High-load rapid automatic sample feeding system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a high-load quick automatic sample feeding system, which comprises a sample bearing mechanism, a sample buffering and feeding mechanism and a sample transferring mechanism, the sample bearing mechanism is provided with a conveying belt, and a plurality of sample tube carrying cylinders are mounted on the conveying belt; the sample buffer injection mechanism comprises a buffer sample disc and a motor A, a plurality of accommodating holes are circumferentially formed in the buffer sample disc, rotors are arranged in the accommodating holes, the accommodating holes are communicated with the sample injection pipe in the magnet when being in a stop position, and the buffer sample disc is rotated to be switched between the adjacent accommodating holes so as to realize rapid replacement of the sample pipe assembly; and the sample transfer mechanism is used for clamping and transferring the sample tube assembly so as to transfer the sample tube assembly from the sample tube carrying cylinder to the rotor in the accommodating hole and transfer the sample tube assembly from the rotor in the accommodating hole to the sample tube carrying cylinder. The sample tube assemblies can be quickly replaced, the number of sample tube bearing fittings can be set at will, and cost cannot be remarkably increased when the number of the sample tube assemblies is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, and more specifically relates to a high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system. Background Art

[0002] Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers are widely used for molecular structure testing, with applications in chemistry, pharmaceuticals, materials, food testing, and human metabolite testing. As more and more people use NMR spectrometers for structural identification, the volume of NMR spectrometer testing has increased dramatically, often requiring pipeline testing of large numbers of samples.

[0003] Traditional NMR spectrometers rely on manual sample replacement, which can no longer meet the needs of streamlined testing. Therefore, automated sample delivery systems have been developed. Sample tubes containing the test sample are placed in the automated delivery system, and the system automatically changes the sample tubes under computer instructions. These automated delivery systems typically focus on two core technical indicators:

[0004] 1) The maximum sample (sample tube) carrying capacity of the automatic sample delivery system. The number of sample tubes that the automatic sample delivery system needs to carry is related to the maximum number of samples tested in a day. For most testing scenarios, a carrying capacity of dozens of sample tubes, combined with cyclic manual replacement of sample tubes in the automatic sample delivery system, can meet the needs. In application scenarios such as food testing and human metabolite testing, large-scale sample quantities are often required to be tested quickly and in an assembly line manner, requiring the automatic sample delivery system to carry hundreds of sample tubes.

[0005] 2) The speed at which the automatic sample delivery system changes sample tubes, including the time it takes to remove a tested sample tube and insert the next one to be tested, shortens sample change time and can significantly increase the number of samples tested per day.

[0006] Existing automatic sample delivery systems are typically implemented by setting up one or more sample trays for loading sample tubes, and using a robotic arm to grab and shift the sample tubes on the sample trays, or by moving the coordinates of the sample trays to move the sample tubes to the inlet (outlet) position (injection tube). However, automatic sample delivery systems are generally installed on the magnet of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. Due to the limited space around the magnet or the top sample opening, existing automatic sample delivery systems have the following problems:

[0007] 1) Placing the automatic sample delivery system on top of the magnet speeds up sample exchange. However, due to its high height, it is inconvenient to place samples on the sample tray. Furthermore, the limited space on the top or sides of the magnet prevents the sample tray from being too large. This results in the upper limit on the number of sample tubes that can be loaded to only a few dozen. Changing the size of the sample tray cannot accommodate hundreds of samples.

[0008] 2) Placing the automatic sample delivery system on the side of the magnet makes it easier to place the rotor in the sample tray due to the reduced height. However, this significantly increases the distance between the sample tray and the injection tube of the automatic sample delivery system, significantly reducing the sample change speed.

[0009] 3) The automatic sample feeding system requires the sample tube to be inserted into the rotor and then placed on the sample tray of the automatic sample feeding system. The larger the carrying capacity of the automatic sample feeding system, the more rotors are required. Compared with the relatively cheap sample tubes, the rotor is very expensive. Increasing the sample carrying capacity will increase the cost of the automatic sample feeding system exponentially. Utility Model Content

[0010] In response to the above defects or improvement needs of the existing technology, the utility model provides a high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system, which can quickly replace sample tubes, the number of sample tubes carried can be arbitrarily set, and increasing the number of sample tubes will not significantly increase costs.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, according to the present invention, a high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system is provided, characterized in that it includes a sample carrying mechanism, a sample buffer injection mechanism, and a sample transfer mechanism for clamping and transferring a sample tube assembly, wherein:

[0012] The sample carrying mechanism includes a conveyor having a conveyor belt, the belt surface of the conveyor belt being arranged vertically, and a plurality of sample tube carriers carrying sample tube assemblies being installed on the conveyor belt, wherein the sample tube assemblies include sample tubes and carriers carrying the sample tubes, and the carriers of the sample tube assemblies are placed on the sample tube carriers;

[0013] The sample buffer injection mechanism is installed at the top of the magnet of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The sample buffer injection mechanism includes a motor A and a buffer sample disk rotatably mounted on the magnet. The buffer sample disk is circumferentially arranged with multiple accommodating holes, and each accommodating hole is provided with a rotor without a sample tube assembly inserted therein. The motor A is connected to the buffer sample disk to drive the buffer sample disk to rotate around a vertical line.

[0014] Preferably, the conveyor belt has a serpentine section;

[0015] The conveyor belt is provided with a sample tube positioning hole in the portion between any two adjacent sample tube carrier cylinders;

[0016] A sample tube positioning hole is provided next to each sample tube carrier at a distance L from the sample tube carrier to facilitate positioning of the sample tube carrier;

[0017] The conveyor belt is provided with an origin positioning hole above or below one of the positioning holes;

[0018] The conveyor belt is fixed with a positioning sensor and an origin sensor at the upper and lower positions below the first guide rail, respectively corresponding to the positioning hole and the origin positioning hole;

[0019] The conveyor belt is provided with a sample tube detection sensor above each sample tube carrier.

[0020] Preferably, the carrier of the sample tube assembly is cylindrical, with O-rings provided at both ends of the inner hole of the carrier, the sample tube is inserted into the inner hole of the carrier and fixed by the O-ring; the carrier is located at the top of the sample tube, and the distance between the bottom of all sample tubes in the sample carrying mechanism and the carrier is the same.

[0021] Preferably, the buffer sample tray is respectively provided with a first spring latch at a position corresponding to each accommodating hole, and the first spring latch is driven to move by a first power mechanism.

[0022] Preferably, a plurality of cylinders are circumferentially arranged on the buffer sample tray, and the accommodating holes are the inner cavities of the cylinders;

[0023] The first spring latch is arranged on the cylinder;

[0024] A cap is provided on the top of the cylinder, and the cap is located above the rotor;

[0025] Each cylinder is respectively provided with a sensor for detecting whether a sample tube assembly is installed in the rotor in the accommodating hole.

[0026] Preferably, the sample transfer mechanism includes a first conveying mechanism, a first clamping mechanism, a second conveying mechanism and a second clamping mechanism, the first clamping mechanism is installed on the first conveying mechanism, and the second clamping mechanism is installed on the second conveying mechanism.

