Reaction cup allowance detection method and system based on cooperation of mechanical arm and drawer

Abstract

The invention discloses a reaction cup allowance detection method and system based on cooperation of a mechanical arm and a drawer, and the method comprises the steps: responding to an instruction for detecting the allowance of a reaction cup, and synchronously or successively carrying out the following two control instructions: controlling the drawer to be completely opened, and controlling the mechanical arm to move, so that a sensor is located at a preset detection position; controlling the drawer to retract at a constant speed v, and starting timing; a sensor is used for monitoring the state of the reaction cup; when the sensor detects the reaction cup for the first time, the current time t is recorded; and calculating the number of used reaction cups and / or the number of residual reaction cups based on the constant speed v, the recorded time t and preset structure parameters. According to the invention, physical motion parameters such as speed v, time t and known structure parameters are ingeniously converted into reaction cup number data, an expensive and easily polluted photoelectric or weighing sensor does not need to be additionally arranged, and the hardware cost and maintenance complexity of an analytical instrument are remarkably reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of reaction cup detection technology, and in particular to a method and system for detecting the remaining amount of a reaction cup based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer. Background Technology

[0002] In automated analytical instruments, especially medical and biochemical analyzers that require batch sample processing, monitoring the remaining quantity of critical consumables such as reaction cups and reagents is crucial for ensuring continuous and efficient operation. Traditional reaction cup remaining quantity monitoring techniques typically rely on adding hardware modules below or to the side of the reaction cup tray. For example, a photoelectric sensor array is used to determine the presence of a reaction cup by utilizing the obstruction or reflection of the light beam, as shown in patent CN 115684624 A. Another common method is to use a weighing module to indirectly estimate the number of remaining reaction cups by weighing the total weight of the reaction cup tray in real time. However, these traditional methods have significant drawbacks: First, adding additional photoelectric sensors or weighing modules significantly increases the hardware cost of the instrument, raising the overall manufacturing cost. Second, in practical applications, due to potential contamination from reagent splashes, dust, or moisture within the analytical instrument, these additional sensors are easily affected by contaminants, leading to inaccurate monitoring data or system misjudgments, thus reducing the reliability and stability of the instrument. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a method and system for detecting the remaining amount of reaction cups based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer, which can be achieved intelligently, reliably and at low cost by utilizing the existing mechanical structure of the instrument without the need for additional hardware.

[0004] Technical solution: To achieve the above objectives, the reaction cup residual detection method based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer of the present invention is applied to an analytical instrument and implemented by the control system of the analytical instrument. The analytical instrument includes a drawer for storing reaction cups and a robotic arm equipped with sensors.

[0005] The drawer has at least one row of cup positions, and each row of cup positions has a corresponding detection position. When the drawer is fully extended, all cup positions in the same row will pass through the detection position when the drawer is retracted. When placing reaction cups into the drawer, for a row of cup positions, reaction cups are placed in sequence starting from the first cup position. If there is already a reaction cup in the first cup position, the reaction cup is placed in the second cup position. That is, when the drawer is fully open, reaction cups are placed starting from the empty position farthest from the detection position. When removing reaction cups from the drawer, with the drawer open, the reaction cup closest to the detection position is removed first.

[0006] The detection methods include:

[0007] In response to the instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction cup, the following two control instructions are implemented simultaneously or sequentially: control the drawer to open completely, and control the robotic arm to move to a preset pose so that the sensor is located at a preset detection position;

[0008] Control the drawer to retract at a constant speed v and start the timer;

[0009] The state of the reaction cup during the drawer retraction process is monitored using the sensor located at the detection position;

[0010] When the sensor first detects the reaction cup, the current time t is recorded;

[0011] Based on the constant speed v, the recorded time t, and the preset structural parameters, the number of reaction cups used and / or the number of reaction cups remaining are calculated, and the amount of reaction cups used and / or the amount of reaction cups remaining are updated.

[0012] Furthermore, the specific formula for calculating the number of reaction cups used is: N used = [(L0-v×t) / d];

[0013] Where, N used L0 is the number of reaction cups used; L0 is the preset distance from the detection position to the first reaction cup in the full state, which is also the reaction cup farthest from the detection position when the drawer is open; d is the center distance between adjacent reaction cups; [...] is the rounding function.

