Tray loading device

Abstract

The utility model provides a loading device, including propulsion mechanism, storage subassembly, support frame, lifting mechanism and control subassembly, the storage subassembly is installed on the support frame and between the propulsion mechanism and the lifting mechanism, the propulsion mechanism and the lifting mechanism are both connected with the control subassembly, and the control subassembly is connected with the support frame. The storage assembly is used for storing soft test tubes or other tubular objects, the lifting mechanism comprises a test tube disc for containing the test tubes or the tubular objects, the pushing mechanism pushes objects stored in the storage assembly into test tube holes of the test tube disc, and after the pushing mechanism completes one-time pushing, the objects return to the initial position, and then the test tubes or the tubular objects are placed in the test tube disc. And the lifting mechanism drives the test tube disc to move upwards, the propelling mechanism conducts propelling movement again, and the operation is repeated continuously till the loading capacity of the test tube disc meets the requirement. The automatic tray loading device is simple in structure and has the advantages of being automatic, convenient to use and capable of saving manpower.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model provides an automatic loading device, which relates to the technical field of soft strip article packaging devices. Background Art

[0002] Transport medium tubes are used for the transportation and preservation of clinical collected samples. Most of the transport medium tubes are made of soft materials and contain culture medium inside. Before sampling, the package is opened, the sampling swab and the transport tube are taken out, and the sample is collected at the specified sampling site. After the collection is completed, the swab is put into the transport medium, the lid is fastened, and then it is transported. The existing test tube loading machines are equipped with mechanical grippers, which are mainly for test tubes made of hard materials. The transport medium tubes cannot tolerate this gripper. Therefore, when filling the culture medium, a conventional test tube automatic filling machine is generally not used. Instead, the empty tubes are manually placed into the test tube tray, and then batch filling is carried out by the machine. This operation method has the technical problem of low efficiency. Content of the Utility Model

[0003] The utility model provides a loading device, which solves the technical problems that soft strip articles such as test tubes made of soft materials cannot tolerate mechanical grippers and the manual loading efficiency is low in the prior art.

[0004] The present invention is realized as follows: it includes a propulsion mechanism, a storage component, a support frame, a lifting mechanism, a test tube tray and a control component. The storage component is installed on the support frame and is installed between the propulsion mechanism and the lifting mechanism. The support frame, the propulsion mechanism and the lifting mechanism are installed on the same horizontal plane. Both the propulsion mechanism and the lifting mechanism are connected to the control component. The propulsion mechanism includes a first sliding mechanism with several push rods installed. The first sliding mechanism is horizontally arranged. Several parallel and equally spaced insertion plates are installed inside the storage component. The storage component includes an inlet and an outlet. The inlet and the outlet are opposite in position and are both located at the bottom of the storage component. The installation direction of the insertion plates is the same as the sliding direction of the first sliding mechanism. The lifting mechanism includes a second sliding mechanism, and the second sliding mechanism is vertically installed. The test tube tray is installed on the second sliding mechanism.

[0005] As a further preferred, the control component includes a photoelectric induction system. The photoelectric induction system includes a first photoelectric sensor, a second photoelectric sensor, a third photoelectric sensor, a fourth photoelectric sensor, a first induction sheet and a second induction sheet. The first photoelectric sensor and the second photoelectric sensor are respectively installed on the right and left parts of the first sliding mechanism. The first induction sheet is installed at the position where the push rod is connected to the first sliding mechanism. The third photoelectric sensor and the fourth photoelectric sensor are respectively installed on the lower and upper parts of the second sliding mechanism. The second induction sheet is installed at the position where the test tube tray is connected to the second sliding mechanism.

[0006] As a further preference, there is a height difference between the upper edge of the insertion plate and the periphery of the storage component. Inside the storage component, a storage space is formed between the upper part of the insertion plate and the storage component.

