Sample transfer device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a sample transfer device. The sample transfer device comprises a bracket; the rotating mechanism is used for driving the bracket to rotate around the rotating axis of the rotating mechanism; the lifting mechanism is arranged on the bracket; the grabbing mechanism is connected with the driving end of the lifting mechanism and comprises at least two grabbing units which are sequentially arranged along the same straight line and used for grabbing at least two samples; and the variable-pitch driving assembly is used for driving the at least two grabbing units to change the pitch in the linear extending direction. When the sample flows to the sample transfer station, the rotating mechanism drives the support to rotate, the lifting mechanism rotates to the position above the sample, the variable-pitch driving assembly drives all the grabbing units to complete the variable-pitch action so as to grab the sample, and the variable-pitch driving assembly can change the pitch again in the process of rotating to the sample receiving station. The requirement for the distance between the two sample frames of the sample transferring station and the sample receiving station is met, applicability is higher, multiple samples can be transferred at the same time, and efficiency is higher.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of medical equipment, in particular to a sample transfer device. Background Art

[0002] Automated analysis equipment is an important equipment for sample analysis in the medical industry. For example, analysis of blood and other biological samples often requires sample transfer in various testing links. However, due to different specifications of sample test tubes or test tube racks holding sample test tubes, the diameter of sample test tubes and the distance between adjacent sample test tubes are different, or the distance between adjacent sample test tubes needs to be changed after sample transfer to adapt to the new test tube rack.

[0003] However, in the prior art, a single robot is generally used to perform multiple high-speed transports. Although the structure design is simple and the cost is low, the efficiency is also low. If multiple robots are used to work together to improve the efficiency, the equipment cost is high. Utility Model Content

[0004] The utility model aims to provide a sample transfer device, aiming to solve the problems of low efficiency and high cost of the sample transfer device in the prior art.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the purpose of the utility model is achieved through the following technical solutions: providing a sample transfer device, which is arranged at a sample transfer station and is used to transfer a sample from the sample transfer station to a sample receiving station, and the sample transfer device comprises:

[0006] Bracket;

[0007] A rotating mechanism, used for driving the bracket to rotate around a rotation axis of the rotating mechanism;

[0008] A lifting mechanism is arranged on the bracket;

[0009] A grabbing mechanism is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism, and the grabbing mechanism includes:

[0010] At least two grabbing units are arranged in sequence along the same straight line and are used to grab at least two of the samples;

[0011] The variable pitch drive assembly is used to drive the at least two grabbing units to change pitch along the extension direction of the straight line.

[0012] Further, one of the at least two grabbing units is fixedly arranged on the bracket, and the other grabbing units of the at least two grabbing units are movably arranged on the bracket, and the variable pitch drive assembly includes:

[0013] A linear variable pitch driving element, disposed on the bracket, for driving one of the remaining grabbing units to move along the extension direction of the straight line;

[0014] The telescopic connecting rod component is used to connect the at least two grabbing units, and when the linear variable pitch driving element drives one of the remaining grabbing units to move along the extension direction of the straight line, the telescopic connecting rod component is configured to drive the remaining grabbing units to perform equidistant variable pitch.

[0015] Furthermore, the four-bar linkage comprises:

[0016] A first connecting rod, one end of which is hinged to one of the two adjacent grabbing units;

[0017] A second connecting rod, one end of which is hinged to the other of the two adjacent grabbing units, and the other end of which is hinged to the other end of the first connecting rod;

[0018] A third connecting rod, one end of which is coaxially hinged to the same grabbing unit as the first connecting rod;

[0019] The fourth connecting rod has one end coaxially hinged to the same grasping unit as the second connecting rod, and the other end hinged to the other end of the third connecting rod.

[0020] Furthermore, the effective link arms of the first link, the second link, the third link, and the fourth link are of equal length.

[0021] Furthermore, the support comprises:

[0022] A turret, connected to the output end of the rotating mechanism and rotatable around the rotating axis of the rotating mechanism;

[0023] A fixed frame, arranged on the top surface of the turret, and the lifting mechanism is installed on the fixed frame;

[0024] The horizontal linear driving mechanism is arranged on the top surface of the turret platform and is used for driving the fixed frame to move in a direction perpendicular to the pitch changing direction.