[0027] Preferably, the first transmission mechanism includes a transmission bracket and a belt transmission mechanism mounted on the transmission bracket, wherein the belt transmission mechanism has a transmission belt and a plurality of pulleys for driving the transmission belt to move;

[0028] The first clamping mechanism includes a guide block, a bearing seat, a bearing, a shaft, and a sample tube holding block, wherein the guide block is mounted on the transmission belt, the bearing seat is mounted on the guide block, the shaft is horizontally arranged and mounted on the bearing seat via the bearing, the sample tube holding block is fixedly mounted on the shaft, the sample tube holding block has an inner hole, and a second spring latch is mounted on the sample tube holding block and can extend into the inner hole to fix the sample tube assembly;

[0029] The transmission bracket is provided with a first guide rail and a second guide rail, the first guide rail and the second guide rail are arranged vertically and horizontally respectively, and the second guide rail is located above the first guide rail;

[0030] A pulley is arranged between the second guide rail and the first guide rail;

[0031] The second power mechanism is arranged below the first guide rail;

[0032] The third power mechanism is arranged on the transmission bracket;

[0033] An elastic rubber block is provided on the second clamping mechanism.

[0034] Preferably, the transmission bracket is further provided with a bracket, and the bracket is provided with a groove running through it from top to bottom;

[0035] The lifting mechanism is arranged below the bracket.

[0036] Preferably, when the sample tube accommodating block is on the first guide rail and does not clamp the sample tube assembly, the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block is inclined relative to the horizontal plane;

[0037] When the sample tube assembly clamped by the sample tube accommodating block moves on the conveyor belt, the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block and the sample tube assembly clamped by the sample tube accommodating block are in a vertical state under the action of gravity;

[0038] A stopping mechanism is provided on the first guide rail to allow the sample tube assembly to stay at the sample tube assembly releasing position.

[0039] Preferably, the second transmission mechanism includes a motor B, a rotating platform and a linear slide module, the rotating platform is installed on the motor B to drive the rotating platform to rotate around a vertical line, the linear slide module is installed on the rotating platform, and the second clamping mechanism is installed on the linear slide module, and the second clamping mechanism is a mechanical clamp.

[0040] In general, the above technical solutions conceived by the present invention can achieve the following results compared with the prior art:

[0041] Beneficial effects:

[0042] 1) Since the sample carrying mechanism of the high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system of the present invention is placed at the bottom of the magnet, samples can be conveniently placed in the sample tube carrying mechanism. The sample carrying mechanism only carries sample tube assemblies with a very small diameter, and a large number of sample tube assemblies can be loaded in a very small area. The number of sample tube assemblies can be conveniently increased by extending the length of the conveyor belt. Theoretically, there is no limit to the number of sample tube assemblies that can be expanded in the side space of the magnet. Therefore, the present invention can solve the problem that placing the automatic sample delivery system on the top of the magnet has a faster sample change speed, but it is inconvenient to place samples in the sample tray due to its high height. At the same time, due to the limited space on the top or side of the magnet, the size of the sample tray cannot be made very large, which results in the upper limit of the number of sample tubes that can be loaded is only dozens, and changing the size of the sample tray cannot meet the needs of hundreds of samples.

[0043] 2) Since the high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system of the present invention realizes sample change through the sample buffer mechanism provided on the top of the magnet and directly connected to the sample injection tube, the sample is loaded through the sample tube carrying mechanism provided at the bottom of the magnet, and the sample transfer mechanism automatically transfers the next sample to be tested in the sample tube carrying mechanism to the sample buffer mechanism during the sample detection process, it is convenient to place samples in the sample tube carrying mechanism, and the sample buffer mechanism only switches between adjacent accommodating holes. The sample replacement time only includes the time for the sample tube to enter and exit the sample injection tube and the sample buffer mechanism to rotate to the adjacent accommodating hole, and the sample change speed is fast. Therefore, the present invention can solve the problem that placing the automatic sample delivery system on the side of the magnet is more convenient to place the rotor in the sample tray due to the reduced height, but significantly increases the distance between the sample tray and the sample injection tube of the automatic sample delivery system, and the sample change speed will be significantly reduced;

[0044] 3) Since the high-load capacity rapid automatic sample delivery system of the present invention only uses rotors in the buffer sample tray, there are only a few rotors, and the sample carrying mechanism only uses carriers to fix the sample tubes. To expand the sample carrying capacity, only carriers need to be added, and no rotors need to be added. The carriers are inexpensive because of their simple structure and low precision requirements. Therefore, the present invention can solve the problem that the automatic sample delivery system needs to insert the sample tubes into the rotors and then put them into the sample tray of the automatic sample delivery system. The larger the carrying capacity of the automatic sample delivery system, the more rotors are needed. Compared with the relatively cheap sample tubes, the price of the rotors is very high. Increasing the sample carrying capacity will increase the cost of the automatic sample delivery system exponentially. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Figure 1 、 Figure 2 They are respectively a front view and a left view of the utility model installed on the magnet of a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer;

[0046] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of one of the circular tubes of the present invention aligned with the sample inlet tube of a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a sample tube carrier installed on a conveyor belt in the present invention;

[0048] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a sample tube assembly carried on a conveyor belt in the present invention;

[0049] Figure 6 It is a partial schematic diagram of the sample transfer mechanism in the utility model;

[0050] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the first clamping mechanism in the present utility model;

[0051] Figure 8 and Figure 9 They are partial schematic diagrams of the utility model at different viewing angles;

[0052] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of the sample tube assembly in the present utility model;

[0053] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a sample tube holding block clamping a sample tube assembly in the present invention;

[0054] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a photoelectric sensor disposed above a sample tube carrier in the present invention;

[0055] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram of the alignment of the receiving hole of the buffer sample tray and the sample inlet tube of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer in the present invention;

[0056] Figure 14 It is a schematic diagram of the belt transmission mechanism of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely for the purpose of explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0058] Reference Figures 1 to 14 A high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system includes a sample carrying mechanism 200, a sample buffer injection mechanism 400 and a sample transfer mechanism 300, wherein:

[0059] The sample carrying mechanism 200 includes a conveyor 210, and the conveyor 210 has a conveyor belt 211. The belt surface of the conveyor belt 211 is vertically arranged, and a plurality of vertical sample tube carriers 212 carrying sample tube assemblies are installed on the conveyor belt 211, wherein the sample tube assembly includes a sample tube 61 and a carrier 62 carrying the sample tube 61, and the carrier 62 is placed on the sample tube carrier 212; the conveyor belt 211 can be driven by friction force. The utility model preferably has teeth on the conveyor belt 211, and relies on the engagement between the teeth of the conveyor belt 211 and the teeth of the pulley to perform synchronous transmission.