[0007] As a further preference, the storage component includes a front plate and a rear plate, and corresponding sliding grooves are provided on the front plate and the rear plate, and the sliding grooves are adapted to the insertion plate.

[0008] As a further preference, the test tube tray includes multiple layers of test tube plates.

[0009] As a further preference, hole grooves or second test tube holes are provided on the test tube plate close to the second sliding mechanism.

[0010] As a further preference, the aperture of the second test tube hole is smaller than the aperture of the first test tube hole.

[0011] As a further preference, the storage component includes two side plates, and observation windows are installed on both of the two side plates.

[0012] As a further preference, the first sliding mechanism and the second sliding mechanism are linear sliding mechanisms.

[0013] The working principle of the present utility model:

[0014] (1) Adjust the propulsion mechanism, the storage component, and the lifting mechanism to be at the same horizontal height, so that the first test tube holes at the top layer of the test tube tray, the inlet, the outlet, and the push rod of the storage component are at the same height;

[0015] (2) Place the test tube tray on the side of the second sliding mechanism facing the storage component, put a sufficient number of test tubes into the storage component, with the test tube mouths facing the front plate and the test tube bottoms facing the rear plate, that is, facing the push rod; turn on the power switch, the first sliding mechanism drives the push rod to slide towards the storage component, each push rod corresponds to the gap between adjacent insertion plates in the storage component, and extends into the storage component from the inlet, and pushes the test tubes in the storage component out from the outlet, and the test tubes enter the test tube holes at the top layer of the test tube tray that are in place in advance. After the photoelectric sensor senses that the push rod has completely extended into the storage component, the control component controls the push rod to slide back to the initial position. Under the action of gravity, the test tubes in the storage component fall to the bottom of the storage component. At the same time, the control component controls the second sliding mechanism to drive the test tube tray to move up a distance of one row of test tube holes, ready to load soft test tubes into the second row of test tube holes. The push rod slides towards the storage component again, and pushes the test tubes in the storage component into the second row of test tube holes, and continuously repeats the previous actions until the whole tray is filled. Then take out the test tube tray filled with test tubes, put in a new test tube tray, and perform the loading again.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present utility model are as follows: realizing the semi-automatic loading of flexible test tubes, with convenient operation and small floor area of the device. Using a photoelectric induction system to control the loading, reducing the loading workload and saving manpower. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present utility model or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present utility model. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the storage component structure;

[0020] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the propulsion mechanism structure;

[0021] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the lifting mechanism structure;

[0022] Figure 5 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the test tube tray structure.

[0023] Identifications in the figure: 1 - Propulsion mechanism; 101 - First sliding mechanism; 102 - Push rod; 103 - First slider; 104 - Propulsion support frame; 105 - First fixing plate; 106 - First fixing column; 107 - Second fixing plate; 108 - Connecting plate; 2 - Storage component; 201 - Front plate; 202 - Rear plate; 203 - Side plate; 204 - Insertion plate; 205 - Inlet; 206 - Outlet; 207 - Compartment; 208 - Sliding groove; 209 - Observation window; 210 - Bottom plate; 3 - Support frame; 4 - Lifting mechanism; 401 - Second sliding mechanism; 402 - Second sliding block; 403 - Lifting platform; 404 - L-shaped base; 405 - Side baffle; 406 - Lifting support frame; 5 - Test tube tray; 501 - Test tube plate; 502 - Connecting rod; 503 - First test tube hole; 504 - Second test tube hole; 601 - First photoelectric sensor; 602 - Second photoelectric sensor; 603 - Third photoelectric sensor; 604 - Fourth photoelectric sensor; 605 - First induction sheet; 606 - Second induction sheet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Embodiment