[0014] Furthermore, the instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction cup is issued by the user through an interactive device, or automatically by the control system when preset conditions are met; the preset conditions include the following: the robotic arm is in an idle state. In addition, provided the above conditions are met, the preset conditions may also include the following: the time since the last reaction cup remaining amount check operation reaches a preset time, thus avoiding frequent checks.

[0015] The aforementioned interactive device can be a commonly used interactive device such as a button or a touch screen.

[0016] Furthermore, the drawer has multiple rows of cup positions, each row of cup positions has a corresponding detection position; after each row of cup positions is detected, the robotic arm is controlled to move so that the sensor moves to the detection position corresponding to the next row of cup positions, and the detection of the next row of cup positions is performed, until all rows of cup positions are detected.

[0017] A reaction cup residual detection system based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer, comprising:

[0018] The first control module is used to respond to the instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction cup and to implement the following two control instructions simultaneously or sequentially: control the drawer to open completely, and control the robotic arm to move to a preset pose so that the sensor is located at a preset detection position;

[0019] The second control module is used to control the drawer to retract at a constant speed v and to start a timer;

[0020] A detection module is used to monitor the state of the reaction cup during the retraction of the drawer using the sensor located at the detection position;

[0021] A recording module is used to record the current time t when the sensor first detects the reaction cup;

[0022] The calculation module is used to calculate the number of reaction cups used and / or the number of reaction cups remaining based on the constant speed v, the recorded time t, and the preset structural parameters, and to update the reaction cup usage and / or reaction cup balance.

[0023] Beneficial Effects: The reaction cup residual detection method and system based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] (1) The reaction cup remaining quantity detection method of the present invention differs from the traditional detection method that uses a dedicated detection sensor and / or detection mechanism. In the present invention, the sensor is fixed in a preset detection position by a robotic arm, and the drawer is precisely controlled to retract at a constant speed v. This ingeniously converts the physical motion parameters speed v, time t, and known structural parameters into reaction cup quantity data, eliminating the need for additional expensive and easily contaminated photoelectric or weighing sensors, thus significantly reducing the hardware cost and maintenance complexity of the analytical instrument. In addition, since the measurement is based on the precise timing of mechanical motion, the reliability and anti-interference ability of the detection results are improved.

[0025] (2) The formula for calculating the number of reaction cups can be used to quickly and accurately estimate the actual number of reaction cups by using structural parameters L0 and d and motion parameters v and t. Furthermore, by rounding up, it can avoid misjudgment caused by mechanical errors or edge detection deviations, thus ensuring the accuracy of the detection data.

[0026] (3) By introducing detection commands issued automatically by the control system when the robotic arm is idle, automatic inventory in the background without human intervention is realized, which effectively utilizes the idle time of the equipment. By setting the condition that the time since the last detection reaches a preset time, the control system can avoid frequent and redundant detection operations, thereby extending the service life of mechanical parts and optimizing the allocation of system resources, ensuring the real-time and timeliness of detection data. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 A diagram showing the configuration of the analytical instrument;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting the remaining amount of a reaction cup based on the interaction between a robotic arm and a drawer.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a reaction cup balance detection system based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] The reaction cup residual detection method of the present invention based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer is applied to, for example... Figure 1 The analytical instrument shown is equipped with a robotic arm 2 and is controlled by the analytical instrument's control system. The analytical instrument includes a drawer 1 for storing reaction cups, and the robotic arm is equipped with sensors 3. The robotic arm 2 itself is set up for operations such as moving cups and trays 4 and moving reaction cups, and is not specifically set up for detecting the remaining amount of reaction cups.

[0032] The cup tray 4 inside drawer 1 has at least one row of cup positions, and each row of cup positions has a corresponding detection position. When drawer 1 is fully pulled out, all cup positions in the same row will pass through the detection position when drawer 1 is retracted. When placing reaction cups into drawer 1, for a row of cup positions, reaction cups are placed in sequence starting from the first cup position. If there is already a reaction cup in the first cup position, the reaction cup is placed in the second cup position. That is, when drawer 1 is fully open, reaction cups are placed starting from the empty position farthest from the detection position. When removing reaction cups from drawer 1, with drawer 1 in the open state, the reaction cup closest to the detection position is removed first.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the detection method includes the following steps S101-S105:

[0034] Step S101: In response to the instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction cup, the following two control instructions are implemented simultaneously or sequentially: control the drawer 1 to fully open, and control the robotic arm 2 to move to a preset pose so that the sensor 3 is located at a preset detection position;

[0035] Step S102: Control the drawer 1 to retract at a constant speed v and start the timer;

[0036] Step S103: The sensor 3 located at the detection position is used to monitor the state of the reaction cup during the retraction of the drawer 1;

[0037] Step S104: When the sensor 3 first detects the reaction cup, record the current time t;

[0038] Step S105: Based on the constant speed v, the recorded time t, and the preset structural parameters, calculate the number of reaction cups used and / or the number of reaction cups remaining, and update the reaction cup usage and / or reaction cup balance.