[0025] Furthermore, there are two fixed frames, two lifting mechanisms and two grabbing mechanisms, the two fixed frames are arranged opposite to each other, and the two fixed frames are connected to the output end of the horizontal linear drive mechanism, the two lifting mechanisms are arranged on the two fixed frames in a one-to-one correspondence, the two grabbing mechanisms are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence and connected to the output ends of the two lifting mechanisms, and when the rotating mechanism rotates 180°, one of the two fixed frames can be rotated to the sample transfer station, and the other can be rotated to the sample receiving station.

[0026] Furthermore, the gripping mechanism further comprises:

[0027] A mounting plate is fixedly arranged at the output end of the lifting mechanism, the linear variable pitch drive element is arranged on the mounting plate, one of the at least two grabbing units is fixedly arranged on the mounting plate, and the other grabbing units of the at least two grabbing units are movably arranged on the mounting plate.

[0028] An embodiment of the utility model provides a sample transfer device, comprising: a bracket; a rotating mechanism, used to drive the bracket to rotate around the rotation axis of the rotating mechanism; a lifting mechanism, which is arranged on the bracket; a grasping mechanism, which is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism, and the grasping mechanism comprises: at least two grasping units, which are arranged in sequence along the same straight line and are used to grasp at least two samples; a variable pitch drive assembly, which is used to drive the at least two grasping units to change pitch along the extension direction of the straight line.

[0029] The embodiment of the utility model sets the sample transfer device at the sample transfer station. When the sample flows to the sample transfer station, the rotating mechanism drives the bracket to rotate and makes the lifting mechanism rotate to the top of the sample. During the rotation of the lifting mechanism or the process from the lifting mechanism rotating to the position to the position, the variable pitch drive component drives all the grabbing units to complete the variable pitch action, so that the distance between two adjacent grabbing units meets the distance between two adjacent samples in the sample rack, so that the sample transfer device can be used for the material collection work of sample racks of different specifications, and can change the distance again during the rotation to the sample receiving station to meet the spacing requirement of the new sample rack in the sample receiving station. It has stronger applicability, can transfer multiple samples at the same time, and has higher efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the utility model, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the sample transfer device provided by an embodiment of the utility model in a front view direction;

[0032] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a sample transfer device provided by an embodiment of the utility model in a top view;

[0033] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a grabbing mechanism provided in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0034] Description of the symbols in the figure:

[0035] 1. Bracket; 11. Turret; 12. Fixed frame; 13. Horizontal linear drive mechanism;

[0036] 2. Rotating mechanism;

[0037] 3. Lifting mechanism;

[0038] 4. Grabbing mechanism; 41. Grabbing unit; 42. Variable pitch drive assembly; 421. Linear variable pitch drive element; 422. Telescopic connecting rod component; 4221. First connecting rod; 4222. Second connecting rod; 4223. Third connecting rod; 4224. Fourth connecting rod; 43. Mounting plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0040] It should be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "include" and "comprises" indicate the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0041] It should also be understood that the terms used in this utility model specification are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the utility model. As used in this utility model specification and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms.

[0042] It should be further understood that the term “and / or” used in the present specification and the appended claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0043] Combination Figure 1 to Figure 3 An embodiment of the utility model provides a sample transfer device, which is applied to the field of medical equipment and is used to transfer samples from a sample transfer station of medical equipment, such as automated analysis equipment for blood and other biological sample analysis, to a sample receiving station, in order to improve the efficiency of automatic sample transfer.

[0044] Specifically, the sample transfer device includes:

[0045] Bracket 1;

[0046] The rotating mechanism 2 is used to drive the bracket 1 to rotate around the rotation axis of the rotating mechanism 2;

[0047] A lifting mechanism 3 is arranged on the bracket 1;

[0048] The grabbing mechanism 4 is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism 3, and the grabbing mechanism 4 includes:

[0049] At least two grabbing units 41 are arranged in sequence along the same straight line, and are used to grab at least two samples;

[0050] The variable pitch drive assembly 42 is used to drive at least two grabbing units 41 to change pitch along the extension direction of the straight line.

