; the rigid suction cup is arranged at one end of the communicating piece, and a gap is formed between the rigid suction cup and the communicating piece; the flexible part is arranged between the communicating part and the rigid suction cup, the flexible part is connected with the communicating part in a sealed mode, and the flexible part is connected with the rigid suction cup in a sealed mode. According to the automatic glass slide picking and placing device, automatic picking, moving and placing of the glass slides can be achieved, and therefore the sorting efficiency and sorting quality of the glass slides are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical equipment, in particular to a suction cup assembly and a slide transfer device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In modern medicine, the technology of slicing pathological tissues and staining them on slides (for example, HE staining, immunohistochemical staining, special staining, or immunofluorescent staining) has become mature. In order to better serve medical diagnosis, information management and orderly sorting of pathological slides after staining are needed, for example, for the convenience of doctors in diagnosis, pathological slides need to be orderly placed in slide trays after staining.

[0003] Currently, laboratory personnel need to manually sort slides after completing the routine work of slicing and staining and after the completion of slide mounting. Since the thickness of the slides is thin, it is not easy to pick up, and there are problems such as glue overflow at the edges of the slide packaging, and after picking up, it is easy to cause adhesion, resulting in low sorting efficiency and high error rate of the slides. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a suction cup assembly and a slide transfer device to realize automatic picking, moving, and placing of slides, thereby improving the sorting efficiency and quality of the slides.

[0005] The first aspect of the present application provides a suction cup assembly, comprising:

[0006] A communication member is provided with an air duct;

[0007] A rigid suction cup is arranged at one end of the communication member, and a gap is provided between the rigid suction cup and the communication member;

[0008] A flexible member is arranged between the communication member and the rigid suction cup, and the flexible member is sealingly connected to the communication member and the rigid suction cup.

[0009] Optionally, the flexible member is arranged in an annular sheet structure extending radially along the communication member, the inner ring of the flexible member is connected to the communication member, and the outer ring of the flexible member is connected to the rigid suction cup.

[0010] Optionally, the communication member comprises a main body portion and a connecting head connected to each other, the connecting head is detachably connected to the main body portion, and the flexible member is clamped between the connecting head and the main body portion.

[0011] Optionally, the rigid suction cup comprises a suction cup body arranged in an annular structure, the inner side of the suction cup body is provided with a flange, and the flexible member is inserted into the inner cavity of the suction cup body and connected to the flange.

[0012] Optionally, the rigid suction cup further comprises a locking member, which is detachably connected to the inner side of the suction cup body, and the flexible member is clamped between the flange and the locking member.

[0013] Optionally, a part of the locking member extends to the outside of the rigid suction cup to form a suction port.

[0014] Optionally, the rigid suction cup is provided with a tapered structure.

[0015] The radial dimension of the tapered structure gradually decreases in the direction away from the communication member.

[0016] Optionally, the suction cup assembly further comprises a micro-motion assembly, and the communication member is connected to the end of the micro-motion assembly.

[0017] Optionally, the micro-motion assembly comprises a screw rod and a nut block matched with each other, the screw rod is parallel to the communication member, and the communication member is connected to the nut block.

[0018] The second aspect of the application provides a slide transfer device, which comprises a motion assembly and any one of the suction cup assemblies provided by the application, and the suction cup assembly is connected to the end of the motion assembly.

[0019] The technical solutions provided by the application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0020] The suction cup assembly provided by the application comprises a communication member, a rigid suction cup and a flexible member; the communication member is provided with an air passage, and the communication member is used for connecting an external negative pressure assembly, so that the suction cup assembly can freely realize suction picking and loose placement; the rigid suction cup is arranged at one end of the communication member, the rigid suction cup is not easy to deform, can effectively control the suction area and the suction strength, prevent the suction cup assembly from being adhered to the surface of an article, realize rapid picking and placement of the article, and form reliable contact between the suction cup assembly and the article, prevent the article from being deformed and causing unstable suction, and realize reliable movement of the article; the flexible member is arranged between the communication member and the rigid suction cup, the flexible member is sealingly connected to the communication member, and the flexible member is sealingly connected to the rigid suction cup, so that the rigid suction cup, the flexible member and the communication member form a sealed gas passage, and the rigid suction cup can generate a reliable negative pressure state; a gap is arranged between the rigid suction cup and the communication member, the deformation constraint of the flexible member is reduced, the rigid suction cup can be stretched and contracted or tilted according to needs, the surface of the article can be prevented from being damaged due to excessive stress, the angle of the suction cup assembly can be ensured to be adapted to the surface of the article, and reliable suction of the article is formed.