[0060] The sample buffer injection mechanism 400 is mounted on the top of the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The sample buffer injection mechanism 400 includes a buffer sample disk 415 rotatably mounted on the magnet 100 and a motor A for driving the buffer sample disk 415 to rotate around a vertical line. The buffer sample disk 415 is circumferentially arranged with a plurality of vertical receiving holes for receiving sample tube assemblies. The sample buffer injection mechanism 400 is mounted on the top of the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The sample buffer injection mechanism 400 includes a motor A and a buffer sample disk 415 rotatably mounted on the magnet 100. The buffer sample tray 415 on the body 100 has a plurality of vertical receiving holes arranged circumferentially on the buffer sample tray 415 for receiving the sample tube assembly and the rotor 420. Each receiving hole is provided with a rotor 420 without a sample tube 61 inserted therein. The motor A is connected to the buffer sample tray 415 to drive the buffer sample tray 415 to rotate around a vertical line, so that the receiving hole is aligned with the sample inlet tube 11 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, and the sample tube assembly is dropped into the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for detection. The buffer sample tray rotates and switches between adjacent receiving holes to realize Quickly replace the sample tube; preferably, the buffer sample tray 415 is respectively equipped with a first spring latch 417 at a position corresponding to each receiving hole, so that the first spring latch 417 extends into the receiving hole to fix the rotor 420 in the receiving hole (the first spring latch 417 can support the rotor 420 to fix the rotor 420, or it can be against the outer wall of the rotor 420 and cooperate with the hole wall of the receiving hole to clamp the rotor 420 to fix the rotor 420. The present invention preferably adopts a clamping fixation method), and after withdrawing from the receiving hole to release the rotor 420, the rotor 420 and the rotor 420 can be fixed. The sample tube assembly carried on the cylinder 420 falls into the magnet 100 for detection, and the first spring latch 417 is driven by the first power mechanism 421 to move and exit the receiving hole. In addition, the buffer sample tray 415 is circumferentially arranged with a plurality of cylinders 416. The receiving hole is the inner cavity of the cylinder 416. Each receiving hole is provided with a rotor 420. The first spring latch 417 is provided on the cylinder 416 to bear the pressure of the sample tube assembly when the sample transfer mechanism 300 inserts the sample tube assembly into the rotor 420 in the receiving hole.

[0061] The first spring latch 417 can adopt an existing structure, as long as it can withdraw from the receiving hole when subjected to external force and extend into the receiving hole when not subjected to external force. For example, the first spring latch 417 can adopt a spring latch of conventional structure, mainly including a first pin and a first compression spring mounted on the first pin, and the buffer sample plate 415 can serve as a fixed angle of the pin seat.

[0062] The first pin is movably mounted on the buffer sample tray 415, and the first compression spring is mounted on the first pin. One end of the first pin is a force-bearing end for bearing thrust, and the other end of the first pin is a pin-entry end for extending into the receiving hole.

[0063] In one mounting structure, one end of the first compression spring is fixedly connected to the first pin and the other end is fixedly connected to the buffer sample tray 415. When the first pin is pushed out of the receiving hole by an external force, the first compression spring is compressed. After the external force is removed, the first pin can return to its original position under the elastic force of the first compression spring and then re-enter the receiving hole. Alternatively, as another mounting structure, the first pin has a first boss. When the first pin is pushed to move by an external force, the first boss pushes the first compression spring, causing it to be compressed. The first power mechanism 421 can be a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or an electric cylinder. After the external force is removed, the first compression spring drives the first pin to return to its original position via the first boss.

[0064] As a driving method, the first power mechanism 421 can directly drive the end of the first pin rod of the first spring latch 417 to move to exit the accommodating hole so that the end of the first pin rod retracts, and the force-bearing end of the first pin rod is exposed on the buffer sample tray 415. The first power mechanism 421 is outside the buffer sample tray 415. When the first spring latch 417 on each accommodating hole rotates to the position corresponding to the first power mechanism 421, the first power mechanism 421 contacts the force-bearing end of the first pin rod, thereby driving the pin rod of the first spring latch 417 to move.

[0065] Alternatively, as another driving method, the first spring latch 417 also has a button. The first power mechanism 421 drives the first pin to move to exit the accommodating hole through the button. The button is movably mounted on the buffer sample tray 415, and the first power mechanism 421 is outside the buffer sample tray 415. One end of the button is exposed to the buffer sample tray 415 and the other end is in contact with the first pin, and the end of the button in contact with the first pin is provided with an inclined surface, which pushes the button pin to move by contacting the force-bearing end of the pin through the inclined surface. Since the button is provided with an inclined surface, the moving direction of the button can be perpendicular to the moving direction of the first pin, which is convenient for arranging the first power mechanism 421 in other directions. The buffer sample tray 415 is provided with a limit table to prevent the button from falling off.

[0066] A cap 418 is provided on the top of the cylinder 416 . The cap 418 is located above the rotor 420 to limit the upward movement of the rotor 420 , thereby facilitating separation of the sample tube assembly from the rotor 420 when the sample transfer mechanism 300 withdraws the sample tube assembly upward.

[0067] The buffer sample tray is provided with a sensor 419 on each cylinder 416 for detecting whether a sample tube 61 is installed in the rotor in the cylinder 416 .

[0068] The sample transfer mechanism 300 includes a rotor 420 for gripping and transferring sample tube assemblies, thereby transferring the sample tube assemblies from the sample tube carrier 212 to the receiving holes of the buffer sample tray 415, and vice versa. The sample transfer mechanism 300 can adopt existing structures, such as a robotic arm, a scara robot, a three-axis motion platform (with a gripper), a multi-axis motion platform (with a gripper) mounted on a rotating table, etc., as long as it can grasp and transfer the sample tube assembly.

[0069] Furthermore, the conveyor belt 211 has a serpentine section, which is equivalent to folding the entire conveyor belt 211, so that the length of the conveyor belt 211 can be extended in a smaller space. Its length and the number of bends can be increased or decreased according to the number of sample tube assemblies that need to be loaded, thereby significantly increasing the number of sample tubes 61 that can be carried.

[0070] The conveyor belt 211 is provided with a sample tube positioning hole 213 between any two adjacent sample tube carriers 212. Each sample tube carrier 212 is provided with a sample tube positioning hole 213 at a distance L from the sample tube carrier 212 to facilitate positioning of the sample tube carrier 212. Since the distances between any two sample tube carriers 212 cannot be the same, each sample tube positioning hole 213 can only be at an equal distance from the sample tube carrier 212 on one side, while the distance from the sample tube carrier 212 on the other side varies. The conveyor belt 211 is provided with an origin positioning hole 214 above or below one of the positioning holes 213 to facilitate numbering and initial positioning of the sample tubes 61. Once the origin positioning hole 214 is detected, the sample tube 61 downstream of the origin positioning hole 214 can be designated as sample tube 61 No. 1. Each sample tube 61 is coded and can be scanned to identify the number.

[0071] In addition, the rack of the sample carrying mechanism 200 is provided with a sample tube detection sensor 221 at a position corresponding to each sample tube carrier 212 , so as to detect in real time whether each sample tube carrier 212 has a sample tube 61 .

[0072] The conveyor belt 211 is fixed with a positioning sensor 223 and an origin sensor 222 at the upper and lower positions below the first guide rail, which correspond to the positioning hole 213 and the origin positioning hole 214 respectively; when the conveyor belt 211 moves, when the positioning hole 213 moves to the position of the positioning sensor 223, the positioning sensor 223 is triggered to determine the number count and stop position of the sample carrier 212 corresponding to the positioning hole 213; when the conveyor belt 211 moves and the origin positioning hole 214 moves to the origin sensor 222, the origin sensor 222 is triggered to determine the origin position of the sample carrier corresponding to the origin positioning hole 214.

