A laboratory chip closed-loop automatic flow transfer method and system based on robot cooperation

Abstract

The application provides a laboratory chip closed-loop automatic flow transfer method and system based on robot cooperation, which comprises a host computer, a robot, a code reader, a temporary storage mechanism, a closed-loop conveying track and experimental equipment; the code reader reads the chip model, batch and process state of the chip carrier; the host computer determines the flow transfer task, target position and flow transfer path in combination with the equipment feeding and discharging state, temporary storage position occupation state, track conveying state and corner machine reversing state, and links the robot taking and placing, track conveying, temporary storage, temperature reduction and dust cover opening and closing; the temporary storage mechanism comprises a plurality of cache positions, a lifting mechanism and a temperature reduction temporary storage position, cooperates with a fan, an air flow channel and a heat dissipation space to realize cache temperature reduction, and forms a chip carrier traceable closed-loop flow transfer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated laboratory chip transfer technology, specifically to a closed-loop automated transfer method and system for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration, which is particularly suitable for automated transfer scenarios of semiconductor chips, optoelectronic devices, sensor samples, and other chip carriers that need to be identified, transported, buffered, cooled, and tracked between multiple experimental devices. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing application of semiconductor chips, optoelectronic devices, sensors, and related experimental samples in R&D, testing, small-batch verification, and multi-process experimental scenarios, the flow of chip carriers in laboratories is gradually evolving from manual handling and registration to automation, informatization, and cleanroom practices. Laboratory chip flow typically involves loading, unloading, temporary storage, transfer, code reading and identification, process status confirmation, and connection between different experimental equipment. This flow process not only requires the transfer of chip carrier locations but also must meet the requirements of batch traceability, prevention of mixing, prevention of misplacement, reduction of contamination, and adaptation to the cycle times of different experimental equipment. Especially in scenarios involving heat treatment, testing, sorting, aging, or other experimental processes, chip carriers often need to circulate between multiple experimental devices and enter buffering, cooling, or awaiting the next experimental stage after a specific process is completed. Therefore, how to achieve continuous, closed-loop, and traceable flow of chip carriers within the limited space of a laboratory has become an important direction in the design of laboratory automation systems.

[0003] In existing laboratory chip carrier transfer methods, the most common approach is to manually move chip carriers from one experimental device to another, or to use simple conveyor lines for localized transfers. While these methods meet basic handling requirements, they become increasingly inefficient when dealing with a large number of chip carriers, geographically dispersed experimental devices, and inconsistent equipment cycles. This instability is influenced by personnel experience, operating habits, and workload. Particularly in scenarios requiring differentiation of chip models, batches, experimental stages, or process states, relying solely on manual identification and recording can easily lead to omissions, misplacement, mixing of materials, or unclear transfer paths, ultimately affecting the accuracy of experimental data and subsequent traceability.

[0004] Chinese utility model patent CN219791656U, entitled "An Automated Rotary Conveying System Based on RFID Identification," discloses an automated rotary conveying system comprising a PLC controller, a loading robot, a unloading robot, a rotary conveyor line, a branch conveyor line, a transfer machine, a stopper, and an RFID reader. This system utilizes RFID electronic tags and RFID readers to identify rotary pallets and coordinates with robots and conveyor lines to complete material rotary conveying. While this solution can achieve pallet identification and rotary conveying to a certain extent, it primarily targets ordinary materials or pallet conveying scenarios. Its focus is on the material loading and unloading coordination between the rotary conveyor line, branch conveyor line, and robots. It does not address the adaptation design for process status identification, dynamic path allocation, temporary storage management, cooling waiting, dust prevention linkage, and full-process flow recording of laboratory chip carriers across multiple experimental devices.

[0005] For example, Chinese invention patent application CN114148698A, entitled "A Fully Automated Sample and Sample Holder Transfer Device and a Fully Automated Sample Processing System," discloses a main track, a sample loading buffer track, and a sample transfer module, used to achieve automatic transfer of samples and sample holders within the sample processing system. This solution can improve the efficiency of automatic transfer during sample processing, but its application is mainly limited to samples and sample holders. The technical focus is on sample loading, buffering, and transfer within the sample processing system, not on the closed-loop flow of chip carriers between laboratory chip processing steps. For chip carriers, the flow process typically involves the coordinated judgment of multiple factors, such as chip model, batch, process status, equipment loading / unloading status, temporary storage occupancy status, track running status, and cooling conditions. The aforementioned sample transfer solution cannot directly solve the comprehensive problems of cyclic transport, robotic loading / unloading, dynamic temporary storage, and process tracking of chip carriers between multiple experimental devices.

[0006] For example, Chinese invention patent CN115783723B, entitled "Streamlined Carrier Temporary Storage Device," discloses a frame, a main line, a temporary storage line, a first conveying device, a second conveying device, and a moving mechanism including a lifting structure and a pushing structure, used to realize the transfer and temporary storage of carriers between the main line and the temporary storage line. This solution can improve the structural compactness and ease of use of the carrier temporary storage device, but it mainly solves the problem of mechanical temporary storage and transfer of carriers between the main line and the temporary storage line in automated production lines. It has not yet unified the scheduling of carrier identification, experimental equipment feeding and discharging status, track conveying status, robot picking and placing status, cooling temporary storage status, and dust cover opening and closing status, nor has it formed a closed-loop automatic flow control logic suitable for laboratory chip carriers.

[0007] It can be seen that although the prior art has respectively disclosed technical solutions such as RFID identification rotary conveying, automatic transfer of samples and sample racks, and temporary storage of carriers, most of these solutions still remain at the level of single-point equipment or local process optimization, and there is usually a lack of unified collaborative control logic oriented to the flow of lab-on-chip carriers among the components. Robots are often only used as pick-and-place actuators, and fail to form linkage judgment with code reading identification results, empty / full status of temporary storage positions, track operation status, material in / out status of experimental equipment, and cooling conditions; the conveying track often only undertakes the material conveying function, and cannot dynamically determine the flow path according to the identity and process status of the chip carrier; the temporary storage mechanism is often only used as a temporary placement area, and cannot perform dynamic allocation and tracking according to the system status; the dust cover also often cannot be automatically opened and closed according to the robot action sequence. As a result, it is still difficult to realize continuous, controllable, clean and traceable closed-loop automatic flow of chip carriers between experimental equipment.

[0008] In addition, in the scenario of laboratory chip flow, the requirements for cleanliness and pollution prevention are relatively high. The existing manual handling or open conveying methods are easily affected by factors such as falling dust, personnel contact, and air disturbance during the transfer of chip carriers. Although some conveying lines can be equipped with dust covers, the traditional dust-proof structures are usually fixed or fully enclosed structures, which are prone to interfere with the motion space of the robotic arm when the robot picks and places the carriers; if the dust cover is kept open for a long time to meet the pick-and-place requirements of the robot, the dust-proof effect will be weakened. Therefore, when there is no reasonable cooperation among the robot pick-and-place action, the opening and closing action of the dust cover, and the operation of the conveying track, it is difficult to simultaneously satisfy the requirements of the automated pick-and-place space and the clean transfer of the carriers.

[0009] Furthermore, after the chip carrier goes through experimental procedures such as heat treatment, aging or other processes that may cause temperature rise, it is usually necessary to wait for the temperature to drop to a suitable range before entering the subsequent links. Most of the existing treatment methods are to set up a separate cooling station, or manually place the carrier in a temporary area for natural cooling. This method not only occupies extra space, but also increases handling links and waiting time. If there is a lack of position recording and status tracking during the cooling process of the chip carriers, it may also lead to mixed placement of carriers of different batches, or the problem that cooled carriers and uncooled carriers are difficult to distinguish. For laboratories that require continuous experiments or multi-batch parallel processing, the above problems will further reduce the overall flow efficiency.

[0010] Therefore, there is still a need in the prior art to provide a closed-loop automatic flow method and system for laboratory chips that can perform collaborative control of robot pick-and-place, code reading identification, temporary storage position allocation, track conveying, cooling temporary storage, dust-proof linkage and host computer scheduling, so as to improve the problems of insufficient automated connection, inflexible path allocation, imperfect temporary storage management, difficulty in balancing clean transfer, and difficulty in tracking the flow process during the flow of existing laboratory chip carriers. Contents of the Invention

[0011] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a closed-loop automated transfer method and system for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration. Its purpose is to achieve automated transfer, buffer management, and process tracking of chip carriers between experimental equipment, temporary storage mechanisms, and closed-loop transport tracks through collaborative control of code reading and identification, robot picking and placing, dynamic temporary storage, track transport, cooling temporary storage, dust prevention linkage, and record tracking.

[0012] A robot-assisted closed-loop automated transfer method for laboratory chips is applied to a laboratory chip transfer system. The system includes a host computer, a robot, a barcode reader, a temporary storage mechanism, a closed-loop transport track, and experimental equipment. The closed-loop transport track is formed by connecting long tracks, short tracks, and a corner mechanism. The temporary storage mechanism is located on the loading and unloading sides of the closed-loop transport track and has multiple temporary storage positions for placing chip carriers. The robot is positioned in the pick-and-place operation area between the experimental equipment, the temporary storage mechanism, and the closed-loop transport track. The barcode reader is located on the transfer path of the chip carriers and is communicatively connected to the host computer. The method includes:

[0013] The reader reads the carrier information of the chip carrier and sends the carrier information to the host computer. The carrier information includes chip model information, batch information and process status information.

[0014] The host computer acquires the feeding and discharging status of the experimental equipment, the occupancy status of each temporary storage position in the temporary storage mechanism, the conveying status of the closed-loop conveying track, and the reversing status of the corner machine. Based on the carrier information, it determines the flow task corresponding to the chip carrier, and determines the target position of the chip carrier and the flow path to the target position based on the flow task, the feeding and discharging status, the occupancy status, the conveying status, and the reversing status. The flow path includes a long track conveying section, a short track bridging section, and a corner machine reversing node.