[0021] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and cannot limit the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application; Figure 1 Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 3 Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application; Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application; Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application. Structure schematic view of the chuck assembly provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Reference signs: Reference signs:

[0028] 1 - movement assembly;

[0029] 11 - X-direction assembly;

[0030] 11a - X-direction rail;

[0031] 11b - X-direction slider;

[0032] 12 - Y-direction assembly;

[0033] 12a - Y-direction rail;

[0034] 12b - Y-direction slider;

[0035] 13 - Z-direction assembly;

[0036] 13a - Z-direction rail;

[0037] 13b - Z-direction slider;

[0038] 2 - sensing assembly;

[0039] 21 - reader;

[0040] 3 - chuck assembly;

[0041] 31 - communication member;

[0042] 311 - main body;

[0043] 312 - connecting head;

[0044] 32 - flexible member;

[0045] 33 - rigid chuck;

[0046] 331 - chuck body;

[0047] 331a-flange

[0048] 332-locking member

[0049] 33a-closing structure

[0050] 33b-first cavity

[0051] 33c-second cavity

[0052] 34-micro-motion assembly

[0053] 341-mounting frame

[0054] 342-motor

[0055] 343-screw rod

[0056] 344-nut block

[0057] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the application and serve to explain the principles of the application together with the description below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and not to limit the present application.

[0059] In the description of the present application, unless explicitly defined and limited, the terms "first", "second" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance; unless otherwise specified or explained, the term "multiple" means two or more; the terms "connection", "fixation" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, "connection" can be fixed connection, can be detachable connection, or integral connection, or electrical connection; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediate medium. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0060] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the "upper", "lower" and the like described in the embodiments of the present application are described from the angle shown in the drawings, and should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the context, it should also be understood that when referring to an element connected to another element "on" or "below", it can not only be directly connected to another element "on" or "below", but also indirectly connected to another element "on" or "below" through an intermediate element.

[0061] As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a suction cup assembly 3 for picking up and placing articles such as glass slides, which comprises a communicating member 31, a flexible member 32 and a rigid suction cup 33. The communicating member 31 is provided with an air passage, and the communicating member 31 is used to connect an external negative pressure assembly (for example, a negative pressure pump or the like), so that the suction cup assembly 3 can freely realize suction picking up and loose placing; the rigid suction cup 33 is arranged at one end of the communicating member 31, and the rigid suction cup 33 forms a suction port of the suction cup assembly 3. Since the rigid suction cup 33 is not prone to deformation, it can effectively control the suction area and suction strength, prevent the suction cup assembly 3 from being adhered to the surface of the article, realize the rapid picking up and placing of the article, and also enable the suction cup assembly 3 to form reliable contact with the article, prevent the article from being deformed and causing the suction to be not firm, and realize the reliable movement of the article; a gap is arranged between the rigid suction cup 33 and the communicating member 31, the flexible member 32 is arranged between the communicating member 31 and the rigid suction cup 33, the flexible member 32 is sealingly connected to the communicating member 31, and the flexible member 32 is sealingly connected to the rigid suction cup 33, that is, the rigid suction cup 33 and the communicating member 31 are in communication with each other through the flexible member 32, so that the rigid suction cup 33, the flexible member 32 and the communicating member 31 form a sealed gas passage, and the reliable negative pressure state of the rigid suction cup 33 is ensured. Moreover, since the gap is arranged between the rigid suction cup 33 and the communicating member 31, the deformation constraint of the flexible member 32 is reduced, so that the rigid suction cup 33 can be flexibly adjusted according to the needs, such as expansion and contraction buffering or tilting, which can prevent the surface of the article from being damaged due to excessive stress, and can ensure that the angle of the suction cup assembly 3 is adapted to the surface of the article, so as to form reliable suction to the article.