[0073] Furthermore, the carrier 212 of the sample tube assembly is cylindrical, and O-rings 621 are provided at both ends of the inner hole of the carrier. The sample tube 61 is inserted into the inner hole of the carrier 212 and fixed by the O-ring 621; the carrier 212 is located at the top position of the sample tube 61, and the distance between the bottom of all sample tubes 61 and the carrier 212 in the sample carrying mechanism 200 is the same.

[0074] Furthermore, the sample transfer mechanism 300 includes a first conveying mechanism, a first clamping mechanism, a second conveying mechanism, and a second clamping mechanism 413. The first clamping mechanism is installed on the first conveying mechanism to clamp the sample tube assembly on the sample tube carrier 212 and, driven by the belt transmission mechanism, move the sample tube assembly to the sample tube assembly release position. After the sample tube assembly reaches the sample tube assembly release position, the first clamping mechanism releases the sample tube assembly, allowing the sample tube assembly to fall freely. The second clamping mechanism 413 is installed on the second conveying mechanism to clamp the sample tube assembly released by the first clamping mechanism and transfer the sample tube assembly to the receiving hole of the buffer sample tray 415. The first clamping mechanism and the second clamping mechanism 413 are preferably carriers 62 of the clamped sample tube assembly. If the sample tube 61 is to be clamped directly, the clamping portion needs to be provided with an elastic buffer portion such as rubber to prevent damage to the sample tube 61. Preferably, a bracket 422 is further provided on the transmission bracket to receive the carrier 62 of the sample tube assembly after the sample tube accommodating block 312 releases the sample tube assembly. The bracket 422 is provided with a groove running through it from top to bottom, so that the lower end of the sample tube 61 passes through the groove and the carrier 62 falls onto the bracket 422. The sample tube assembly first falls onto the bracket 422 and is received by the bracket 422.

[0075] The first transport mechanism and the first clamping mechanism together form a sample lifting device for clamping and transferring the sample tube assembly from the lower sample holding mechanism 200 to a higher sample tube assembly position.

[0076] A lifting mechanism 47 is disposed below the bracket 422 to lift the sample tube assembly on the bracket 422, thereby facilitating gripping of the sample tube assembly by the second clamping mechanism 413. The lifting mechanism 47 first raises the sample tube assembly to an appropriate height, after which the second clamping mechanism 413 grips the sample tube assembly and transfers it to the buffer sample tray 415. Because the sample tube 61 is relatively long, the lifting mechanism 47 is provided to lift the sample tube 61, preventing the second clamping mechanism 413 from moving too long and interfering with other components.

[0077] Furthermore, the first transmission mechanism includes a transmission bracket and a belt transmission mechanism installed on the transmission bracket, and the belt transmission mechanism has a transmission belt 32 and multiple pulleys that drive the transmission belt 32 to move; the transmission belt 32 and the pulleys can be a friction belt drive or a synchronous belt drive with teeth meshing with each other.

[0078] The first clamping mechanism includes a guide block 317, a bearing seat 315, a bearing 314, a shaft 313, and a sample tube holding block 312. The guide block 317 is mounted on the transmission belt 32, the bearing seat 315 is mounted on the guide block 317, the shaft 313 is horizontally arranged and mounted on the bearing seat 315 via the bearing 314, and the sample tube holding block 312 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 313. The sample tube holding block 312 has an inner hole, and a second spring latch 311 is mounted on the sample tube holding block 312, which can extend into the inner hole to fix the sample tube assembly.

[0079] The transmission bracket is provided with a first guide rail 239 for guiding the guide block 317 and the sample tube holding block 312, and a second guide rail 41 for guiding the guide block 317. The first guide rail 239 and the second guide rail 41 are arranged vertically and horizontally, respectively, and the second guide rail 41 is located above the first guide rail 239.

[0080] A pulley is arranged between the second guide rail 41 and the first guide rail 239 to facilitate the movement of the guide block 317 from the first guide rail 239 to the second guide rail 41;

[0081] The second power mechanism 231 is disposed below the first guide rail 239 to drive the second spring latch 311 to exit the inner hole of the sample tube receiving block 312, thereby facilitating the sample tube receiving block 312 to clamp or release the sample tube assembly carrier 62 on the sample tube carrier 212;

[0082] The third power mechanism 46 is disposed on the transmission bracket to drive the second spring latch 311 to withdraw from the inner hole of the sample tube holding block 312 after the sample tube holding block 312 reaches the sample tube assembly release position, thereby allowing the sample tube holding block 312 to release the sample tube assembly, making it easier for the second clamping mechanism 413 to remove the sample tube assembly.

[0083] Furthermore, when the sample tube accommodating block 312 is on the first guide rail 239 and does not clamp a sample tube assembly, the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312 is inclined relative to the horizontal plane. This can be achieved through the structural design of the sample tube accommodating block 312 itself.

[0084] When the sample tube holding block 312 clamps the sample tube assembly and moves on the second guide rail 41, the inner hole of the sample tube holding block 312 is in a vertical state; since the sample tube assembly in the sample tube holding block 312 is heavy and relatively long, the inner hole of the sample tube holding block 312 is vertical at this time.

[0085] The first guide rail 239 is provided with a stop mechanism 45 for stopping the sample tube accommodating block 312 and maintaining the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312 in a vertical position, thereby retaining the sample tube assembly in the sample tube assembly release position. After the sample tube accommodating block 312 is moved onto the first guide rail 239, the sample tube assembly thereon may not be completely vertical. Therefore, the stop mechanism 45 is provided. The stop mechanism 45 has a vertical surface for contacting the sample tube accommodating block 312 to maintain the sample tube accommodating block 312 in a vertical position.

[0086] Furthermore, the second transmission mechanism includes a motor B49, a rotating platform 410, and a linear slide module. The rotating platform 410 is mounted on the motor B49 to drive the rotating platform 410 to rotate about a vertical line. The linear slide module is mounted on the rotating platform 410, and the second clamping mechanism 413 is mounted on the linear slide module. The second clamping mechanism 413 is a mechanical gripper. The second transmission mechanism can drive the second clamping mechanism 413 to rotate and move up and down.

[0087] The second conveying mechanism and the second clamping mechanism 413 together form a vertical clamp for clamping the sample tube assembly for moving up and down and rotating.

[0088] The upper portion of the second clamping mechanism 413 is provided with an elastic rubber block. When the second clamping mechanism 413 is closed to clamp the sample tube assembly, the lower portion of the second clamping mechanism 413 clamps the carrier 212 of the sample tube assembly, causing the carrier 212 to slightly deform and exert a clamping force on the sample tube 61. The elastic rubber block in the upper portion of the second clamping mechanism 413 clamps the sample tube 61, deforming and exerting a clamping force and frictional force that allows the sample tube 61 to move up and down. The second clamping mechanism 413 holds the sample tube assembly and prevents the sample tube 61 from moving up and down within the carrier 212 when inserting the sample tube assembly into the rotor 420 within the receiving hole of the buffer sample tray 415 or removing the sample tube assembly from the rotor 420 within the receiving hole of the buffer sample tray 415.

[0089] The utility model further comprises sensors 1 to 15 for performing detection / positioning.