[0015] The host computer sends pick-up and place instructions to the robot corresponding to the target position, sends conveying instructions to the closed-loop conveying track corresponding to the flow path, and controls the dust cover corresponding to the pick-up and place position to open before the robot performs the pick-up and place action, and controls the dust cover to close after the pick-up and place action is completed.

[0016] When the workflow task includes caching or cooling requirements, the host computer determines the target temporary storage location or cooling temporary storage location from the temporary storage mechanism according to the occupancy status, and controls the robot to put the chip carrier into or take out the target temporary storage location or the cooling temporary storage location.

[0017] After the robot completes the pick-up and place-down action, it sends a signal to the host computer to indicate that the action is complete. The host computer then updates the position status of the chip carrier, the occupancy status of the corresponding temporary storage location, and the flow record, so that the chip carrier can perform a traceable closed-loop automatic flow between the experimental equipment, the temporary storage mechanism, and the closed-loop transport track.

[0018] Furthermore, the host computer pre-stores a workflow task rule table corresponding to the chip model information, the batch information, and the process status information. Each rule record in the workflow task rule table includes the target experimental equipment, the allowed temporary storage type, whether cooling is required, the location of the abnormal handling, the conditions of the next process, and the task priority. The host computer matches the carrier information read by the code reader with the workflow task rule table and performs a continuity check on the process status information in conjunction with the previous workflow record to determine the target experimental equipment, target temporary storage location, cooling temporary storage location, or target track position corresponding to the chip carrier.

[0019] Furthermore, when determining the flow path, the host computer divides the long track, the short track, and the corner machine into manageable track resource units, and judges the idle, occupied, pre-occupied, faulty, or prohibited entry status of each track resource unit. The host computer generates a path pre-occupancy identifier corresponding to the chip carrier for the selected long track conveying section, short track bridging section, and corner machine reversing node. When any track resource unit cannot be pre-occupied, a waiting instruction or replanning instruction is generated. When the chip carrier leaves the corresponding conveying section or reversing node and reaches the next confirmed position, the corresponding path resource is released.

[0020] Furthermore, when determining the target temporary storage position, the host computer selects a temporary storage position that matches the subsequent flow path from the idle temporary storage positions as the target temporary storage position based on the occupancy status of each temporary storage position, the subsequent flow path corresponding to the chip carrier, the pick-up and place distance of the robot to each temporary storage position, the feeding and unloading status of the experimental equipment, and the batch isolation requirements of the chip carrier. Before sending the robot pick-up and place command, the host computer updates the target temporary storage position to a pre-occupied state. When the temporary storage mechanism includes multiple layers of buffer positions and a lifting mechanism, the host computer controls the lifting mechanism to move the target temporary storage position to a position corresponding to the pick-up and place height of the robot, and allows the robot to perform the pick-up and place action after receiving the lifting position signal.

[0021] Furthermore, when the transfer task includes a cooling requirement, the host computer determines the cooling temporary storage position with cooling function and in an idle state as the target location, controls the robot to place the chip carrier into the cooling temporary storage position, and updates the cooling temporary storage position to a cooling in progress state; the host computer controls the fan corresponding to the cooling temporary storage position to form a cooling airflow that sequentially passes through the airflow channel, the location of the chip carrier, and the heat dissipation space, and determines whether the chip carrier meets the subsequent transfer conditions based on the preset cooling duration, temperature acquisition information, or subsequent process conditions. If the conditions are met, the cooling temporary storage position is updated to a removable state and a removal command is generated.

[0022] Furthermore, the dust cover includes a segmented opening dust cover mounted on the long track and a flip-top dust cover mounted in the robot's pick-and-place operation area. Both the segmented opening dust cover and the flip-top dust cover have an open and closed state. The host computer selects the appropriate segmented opening dust cover or flip-top dust cover to open according to the robot's pick-and-place position. After confirming that the dust cover is fully open, the closed-loop conveying track stops at the pick-and-place position, and the corresponding track resources have been pre-occupied, the host computer allows the robot to perform the pick-and-place action. After the robot sends a feedback signal indicating that the action is completed, the host computer controls the corresponding dust cover to close. After confirming that the dust cover is fully closed, the host computer allows the closed-loop conveying track to continue conveying.

[0023] Furthermore, when the carrier information does not match the preset flow task rules, the code reader fails to read valid carrier information, or the process status information is discontinuous with the previous flow record, the host computer determines the target position of the chip carrier as an abnormal handling position, records the cause of the abnormality, and controls the robot or the closed-loop conveyor track to transfer the chip carrier to the designated track position or reserve an abnormal temporary storage position. When the chip carrier passes through the code reading position, experimental equipment, temporary storage position, cooling temporary storage position, and track position, the host computer records the corresponding carrier information, current position, target position, flow task, execution component, action type, and flow time to form the flow record of the chip carrier.

[0024] Furthermore, it includes a host computer, a robot, a barcode reader, a temporary storage mechanism, a closed-loop conveyor track, and experimental equipment. The closed-loop conveyor track is formed by connecting long tracks, short tracks, and a corner mechanism. The temporary storage mechanism is located on the loading and unloading side of the closed-loop conveyor track and has multiple temporary storage positions for placing chip carriers. The robot is located in the picking and placing operation area between the experimental equipment, the temporary storage mechanism, and the closed-loop conveyor track. The barcode reader is located on the flow path of the chip carrier and is communicatively connected to the host computer.

[0025] The host computer is communicatively connected to the robot, the barcode reader, the temporary storage mechanism, the closed-loop conveyor track, the cornering machine, and the dust cover installed on the closed-loop conveyor track. The host computer includes a task rule matching module, a status acquisition module, a path resource pre-allocation module, a temporary storage allocation module, a dust prevention interlock module, a cooling judgment module, and a flow record module. The task rule matching module is used to determine the flow task based on the vehicle information. The status acquisition module is used to acquire the material feeding and discharging status of the experimental equipment, the occupancy status of each temporary storage location, and the status of the... The system describes the conveying status of the closed-loop conveying track, the reversing status of the corner machine, and the opening / closing status of the dust cover. The path resource pre-occupancy module is used to determine and pre-occupy the flow path. The temporary storage allocation module is used to determine the target temporary storage location or cooling temporary storage location. The dust prevention interlock module is used to control the opening or closing of the dust cover before and after the robot picks up and places the chip. The cooling judgment module is used to determine whether the chip carrier with cooling requirements meets the subsequent flow conditions. The flow record module is used to update the position status of the chip carrier, the occupancy status of the corresponding temporary storage location, and the flow record.

[0026] Furthermore, the temporary storage mechanism includes multiple layers of cache positions, a lifting mechanism corresponding to the multiple layers of cache positions, and a cooling temporary storage position with a cooling function. Each temporary storage position is equipped with a status detection device for feedback of idle, occupied, pre-occupied, cooling in progress, or abnormal isolation status. The lifting mechanism is communicatively connected to the host computer and is used to move the target temporary storage position to a position corresponding to the robot's pick-up and place height. The cooling temporary storage position cooperates with a fan, airflow channel, heat dissipation space, and temperature acquisition device. The fan is used to generate a cooling airflow through the cooling temporary storage position. The airflow channel is used to guide the airflow through the location of the chip carrier. The heat dissipation space is used to exhaust heat. The temperature acquisition device is used to feed back temperature information of the cooling temporary storage position or the vicinity of the chip carrier to the host computer.

[0027] Furthermore, the dust cover includes a segmented opening dust cover disposed on the long track and a flip-top dust cover disposed in the robot's pick-and-place operation area. The segmented opening dust cover and the flip-top dust cover are respectively provided with an opening position detection device and a closing position detection device, and are respectively communicatively connected to the host computer. The host computer controls the opening or closing of the corresponding dust cover according to the robot's pick-and-place position, and restricts the robot from entering the pick-and-place operation area when the corresponding dust cover is not fully open, and restricts the start of the closed-loop conveyor track from starting the conveying when the corresponding dust cover is not fully closed. The host computer is also used to update the position status of the chip carrier, the occupancy status of the corresponding temporary storage position, and the flow record of the chip carrier according to the robot's action completion signal, the opening / closing position status of the dust cover, and the position status of the closed-loop conveyor track.

[0028] This invention also provides a robot-collaborative closed-loop automated throughput system for laboratory chips, including a host computer, a robot, a barcode reader, a temporary storage mechanism, a closed-loop transport track, and experimental equipment. The host computer is communicatively connected to the robot, the barcode reader, the temporary storage mechanism, the closed-loop transport track, the corner mechanism, and the dust cover, and includes a task rule matching module, a status acquisition module, a path resource pre-allocation module, a temporary storage allocation module, a dust cover interlock module, a cooling condition judgment module, and a throughput record module, to respectively complete the throughput task determination, system status acquisition, path resource pre-allocation, allocation of target temporary storage positions or cooling temporary storage positions, dust cover opening and closing interlock, cooling condition judgment, and throughput record update.

[0029] Furthermore, the temporary storage mechanism includes multiple layers of buffer slots, lifting mechanisms corresponding to the multiple layers of buffer slots, and cooling temporary storage slots with cooling functions. Each temporary storage slot is equipped with a status detection device for feedback on idle, occupied, pre-occupied, cooling in progress, or abnormal isolation status. The cooling temporary storage slot works in conjunction with a fan, airflow channel, heat dissipation space, and temperature acquisition device, which is used to feed back temperature information to the host computer. The dust cover includes a segmented opening dust cover and a flip-top dust cover, and is equipped with opening and closing detection devices respectively, to form an interlocking relationship with the robot's pick-and-place actions and the closed-loop conveyor rail conveying actions.