[0062] Further, the flexible member 32 is arranged in an annular sheet structure extending along the radial direction of the communicating member 31, and the communicating member 31 and the rigid suction cup 33 form an annular gap along the radial direction; the inner circle of the flexible member 32 is connected to the communicating member 31, and the outer circle of the flexible member 32 is connected to the rigid suction cup 33. On the one hand, the softness of the flexible member 32 can be increased as much as possible, so that the flexible member 32 can be deformed according to the needs, and the rigid suction cup 33 can form gentle and reliable contact with the surface of the article; on the other hand, the radial deformation of the flexible member 32 can be effectively limited, so as to reduce the adverse effects of the shaking of the rigid suction cup 33. In addition, the structure of the flexible member 32 can be simplified, so as to simplify the production process and reduce the production cost.

[0063] In other embodiments, the flexible member 32 can also be arranged in an annular columnar structure, the communicating member 31 and the rigid suction cup 33 are arranged in an axial gap, one end of the flexible member 32 is connected to the communicating member 31, and the other end of the flexible member 32 is connected to the rigid suction cup 33. The flexible member 32 can also be arranged in an annular conical structure, the communicating member 31 and the rigid suction cup 33 form an annular gap along the radial direction and are arranged in an axial gap, the smaller end of the flexible member 32 is connected to the communicating member 31, and the larger end of the flexible member 32 is connected to the rigid suction cup 33.

[0064] The communication member 31 is provided in a columnar structure, and the air passage extends along the axial direction of the communication member 31. The communication member 31 can be provided as a rigidly connected component, or can be provided with a spring or other buffering member.

[0065] Further, the communication member 31 comprises a main body portion 311 and a connecting head 312 which are detachably connected. The connecting head 312 and the main body portion 311 can be connected to each other in a threaded fitting manner or a snap fitting manner, for example. The flexible member 32 is clamped between the connecting head 312 and the main body portion 311, so as to facilitate the dismounting and replacement of the flexible member 32 and prevent the flexible member 32 from being worn or aged to cause a poor seal. It can be understood that the flexible member 32 and the communication member 31 can also be connected to each other in a non-detachable manner such as bonding or injection molding.

[0066] Further, the rigid suction cup 33 comprises a suction cup body 331 provided in an annular structure. The inner side of the suction cup body 331 is provided with a flange 331a. The flexible member 32 is inserted into the inner cavity of the suction cup body 331 and overlapped with the flange 331a, so as to increase the fitting area of the flexible member 32 and the suction cup body 331 and thus increase the reliability of the connection therebetween.

[0067] Specifically, the inner side of the flange 331a forms a mounting hole, the radial dimension of the mounting hole is greater than the radial dimension of the communication member 31, so that an annular gap is formed between the communication member 31 and the mounting hole. The radial dimension of the flexible member 32 is greater than the radial dimension of the mounting hole, so that an overlapping fitting area is formed between the flexible member 32 and the flange 331a, thereby increasing the fitting area of the flexible member 32 and the suction cup body 331. The radial dimension of the flexible member 32 is not greater than the inner cavity of the suction cup body 331, so as to avoid the flexible member 32 interfering with the side wall of the suction cup body 331, affecting the flatness of the flexible member 32, and causing the flexible member 32 and the rigid suction cup 33 to seal poorly.

[0068] Further, the rigid suction cup 33 further comprises a locking member 332 which is detachably connected to the inner side of the suction cup body 331, for example, the locking member 332 can be connected to the suction cup body 331 in a threaded fitting manner or a snap fitting manner. The flexible member 32 is clamped between the flange 331a and the locking member 332, and the flexible member 32 is pressed by the locking member 332, which can prevent the flexible member 32 and the rigid suction cup 33 from being separated from each other and can also ensure that the flexible member 32 forms a reliable flattened state, thereby improving the sealing effect.

[0069] Further, a part of the locking member 332 extends to the outside of the rigid suction cup 33 to form a suction port, which can facilitate the mounting and dismounting operation of the locking member 332 and can also reduce the area of the suction port, thereby preventing the suction cup assembly 3 from being adhered to the surface of an object.