[0090] The sample carrying mechanism 200 of the present invention is placed on the chassis position of the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, and is used to place the sample tube assembly to be tested, and is used to move the sample tube 61 to be tested horizontally to transfer the sample tube 61 to be tested to a working position for docking with the sample transfer mechanism 300.

[0091] The sample transfer mechanism 300 is used to transfer sample tube assemblies between the sample carrying mechanism 200 and the sample buffer injection mechanism 400, including transferring untested sample tube assemblies from the sample carrying mechanism 200 to the sample buffer injection mechanism 400, and transferring tested sample tube assemblies from the sample buffer injection mechanism 400 to the sample carrying mechanism 200.

[0092] The sample buffer injection mechanism 400 is placed on top of the NMR spectrometer's magnet 100. The sample buffer injection mechanism 400 is equipped with a rotatable buffer sample tray 415. The buffer sample tray 415 is provided with a plurality of cylinders 416, which are evenly spaced circumferentially and internally loaded with rotors 420. When the cylinders 416 are rotated to align with the injection tubes 11 in the NMR spectrometer's magnet 100, the rotors 420 loaded with the sample tubes can be dropped into the NMR spectrometer's magnet 100, or the rotors 420 loaded with the sample tubes can be pneumatically ejected upward from the NMR spectrometer's magnet 100 into the cylinders 416. The rotors 420 can be moved upward within the NMR spectrometer's magnet 100 by gas propulsion, a technique known in the art and not further described herein.

[0093] When the sample transfer mechanism 300 transfers the sample from the sample carrier 200 to the bracket 422 and is lifted by the lifting mechanism 47, the second clamping mechanism 413 clamps the sample and inserts it into the idle rotor 420 in the buffer sample tray 415. Under computer control, the buffer sample tray 415 rotates to align the cylinder 416 with the sample injection tube 11, and the rotor 420 containing the sample is placed into the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for testing. When the sample testing is completed, the buffer sample tray 415 pneumatically ejects the rotor 420 containing the sample from the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The second clamping mechanism 413 then removes the sample from the rotor 420 and places it in the sample tube receiving block 312.

[0094] Unlike conventional automatic sample delivery systems that can only wait until one sample is tested before grabbing the next sample and placing it into the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for testing, the automatic sample delivery system proposed in the present invention has a plurality of receiving holes (or cylinders 416) provided on the buffer sample tray 415. While the sample in the cylinder at the testing position is being tested, the sample transfer mechanism 300 can transfer the subsequent sample to be tested to the buffer sample tray 415 and fill the cylinder 416 of the buffer sample tray 415. When the sample at the testing position of the buffer sample tray 415 is tested, the rotor 420 and the sample only need to be ejected from the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer into the empty cylinder 416 at the testing position by gas propulsion. The buffer sample tray 415 is then moved (rotated) to the cylinder 416 with the sample tube assembly at the adjacent position, and the rotor 420 and the sample in the cylinder 416 are placed into the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to begin testing the next sample. Since the distance between adjacent cylinders 416 on the buffer sample tray 415 is very short (multiple cylinders 416 are closely placed), the time for sample replacement is very short.

[0095] The composition and working principle of the sample carrying mechanism 200 are as follows:

[0096] The sample carrying mechanism 200 comprises a conveyor belt 211 (such as a belt) that can be arranged in a curve in space, sample tube carriers 212 arranged on the belt at equal intervals, and a driver that drives the conveyor belt 211 to run along the curve.

[0097] Among them, the length of the conveyor belt 211 can be set according to the number of samples required. When the length of the conveyor belt 211 changes, the motion curve of the longer conveyor belt 211 can be reset by setting a plurality of support members for supporting the conveyor belt 211. Typically, a simple square or circular trajectory is the simplest motion curve, which is suitable for situations where the amount of samples carried is small (such as dozens of samples). By setting the running trajectory of the conveyor belt 211 to a rotary shape with multiple rows of parallel arrangements, and the length of each row can be gradually changed, since the spacing of the parallel tracks can be set to the minimum turning radius of the conveyor belt 211, the length of the conveyor belt 211 can be quickly increased in a very small area, thereby increasing the number of samples. A running trajectory arranged in four rows can meet the demand for a sample carrying capacity of 200, and a running trajectory arranged in eight rows can meet the demand for a sample carrying capacity of more than 500.

[0098] The sample tube carriers 212 are evenly spaced on the conveyor belt 211 and maintain a certain gap (the same as the radius reduction value required for the sample tube carriers 212 when the conveyor belt 211 turns). The inner diameter of the circular hole of the sample tube carrier 212 is similar to that of the sample tube 61 (usually 5mm). Positioning holes 213 are located in the middle of all gaps between the sample tube carriers 212, and all positioning holes 213 are the same distance from their adjacent sample tube carriers 212. Among them, an additional origin positioning hole 214 is provided at the positioning hole 213 of the sample tube carrier 212 numbered 1. The remaining sample tube carriers 212 are numbered sequentially, starting with sample tube carrier 212 numbered 1.

[0099] Each sample tube 61 is mounted on a carrier 62, and the two form a combined unit. During all operations and testing of the automatic sample delivery system, the sample tube assembly is transported together. Carrier 62 is printed with a barcode 63 identifying its number. Sample tubes 61 are standard commercial products, typically having an outer diameter of 5 mm. Carrier 62 is a cylindrical 416-shaped structure with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of sample tube 61. An O-ring with an inner diameter slightly smaller than that of sample tube 61 is located within the inner wall of carrier 62. Once sample tube 61 is inserted into carrier 62, the positions of sample tube 61 and carrier 62 are fixed to each other.

[0100] When the sample tube assembly is placed into the sample tube carrier 212 on the conveyor belt 211, the sample tube carrier 212 has a stepped hole. The upper large hole of the stepped hole is used to accommodate the carrier 62, and the lower small hole is used to accommodate the sample tube 61. The bottom of the carrier 62 will be placed on the top of the sample tube carrier 212. Most of the carrier 62 is outside the sample tube carrier 212, and most of the carrier 62 is above the conveyor belt 211. There is a barcode 63 (QR code or barcode) on this part to facilitate the scanner 233 to detect the number of the sample tube assembly and provide space for the first clamping mechanism of the sample lifting device to grab the sample tube 61.

[0101] The motor C24 of the sample loading mechanism 200 rotates the first pulley 25, which in turn rotates the second pulley 26 at the other end of the same shaft 313. The second pulley 26 engages with the conveyor belt 211, driving the conveyor belt 211's rotation. A multi-turn absolute encoder is mounted on the motor shaft 313 of the motor C24. As the motor C24 rotates, it detects the running position of the conveyor belt 211, achieving preliminary positioning for each sample loading cartridge.

[0102] The position where the sample tube carrier 212 is aligned with the gripping position of the first clamping mechanism of the sample lifting device constitutes the working position of the sample carrier mechanism 200. This working position of the sample carrier mechanism 200 is equipped with a positioning sensor 223 for detecting the first positioning hole 213, an origin sensor 222 for detecting the origin positioning hole 214, and a barcode scanner 233 for scanning codes. When the conveyor belt 211 moves, the origin sensor 222 detects the signal from the origin positioning hole 214 and identifies the sample tube carrier 212 in that position as position 1. The positioning sensor 223 detects the signal from the first positioning hole 213 and, when triggered, numbers and identifies the sample tube carrier 212.