[0025] Refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the tray loading device includes a propulsion mechanism 1, a storage component 2, a support frame 3, a lifting mechanism 4, a test tube tray 5, and a control component (not shown in the figure). The storage component 2 is installed on the support frame 3 and is installed between the propulsion mechanism 1 and the lifting mechanism 4. Both the propulsion mechanism 1 and the lifting mechanism 4 are connected to the control component. The storage component 2 is used to store soft material tubular objects. In this embodiment, a soft test tube is taken as an example. The control component includes a motor (not shown in the figure) and an operation panel with a built-in operation program (not shown in the figure). The control component is used to control the propulsion mechanism 1 to push the soft test tubes in the storage component 2 to slide out and move them into the test tube tray 5, and to control the lifting mechanism 4 to gradually move the test tube tray 5 to complete the tray loading. The propulsion mechanism 1 and the lifting mechanism 4 are installed on the same horizontal plane. In this embodiment, the propulsion mechanism 1, the storage component 2, the support frame 3, and the lifting mechanism 4 are installed on an operation table 7.

[0026] Refer to Figure 2, the storage component 2 is in the structure of a box, and the storage component 2 includes a front plate 201, a rear plate 202, two side plates 203, a bottom plate 210, several inserting plates 204, an inlet 205 and an outlet 206. The front plate 201, the rear plate 202, the side plates 203 and the bottom plate 210 are connected to each other to form a box. The front plate 201 is close to the propulsion mechanism 1, and the rear plate 202 is close to the lifting mechanism 4. The inserting plates 204 are installed inside the storage component 2 in parallel and at equal intervals, are perpendicular to the front plate 201 and the rear plate 202, and are parallel to the side plates 203. The inlet 205 and the outlet 206 are opposite in position, are both located at the bottom of the storage component 2, and are perpendicularly arranged with respect to the inserting plates 204. The inlet 205 is located below the front plate 201, and there is a certain distance between the front plate 201 and the bottom plate 210, and the height of the inlet 205 is adapted to the propulsion mechanism 1. The outlet 206 is located below the rear plate 202, and there is a certain distance between the rear plate 202 and the bottom plate 210, and the height of the outlet 206 is adapted to the tube diameter of the soft test tube, and the height of the outlet 206 is slightly larger than the tube diameter of the soft test tube, facilitating the soft test tubes to be pushed out row by row from the outlet 206. Compartments 207 are formed between adjacent inserting plates 204, and the width of the compartments 207 is adapted to the soft test tubes. Each compartment 207 can accommodate a column of soft test tubes, and the soft test tubes within the range of the compartments 207 are stacked horizontally along the compartment direction. The installation direction of the inserting plates 204 is consistent with the sliding direction of the propulsion mechanism 1. When there is a height difference between the upper edge of the inserting plates 204 and the periphery of the storage component 2, the height of the inserting plates 204 is less than the heights of the front plate 201, the rear plate 202 and the side plates 203. Inside the storage component 2, a storage space is formed above the inserting plates 204 and the main body of the storage component 2 for placing the soft test tubes to be loaded onto the tray. After a batch of empty soft test tubes are placed into the storage component 2, the lower soft test tubes are automatically distributed into the compartments 207 under the action of gravity, and the soft test tubes above the inserting plates 204 are stacked naturally. As the lowermost soft test tubes are pushed out from the outlet 206 and enter the test tube tray 5 for loading, the upper test tubes gradually and automatically fall into the corresponding compartments 207. To facilitate the removal of the inserting plates 204, corresponding sliding grooves 208 are provided on the front plate 201 and the rear plate 202. The extending direction of the sliding grooves 208 is consistent with the front plate 201 and the rear plate 202 and is adapted to the inserting plates 204. The inserting plates 204 can slide along the sliding grooves 208 to be removed from or inserted into the storage component 2. To facilitate observing the situation inside the storage component 2, an observation window 209 is installed on the side plate 203. The observation window 209 can be in a hollowed-out design or a transparent material design.