[0051] In this embodiment, firstly, the rotating mechanism 2 can adopt an electric turntable commonly used in mechanical design, which has the characteristics of strong load-bearing capacity and high rotation accuracy, and the structure of the electric turntable is not described in detail here. Secondly, the lifting mechanism 3 can also adopt a linear module commonly used in mechanical design, and the structure and installation of the linear module are not described in detail in this patent. Furthermore, the grasping unit 41 may adopt a finger cylinder commonly used in mechanical design, and in the present embodiment, since the sample is usually composed of a plurality of sample test tubes placed on a sample rack (test tube rack), the two clamping arms of the finger cylinder may be composed of a soft pad with a semicircular groove that matches the circular outer wall of the sample test tube. When the two clamping arms of the finger cylinder are clamped, the soft pad with the semicircular groove can just clamp the sample test tube. Furthermore, in order to prevent the sample test tube from being damaged by excessive clamping force of the finger cylinder, a pressure sensor may be provided on at least one clamping arm of the finger cylinder. When the pressure sensor detects that the pressure exceeds a preset threshold, an alarm is issued, or when the pressure sensor detects that the pressure reaches a preset threshold, the finger cylinder stops the clamping action and maintains the current clamping arm opening.

[0052] Through the above design, when the sample (i.e., the sample rack in the background technology) flows to the sample transfer station, the rotating mechanism 2 drives the bracket 1 to rotate, and rotates the lifting mechanism 3 to the top of the sample rack. During the rotation of the lifting mechanism 3 or the process from the lifting mechanism 3 rotating to the position to the lowering position, the variable pitch drive assembly 42 drives all the grabbing units 41 to complete the variable pitch action, so that the distance between two adjacent grabbing units 41 meets the distance between two adjacent sample test tubes in the sample rack, so that the sample transfer device can be suitable for the material collection requirements of sample racks of different specifications, and can change the distance again during the rotation to the sample receiving station to meet the spacing requirements of the new sample rack of the sample receiving station. It has stronger applicability, can transfer multiple samples at the same time, has higher efficiency, does not need to use multiple robotic arms, and the structural cost is relatively reduced.

[0053] In one embodiment, one of the at least two grabbing units 41 is fixedly disposed on the bracket 1, and the other grabbing units 41 of the at least two grabbing units 41 are movably disposed on the bracket 1, and the variable pitch drive assembly 42 includes:

[0054] A linear variable pitch driving element 421, disposed on the support 1, for driving one of the remaining grabbing units 41 to move along the extension direction of the straight line;

[0055] The telescopic link component 422 is used to connect at least two grabbing units 41, and when the linear variable pitch driving element 421 drives one of the remaining grabbing units 41 to move along the extension direction of the straight line, the telescopic link component 422 is configured to drive the remaining grabbing units 41 to perform equidistant variable pitch.

[0056] In this embodiment, the grabbing unit 41 can be movably mounted on the bracket 1 by means of a slider rail, and the linear variable pitch drive element 421 adopts a linear cylinder commonly used in mechanical design. Of course, the linear variable pitch drive element 421 can also adopt a linear drive structure such as a linear motor or other linear drive structures composed of a rotary motor and an intermediate transmission mechanism. In this patent, no specific restrictions are imposed on the structure of the linear variable pitch drive element 421.

[0057] By setting a telescopic connecting rod component 422 between two adjacent grabbing units 41 and allowing one of the grabbing units 41 to be fixedly set on the bracket 1, when the linear variable pitch drive element 421 drives one of the remaining grabbing units 41 to move, all grabbing units 41 except the fixed grabbing unit 41 can be driven to move through the telescopic connecting rod component 422, thereby completing equidistant variable pitch.

[0058] In this embodiment, the grabbing unit 41 fixedly disposed on the bracket 1 is the middle one among all the grabbing units 41. Of course, in other embodiments, the grabbing unit 41 fixedly disposed on the bracket 1 may also be the grabbing unit 41 that is closest to or farthest from the linear variable pitch drive element 421, or may be any grabbing unit 41 other than the above three settings.