[0030] The present invention provides a closed-loop automatic transfer method and system for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration. Its beneficial effects are that by coordinating the configuration of a host computer, robot, barcode reader, temporary storage mechanism, experimental equipment, closed-loop transport track, corner machine, and dust cover, the chip carrier no longer relies on manual handling and judgment. Instead, it can automatically pick up and place, automatically transport, dynamically buffer, and perform closed-loop return based on carrier information, equipment status, temporary storage status, track resource status, corner machine reversing status, and dust cover opening and closing status. This improves the problems of discontinuous transfer and unstable transfer efficiency between multiple experimental devices.

[0031] By setting up a workflow task rule table and establishing correspondences between chip model information, batch information, process status information, target experimental equipment, allowed temporary storage type, cooling requirements, anomaly handling location, next process conditions, and task priority, the chip carrier can establish identification, process status verification, and task matching relationships as it enters the transport process. This setting can reduce problems such as misplacement, mixing, and missed transfers caused by manual registration errors, batch confusion, discontinuous process status jumps, and incorrect target equipment selection.

[0032] By dividing long tracks, short tracks, and corner machines into manageable track resource units, and pre-reserving selected transport sections, bridging sections, and reversing nodes, it is possible to prevent different vehicles from simultaneously occupying the same track resource or reversing node when multiple chip vehicles are operating in parallel. This setup allows closed-loop transport tracks to no longer simply transport along fixed routes, but can wait or replan based on track occupancy, pre-reservation, faults, or prohibited entry status, improving the safety and flexibility of path allocation.

[0033] By determining the target temporary storage location based on the temporary storage location's occupancy status, subsequent flow path, robot pick-and-place distance, experimental equipment loading / unloading status, and batch isolation requirements, and updating the target temporary storage location to a pre-occupied state before robot pick-and-place, the temporary storage mechanism can be transformed from a simple placement area into a controlled cache node. This setup helps avoid problems such as mixed placement of multiple batches of chip carriers, repeated allocation of the same temporary storage location, and inconsistent robot pick-and-place targets, and enables ordered caching even when the experimental equipment's cycle time is inconsistent.

[0034] By setting up a cooling temporary storage area, fan, airflow channel, heat dissipation space, and temperature acquisition device, and having the host computer determine whether subsequent transfer is allowed based on preset cooling duration, temperature acquisition information, or subsequent process conditions, chip carriers that have undergone heat treatment, aging, or other temperature-increasing processes can complete cooling and waiting in a controlled location. This setup reduces the space occupation and status confusion caused by separate cooling stations and manual temporary placement, and facilitates the differentiation of states such as cooling in progress, removable, and abnormal isolation.

[0035] By incorporating the open and closed states of segmented and flip-top dust covers into the interlocking conditions for robot pick-up and closed-loop transport, necessary clearance space can be created during robot pick-up and drop, and the transport area can be promptly restored to its shielded state after pick-up and drop. This design reduces the risk of interference between the robot and the dust cover, and also minimizes the impact of dust, personnel contact, and air disturbance on the chip carrier during transport, thus balancing the requirements of automated pick-up and drop and clean transport.

[0036] By recording carrier information, current position, target position, transfer task, executing component, action type, cause of anomaly, and transfer time in the anomaly handling and transfer logs, the entire process of the chip carrier passing through the code reading position, experimental equipment, temporary storage position, cooling temporary storage position, and track position can be continuously recorded. Therefore, this invention improves the controllability, cleanliness, continuity, and traceability of the closed-loop automatic transfer of laboratory chip carriers through the coordinated operation of task rule matching, path pre-allocation, target temporary storage pre-allocation, cooling judgment, dust prevention interlocking, anomaly diversion, and transfer recording. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the overall layout of the laboratory chip closed-loop automatic circulation method and system based on robot collaboration of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the closed-loop conveyor track in this invention.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between the robot, experimental equipment, and temporary storage mechanism in this invention.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the temporary storage mechanism and cooling structure in this invention.

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the cooperation between the dust cover, the closed-loop conveyor track, and the robot in this invention.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the closed-loop automated transfer method for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to the present invention. Figure label:

[0043] Host Computer - 1 Robot - 2 Code Reader - 3 Temporary Storage Mechanism - 4 Closed-Loop Conveyor Track - 5 Long Track - 6 Short Track - 7 Corner Machine - 8 Experimental Equipment - 9 Chip Carrier - 10 Temporary Storage Position - 11 Target Temporary Storage Position - 12 Dust Cover - 13 Segmented Opening Dust Cover - 14 Flip-Top Dust Cover - 15 Multi-Level Cache Position - 16 Lifting Mechanism - 17 Cooling Temporary Storage Position - 18 Fan - 19 Airflow Channel - 20 Heat Dissipation Space - 21 Detailed Implementation

[0044] The technical solution of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

[0045] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "communication connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0046] This embodiment provides a robot-assisted closed-loop automated flow method and system for laboratory chips, used to establish a continuous, controllable, and traceable automated flow relationship between laboratory chip samples, chip carriers 10, and related experimental procedures. This system does not simply transport the chip carrier 10 from one location to another; instead, it uses a host computer 1 to uniformly schedule the robot 2, barcode reader 3, temporary storage mechanism 4, closed-loop transport track 5, dust cover 13, and experimental equipment 9, enabling the chip carrier 10 to determine its flow task, target location, and flow path based on its own carrier information and system status.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, the host computer 1 serves as the system's scheduling and control terminal. The robot 2 is positioned in the pick-and-place operation area between the experimental equipment 9, the temporary storage mechanism 4, and the closed-loop conveyor track 5. The barcode reader 3 is positioned along the flow path of the chip carrier 10. The temporary storage mechanism 4 is positioned on the loading and unloading side of the closed-loop conveyor track 5. The experimental equipment 9 is positioned within the operating range where the robot 2 can pick up and place the chip carrier 10. The host computer 1 is communicatively connected to the robot 2, the barcode reader 3, the temporary storage mechanism 4, the closed-loop conveyor track 5, and the dust cover 13.

[0048] In one specific implementation, the host computer 1 is equipped with a task scheduling unit, a status acquisition unit, a path planning unit, a temporary storage allocation unit, a dust prevention linkage unit, and a flow record unit. The task scheduling unit determines the flow task corresponding to the chip carrier 10 based on the carrier information read by the code reader 3; the status acquisition unit acquires the material feeding and discharging status of the experimental equipment 9, the occupancy status of the temporary storage position 11, the conveying status of the closed-loop conveyor track 5, and the reversing status of the corner machine 8; the path planning unit generates the target position and flow path; the temporary storage allocation unit determines the target temporary storage position 12 or the cooling temporary storage position 18; the dust prevention linkage unit controls the opening and closing of the dust cover 13; and the flow record unit records the flow process of the chip carrier 10.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, the closed-loop transport track 5 is used to receive the chip carrier 10 placed by the robot 2 and transport the chip carrier 10 along a predetermined closed-loop path to the reading position, the track pick-up and drop position, the vicinity of the temporary storage mechanism 4, or the pick-up and drop area near the experimental equipment 9. The closed-loop transport track 5 is formed by connecting a long track 6, a short track 7, and a corner machine 8. The long track 6 serves as the main transport section for carrying the chip carrier 10 for long-distance straight transport. The short track 7 serves as a bridging section for connecting different long tracks 6 or forming short-distance transitions in the closed-loop path. The corner machine 8 is located at the connection between the long track 6 and the short track 7 to enable the chip carrier 10 to change direction when passing through a corner position.

[0050] When the chip carrier 10 moves on the closed-loop conveyor track 5, the host computer 1 determines whether the current path is available based on the occupancy status of the long track 6, the occupancy status of the short track 7, and the reversing status of the corner machine 8, and determines the appropriate conveyor path when there are multiple optional flow segments. When a long track 6 or a short track 7 is already occupied by another chip carrier 10, the host computer 1 will not consider that conveyor segment as an optional path for the current carrier; when a corner machine 8 is not in the target reversing state, the host computer 1 can first control the corner machine 8 to reverse, or temporarily keep the chip carrier 10 at the previous available track position.

[0051] To reduce path conflicts, after determining the flow path, the host computer 1 can pre-reserve the selected long track conveyor section, short track bridging section, and corner machine reversing node. Path pre-reserve means that before the chip carrier 10 enters the corresponding conveyor section or reversing node, the host computer 1 marks the conveyor section or reversing node as being used by the current chip carrier 10, and other chip carriers 10 will not occupy this resource during path planning. When the chip carrier 10 leaves the corresponding position, the host computer 1 releases the corresponding path resource, so that subsequent chip carriers 10 can reuse the path resource.

[0052] The code reader 3 is used to read the carrier information of the chip carrier 10 when it enters the flow path or passes the code reading position. The carrier information includes the chip model information, batch information, and process status information corresponding to the chip carrier 10. The chip model information is used to distinguish the type or specification of the sample carried by the chip carrier 10, the batch information is used to distinguish the production batch or experimental batch of the same model sample, and the process status information is used to characterize the experimental steps that the chip carrier 10 has completed, the experimental steps to be executed, whether there is a cooling requirement, and whether it is allowed to enter the next experimental device 9.

[0053] After receiving the carrier information sent by the code reader 3, the host computer 1 does not directly control the chip carrier 10 to enter a fixed position. Instead, it comprehensively judges the subsequent flow direction of the chip carrier 10 by combining the feeding and discharging status of the experimental equipment 9, the occupancy status of each temporary storage position 11 in the temporary storage mechanism 4, the conveying status of the closed-loop conveying track 5, and the reversing status of the corner machine 8. When the carrier information indicates that the chip carrier 10 should enter a certain experimental process, the host computer 1 can determine the experimental equipment 9 corresponding to that experimental process as the target experimental equipment. When the experimental equipment 9 does not have the feeding conditions or the chip carrier 10 needs to wait for the next process, the host computer 1 can select the target temporary storage position 12 from the temporary storage mechanism 4 as the target position.