[0027] Refer to Figure 3, the propulsion mechanism 1 includes a first sliding mechanism 101 for installing several push rods 102. All the push rods 102 are located on the same horizontal plane and are equally spaced and installed on the first sliding mechanism 101. The first sliding mechanism 101 is installed horizontally and is a linear sliding mechanism that can complete linear reciprocating sliding. In this embodiment, a lead screw sliding mechanism is selected. The extending direction of the push rod 102 is the same as the sliding direction of the first sliding mechanism 101. The push rod 102 is in the same horizontal direction as the inlet 205 and the outlet 206. The push rod 102 horizontally slides into the space between the compartments 207 from the inlet 205 to push the soft test tubes located in the compartments 207. In this embodiment, the push rod 102 is connected to the first sliding mechanism through a propulsion support frame 104. The propulsion support frame 104 is an I-shaped connecting member, including a first fixing plate 105, a first fixing column 106, and a second fixing plate 107. The first fixing plate 105, the first fixing column 106, and the second fixing plate 107 are sequentially connected. The first fixing plate 105 is located above and is arranged horizontally. The first fixing plate 105 is used to connect the push rod 102. In this embodiment, all the push rods 102 are installed on a vertical connecting plate 107. The tail of the push rod 102 extends through the connecting plate 107, and the connecting plate 107 is connected to the first fixing plate 105. The connection between the push rod 102 and the propulsion support frame 104 can also be achieved by known methods. The second fixing plate 107 is arranged horizontally and is connected to the first slider 103 of the first sliding mechanism 101. A fixing bracket can also be installed at the bottom of the first sliding mechanism 101 so that the push rod 102 is in the same horizontal direction as the inlet 205.

[0028] Refer to Figure 4The lifting mechanism 4 includes a second sliding mechanism 401. The second sliding mechanism 401 is vertically installed. The second sliding mechanism 401 is a linear sliding mechanism that can complete linear reciprocating sliding. In this embodiment, a lead screw sliding mechanism is selected. The test tube tray 5 is movably connected to the second sliding mechanism 401. The second sliding mechanism 401 is controlled by a button of the control component to drive the test tube tray 5 to move up and down. After the loading is completed, the second sliding mechanism 401 returns to the initial position. In this embodiment, by installing a lifting platform 403 on the second sliding block 402 of the second sliding mechanism 401, the lifting platform 403 is used to place the test tube tray 5, so that the test tube tray 5 moves up and down with the second sliding mechanism 401. The lifting platform 403 includes an L-shaped base 404, a front baffle and two side baffles 405. The two side baffles are respectively installed on both sides of the L-shaped base 404. The front baffle is installed on the horizontal plate of the L-shaped base 404 and is respectively connected to the two side baffles 405 at both ends. The L-shaped base 404, the front baffle and the side baffles 405 form a space for accommodating the test tube tray 5. The test tube tray 5 is placed on the lifting platform and slides up and down together with the slider of the second sliding mechanism 401. It is also possible to connect the second sliding mechanism 401 to the test tube tray in other ways. For example, a flat plate or an L-shaped fixing seat is installed on the second sliding block 402 of the second sliding mechanism 402 for placing the test tube tray 5.