[0059] In a further embodiment, the telescopic link component 422 includes at least one four-link, which is disposed between two adjacent grabbing units 41 , and two hinge points of a pair of opposite angles of the four-link are respectively hinged to the two adjacent grabbing units 41 .

[0060] Specifically, the four-bar linkage includes: a first link 4221, one end of which is hinged to one of two adjacent grasping units 41; a second link 4222, one end of which is hinged to the other of the two adjacent grasping units 41, and the other end is hinged to the other end of the first link 4221; a third link 4223, one end of which is coaxially hinged to the same grasping unit 41 as the first link 4221; a fourth link 4224, one end of which is coaxially hinged to the same grasping unit 41 as the second link 4222, and the other end is hinged to the other end of the third link 4223.

[0061] By the above design, when the linear variable pitch driving element 421 drives one of the movable grabbing units 41 to move, the telescopic connecting rod component 422, that is, the four-bar action, can be used to drive all the grabbing units 41 to complete the equidistant variable pitch operation.

[0062] To further ensure the equidistant variable distance of the four-bar linkage, in this embodiment, the lengths of the effective link arms of the first link 4221, the second link 4222, the third link 4223, and the fourth link 4224 are set to be equal. The effective link arm refers to the distance between any two adjacent hinge points in the four-bar linkage structure. In this embodiment, the lengths of the first link 4221, the second link 4222, the third link 4223, and the fourth link 4224 are set to be equal. Of course, in other embodiments, the lengths of the first link 4221, the second link 4222, the third link 4223, and the fourth link 4224 can also be set to be unequal, but it is only necessary to ensure that the distances between any two adjacent hinge points in the four-bar linkage structure are equal.

[0063] In addition, the grabbing mechanism 4 also includes a mounting plate 43, which is fixedly arranged at the output end of the lifting mechanism 3, and the linear variable pitch drive element 421 is arranged on the mounting plate 43, and at least one of the two grabbing units 41 is fixedly arranged on the mounting plate 43, and the remaining grabbing units 41 of the at least two grabbing units 41 are movably arranged on the mounting plate 43.

[0064] In order to further improve the transfer efficiency of the sample transfer device, in this embodiment, two sets of the above-mentioned sample transfer structures are arranged on the bracket 1, that is, two lifting mechanisms 3 and two grabbing mechanisms 4 are arranged on the same bracket 1, and it is configured so that when the rotating mechanism 2 rotates 180°, one of the two sets of the above-mentioned sample transfer structures can be rotated to the sample transfer station, and the other can be rotated to the sample receiving station. With such a design, the grabbing work of the sample test tube at the sample transfer station and the releasing and placing work of the sample test tube at the sample receiving station can be performed synchronously, further reducing the sample transfer time and improving the sample transfer efficiency.

[0065] Specifically, the bracket 1 includes: a turret 11, which is connected to the output end of the rotating mechanism 2 and can rotate around the rotation axis of the rotating mechanism 2; two fixed frames 12, which are arranged on the top surface of the turret 11, and the lifting mechanism 3 is installed on the fixed frames 12; a horizontal linear drive mechanism 13, which is arranged on the top surface of the turret 11 and is used to drive the two fixed frames 12 to move in a direction perpendicular to the pitch change direction.

[0066] There are two fixed frames 12, lifting mechanisms 3 and grabbing mechanisms 4, the two fixed frames 12 are arranged opposite to each other, and the two fixed frames 12 are connected to the output end of the horizontal linear drive mechanism 13, the two lifting mechanisms 3 are arranged on the two fixed frames 12 in a one-to-one correspondence, the two grabbing mechanisms 4 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence and connected to the output ends of the two lifting mechanisms 3, and when the rotating mechanism 2 rotates 180°, one of the two fixed frames 12 can be rotated to the sample transfer station, and the other can be rotated to the sample receiving station.

[0067] In this embodiment, the horizontal linear drive mechanism 13 can adopt a bidirectional double-station linear module, and the double stations of the linear module respectively drive the two fixed frames 12 to move, and the moving direction is perpendicular to the pitch change direction. With such a design, the horizontal linear drive mechanism 13 can drive the grabbing unit 41 to move in a direction perpendicular to the pitch change direction, so as to be applicable to the transfer of sample test tubes arranged in multiple rows or columns on the test tube rack, so that the application range of the sample transfer device is wider.