[0054] like Figure 3As shown, robot 2 is used to perform pick-and-place operations on the chip carrier 10 between experimental equipment 9, temporary storage mechanism 4, and closed-loop conveyor track 5. Robot 2 is positioned between the three types of work objects, and its end effector can move towards the inlet / outlet positions of experimental equipment 9, the temporary storage position 11 within temporary storage mechanism 4, and the pick-and-place position on the closed-loop conveyor track 5. After receiving pick-and-place instructions from the host computer 1, robot 2 executes the corresponding actions according to the target position.

[0055] For example, when the chip carrier 10 is located on the closed-loop conveyor track 5 and the target position is the experimental device 9, the robot 2 removes the chip carrier 10 from the closed-loop conveyor track 5 and transfers it to the feeding position of the experimental device 9. After the chip carrier 10 completes the corresponding process in the experimental device 9, the robot 2 can remove the chip carrier 10 from the experimental device 9 according to the instructions of the host computer 1, and then put it back into the closed-loop conveyor track 5 or into the temporary storage mechanism 4. When the chip carrier 10 needs to be buffered, the robot 2 puts the chip carrier 10 into the target temporary storage position 12 in the temporary storage mechanism 4; after the buffering is completed, the robot 2 removes the chip carrier 10 from the target temporary storage position 12 and transfers it to the closed-loop conveyor track 5 or the experimental device 9.

[0056] The temporary storage mechanism 4 provides buffer space for chip carriers 10 that cannot temporarily enter the next experimental device 9 or need to wait for subsequent flow conditions. The temporary storage mechanism 4 is provided with multiple temporary storage positions 11, which are used to place chip carriers 10. When determining the target temporary storage position 12, the host computer 1 selects a position from the idle temporary storage positions 11 that matches the subsequent flow path of the chip carrier 10, based on the occupancy status of each temporary storage position 11, the flow task corresponding to the chip carrier 10, the subsequent flow path of the chip carrier 10, the pick-up and put-down distance of the robot 2 to each temporary storage position 11, and the feeding and unloading status of the experimental device 9.

[0057] In a specific temporary storage allocation method, the host computer 1 can first determine whether there is an idle temporary storage position 11 adjacent to the target experimental device 9 or with a short pick-up and drop distance of the robot 2; if there is, the idle temporary storage position 11 is determined as the target temporary storage position 12; if there is not, an idle temporary storage position 11 corresponding to the loading and unloading position of the closed-loop conveying track 5 and not affecting the flow of other chip carriers 10 is selected; if all ordinary temporary storage positions 11 are occupied, the host computer 1 can control the closed-loop conveying track 5 to transport the chip carrier 10 to the target track position to wait, or generate a waiting reminder according to the abnormal strategy.

[0058] like Figure 4As shown, to adapt to the requirements of multi-layer cache and the pick-and-place height of robot 2, temporary storage mechanism 4 includes multi-layer cache positions 16 and lifting mechanism 17. Multi-layer cache positions 16 consist of multiple cache spaces arranged in layers, each of which can be equipped with several temporary storage positions 11 to provide temporary storage locations for multiple chip carriers 10 within a limited space. Lifting mechanism 17 is correspondingly configured with multi-layer cache positions 16 and is communicatively connected to host computer 1, used to move the target temporary storage position 12 to a position corresponding to the pick-and-place height of robot 2.

[0059] Once the host computer 1 determines the target temporary storage location 12, it can control the lifting mechanism 17 to adjust the corresponding cache layer or pick-and-place position to a height range that allows the robot 2 to accurately pick up and place the chip. The robot 2 then places or retrieves the chip carrier 10 at this height, thus avoiding the need for the robot 2 to cover an excessively large vertical pick-and-place area and improving the stability of the cooperation between the robot 2 and the temporary storage mechanism 4. The multi-layered cache locations 16 increase the temporary storage capacity through layered arrangement, and the lifting mechanism 17 achieves the pick-and-place docking between the target temporary storage location 12 and the robot 2 through height adjustment.

[0060] In some experimental procedures, the chip carrier 10 may need to wait for subsequent transfer after completing heat treatment, aging, or other processes that may cause temperature rise. A cooling temporary storage position 18 is provided in the temporary storage mechanism 4 to receive the chip carrier 10 that requires cooling. The cooling temporary storage position 18, together with the fan 19, the airflow channel 20, and the heat dissipation space 21, forms a cooling structure. The fan 19 generates airflow through the cooling temporary storage position 18, the airflow channel 20 guides the airflow through the location of the chip carrier 10, and the heat dissipation space 21 provides space for airflow and heat dissipation.

[0061] When the host computer 1 determines that the workflow task includes a cooling requirement, it controls the robot 2 to place the chip carrier 10 into the cooling temporary storage position 18, instead of directly sending the chip carrier 10 to the next experimental device 9. While the chip carrier 10 is in the cooling temporary storage position 18, the host computer 1 can determine the subsequent workflow timing based on the cooling time, temperature information, or process conditions. The temperature information can be provided by the process status data output by the experimental device 9 or by temperature acquisition data set near the cooling temporary storage position 18. The process conditions may include the waiting time after heat treatment, the temperature range allowed to enter the next experimental device 9, or batch isolation requirements.

[0062] For example, after a chip carrier 10 completes heat treatment, the process status information read by the code reader 3 indicates that the chip carrier 10 needs to cool down. The host computer 1, based on the occupancy status of the temporary storage position 11 and the availability status of the cooling temporary storage position 18, determines the cooling temporary storage position 18 as the target location and controls the robot 2 to place the chip carrier 10 into the cooling temporary storage position 18. Subsequently, the host computer 1 controls the fan 19 to run, causing airflow along the airflow channel 20 past the location of the chip carrier 10 and into the heat dissipation space 21. When the cooling time reaches the preset duration or the temperature information meets the subsequent process conditions, the host computer 1 generates a retrieval command, controlling the robot 2 to remove the chip carrier 10 from the cooling temporary storage position 18 and send it to the closed-loop transport track 5 or the target experimental equipment 9.

[0063] like Figure 5 As shown, to balance automated pick-and-place and clean transport, a dust cover 13 is installed on the closed-loop conveyor track 5. The dust cover 13 includes a segmented opening dust cover 14 and a flip-top dust cover 15. The segmented opening dust cover 14 is installed on the long track 6 and is used to cover the track area when the chip carrier 10 is transported along the long track 6, reducing the possibility of the chip carrier 10 being affected by dust, personnel contact, or air disturbance during open transport. The segmented opening dust cover 14 is arranged in segments, so that the host computer 1 can control the opening of only the corresponding segment according to the pick-and-place position of the robot 2, without having to keep the entire dust cover 13 open for a long time.

[0064] A flip-top dust cover 15 is installed in the pick-and-place operation area of ​​robot 2. It flips outward to create clearance space when robot 2 approaches the closed-loop conveyor track 5 for pick-and-place operations. Before robot 2 performs the pick-and-place action, the host computer 1 determines which segmented dust cover 14 or flip-top dust cover 15 needs to be opened and controls the corresponding dust cover to open. Once the dust cover 13 is fully opened, the host computer 1 sends a pick-and-place permission signal to robot 2. After robot 2 completes the pick-and-place action, the host computer 1 controls the corresponding dust cover 13 to close based on the action completion signal from robot 2.

[0065] In a dust prevention linkage control method, the host computer 1 divides the pick-up and place positions into long track pick-up and place positions, short track pick-up and place positions, experimental equipment pick-up and place positions, and temporary storage mechanism pick-up and place positions. When the pick-up and place position corresponds to the long track 6, the host computer 1 controls the segmented opening dust cover 14 of that section to open; when the pick-up and place position corresponds to the robot 2 performing vertical pick-up and place above the track, the host computer 1 controls the flip-top dust cover 15 to open. If the dust cover 13 does not report the open position status, the host computer 1 pauses the pick-up and place command of the robot 2 or pauses the conveying command of the closed-loop conveying track 5 to avoid interference between the robot 2 and the dust cover 13.

[0066] like Figure 6As shown, the transfer method of the present invention may include the following steps: S1, reading the carrier information of the chip carrier 10 through the code reader 3 and sending it to the host computer 1; S2, the host computer 1 obtains the feeding and discharging status of the experimental equipment 9, the occupancy status of the temporary storage mechanism 4, and the conveying status of the closed-loop conveying track 5; S3, the host computer 1 determines the transfer task corresponding to the chip carrier 10 according to the carrier information; S4, the host computer 1 determines the target position and transfer path according to the transfer task, feeding and discharging status, occupancy status, conveying status, and the reversing status of the corner machine 8.

[0067] Continuing, in S5, the host computer 1 controls the robot 2 to perform the chip carrier 10 picking and placing actions between the experimental equipment 9, the temporary storage mechanism 4, and the closed-loop conveying track 5; in S6, the host computer 1 controls the closed-loop conveying track 5 to convey the chip carrier 10 along the flow path; in S7, the host computer 1 determines whether the chip carrier 10 needs to be buffered or cooled; if so, it proceeds to S8 and controls the robot 2 to place the chip carrier 10 into the target temporary storage position 12 or the cooling temporary storage position 18; if not, it proceeds to S9 and controls the chip carrier 10 to continue flowing to the target position.

[0068] Further, in step S10, the host computer 1 determines whether the carrier information is abnormal; if abnormal, it proceeds to step S11, transferring the chip carrier 10 to the abnormal handling position; if normal, it proceeds to step S12, recording the carrier information, current position, target position, transfer task, and transfer time to form a transfer record; in step S13, it ends the current closed-loop automatic transfer process of the chip carrier or waits for the next transfer task. The execution order of the above steps can be adjusted appropriately according to the actual equipment cycle time, but the collaborative relationship between code reading and recognition, status acquisition, path determination, robot pick-up and place, track conveying, temporary storage / cooling judgment, and recording and tracking remains unchanged.