[0029] Refer to Figure 5, the test tube tray 5 includes several layers of test tube plates 501 arranged horizontally. The test tube plates 501 are arranged in parallel and equidistantly. Adjacent test tube plates 501 are connected by connecting rods 502, and the connecting rods 502 are close to the four corners of the test tube plates 501. The test tube tray 5 in this embodiment includes three layers of test tube plates 501, and two layers, four layers or multiple layers of test tube plates 501 can be set as required. Several first test tube holes 503 are provided on at least two layers of test tube plates 501 close to the storage component 2. The first test tube holes 503 are arranged in parallel and equidistantly. The first test tube holes 503 on the two layers of test tube plates are correspondingly arranged. The aperture of the first test tube holes 503 is larger than the diameter of the soft test tube. The first test tube holes 503 on the same horizontal line correspond to the inlet 205 and the partition 207, that is, the number of the first test tube holes 503 on the same horizontal line corresponds to the number of the partitions 207. The inlet 205, the outlet 206 and the first test tube holes 503 form a sliding extension space in the horizontal direction. The soft test tubes located in the storage component 2 can extend and slide into the first test tube holes 503. The test tube plate 501 close to the second sliding mechanism 401, that is, the test tube plate 501 at the bottom of the test tube tray 5, is provided with a hole groove or a second test tube hole 504, and the hole groove or the second test tube hole 504 is correspondingly arranged with the first test tube holes 503. The hole groove is closed to prevent the soft test tubes on the tray from falling. The aperture of the second test tube hole 504 is smaller than the aperture of the first test tube hole 503, which can also prevent the test tubes on the tray from falling from the test tube tray 5. In the initial state of loading the tray, the test tube tray 5 is placed on its side on the second sliding mechanism 401, and the first test tube holes 503 face the storage component 2. The lowermost first test tube hole 503 is in the same horizontal direction as the inlet 205. During the loading process, the moving distance of the second sliding mechanism 401 each time is equal to the distance between adjacent rows of the first test tube holes 503. After the uppermost row of the first test tube holes 503 is loaded with soft test tubes, the second sliding mechanism 401 is controlled by the button of the control component to drive the test tube tray 5 to move up, and the second row of the first test tube holes 503 faces the inlet for loading. Repeat this operation to complete the loading.

[0030] Refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4, for convenient operation, the control component includes a photoelectric induction system and is installed on the disk loading device. The sliding cooperation between the first sliding mechanism 101 and the second sliding mechanism 401 is realized through photoelectric induction for disk loading, without manual operation to control the sliding of the first sliding mechanism 101 and the second sliding mechanism 401. The photoelectric induction system includes a first photoelectric sensor 601, a second photoelectric sensor 602, a third sensor 603, a fourth sensor 604, a first induction sheet 605 and a second induction sheet 606. The first photoelectric sensor 601 and the second photoelectric sensor 602 are respectively installed on the right and left parts of the first sliding mechanism 101. The direction close to the storage component 2 is the left, and the direction away from the storage component 2 is the right. The first induction sheet 605 is installed at the position where the push rod 102 is connected to the first sliding mechanism 101. In this embodiment, it is installed on the outside of the first sliding block 103. The third photoelectric sensor 603 and the fourth sensor 604 are respectively installed on the lower and upper parts of the second sliding mechanism 401. The second induction sheet 606 is installed at the position where the test tube tray 5 is connected to the second sliding mechanism 401. In this embodiment, it is installed on the second sliding block 402. When the first sensor 601 senses the first induction sheet 605, the first sliding mechanism 101 slides to the left, driving the push rod 102 to push the soft test tube. When the second sensor 602 senses the first induction sheet 605, the push rod 102 has pushed the soft test tube out of the storage component 2, completing the disk loading of a row of soft test tubes, and the first sliding mechanism 101 slides back to the initial position to the right. When the first row of the first test tube holes 503 is filled with soft test tubes, the control component regulates and controls the opening of the lifting program to control the lifting of the lifting mechanism. When the third sensor 603 senses the second induction sheet 606, the lifting mechanism slides upward, driving the test tube tray 5 to move upward. The second row of the first test tube holes 503 faces the outlet 206, and the foregoing actions are repeated until the disk loading is completed. When the fourth sensor 604 senses the second induction sheet 606, after the operator removes the test tube tray 5 filled with soft test tubes, the lifting structure moves downward to the initial position for the next disk loading.