[0068] The above is only a specific implementation of the utility model, but the protection scope of the utility model is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the utility model, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the protection scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the utility model should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A sample transfer device, arranged at a sample transfer station, for transferring a sample from the sample transfer station to a sample receiving station, characterized in that: The sample transfer device comprises: Bracket (1); A rotating mechanism (2) used for driving the support (1) to rotate around a rotation axis of the rotating mechanism (2); A lifting mechanism (3) is arranged on the support (1); A grabbing mechanism (4) is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism (3), and the grabbing mechanism (4) comprises: At least two grabbing units (41), arranged in sequence along the same straight line, for grabbing at least two of the samples; The variable pitch drive assembly (42) is used to drive the at least two grabbing units (41) to change pitch along the extension direction of the straight line.

2. The sample transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: One of the at least two grasping units (41) is fixedly arranged on the bracket (1), and the other grasping units (41) of the at least two grasping units (41) are movably arranged on the bracket (1), and the variable pitch drive assembly (42) comprises: A linear variable-pitch driving element (421), arranged on the support (1), and used for driving one of the remaining grasping units (41) to move along the extension direction of the straight line; The telescopic connecting rod component (422) is used to connect the at least two grasping units (41), and when the linear variable pitch driving element (421) drives one of the remaining grasping units (41) to move along the extension direction of the straight line, the telescopic connecting rod component (422) is configured to drive the remaining grasping units (41) to perform equidistant variable pitch.

3. The sample transfer device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The telescopic connecting rod component (422) comprises: At least one four-link is disposed between two adjacent grabbing units (41), and two hinge points of one pair of opposite angles in two pairs of opposite angles of the four-link are respectively hinged to the two adjacent grabbing units (41).

4. The sample transfer device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The four-bar linkage comprises: A first connecting rod (4221), one end of which is hinged to one of the two adjacent grabbing units (41); A second connecting rod (4222), one end of which is hinged to the other of the two adjacent grabbing units (41), and the other end of which is hinged to the other end of the first connecting rod (4221); A third connecting rod (4223), one end of which is coaxially hinged to the same grabbing unit (41) as the first connecting rod (4221); The fourth connecting rod (4224) has one end coaxially hinged to the same grabbing unit (41) as the second connecting rod (4222), and the other end hinged to the other end of the third connecting rod (4223).

5. The sample transfer device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The effective link arms of the first link (4221), the second link (4222), the third link (4223), and the fourth link (4224) are equal in length.

6. The sample transfer device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The support (1) comprises: A turret (11) connected to the output end of the rotating mechanism (2) and rotatable around the rotation axis of the rotating mechanism (2); A fixed frame (12) is arranged on the top surface of the turret (11), and the lifting mechanism (3) is installed on the fixed frame (12); A horizontal linear drive mechanism (13) is arranged on the top surface of the turret platform (11) and is used to drive the fixed frame (12) to move in a direction perpendicular to the pitch changing direction.

7. The sample transfer device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The fixed frame (12), the lifting mechanism (3) and the grasping mechanism (4) are each provided with two, the two fixed frames (12) are arranged opposite to each other, and the two fixed frames (12) are both connected to the output end of the horizontal linear driving mechanism (13), the two lifting mechanisms (3) are arranged on the two fixed frames (12) in a one-to-one correspondence, the two grasping mechanisms (4) are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence and connected to the output ends of the two lifting mechanisms (3), and when the rotating mechanism (2) rotates 180°, one of the two fixed frames (12) can be rotated to the sample transfer station, and the other can be rotated to the sample receiving station.

8. The sample transfer device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gripping mechanism (4) further comprises: A mounting plate (43) is fixedly arranged at the output end of the lifting mechanism (3); the linear variable pitch drive element (421) is arranged on the mounting plate (43); one of the at least two grabbing units (41) is fixedly arranged on the mounting plate (43); and the remaining grabbing units (41) of the at least two grabbing units (41) are movably arranged on the mounting plate (43).

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