[0069] Throughout the entire process of chip carrier 10's transfer, host computer 1 records the reading positions, experimental equipment 9, temporary storage position 11, cooling temporary storage position 18, and track position traversed by chip carrier 10. The recorded information includes carrier information, current position, target position, transfer task, transfer time, and action completion signal. Through this recording method, the system can generate a transfer record of chip carrier 10, enabling the tracking of its direction, location, and current status.

[0070] When the carrier information does not match the preset transfer task rules, or when the code reader 3 fails to read valid carrier information, the host computer 1 determines the target position of the chip carrier 10 as the abnormal handling position. The abnormal handling position can be a designated track position on the closed-loop conveyor track 5, or an abnormal temporary storage position reserved in the temporary storage mechanism 4. The host computer 1 controls the robot 2 or the closed-loop conveyor track 5 to transfer the chip carrier 10 to the abnormal handling position and marks the cause of the abnormality in the transfer record for subsequent manual review or re-reading.

[0071] In this embodiment, a collaborative control system is formed between the host computer 1, robot 2, barcode reader 3, temporary storage mechanism 4, closed-loop transport track 5, experimental equipment 9, and dust cover 13, with the chip carrier 10 as the object. The host computer 1 acts as the scheduling terminal, determining the transfer task based on the carrier information read by the barcode reader 3 and the status of each component. The closed-loop transport track 5 forms a cyclical transport path through the long track 6, short track 7, and corner mechanism 8. The robot 2 acts as the pick-and-place execution terminal, transferring the chip carrier 10 between the experimental equipment 9, temporary storage mechanism 4, and closed-loop transport track 5 according to the pick-and-place instructions sent by the host computer 1.

[0072] To further illustrate how the host computer 1 acquires status information, the feeding and discharging status of the experimental equipment 9 in this embodiment can include whether the equipment is idle, whether feeding is allowed, whether discharging is completed, whether there is an equipment alarm, and whether it is under maintenance. The occupancy status of the temporary storage position 11 can include idle, occupied, pre-occupied, cooling in progress, and abnormal isolation status. The conveying status of the closed-loop conveying track 5 can include the occupancy status of the long track 6 and the short track 7, the conveying direction, the conveying speed, the current position, and whether there is a conveying alarm. The reversing status of the corner machine 8 can include the current orientation, the target orientation, reversing in progress, and reversing completed.

[0073] When the host computer 1 determines the target location based on the above status information, it can execute according to priority rules: when the target experimental equipment 9 allows feeding and the flow path is available, the target location is preferentially determined to be the target experimental equipment 9; when the target experimental equipment 9 cannot feed temporarily but there is an available temporary storage position 11, the target location is determined to be the target temporary storage position 12; when the chip carrier 10 has a cooling requirement, the target location is determined to be the cooling temporary storage position 18; when the carrier information is abnormal or the path resources are unavailable and manual processing is required, the target location is determined to be the abnormal processing location. This priority rule enables the chip carrier 10 to have a clear destination under different operating conditions.

[0074] In terms of path planning, the host computer 1 can divide the closed-loop transport track 5 into multiple manageable track units, each corresponding to a physical area of ​​the long track 6, short track 7, or corner machine 8. The path planning unit searches for available track units based on the current and target positions of the chip carrier 10, and excludes occupied or pre-occupied track units. For paths that need to pass through the corner machine 8, the host computer 1 completes the reversal status judgment or reversal control before the chip carrier 10 reaches the corner machine 8, enabling the chip carrier 10 to transfer smoothly at the reversal node.

[0075] Regarding temporary storage control, the target temporary storage bit 12 can be a regular temporary storage bit 11, or it can be a position among the multi-layer cache bits 16 selected under a specific task. When allocating the target temporary storage bit 12, the host computer 1 not only determines whether the temporary storage bit is free, but also determines whether the temporary storage bit meets the batch isolation requirements of the chip carrier 10, whether it is close to the subsequent target experimental equipment 9, whether it is convenient for the robot 2 to pick up and place, and whether it will affect the movement of the lifting mechanism 17. Through the above judgments, the temporary storage mechanism 4 can be transformed from a simple placement area into a controlled dynamic cache unit.

[0076] In terms of cooling control, the cooling buffer 18 works in conjunction with the fan 19, airflow channel 20, and heat dissipation space 21 to enable the chip carrier 10 to cool down synchronously during the buffering period. The air inlet of the airflow channel 20 can correspond to the fan 19, and the air outlet can face the heat dissipation space 21, so that the airflow carries away the heat after passing through the cooling buffer 18. The cooling buffer 18 can be set in a designated layer in the multi-layer cache 16, or it can be set adjacent to the ordinary buffer 11. The host computer 1 records the entry time when the chip carrier 10 enters the cooling buffer 18, and determines the timing of retrieval based on the preset cooling duration or temperature information.

[0077] Regarding dust control, the segmented dust covers 14 are configured to correspond to different sections of the long track 6, and the flip-top dust covers 15 are configured to correspond to the pick-and-place operation areas of the robot 2. Before controlling the robot 2 to pick up or place items, the host computer 1 controls the corresponding dust cover 13 to open; after the robot 2 completes the pick-and-place operation, the dust cover 13 closes. If the robot 2 needs to continuously pick up and place multiple chip carriers 10 in the same area, the host computer 1 can keep the corresponding dust cover 13 open during the continuous pick-and-place cycle and close it after the continuous pick-and-place operation is completed, thereby reducing the impact of frequent opening and closing of the dust cover 13 on the equipment cycle time.

[0078] In terms of record tracking, the transfer records can be stored according to the unique identifier of the chip carrier 10. Each transfer record may include chip model information, batch information, process status information, code reading time, current position, target position, target experimental equipment 9, target temporary storage location 12, cooling temporary storage location 18, the long track 6 and short track 7 traversed, the reversing node of the corner machine 8, the completion time of the robot 2's pick-up and place-down actions, and the opening and closing status of the dust cover 13. Through these records, the movement path and status changes of the chip carrier 10 during the experiment can be completely traced.

[0079] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the host computer 1, robot 2, code reader 3, temporary storage mechanism 4, closed-loop conveyor track 5, long track 6, short track 7, corner machine 8, experimental equipment 9, chip carrier 10, temporary storage position 11, target temporary storage position 12, dust cover 13, segmented opening dust cover 14, flip-top dust cover 15, multi-layer buffer position 16, lifting mechanism 17, cooling temporary storage position 18, fan 19, airflow channel 20, and heat dissipation space 21 in the attached drawings are all described in the specific embodiments. The above attached drawings are only used to facilitate understanding of the relative relationships between the components and should not be construed as limitations on the shape, size, or specific installation position of the components.

[0080] The technical solution of this embodiment enables the chip carrier 10 to automatically switch positions between the experimental equipment 9, the temporary storage mechanism 4, and the closed-loop conveyor track 5 according to the task status without relying on manual handling and continuous recording. Since the host computer 1 considers carrier information, material feeding and discharging status, occupancy status, conveying status, and the reversing status of the corner machine 8 when determining the target position, it can reduce the flow confusion of the chip carrier 10 under conditions of multiple devices, multiple batches, and multiple process states.

[0081] This embodiment can also enable the chip carrier 10 with cooling requirements to complete the cooling waiting in a controlled position through the cooperation of the cooling temporary storage position 18, fan 19, airflow channel 20 and heat dissipation space 21; through the cooperation of the segmented opening dust cover 14 and the flip-type dust cover 15, the robot 2's picking and placing and the closed-loop conveying track 5's shielding and dust prevention can be compatible; through the continuous recording of the flow recording unit, the identity, position, process status and flow time of the chip carrier 10 can be tracked.

[0082] In one task rule configuration method, the host computer 1 can pre-store the correspondence between carrier information and experimental procedures. This correspondence may include the experimental equipment 9 corresponding to the chip model, the flow priority corresponding to the batch, the next procedure corresponding to the process state, whether entry into the normal temporary storage position 11 is allowed, whether entry into the cooling temporary storage position 18 is mandatory, and the exception handling position. When the code reader 3 reads the carrier information of the chip carrier 10, the host computer 1 matches this carrier information with the above correspondence. If the chip model, batch, and process state all match, a normal flow task is generated; if some fields are missing or contradict the preset rules, an exception handling task is generated. Thus, the carrier information is not only used for identity registration but also directly participates in determining the target location and flow path.

[0083] In one path pre-occupancy method, the closed-loop transport track 5 is divided into several track units, each track unit including at least a straight transport unit in the long track 6, a bridging transport unit in the short track 7, and a reversing unit where the corner machine 8 is located. Each track unit is configured with states such as idle, occupied, pre-occupancy, prohibited entry, and fault in the host computer 1. When the chip carrier 10 needs to move from its current position to its target position, the host computer 1 generates candidate paths according to the connection relationships between the track units and excludes track units that are in occupied, pre-occupancy, prohibited entry, or fault states. For candidate paths passing through the corner machine 8, the host computer 1 also determines whether the current reversing direction of the corner machine 8 is consistent with the candidate path; if not, a reversing command is generated first.

[0084] In one robot pick-and-place control method, the pick-and-place instructions sent by the host computer 1 to the robot 2 may include the pick-up position, the placement position, the identifier of the chip carrier 10, the type of pick-and-place action, and the linkage status of the dust cover 13. Before the robot 2 executes the pick-and-place action, the host computer 1 confirms that the target track position or the target temporary storage position 12 has been reserved, confirms that the inlet or outlet of the experimental equipment 9 is in an operable state, and confirms that the corresponding dust cover 13 has been opened and positioned. After the robot 2 completes the pick-and-place action, it returns an action completion signal. The action completion signal may include results such as action success, pick-up failure, placement failure, posture deviation, and safe stop. The host computer 1 updates the system status based on the results.