[0031] Working principle of the present utility model:

[0032] (1) Adjust the propulsion mechanism, storage component, and lifting mechanism to be at the same horizontal height, so that the first test tube holes on the top layer of the test tube tray, the inlet of the storage component, the outlet, and the push rod are at the same height;

[0033] (2) Place the test tube tray on the side of the second sliding mechanism facing the storage component. Put a sufficient number of test tubes in the storage component, with the test tube mouths facing the front plate and the test tube bottoms facing the rear plate, that is, facing the push rod. Turn on the power switch. The first sliding mechanism drives the push rod to slide towards the storage component. Each push rod corresponds to the gap between adjacent insertion plates in the storage component and extends into the storage component from the inlet, pushing the test tubes in the storage component out from the outlet. The test tubes enter the uppermost layer of test tube holes in the pre-positioned test tube tray. After the photoelectric sensor senses that the push rod has completely extended into the storage component, the control component controls the push rod to slide back to its initial position. Under the action of gravity, the test tubes in the storage component fall to the bottom of the storage component. At the same time, the control component controls the second sliding mechanism to drive the test tube tray to move up a distance of one row of test tube holes to prepare to load soft test tubes into the second row of test tube holes. The push rod slides towards the storage component again to push the test tubes in the storage component into the second row of test tube holes, and the previous actions are continuously repeated until the whole tray is finally filled. Then take out the filled test tube tray, put in a new test tube tray, and perform the loading operation again.

[0034] The beneficial effects of the present utility model are that it will not damage the soft test tubes, the operation of loading the soft test tubes onto the tray is convenient, and the device occupies a small area. The photoelectric induction system is used to control the tray loading, reducing the workload of tray loading and saving manpower.

[0035] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present utility model shall be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A dish loading device, characterized in that It includes a propulsion mechanism, a storage component, a support frame, a lifting mechanism, a test tube tray and a control component. The storage component is installed on the support frame and between the propulsion mechanism and the lifting mechanism. The support frame, the propulsion mechanism and the lifting mechanism are installed on the same horizontal plane. Both the propulsion mechanism and the lifting mechanism are connected to the control component. The propulsion mechanism includes a first sliding mechanism with several push rods installed thereon. The first sliding mechanism is horizontally arranged. Inside the storage component, several parallel and equally spaced inserting plates are installed. The storage component includes an inlet and an outlet. The inlet and the outlet are opposite in position and both are located at the bottom of the storage component. The installation direction of the inserting plates is the same as the sliding direction of the first sliding mechanism. The lifting mechanism includes a second sliding mechanism which is vertically installed. The test tube tray is installed on the second sliding mechanism.

2. The tray loading device according to claim 1, wherein, The control component includes a photoelectric induction system. The photoelectric induction system includes a first photoelectric inductor, a second photoelectric inductor, a third photoelectric inductor, a fourth photoelectric inductor, a first induction piece and a second induction piece. The first photoelectric inductor and the second photoelectric inductor are respectively installed on the right and left parts of the first sliding mechanism. The first induction piece is installed at the position where the push rod is connected to the first sliding mechanism. The third photoelectric inductor and the fourth photoelectric inductor are respectively installed on the lower and upper parts of the second sliding mechanism. The second induction piece is installed at the position where the test tube tray is connected to the second sliding mechanism.

3. The disk loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, There is a height difference between the upper edge of the inserting plate and the periphery of the storage component. Inside the storage component, a storage space is formed between the upper part of the inserting plate and the storage component.

4. The loading device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The storage component includes a front plate and a rear plate. Corresponding sliding grooves are provided on the front plate and the rear plate. The sliding grooves are adapted to the inserting plates.

5. The dish loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The test tube tray includes multiple layers of test tube plates.

6. The dish loading device according to claim 5, wherein, On the test tube plate close to the storage component, several first test tube holes are provided. On the test tube plate close to the second sliding mechanism, several hole grooves or second test tube holes are provided.

7. The dish loading device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The aperture of the second test tube hole is smaller than that of the first test tube hole.

8. The dish loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage component includes two side plates. Observation windows are installed on both of the two side plates.

9. The loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first sliding mechanism and the second sliding mechanism are linear sliding mechanisms.

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