[0070] Further, the rigid suction cup 33 is provided with a tapered structure 33a, for example, at least one section of the locking member 332 is provided with the tapered structure 33a; and the radial dimension of the tapered structure 33a gradually decreases in the direction away from the communication member 31. By providing the tapered structure 33a, the inner cavity of the rigid suction cup 33 is formed with a first cavity 33b with a larger radial dimension near the communication member 31, so as to increase the deformation space of the flexible member 32, thereby increasing the active adjustment range of the rigid suction cup 33; and the inner cavity of the rigid suction cup 33 is formed with a second cavity 33c with a smaller radial dimension away from the communication member 31, so as to form a larger gas flow speed at the suction port, thereby forming a lower negative pressure state and improving the reliability of the article suction.

[0071] Further, the suction cup assembly 3 provided by the embodiment of the present application further comprises a micro-motion assembly 34, the communication member 31 is fixedly connected to the end of the micro-motion assembly 34, and the rigid suction cup 33 is driven to move axially by the micro-motion assembly 34 to complete the suction, lifting and placing actions, which can improve the accuracy of the action of the rigid suction cup 33 and reduce the impact of the rigid suction cup 33 on the surface of the article.

[0072] Further, the micro-motion assembly 34 comprises a screw rod 343 and a nut block 344 which cooperate with each other, the screw rod 343 is parallel to the communication member 31, and the communication member 31 is fixedly connected to the nut block 344; when the screw rod 343 rotates, the communication member 31 slides axially along the screw rod 343 together with the nut block 344, the transmission is stable, noiseless, and has high transmission efficiency and transmission accuracy. It can be understood that the micro-motion assembly 34 can also use a gas cylinder or other mechanisms that can realize micro linear motion.

[0073] Further, the micro-motion assembly 34 further comprises a mounting frame 341 and a motor 342. The motor 342 is fixedly connected to the mounting frame 341, the screw rod 343 is rotationally connected to the mounting frame 341, and the screw rod 343 is driven to rotate by the motor 342; the middle part of the nut block 344 is connected to the screw rod 343; one side of the nut block 344 extends towards the mounting frame 341 and is slidingly connected to the mounting frame 341, thereby guiding the nut block 344 and ensuring that the nut block 344 moves linearly and reciprocally; the other side of the nut block 344 extends away from the mounting frame and is fixedly connected to the communication member 31.

[0074] As shown in Figures 3-5 The embodiment of the present application also provides a slide transfer device, which comprises the motion assembly 1 and any one of the above-mentioned suction cup assemblies 3, and the suction cup assembly 3 is fixedly connected to the end of the motion assembly 1, and the motion assembly 1 drives the suction cup assembly 3 to move to the target position.

[0075] Further, the motion assembly 1 can adopt a three-axis motion assembly 1, that is, the motion assembly 1 includes an X-direction assembly 11, a Y-direction assembly 12 and a Z-direction assembly 13, so that the end of the motion assembly 1 can reach any position within a certain space range, thereby realizing rapid and accurate spatial motion and ensuring that the suction disc assembly 3 can complete the actions of picking up, moving and placing the slides. It can be understood that the motion assembly 1 can also adopt a mechanical hand or any mechanism capable of realizing spatial motion.

[0076] The Y-direction assembly 12 includes a Y-direction track 12a and a Y-direction slider 12b, and the Y-direction track 12a forms the fixed end of the motion assembly 1. The Y-direction track 12a is fixedly connected to the cabinet body to realize the mounting and fixing of the motion assembly 1 and the cabinet body; the Y-direction slider 12b slides along the Y-direction track 12a, and the Y-direction slider 12b can be connected to a linear transmission mechanism or a driving mechanism such as a belt or a pneumatic cylinder, thereby realizing the reciprocating motion of the Y-direction slider 12b. The number of the Y-direction assembly 12 is two, the two Y-direction assemblies 12 are arranged at intervals along the X-direction, and the two Y-direction assemblies 12 are arranged in parallel with each other, which can better load the overall weight of the motion assembly 1 and improve the stability of the operation of the entire motion assembly 1.

[0077] The X-direction assembly 11 includes an X-direction track 11a and an X-direction slider 11b. The X-direction track 11a is fixedly connected to the Y-direction slider 12b; the X-direction slider 11b slides along the X-direction track 11a, and the X-direction slider 11b can be connected to a linear driving mechanism or a transmission mechanism such as a belt or a pneumatic cylinder, thereby realizing the reciprocating motion of the X-direction slider 11b.