[0039] The reaction vessel quantity detection method of this invention differs from traditional detection methods that involve installing dedicated detection sensors 3 and / or detection mechanisms. This invention utilizes a built-in robotic arm 2 and sensors 3 on the robotic arm 2. The robotic arm 2 fixes the sensors 3 in a preset detection position, and precisely controls the drawer 1 to retract at a constant speed v. This cleverly converts the physical motion parameters speed v, time t, and known structural parameters into reaction vessel quantity data, eliminating the need for expensive and easily contaminated photoelectric or weighing sensors 3, significantly reducing the hardware cost and maintenance complexity of the analytical instrument. Furthermore, because the measurement is based on the precise timing of mechanical motion, it improves the reliability and anti-interference capability of the detection results.

[0040] Preferably, the specific formula for calculating the number of reaction cups used in step S105 above is: N used =[(L0-v×t) / d];

[0041] Where, N used L0 is the number of reaction cups used; L0 is the preset distance from the detection position to the first reaction cup in the full state, which is also the reaction cup farthest from the detection position when drawer 1 is open; d is the center distance between adjacent reaction cups; [...] is the rounding function.

[0042] The formula for calculating the number of reaction cups can quickly and accurately estimate the actual number of reaction cups using structural parameters L0 and d, as well as motion parameters v and t. Furthermore, by rounding down the calculation, it can avoid misjudgments caused by mechanical errors or edge detection deviations, thus ensuring the accuracy of the detection data.

[0043] Preferably, the instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction cup is issued by the user through an interactive device, or automatically by the control system when preset conditions are met; the preset conditions include the following: the robotic arm 2 is in an idle state. Furthermore, provided the above conditions are met, the preset conditions may also include the following: the time since the last reaction cup remaining amount check operation reaches a preset time, thus avoiding frequent checks.

[0044] The aforementioned interactive device can be a commonly used interactive device such as a button or a touch screen.

[0045] By introducing a control system that automatically issues detection commands when robotic arm 2 is idle, automatic inventory checks without human intervention are achieved, effectively utilizing the equipment's downtime. By setting a preset time interval between the last detection and the current time, the control system avoids frequent and redundant detection operations, thereby extending the lifespan of mechanical components, optimizing system resource allocation, and ensuring the real-time nature and timeliness of detection data.

[0046] Preferably, the drawer 1 has multiple rows of cups, each row having a corresponding detection position. After each row of cups is detected, the robotic arm 2 is controlled to move so that the sensor 3 moves to the detection position corresponding to the next row of cups, and the next row of cups is detected, until all rows of cups are detected. Through the above steps, it is not necessary to set an independent detection sensor 3 for each row of reaction cups. This design further consolidates the advantage of low hardware cost and completes the full inventory of the entire reaction cup tray 4 through a unified measurement logic.

[0047] Preferably, the above-mentioned method for checking the remaining reaction cups is performed during the power-on, restart, and reset processes of the equipment. During these processes, the analyzer's robotic arm, reagent needle, sample needle, incubation unit, etc., are all returned to their positions, except for drawer 1, which remains locked and inactive. A pop-up window appears on the analyzer's touchscreen or other interactive devices prompting "Check the remaining reaction cups?" or "Check if the reaction cups meet the current testing requirements." After the user clicks "Confirm," drawer 1 is unlocked and pushed out. The user can then manually check the remaining reaction cups. After clicking "Retract," steps S101-S105 are performed during the drawer retraction process, and the number of reaction cups is counted. During this counting process, the detection button is grayed out and disabled. When the option is "Check if the reaction cups meet the current testing requirements," after counting the remaining reaction cups, the remaining amount is compared with the number of test samples to determine if there are enough reaction cups. The corresponding result is then displayed on the touchscreen.