[0103] The process of achieving precise positioning of the sample tube 61 is as follows:

[0104] 1) The automatic sample delivery system is powered on and initialized. After detecting the signal of the origin positioning hole 214, the sample tube carrier 212 at the working position corresponding to the origin positioning hole 214 is defined as sample tube carrier 212 No. 1;

[0105] 2) The automatic sample delivery system receives the target sample number position that needs to be replaced, which is specified by the computer or the user;

[0106] 3) The automatic sample delivery system calculates the encoder value that needs to be run at the target sample encoding position;

[0107] 4) The automatic sample delivery system runs the corresponding encoder value and counts the sample number value detected by the positioning sensor 223 during the operation. The conveyor belt 211 runs the sample tube carrier 212 to the vicinity of the designated target sample number position;

[0108] 5) The automatic sample delivery system detects the signal of the positioning hole 213 corresponding to the target numbered sample tube carrier 212 , and stops the conveyor belt 211 when the signal is triggered, thereby achieving accurate positioning of the target sample tube carrier 212 .

[0109] A sample tube detection sensor 221 is positioned above the conveyor belt 211 of the sample loading mechanism 200. Aligned with each sample tube carrier 212, the optical sensor 221 detects in real time whether a sample is present in each sample tube carrier 212. The controller reads the detection signal from the optical sensor and transmits it to the sample loading mechanism 200 controller. The controller then transmits the signal to a computer for displaying or querying the user's occupancy status of the sample loading mechanism 200.

[0110] The barcode scanner 233 is used to scan the barcode 63 on the carrier 62. When the sample tube carrier 212 with the target sample number runs to the working position, the sample carrying mechanism 200 controller controls the barcode scanner 233 to scan the barcode 63 and upload the barcode 63 to the computer to perform information control on the sample being transferred.

[0111] The sample holding mechanism 200 is placed at the waist of the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. When the sample tube assembly is placed in the sample tube carrier 212 of the sample holding mechanism 200 , the lifting height is small, and the operation is convenient and efficient.

[0112] When placing the sample tubes 61 on the sample tube carrier 212 of the conveyor belt 211, it is only necessary to install a carrier 62 for each sample tube 61. Compared with the expensive rotor 420, the cost of the carrier 62 is very low, which greatly reduces the cost of the automatic sample delivery system.

[0113] The working principle of the sample lifting device is as follows:

[0114] The sample lifting device is provided with a second power mechanism 231, a motor D234, a first guide rail 239 and a third pulley 235 at the working position corresponding to the sample carrying mechanism 200. The motor D234 drives the third pulley 235 to rotate, and the third pulley 235 drives the transmission belt 32 to move.

[0115] The first guide rail 239 is provided with a groove a and a groove b, which are respectively used for guiding and positioning the guide block 317 and the sample tube holding block 312. The first guide rail 239 is also provided with a sensor four 236, a sensor five 237 and a sensor six 238, which are respectively used for locating the three stop positions of the sample tube holding block 312.

[0116] A slider 232 is provided on the output shaft of the second power mechanism 231 , which can be telescopically moved under the control of the controller to push the second spring latch to move and exit the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312 .

[0117] The sample tube accommodating block 312 is mounted on the transmission belt 32 via a guide block 317, a bearing block 315, a bearing 314, and a shaft 313. The guide block 317 is directly fixed to the transmission belt 32. The bearing block 315 and bearing 314 are mounted on the guide block 317. The sample tube accommodating block 312 is mounted on the shaft 313 centered at the bearing 314. A sensor 316 is provided on the bearing block 315, which can be sensed by a sensor. The sensor can be a through-beam sensor or a laser sensor. The sample tube accommodating block 312 can rotate freely along the shaft 313 of the bearing 314. When a sample is loaded onto the sample tube accommodating block 312, gravity maintains the sample and the block in a vertical position. When no sample is loaded onto the sample tube accommodating block 312, the block maintains a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical.

[0118] The sample tube accommodating block 312 operates synchronously with the conveyor belt 32. The conveyor belt 32's curvilinear motion between the sample support mechanism 200 and the sample buffer tray 415 is divided into vertical, curvilinear, and horizontal motion intervals. The conveyor belt 32 begins its vertical upward motion at the sample support mechanism 200 and, when it reaches the top of the NMR spectrometer's magnet 100, curves and then transitions to a horizontal position.

[0119] A second spring latch 311 is provided in the sample tube holding block 312. The structure of the second spring latch 311 is the same as that of the first spring latch 417. It has a second pin rod and a second compression spring. The sample tube holding block 312 is equivalent to the pin seat of the second spring latch 311. The first pin rod and the first compression spring are installed on the sample tube holding block 312.

[0120] The second pin of the second spring latch 311 extends into the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312 under the action of the second compression spring. When the second power mechanism 231 pushes the second pin, it exits the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312. The sample tube accommodating block 312 maintains a clearance fit with the carrier 62. When the sample tube assembly is placed into the sample tube accommodating block 312, the carrier 62 of the sample tube assembly is secured by the second pin and can move along with the transmission belt 32, enabling the sample tube accommodating block 312 to grasp the sample tube 61. When the second power mechanism 231 and the third power mechanism 46 push the second pin, the second pin exits the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312, and the sample tube 61 with the carrier 62 falls out of the sample tube accommodating block 312 under the action of gravity, releasing the sample tube 61. The second power mechanism 231 and the third power mechanism 46 can be pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, or electric cylinders.

[0121] When the sample tube accommodating block 312 is near the sample carrier mechanism 200 , the second pin is pushed by the second power mechanism 231 ; when the carrier 62 stops on the second guide rail 41 , the second pin is pushed by the third power mechanism 46 .

[0122] The sample lifting device is provided with a second guide rail 41 in the horizontal running section near the top of the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The second guide rail 41 is used to guide and position the guide block 317; the second guide rail 41 is provided with a sensor seven 42 and a sensor eight 43, which are used to locate the deceleration position and the stop position of the sample tube accommodating block 312, respectively; a stopping mechanism 45 for the sample tube accommodating block 312 is provided at the tail end of the second guide rail 41. The stopping mechanism 45 is provided with an elastic limit plate, which can cushion the sample tube accommodating block 312 before it stops and keep the accommodating hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312 in a vertical direction.

[0123] When the transmission belt 32 is running, the induction plate 316 will pass through sensor four 236, sensor five 237, sensor six 238, sensor seven 42, and sensor eight 43 respectively. When passing through these sensors, the induction plate 316 will trigger the signals of the sensors at the corresponding positions respectively to determine the position of the sample tube holding block 312.

[0124] The sample lifting device is provided with a fourth pulley and a support plate at the end of the horizontal running section at the top of the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The fourth pulley is installed in a certain range of motion for tensioning the transmission belt 32 .

[0125] Next to the stop mechanism 45 is a third power mechanism 46, which is used to push the second pin, releasing the sample from the carrier 62 at the end of the sample lifting mechanism. Below the stop mechanism 45 is a lifting mechanism 47, which is equipped with a sample lifting sleeve 48. The lifting mechanism 47 moves upward a fixed distance, moving the entire sample tube assembly upward, lifting the carrier 62 out of the sample tube receiving block 312, allowing the second clamping mechanism 413 to grasp the carrier 62 and sample tube 61. The lifting mechanism 47 can be a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or an electric cylinder.