[0085] In one temporary storage location management method, each temporary storage location 11 corresponds to a location number, layer number, whether it has a cooling function, current occupancy status, carrier information of the corresponding chip carrier 10, and the time of the most recent status update in the host computer 1. When the host computer 1 selects a target temporary storage location 12, it can first filter according to whether it meets the cooling requirements, whether it is close to the subsequent experimental equipment 9, whether it is easy for the lifting mechanism 17 to move, and whether it meets the batch isolation requirements. Then, it selects the temporary storage location with the shortest picking and placing path for the robot 2 or the least impact on subsequent circulation from the filtering results. This management method can prevent multiple chip carriers 10 from entering the temporary storage mechanism 4 in an disorderly manner.

[0086] In one control method of the lifting mechanism 17, before the robot 2 reaches the temporary storage mechanism 4, the host computer 1 controls the lifting mechanism 17 to move the layer where the target temporary storage position 12 is located to the retrieval and placement height of the robot 2. After the lifting mechanism 17 moves into position, the host computer 1 confirms that the target temporary storage position 12 is in a retrieval and placement state, and then sends a retrieval and placement command to the robot 2. When the robot 2 completes the placement action, the host computer 1 updates the target temporary storage position 12 to an occupied state; when the robot 2 completes the retrieval action, the host computer 1 updates the temporary storage position 11 to an idle state. Thus, a collaborative control process is formed between the lifting mechanism 17, the multi-layer buffer position 16, and the robot 2, which matches the determination of the target temporary storage position, the lifting docking, the robot retrieval and placement, and the update of the temporary storage position status.

[0087] In one control method for the cooling temporary storage position 18, the host computer 1 can start the cooling timer when the chip carrier 10 enters the cooling temporary storage position 18, and determine the target cooling duration or target temperature condition based on the process status information. After the fan 19 starts running, the airflow passes through the location of the chip carrier 10 along the airflow channel 20 and exhausts heat in the heat dissipation space 21. If the target cooling duration is reached or the temperature information meets the conditions for entering the next process, the host computer 1 marks the chip carrier 10 in the cooling temporary storage position 18 as removable; if the conditions are not met, the chip carrier 10 is kept in a cooling state to prevent it from being prematurely sent to the subsequent experimental equipment 9.

[0088] In one linkage mode of the dust cover 13, the host computer 1 incorporates the opening and closing states of the segmented dust cover 14 and the flip-top dust cover 15 into the safety confirmation conditions before the robot 2 picks up and places items. If the robot 2's pick-up and place position is above the long track 6, the host computer 1 only opens the corresponding segmented dust cover 14; if the robot 2 needs to extend into the track pick-up and place operation area, the host computer 1 opens the flip-top dust cover 15. During the opening period, the dust cover 13 can keep the relevant conveying section of the closed-loop conveying track 5 stopped or waiting at low speed, and close and resume conveying after the pick-up and place is completed. This control mode allows the dust cover 13 to both provide shielding and not hinder the robot 2's movement.

[0089] In one exception handling method, when the code reader 3 fails to read valid carrier information, the host computer 1 does not send the chip carrier 10 to the normal experimental equipment 9. Instead, it controls the closed-loop conveyor track 5 to transport it to the exception handling position, or controls the robot 2 to place it in a reserved exception temporary storage position. When the carrier information does not match the preset flow task rules, the host computer 1 records the mismatch fields, such as the chip model not being in the task table, the batch status being abnormal, the process status skipping a step, or the cooling status not meeting the requirements, and writes this information into the flow record. Thus, the abnormal chip carrier 10 can be diverted before entering the subsequent process, reducing the risk of mixing and misplacement.

[0090] In one flow record method, the flow record can be established as a master record based on the identifier of the chip carrier 10, and sub-records can be formed according to each reading, picking, unloading, track conveying, temporary storage entry, temporary storage retrieval, cooling start, cooling end, dust cover opening, and dust cover closing. Each sub-record includes the occurrence time, executing component, current position, target position, execution result, and associated task number. The host computer 1 can query the complete flow trajectory of the chip carrier 10 based on the master record, and can also query the chip carrier 10 that has passed through a specific time period based on a certain experimental device 9, a certain temporary storage position 11, or a certain track unit, thereby meeting the needs of experimental traceability and anomaly analysis.

[0091] In a specific operational example, the chip carrier 10 enters the code reading position from the closed-loop conveyor track 5. The code reader 3 reads that the chip model is the model to be tested, the batch is the first batch, and the process status is to be tested. The host computer 1 determines the target experimental equipment 9 as the testing equipment according to the task rules and confirms that the experimental equipment 9 is in the allowable feeding state. Subsequently, the host computer 1 generates a flow path according to the status of the long track 6, the short track 7, and the corner machine 8, controls the closed-loop conveyor track 5 to transport the chip carrier 10 to the position where the robot 2 can pick up the material, and then controls the dust cover 13 to open and controls the robot 2 to put the chip carrier 10 into the experimental equipment 9. After the test is completed, the robot 2 takes out the chip carrier 10 and puts it back into the closed-loop conveyor track 5. The host computer 1 records the completion time and the next process status.

[0092] In another specific operational example, after the chip carrier 10 completes the aging process, the code reader 3 reads that the process status requires cooling. The host computer 1 determines that the ordinary target experimental equipment 9 is not allowed to feed material at the moment, and at the same time, the cooling temporary storage position 18 is idle. Therefore, the cooling temporary storage position 18 is set as the target position, and the lifting mechanism 17 is controlled to move the corresponding layer to the pick-up and drop-off height of the robot 2. After the robot 2 places the chip carrier 10 into the cooling temporary storage position 18, the host computer 1 starts the fan 19 and records the cooling start time. When the cooling time and temperature information meet the subsequent process conditions, the host computer 1 then controls the robot 2 to remove the chip carrier 10 and send it to the closed-loop transport track 5 or the next experimental equipment 9 according to the track status.

[0093] Through the coordination of the aforementioned task rules, path pre-occupancy, robot pick-up and place, temporary storage management, lifting and docking, cooling control, dust prevention linkage, anomaly handling, and flow record, this embodiment can fully demonstrate the collaborative control relationship between the main functional units in the technical solution of this invention. The various technical features are not simply parallel; rather, the host computer 1 performs unified scheduling based on the carrier information and real-time status of the chip carrier 10. This allows the code reading and recognition results to influence path planning and temporary storage allocation, enabling the robot 2's pick-up and place actions to coordinate with the dust cover 13 and the closed-loop conveyor track 5 in a timely manner, and making the cooling temporary storage position 18 a controlled node in the flow path.

[0094] To further illustrate the scheduling logic of the host computer 1, in one implementation, the host computer 1 can refresh the system status according to a fixed period or an event-triggered method. Fixed-period refresh means that the host computer 1 reads the status of the experimental equipment 9, the temporary storage mechanism 4, the closed-loop conveyor track 5, the corner machine 8, and the dust cover 13 at set time intervals. Event-triggered refresh means that when the code reader 3 completes code reading, the robot 2 completes pick-up and place-down, the experimental equipment 9 completes material discharge, the lifting mechanism 17 reaches its position, or the dust cover 13 opens or closes, the host computer 1 immediately updates the relevant status. Combining fixed-period refresh with event-triggered refresh can reduce path misjudgment and temporary storage misjudgment caused by status lag.

[0095] In the case of parallel operation of multiple chip carriers 10, the host computer 1 can create an independent task object for each chip carrier 10. The task object includes at least carrier information, current node, target node, task priority, required resources, reserved resources, and anomaly flags. Before generating the flow path, the path planning unit first determines whether the task object corresponding to the chip carrier 10 has reserved the temporary storage position 11, track unit, or corner machine 8; if the reserved resources are still valid, execution continues; if the reserved resources are unavailable due to equipment alarms or other carrier priority changes, the path is replanned or the process is put into temporary storage and waiting.

[0096] In the process of determining the feeding and discharging status of experimental equipment 9, the host computer 1 can divide experimental equipment 9 into a feeding port, a discharging port, and an internal process status. The feeding port status is used to determine whether robot 2 is allowed to place chip carrier 10, the discharging port status is used to determine whether there is a chip carrier 10 that has completed its process and needs to be removed, and the internal process status is used to determine whether the process status of chip carrier 10 has been updated. When experimental equipment 9 completes discharging but the next target equipment is temporarily unavailable, the host computer 1 can prioritize selecting the target temporary storage position 12 to accept the chip carrier 10, thereby avoiding the discharging port of experimental equipment 9 being occupied for a long time.

[0097] In the coordination between robot 2 and closed-loop conveyor track 5, host computer 1 can first control closed-loop conveyor track 5 to transport chip carrier 10 to the track pick-up / placement position, and confirm through the conveying status that chip carrier 10 has stopped within the pick-up range. Subsequently, host computer 1 controls the corresponding dust cover 13 to open and sends a pick-up command to robot 2. After robot 2 removes chip carrier 10, host computer 1 releases the track pick-up / placement position and decides whether to immediately resume operation of closed-loop conveyor track 5 based on the target position. This sequence ensures a clear sequential relationship between the conveying action, pick-up / placement action, and dust prevention action.

[0098] When both temporary storage position 11 and cooling temporary storage position 18 are available, the host computer 1 can distinguish between ordinary cache tasks and cooling cache tasks based on process status information. Ordinary cache tasks preferentially select the target temporary storage position 12 that matches the path of the subsequent target experimental equipment 9; cooling cache tasks preferentially select the cooling temporary storage position 18 that has a cooperative relationship with the fan 19, airflow channel 20 and heat dissipation space 21. If the cooling temporary storage position 18 is temporarily occupied, the host computer 1 can keep the chip carrier 10 in the waiting position of the closed-loop transport track 5, or select the nearby ordinary temporary storage position 11 as a temporary waiting position, and control the robot 2 to move after the cooling temporary storage position 18 becomes available.