[0048] This invention also provides a reaction cup balance detection system 200 based on the cooperation of a robotic arm 2 and a drawer 1. The detection system 200 may include or be divided into one or more program modules. One or more program modules are stored in a storage medium and executed by one or more processors to complete this invention and implement the above-described detection method. In this embodiment, a program module refers to a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing a specific function, which is more suitable than the program itself for describing the execution process of the detection system 200 in the storage medium. The following description will specifically introduce the functions of each program module in this embodiment, such as... Figure 3 As shown, it includes:

[0049] The first control module 210 is used to respond to the instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction cup and to implement the following two control instructions simultaneously or sequentially: control the drawer 1 to open completely, and control the robotic arm 2 to move to a preset pose so that the sensor 3 is located at a preset detection position;

[0050] The second control module 220 is used to control the drawer 1 to retract at a constant speed v and to start a timer;

[0051] Detection module 230 is used to monitor the state of the reaction cup during the retraction of the drawer 1 using the sensor 3 located at the detection position;

[0052] Recording module 240 is used to record the current time t when the sensor 3 first detects the reaction cup;

[0053] The calculation module 250 is used to calculate the number of reaction cups used and / or the number of reaction cups remaining based on the constant speed v, the recorded time t and the preset structural parameters, and to update the reaction cup usage and / or reaction cup balance.

[0054] Other aspects of implementing the above detection method based on the detection system 200 have been described in detail in previous embodiments. Please refer to the corresponding content in the previous embodiments. They will not be repeated here.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the remaining amount of a reaction cup based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer, applied to an analytical instrument and implemented by the control system of the analytical instrument, the analytical instrument including a drawer for storing reaction cups and a robotic arm equipped with sensors; Its features are, The detection methods include: In response to the instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction cup, the following two control instructions are implemented simultaneously or sequentially: control the drawer to open completely, and control the robotic arm to move to a preset pose so that the sensor is located at a preset detection position; Control the drawer to retract at a constant speed v and start the timer; The state of the reaction cup during the drawer retraction process is monitored using the sensor located at the detection position; When the sensor first detects the reaction cup, the current time t is recorded; Based on the constant speed v, the recorded time t, and the preset structural parameters, the number of reaction cups used and / or the number of reaction cups remaining are calculated, and the amount of reaction cups used and / or the amount of reaction cups remaining are updated.

2. The method for detecting the remaining amount of a reaction cup based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific formula for calculating the number of reaction cups used is: N used = [(L0-v×t) / d]; Where, N used L0 is the number of reaction cups used; L0 is the preset distance from the detection position to the first reaction cup in the full state; d is the center distance between adjacent reaction cups; [...] is the rounding function.

3. The method for detecting the remaining amount of a reaction cup based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction vessel is issued by the user through an interactive device, or automatically by the control system when preset conditions are met; the preset conditions include the following: the robotic arm is in an idle state.

4. In the reaction cup remaining quantity detection method based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer as described in claim 3, when the instruction to check the remaining quantity of the reaction cup is issued by the user through an interactive device, after the user issues the inspection instruction, the drawer is controlled to fully open; after the user issues the retraction instruction, the drawer is controlled to retract at a constant speed v.

5. The method for detecting the remaining amount of a reaction cup based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drawer has multiple rows of cups, each with a corresponding detection position. After each row of cups is detected, the robotic arm is controlled to move so that the sensor moves to the detection position corresponding to the next row of cups, and the detection of the next row of cups is performed until all rows of cups are detected.

6. A reaction cup residual detection system based on the cooperation of a robotic arm and a drawer, characterized in that, It includes: The first control module is used to respond to the instruction to check the remaining amount of the reaction cup and to implement the following two control instructions simultaneously or sequentially: control the drawer to open completely, and control the robotic arm to move to a preset pose so that the sensor is located at a preset detection position; The second control module is used to control the drawer to retract at a constant speed v and to start a timer; A detection module is used to monitor the state of the reaction cup during the retraction of the drawer using the sensor located at the detection position; A recording module is used to record the current time t when the sensor first detects the reaction cup; The calculation module is used to calculate the number of reaction cups used and / or the number of reaction cups remaining based on the constant speed v, the recorded time t, and the preset structural parameters, and to update the reaction cup usage and / or reaction cup balance.

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