[0078] The Z-direction assembly 13 includes a Z-direction track 13a and a Z-direction slider 13b, and the Z-direction slider 13b forms the end of the motion assembly 1. The Z-direction track 13a is fixedly connected to the X-direction slider 11b; the Z-direction slider 13b slides along the Z-direction track 13a, and the Z-direction slider 13b can be connected to a linear driving mechanism or a transmission mechanism such as a belt or a pneumatic cylinder, thereby realizing the reciprocating motion of the Z-direction slider 13b.

[0079] Further, the slide transfer device provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes a sensing assembly 2, which can continuously identify the code information of the slides during movement. The number of the sensing assembly 2 can be one or multiple; when the number of the sensing assembly 2 is one, the sensing assembly 2 identifies one slide position each time; when the number of the sensing assembly 2 is multiple, the sensing assemblies 2 can be arranged along the X-direction or the Z-direction, and the multiple sensing assemblies 2 simultaneously identify multiple slide positions.

[0080] The slide can include an information area and a sample area, the information area records two-dimensional code, lis code, letter or number and other encoding information, and the sample area encapsulates pathological sections; the information area is arranged at one end of the slide, and the sample area and the information area are arranged along the length direction of the slide. The sensing assembly 2 includes a reader 21, which is used to identify the encoding information of the information area.

[0081] In an embodiment, the sensing assembly 2 includes a reader 21 and a sensor, the reader 21 is used to identify and read the encoding information of the information area on the slide, and the sensor is used to detect whether there is a slide at the current position.

[0082] In another embodiment, the sensing assembly 2 includes two readers 21, which are arranged along the length direction of the slide, and the two readers 21 correspond to the information area when the slide is placed upright and the information area when the slide is placed upside down, respectively, that is, no matter whether the slide is placed upright or upside down, the sensing assembly 2 can accurately identify and read the information of the slide, avoiding that the information of the slide cannot be identified due to the upside-down placement of the slide, and affecting the normal sorting of the slide. In addition, through the combination of the two readers 21, it can also be detected whether there is a slide at the current position, that is, if any one of the readers 21 can identify the information of the slide, then there is a slide at the current position, and if neither of the two readers 21 can identify the information of the slide, then there is no slide at the current position.

[0083] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not used to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A suction cup assembly, characterized in that: include: Connecting piece, provided with air passage; a rigid suction cup, disposed at one end of the connecting piece, with a gap being provided between the rigid suction cup and the connecting piece; The flexible member is arranged between the connecting member and the rigid suction cup, the flexible member is sealedly connected to the connecting member, and the flexible member is sealedly connected to the rigid suction cup.

2. The suction cup assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The flexible member is configured as an annular sheet structure extending radially along the connecting member. The inner ring of the flexible member is connected to the connecting member, and the outer ring of the flexible member is connected to the rigid suction cup.

3. The suction cup assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The connecting piece includes a main body and a connecting head that are connected to each other. The connecting head is detachably connected to the main body, and the flexible piece is sandwiched between the connecting head and the main body.

4. The suction cup assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The rigid suction cup includes a suction cup body, which is arranged in an annular structure. A flange is provided on the inner side of the suction cup body. The flexible member is inserted into the inner cavity of the suction cup body and connected to the flange.

5. The suction cup assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The rigid suction cup further includes a locking piece, which is detachably connected to the inner side of the suction cup body, and the flexible piece is clamped between the flange and the locking piece.

6. The suction cup assembly according to claim 5, wherein: A portion of the locking member extends to the outside of the rigid suction cup to form a suction port.

7. The suction cup assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: At least one section of the rigid suction cup is configured as a closed structure; Along the direction away from the connecting piece, the radial size of the closing structure gradually decreases.

8. The suction cup assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The suction cup assembly further includes a micro-motion assembly, and the connecting piece is connected to the end of the micro-motion assembly.

9. The suction cup assembly according to claim 8, wherein: The micro-motion assembly includes a lead screw and a nut block that cooperate with each other. The lead screw and the connecting piece are parallel to each other, and the connecting piece is connected to the nut block.

10. A slide transfer device, characterized in that: It comprises a motion component and the suction cup component according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the suction cup component is connected to the end of the motion component.

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