[0099] In the event of system maintenance or a partial failure, the host computer 1 can mark the faulty equipment, faulty temporary storage position 11, faulty track unit, or faulty dust cover 13 as unavailable. The path planning unit automatically avoids unavailable track units when generating the flow path; the temporary storage allocation unit automatically excludes unavailable temporary storage positions 11 when determining the target temporary storage position 12; and the dust prevention linkage unit prevents robot 2 from entering the corresponding pick-and-place space when the dust cover 13 cannot be opened to the correct position. By incorporating fault states into the same scheduling logic, the system can reduce the impact on other normal flow tasks during partial anomalies.

[0100] In one data verification method, the host computer 1 can perform integrity verification on the chip model information, batch information, and process status information after reading the carrier information from the code reader 3. Integrity verification includes checking whether the chip model field is empty, whether the batch field conforms to a preset format, whether the process status is continuous with the previous flow record, and whether there are any cases of skipping necessary experimental equipment 9. If the verification passes, the host computer 1 continues to execute target location determination and path planning; if the verification fails, the host computer 1 transfers the chip carrier 10 to the exception handling process. This verification method enables a direct connection between the exception diversion step and the code reading and identification step.

[0101] In one batch isolation method, the host computer 1 can group and manage the temporary storage positions 11 in the temporary storage mechanism 4 according to batch information. Chip carriers 10 belonging to the same batch can be preferentially assigned to the same or adjacent groups of temporary storage positions 11, while chip carriers 10 from different batches or different process states can be assigned to different groups of temporary storage positions 11. For chip carriers 10 that are cooling down, the host computer 1 records them separately from chip carriers 10 that have completed cooling down, and marks their status as cooling down, waiting to be removed, or already removed in the flow record, thereby reducing batch mixing and status confusion.

[0102] In one cycle coordination method, the host computer 1 can sort the tasks according to the expected completion time of the experimental equipment 9, the conveying time of the closed-loop conveying track 5, the pick-up and drop-off time of the robot 2, and the opening and closing time of the dust cover 13. When the target experimental equipment 9 is about to be idle, the host computer 1 can take out the corresponding chip carrier 10 from the temporary storage mechanism 4 in advance and transport it to the waiting position on the track; when the target experimental equipment 9 is unavailable for a long time, the host computer 1 will prioritize placing the chip carrier 10 into the target temporary storage position 12 or the cooling temporary storage position 18 to avoid the closed-loop conveying track 5 being occupied by waiting carriers for a long time.

[0103] In a visual monitoring method, the host computer 1 can display the positional relationships of the long track 6, short track 7, corner machine 8, temporary storage mechanism 4, experimental equipment 9, and robot 2 on the display interface according to the actual layout of the closed-loop conveyor track 5, and identify the current position, target position, and flow task of the chip carrier 10 with different statuses. Operators can view the batch information, process status, track unit, target temporary storage position 12, or target experimental equipment 9 of a certain chip carrier 10 through this display interface. This display method does not change the control logic of automatic flow, but enables maintenance personnel to quickly confirm the system status.

[0104] In one access control method, the host computer 1 can distinguish between three modes: automatic operation, manual review, and maintenance / debugging. In automatic operation mode, the chip carrier 10 automatically flows according to carrier information and system status. In manual review mode, the chip carrier 10 at the anomaly handling location needs confirmation before re-entering the normal flow path. In maintenance / debugging mode, the robot 2, closed-loop conveyor track 5, lifting mechanism 17, dust cover 13, and fan 19 can be individually operated or tested. The host computer 1 can record the switching time and reason for the operation during these mode switches to ensure that manual intervention during automatic flow can also be traced.

[0105] In a supplementary embodiment, the host computer 1 can also form a unified scheduling cycle based on vehicle information, equipment cycle time, temporary storage status, track resources, dust cover status, and cooling status. Within each scheduling cycle, the host computer 1 sequentially completes status reading, task matching, path pre-occupancy, pick-up and drop confirmation, temporary storage update, cooling judgment, and record writing. If an anomaly occurs at any stage, subsequent automatic transfer is stopped, or the chip carrier 10 is moved to an anomaly handling position. This supplementary embodiment further clarifies that the host computer 1 does not simply send isolated commands to the robot 2 or the closed-loop conveyor track 5, but rather incorporates the robot 2, code reader 3, temporary storage mechanism 4, closed-loop conveyor track 5, corner machine 8, cooling temporary storage position 18, and dust cover 13 into the same closed-loop control process, ensuring a clear execution order between vehicle identification, path selection, buffer cooling, dust avoidance, and process tracking. Furthermore, when multiple chip carriers 10 are simultaneously located in different track units, temporary storage positions 11, or experimental equipment 9, the host computer 1 can sort the flow tasks according to task priority and resource availability. It first processes chip carriers 10 that are about to enter the target experimental equipment 9 and have complete path resources, then processes chip carriers 10 that need to be cached or cooled down. After each sorting, it rechecks the track occupancy status, the reversing status of the corner machine 8, and the opening / closing status of the dust cover 13. In this way, even if the cycle time of the experimental equipment 9 changes, the system can still maintain controllable flow. This supplementary implementation also ensures that the task status, resource occupancy, and action results of each chip carrier 10 correspond to the flow records in the host computer 1, facilitating subsequent queries and providing effective evidence for anomaly review and process traceability, while reducing the burden of manual verification and recording errors.

[0106] In one implementation of the task rule table, the workflow task rule table can be indexed according to chip model, batch, and process status. Each rule record corresponds to the target experimental equipment 9, the allowed temporary storage type, whether to enter the cooling temporary storage position 18, the abnormal handling position, the next process condition, and the task priority. After reading the carrier information, the host computer 1 first determines whether there is a corresponding rule for the chip model and batch, and then determines whether the current process status is continuous with the completion status in the previous workflow record; if continuous, a normal workflow task is generated; if not continuous, an abnormal handling task is generated.

[0107] In one implementation of path resource pre-allocation, the long track 6, short track 7, and corner machine 8 are respectively assigned resource numbers and resource statuses. The resource statuses include idle, occupied, pre-allocated, faulty, and prohibited from entry. After the host computer 1 creates a task object for each chip carrier 10, it writes the selected long track transport section, short track bridging section, and corner machine reversing node into the pre-allocated resource field of the task object. The corresponding resource status is released after the chip carrier 10 reaches the next confirmed position to avoid conflicts between multiple chip carriers 10 at the same track resource location.

[0108] In one implementation of the target temporary storage position 12 allocation method, the host computer 1 filters the temporary storage positions 11 in the following order: whether the cooling requirements are met, whether the batch isolation requirements are met, whether it is close to the subsequent target experimental equipment 9, whether the pick-up and put-down distance of the robot 2 is short, and whether it will block the subsequent flow path. The selected temporary storage position 11 is first updated to a pre-occupied state before the robot 2 performs the placement action, then updated to an occupied state after the robot 2 reports that the placement is completed, and finally updated to an idle state after the robot 2 reports that the retrieval is completed.

[0109] In one lifting docking implementation, when the target temporary storage position 12 is located at different levels in the multi-layer buffer position 16, the host computer 1 first controls the lifting mechanism 17 to move to the pick-up and place height of the robot 2, and sends the pick-up and place command to the robot 2 only after the lifting mechanism 17 has returned to the correct position. If the lifting mechanism 17 does not return to the correct position within a preset time, the host computer 1 can maintain the pre-occupancy state of the target temporary storage position 12 and generate a waiting command or an error message to prevent the robot 2 from performing pick-up and place operations under a height mismatch.

[0110] In one implementation of cooling status management, after the chip carrier 10 enters the cooling temporary storage position 18, the host computer 1 updates the corresponding cooling temporary storage position 18 to a cooling-in-progress state and starts a cooling timer or reads the temperature information fed back by the temperature acquisition device. If the preset cooling time is reached or the temperature information meets the conditions for allowing entry into the next experimental device 9, the host computer 1 updates the cooling temporary storage position 18 to a removable state; if the conditions are not met after the preset time, the cause of the abnormality is recorded and the chip carrier 10 is kept in the cooling temporary storage position 18 or transferred to the abnormal handling position.

[0111] In one dustproof interlocking embodiment, the segmented dust cover 14 and the flip-top dust cover 15 are respectively equipped with an open-position detection device and a closed-position detection device. Before the robot 2 picks up or places a item, the host computer 1 first determines whether the required dust cover 13 is fully open and whether the closed-loop conveyor track 5 has stopped at the pick-up / placement position; only when both of the above conditions are met will the robot 2 perform the pick-up / placement action. After the robot 2 completes the pick-up / placement, the host computer 1 controls the dust cover 13 to close, and only after it is fully closed will the closed-loop conveyor track 5 continue to perform the conveying action.

[0112] In one implementation of anomaly handling, the anomaly handling location can be a designated track position on the closed-loop conveyor track 5, or a reserved anomaly temporary storage position in the temporary storage mechanism 4. For situations such as unread codes, rule mismatches, discontinuous process states, unavailable track resources, unavailable temporary storage positions, dust covers 13 not in place, or unmet cooling conditions, the host computer 1 can record the cause of the anomaly, the time of occurrence, and the carrier information of the corresponding chip carrier 10, and transfer the chip carrier 10 to the anomaly handling location to await manual review or subsequent rescheduling.

[0113] In a modular implementation, the task rule matching module, status acquisition module, path resource pre-allocation module, temporary storage allocation module, dust prevention interlock module, cooling judgment module, and flow record module of the host computer 1 can be executed independently or sequentially by the same control program according to the scheduling cycle. Through the cooperation of the above modules, the host computer 1 can form a continuous control chain around the carrier information of the same chip carrier 10, from task generation, resource pre-allocation, robot picking and placing, track transportation, temporary storage update, cooling judgment, dust prevention interlock to record writing.