[0126] The workflow of the sample lifting device transferring the sample tube assembly from the sample carrying mechanism 200 to the buffer sample tray 415 is as follows:

[0127] 1) The sample carrying mechanism 200 moves the designated sample tube 61 to the working position;

[0128] 2) The conveyor belt 32 runs downward, and the guide block 317 enters the groove a in the first guide rail 239 to fix the running direction of the sample tube holding block 312;

[0129] 3) The conveyor belt 32 continues to move downward, and the guide plate on the sample tube holding block 312 enters the groove b in the first guide rail 239, so that the inner hole of the sample tube holding block 312 is completely vertical and aligned with the working position of the sample holding mechanism 200;

[0130] 4) The transmission belt 32 slows down as it passes sensor four 236 . When it reaches sensor five 237 , the second power mechanism 231 is pushed out, and the slider 232 pushes the second pin of the sample tube receiving block 312 , causing the second pin to exit the inner hole of the sample tube receiving block 312 .

[0131] 5) The conveyor belt 32 continues to run downward and stops when it reaches sensor 6 238. At this time, the sample tube assembly in the working position of the sample holding mechanism 200 enters the sample tube receiving block 312.

[0132] 6) The second power mechanism 231 retracts, and the second pin in the sample tube accommodating block 312 pops out of the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312, fixing the carrier 62 and the sample tube 61;

[0133] 7) The transmission belt 32 runs upward;

[0134] 8) The conveyor belt 32 slows down when it reaches sensor seven 42, and then reaches sensor eight 43. The sample tube receiving block 312 is stopped by the stop mechanism 45, and the receiving hole is kept in a vertical position.

[0135] 9) The third power mechanism 46 is pushed out, pushing the second pin out of the inner hole of the sample tube receiving block 312, releasing the carrier 62 and the sample tube 61;

[0136] 10) The lifting mechanism 47 is pushed upward, lifting the sample tube 61 and the carrier 62 out of the sample tube accommodating block 312 , so that the second clamping mechanism 413 can grab the carrier 62 and the sample tube 61 .

[0137] The workflow of the sample lifting device transferring the sample from the buffer sample tray 415 to the sample carrying mechanism 200 is as follows:

[0138] 1) The sample loading mechanism 200 checks whether the sample tube loading cylinder 212 at the working position is empty. If it is not empty, it determines the nearest empty position by reading the sensor and moves the empty position to the working position;

[0139] 2) The conveyor belt 32 (without the carrier 62 and the sample tube 61) moves upward to the position of the sensor 8 43;

[0140] 3) The third power mechanism 46 is pushed out to push the second pin out of the inner hole of the sample tube receiving block 312;

[0141] 4) The lifting mechanism 47 moves downward;

[0142] 5) The second clamping mechanism 413 removes the carrier 62 and the sample tube 61 from the buffer sample tray 415 and releases them above the sample tube accommodating block 312 , and the carrier 62 and the sample tube 61 fall into the sample tube accommodating block 312 ;

[0143] 6) The third power mechanism 46 retracts, and the second pin rod pops out to secure the sample tube assembly in the inner hole of the sample tube receiving block 312;

[0144] 7) The transmission belt 32 runs downward, and the guide block 317 enters the groove a in the first guide rail 239 to fix the running direction of the sample tube holding block 312;

[0145] 8) The conveyor belt 32 continues to run downward, causing the guide plate on the sample tube receiving block 312 to enter the groove b in the first guide rail 239, so that the receiving hole of the sample tube receiving block 312 is completely vertical and aligned with the working position of the sample holding mechanism 200;

[0146] 9) The conveyor belt 32 slows down as it passes sensor 4 236 and stops when it reaches sensor 5 237. At this point, the bottom of the sample tube 61 has been inserted into the sample tube carrier 212 in the working position.

[0147] 10) The second power mechanism 231 is pushed out, the second pin rod exits the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block 312 , and the sample tube 61 together with the carrier 62 falls into the sample tube carrier cylinder 212 .

[0148] A motor A is provided under the buffer sample tray 415 to drive the buffer sample tray 415 to rotate. An encoder is connected below the rotating shaft 313 of the buffer sample tray 415. The buffer sample tray controller can accurately control the position of the buffer sample tray 415 through the encoder.

[0149] The buffer sample tray 415 is provided with a plurality of cylinders 416 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the length of the cylinders 416 is greater than the length of the sample tube 61;

[0150] A second spring latch 311 is provided above each cylinder 416 and automatically pops out. The second spring latch 311 naturally extends from the inner wall of the cylinder 416 to secure the rotor 420 within the cylinder 416. The second spring latch 311, under the action of thrust, retracts from the inner wall of the cylinder 416 to release the rotor 420 within the cylinder 416.

[0151] The rotor 420 is placed above the second spring latch 311, and a cap 418 is provided at the top of the cylinder 416. The rotor 420 is located between the second spring latch 311 and the cap 418. When the rotor 420 is pneumatically ejected from the magnet 100 of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, the cap 418 can limit the highest position of the rotor 420. At this time, the second spring latch 311 can be ejected to fix the rotor 420. When the vertical clamp removes the sample tube 61 and the carrier 62 from the rotor 420, the cap 418 applies downward pressure to the rotor 420, so that the sample tube 61 and the rotor 420 can be separated. When the vertical clamp inserts the sample tube 61 and the carrier 62 into the rotor 420, the second spring latch 311 bears the pressure of the sample tube 61 when it is inserted into the rotor 420.

[0152] When the cylinder 416 of the buffer sample tray 415 rotates to the sample inlet and outlet position, the cylinder 416 is aligned with the sample injection tube 11, and the cylinder 416 and the sample injection tube 11 form an airtight connection. Preferably, an intermediate transition cylinder 121 is provided between the cylinder 416 and the sample injection tube 11, and the intermediate transition cylinder 121 forms an airtight connection with the cylinder 416 and the sample injection tube 11 through a sealing ring 122.

[0153] A first power mechanism 421 is provided at a position corresponding to the sample entry and exit position of the buffer sample tray 415 , and the first power mechanism 421 is used to push the second spring latch 311 ;

[0154] Each cylinder 416 of the buffer sample tray 415 is provided with a sensor for detecting whether a sample tube assembly is inserted into the rotor 420 .

[0155] The vertical fixture consists of a rotating platform 410, a linear slide module 411, a second clamping mechanism 413, and a sensor. The second clamping mechanism 413 utilizes an air gripper. The linear slide module 411 is mounted on the rotating platform 410. The linear slide module 411 is equipped with a clamping mechanism mounting plate and the second clamping mechanism 413. The second clamping mechanism 413 can be moved up and down by the linear slide module 411 and rotated by the rotating platform 410.

[0156] Two sensors are provided on the rotating platform 410, corresponding to the sample grabbing position of the second clamping mechanism 413 at the end of the sample lifting device (corresponding to the sample tube assembly release position) and the sample sampling position on the buffer sample tray 415, respectively, and are used to allow the second clamping mechanism 413 to clamp the sample tube assembly lifted by the lifting mechanism 47 and to take and place the sample tube assembly on the buffer sample tray 415.