[0114] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Other parts of the present invention not described in detail belong to the prior art and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0115] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A closed-loop automated transfer method for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration, applied to a laboratory chip transfer system, the laboratory chip transfer system comprising a host computer, a robot, a barcode reader, a temporary storage mechanism, a closed-loop conveyor track, and experimental equipment, the closed-loop conveyor track being formed by connecting long tracks, short tracks, and corner mechanisms, the temporary storage mechanism being disposed on the loading and unloading sides of the closed-loop conveyor track and having multiple temporary storage positions for placing chip carriers, the robot being disposed in the pick-and-place operation area between the experimental equipment, the temporary storage mechanism, and the closed-loop conveyor track, the barcode reader being disposed on the transfer path of the chip carriers and communicating with the host computer, characterized in that... The method includes: The reader reads the carrier information of the chip carrier and sends the carrier information to the host computer. The carrier information includes chip model information, batch information and process status information. The host computer acquires the feeding and discharging status of the experimental equipment, the occupancy status of each temporary storage position in the temporary storage mechanism, the conveying status of the closed-loop conveying track, and the reversing status of the corner machine. Based on the carrier information, it determines the flow task corresponding to the chip carrier, and determines the target position of the chip carrier and the flow path to the target position based on the flow task, the feeding and discharging status, the occupancy status, the conveying status, and the reversing status. The flow path includes a long track conveying section, a short track bridging section, and a corner machine reversing node. The host computer sends pick-up and place instructions to the robot corresponding to the target position, sends conveying instructions to the closed-loop conveying track corresponding to the flow path, and controls the dust cover corresponding to the pick-up and place position to open before the robot performs the pick-up and place action, and controls the dust cover to close after the pick-up and place action is completed. When the workflow task includes caching or cooling requirements, the host computer determines the target temporary storage location or cooling temporary storage location from the temporary storage mechanism according to the occupancy status, and controls the robot to put the chip carrier into or take out the target temporary storage location or the cooling temporary storage location. After the robot completes the pick-up and place-down action, it sends a signal to the host computer to indicate that the action is complete. The host computer then updates the position status of the chip carrier, the occupancy status of the corresponding temporary storage location, and the flow record, so that the chip carrier can perform a traceable closed-loop automatic flow between the experimental equipment, the temporary storage mechanism, and the closed-loop transport track.

2. The method for closed-loop automated transfer of laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to claim 1, characterized in that, The host computer pre-stores a workflow task rule table corresponding to the chip model information, the batch information and the process status information. Each rule record in the workflow task rule table includes the target experimental equipment, the allowed temporary storage type, whether cooling is required, the location of the abnormal handling, the conditions of the next process and the task priority. The host computer matches the carrier information read by the code reader with the flow task rule table, and performs continuity verification on the process status information in conjunction with the previous flow record, so as to determine the target experimental equipment, target temporary storage location, cooling temporary storage location or target track position corresponding to the chip carrier.

3. A closed-loop automated transfer method for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, When determining the flow path, the host computer divides the long track, the short track, and the corner machine into manageable track resource units, and judges the idle, occupied, pre-occupied, faulty, or prohibited entry status of each track resource unit. The host computer generates a path pre-occupancy identifier corresponding to the chip carrier for the selected long track conveying section, short track bridging section, and corner machine reversing node. When any track resource unit cannot be pre-occupied, a waiting instruction or replanning instruction is generated. When the chip carrier leaves the corresponding conveying section or reversing node and reaches the next confirmed position, the corresponding path resource is released.

4. The method for closed-loop automated transfer of laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to claim 1, characterized in that, When determining the target temporary storage position, the host computer selects a temporary storage position that matches the subsequent flow path from the idle temporary storage positions as the target temporary storage position based on the occupancy status of each temporary storage position, the subsequent flow path corresponding to the chip carrier, the pick-up and place distance of the robot to each temporary storage position, the feeding and unloading status of the experimental equipment, and the batch isolation requirements of the chip carrier. Before sending the robot pick-up and place command, the host computer updates the target temporary storage position to a pre-occupied state. When the temporary storage mechanism includes multiple layers of buffer positions and a lifting mechanism, the host computer controls the lifting mechanism to move the target temporary storage position to a position corresponding to the pick-up and place height of the robot, and allows the robot to perform the pick-up and place action after receiving the lifting and place signal.

5. The method for closed-loop automated transfer of laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the transfer task includes a cooling requirement, the host computer determines the cooling temporary storage position with cooling function and in an idle state as the target location, controls the robot to place the chip carrier into the cooling temporary storage position, and updates the cooling temporary storage position to a cooling in progress state; the host computer controls the fan corresponding to the cooling temporary storage position to form a cooling airflow that passes through the airflow channel, the location of the chip carrier, and the heat dissipation space in sequence, and determines whether the chip carrier meets the subsequent transfer conditions based on the preset cooling duration, temperature acquisition information, or subsequent process conditions. If the conditions are met, the cooling temporary storage position is updated to a removable state and a removal command is generated.

6. The method for closed-loop automated transfer of laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dust cover includes a segmented opening dust cover mounted on the long track and a flip-top dust cover mounted in the robot's pick-and-place operation area. Both the segmented opening dust cover and the flip-top dust cover have an open and closed state. The host computer selects the appropriate segmented opening dust cover or flip-top dust cover to open according to the robot's pick-and-place position. After confirming that the dust cover is open, the closed-loop conveying track stops at the pick-and-place position, and the corresponding track resources have been reserved, the host computer allows the robot to perform the pick-and-place action. After the robot sends a feedback signal that the action is completed, the host computer controls the corresponding dust cover to close. After confirming that the dust cover is closed, the host computer allows the closed-loop conveying track to continue conveying.

7. The method for closed-loop automated transfer of laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the carrier information does not match the preset flow task rules, the code reader fails to read valid carrier information, or the process status information is not continuous with the previous flow record, the host computer determines the target position of the chip carrier as the abnormal handling position, records the cause of the abnormality, and controls the robot or the closed-loop conveyor track to transfer the chip carrier to the designated track position or reserve an abnormal temporary storage position. When the chip carrier passes through the code reading position, experimental equipment, temporary storage position, cooling temporary storage position, and track position, the host computer records the corresponding carrier information, current position, target position, flow task, execution component, action type, and flow time to form the flow record of the chip carrier.

8. A closed-loop automated transfer system for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration, using the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The system includes a host computer, a robot, a barcode reader, a temporary storage mechanism, a closed-loop conveyor track, and experimental equipment. The closed-loop conveyor track is formed by connecting long tracks, short tracks, and a corner mechanism. The temporary storage mechanism is located on the loading and unloading side of the closed-loop conveyor track and has multiple temporary storage positions for placing chip carriers. The robot is located in the picking and placing operation area between the experimental equipment, the temporary storage mechanism, and the closed-loop conveyor track. The barcode reader is located on the flow path of the chip carrier and is communicatively connected to the host computer. The host computer is communicatively connected to the robot, the barcode reader, the temporary storage mechanism, the closed-loop conveyor track, the cornering machine, and the dust cover installed on the closed-loop conveyor track. The host computer includes a task rule matching module, a status acquisition module, a path resource pre-allocation module, a temporary storage allocation module, a dust prevention interlock module, a cooling judgment module, and a flow record module. The task rule matching module is used to determine the flow task based on the vehicle information. The status acquisition module is used to acquire the material feeding and discharging status of the experimental equipment, the occupancy status of each temporary storage location, and the status of the... The system describes the conveying status of the closed-loop conveying track, the reversing status of the corner machine, and the opening / closing status of the dust cover. The path resource pre-occupancy module is used to determine and pre-occupy the flow path. The temporary storage allocation module is used to determine the target temporary storage location or cooling temporary storage location. The dust prevention interlock module is used to control the opening or closing of the dust cover before and after the robot picks up and places the chip. The cooling judgment module is used to determine whether the chip carrier with cooling requirements meets the subsequent flow conditions. The flow record module is used to update the position status of the chip carrier, the occupancy status of the corresponding temporary storage location, and the flow record.

9. A closed-loop automated transfer system for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to claim 8, characterized in that, The temporary storage mechanism includes multiple layers of cache slots, a lifting mechanism corresponding to each of the multiple layers of cache slots, and a cooling temporary storage slot with a cooling function. Each temporary storage slot is equipped with a status detection device for feedback of idle, occupied, pre-occupied, cooling in progress, or abnormal isolation status. The lifting mechanism is communicatively connected to the host computer and is used to move the target temporary storage slot to a position corresponding to the robot's pick-up and place height. The cooling temporary storage slot cooperates with a fan, airflow channel, heat dissipation space, and temperature acquisition device. The fan is used to generate a cooling airflow through the cooling temporary storage slot. The airflow channel is used to guide the airflow through the location of the chip carrier. The heat dissipation space is used to exhaust heat. The temperature acquisition device is used to feed back temperature information of the cooling temporary storage slot or the vicinity of the chip carrier to the host computer.

10. A closed-loop automated transfer system for laboratory chips based on robot collaboration according to claim 8, characterized in that, The dust cover includes a segmented opening dust cover mounted on the long track and a flip-top dust cover mounted in the robot's pick-and-place operation area. The segmented opening dust cover and the flip-top dust cover are respectively equipped with an opening position detection device and a closing position detection device, and are respectively communicatively connected to the host computer. The host computer controls the opening or closing of the corresponding dust cover according to the robot's pick-and-place position, and restricts the robot from entering the pick-and-place operation area when the corresponding dust cover is not fully open, and restricts the start of the closed-loop conveyor track when the corresponding dust cover is not fully closed. The host computer is also used to update the position status of the chip carrier, the occupancy status of the corresponding temporary storage position, and the flow record of the chip carrier according to the robot's action completion signal, the opening / closing status of the dust cover, and the position status of the closed-loop conveyor track.

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