[0157] Three sensors are provided on the linear slide module 411 (from top to bottom: sensor 13 430, sensor 14 431, sensor 15 432), which respectively correspond to the top height of the second clamping mechanism 413, the sample grabbing height at the end of the sample lifting device and the insertion and extraction position of the sample tube 61.

[0158] The second clamping mechanism 413 comprises a cylinder and two clamping fingers. The two clamping fingers are driven by the cylinder to realize the opening and closing of the clamping fingers.

[0159] The two clamping fingers of the second clamping mechanism 413 are respectively provided with a semicircular elastic rubber pad. When the clamping fingers are closed, the elastic rubber pad closes and firmly fixes the sample tube 61 and the carrier 62.

[0160] A sensor nine 414 is provided between the two clamping fingers. The sensor nine 414 is a through-beam sensor that can detect whether there is a sample tube assembly in the second clamping mechanism 413 .

[0161] The injection process of the buffer sample tray 415 is as follows:

[0162] 1) The sample lifting device transfers the sample from the sample carrier 200 to the sample grabbing position corresponding to the sensor 8 43 at the end. The second clamping mechanism 413 rises to the highest sensor position and opens.

[0163] 2) The sensor + 419 on the buffer sample tray 415 detects whether there is a sample tube assembly in the rotor 420 of the sample insertion cylinder 416. If it is not empty, the sensor + 419 on the buffer sample tray 415 is detected to rotate the nearest empty cylinder 416 to the sample tube 61 insertion and removal position;

[0164] 3) The second clamping mechanism 413 rotates to the sample grabbing position at the end of the sample lifting device and moves downward to the sample grabbing position identified by sensor 15 432;

[0165] 4) The third power mechanism 46 and the lifting mechanism 47 of the sample lifting device are pushed out, and the sample tube assembly is released from the sample tube receiving block 312 and lifted up;

[0166] 5) The two fingers of the second clamping mechanism 413 close and grasp the carrier 62 of the sample tube assembly, and the fixed state of the sample tube assembly is detected by the corresponding sensor 414 in the middle of the second clamping mechanism 413;

[0167] 6) The second clamping mechanism 413 quickly moves upward to the top and rotates to the sample sampling position of the buffer sample tray 415;

[0168] 7) The second clamping mechanism 413 moves downward rapidly to the position of sensor 14 431 , and then continues to move downward at a low speed to the position of sensor 15 432 . The sample tube assembly fixed in the second clamping mechanism 413 is inserted into the rotor 420 in the cylinder 416 of the buffer sample tray 415 .

[0169] 8) The second clamping mechanism 413 releases its gripping fingers and rises to the top sensor 13 430 position;

[0170] 9) The buffer sample tray 415 rotates the cylinder 416 with the designated number to the sample inlet and outlet position;

[0171] 10) The buffer sample tray controller controls the blowing device of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to blow sample gas into the sample inlet tube 11;

[0172] 11) The first power mechanism 421 extends, pushing the first spring latch 417 to release the rotor 420;

[0173] 12) The buffer sample tray controller slowly reduces the sample gas output, allowing the rotor 420 to slowly enter the sample inlet tube 11 for detection;

[0174] 13) During the sample testing process, the sample lifting device can continuously transfer new sample tube assemblies to be tested to the buffer sample tray 415 until all the rotors 420 in the non-working positions are filled.

[0175] The sample discharging process of the buffer sample tray 415 is as follows:

[0176] 1) The transmission belt 32 of the sample lifting device (without the carrier 62 and the sample tube 61) moves upward to the sample grabbing position corresponding to the sensor 8 43;

[0177] 2) The buffer sample tray controller controls the blowing device of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to blow sample gas into and out of the sample inlet tube 11, and pneumatically ejects the tested sample tube assembly;

[0178] 3) The first power mechanism 421 retracts, and the first pin of the second spring latch 311 enters the receiving hole under the action of the first compression spring and cooperates with the hole wall of the receiving hole to clamp the rotor 420, thereby fixing the rotor 420, and the buffer sample tray controller closes the sample gas output;

[0179] 4) The buffer sample tray 415 rotates the cylinder 416 that has completed the test to the sample tube 61 insertion and removal position. At this time, a new sample to be tested is positioned at the cylinder 416 and reaches the sample inlet and outlet position again. The buffer sample tray controller puts the new sample to be tested into the sample injection tube 11 for testing;

[0180] 5) The second clamping mechanism 413 remains open and rotates to the sample tube 61 insertion and extraction position;

[0181] 6) The second clamping mechanism 413 rapidly descends to the position corresponding to the sensor 15 432 , and the clamping fingers of the second clamping mechanism 413 are closed, securing the sample tube assembly in the second clamping mechanism 413 ;

[0182] 7) The second clamping mechanism 413 rises to the sensor 13 430 and rotates to the sample grabbing position at the end of the sample lifting device;

[0183] 8) The third power mechanism 46 of the sample lifting device is pushed out, pushing the second pin out of the inner hole of the sample tube receiving block 312, and the lifting mechanism 47 retracts downward;

[0184] 9) The second clamping mechanism 413 moves downward to the position corresponding to the sensor 15 432, opens the clamping fingers of the second clamping mechanism 413, and places the sample tube assembly into the sample tube receiving block 312. The third power mechanism 46 then retracts, allowing the second spring latch 311 of the sample tube receiving block 312 to extend into the sample tube receiving block 312 and secure the sample tube assembly.

[0185] 10) The second clamping mechanism 413 moves upward to the sensor 13 430 .

[0186] The workflow of the automatic sample delivery system of the present invention during operation is as follows:

[0187] 1) Start the automatic sample delivery system, the motor C24 drives the conveyor belt 211 to rotate, the origin sensor 222 stops when it detects the origin positioning hole 214, and records the sample carrier No. 1 (this step is only performed for the first start-up); the sample tube detection sensor 221 detects in real time whether there is a sample on each sample carrier and records it; at the same time, the sensor 419 on the buffer sample tray 415 detects in real time whether there is a sample 61 in the cylinder 416 on the buffer sample tray 415 and records it.

[0188] 2) The automatic sample delivery system receives the sample test number and the subsequent sample number to be tested from the computer; the sample carrier mechanism 200 determines whether there is a sample on the designated sample position based on the detection result of the sample tube detection sensor 221;

[0189] 3) The sample carrier mechanism 200 moves to the sample carrier to be loaded, and the barcode scanner 233 scans the barcode 63 on the carrier 62 and records it;

[0190] 4) The sample lifting device executes the workflow of transferring the sample from the sample carrying mechanism 200 to the buffer sample tray 415 , and transfers the sample tube assembly with the designated number to the sample grabbing position at the end of the sample lifting device;

[0191] 5) The buffer sample tray 415 performs a sample injection process, placing the first sample to be tested into the magnet of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for detection;

[0192] 6) The sample carrying mechanism 200 , the sample lifting device, and the buffer sample tray 415 operate in conjunction to place subsequent samples to be tested into the buffer sample tray 415 until the rotor 420 at the non-test position of the buffer sample tray 415 is filled.

[0193] 7) After the sample test is completed, the buffer sample tray 415 performs the sample removal process, and the sample lifting device performs the workflow of transferring the sample from the buffer sample tray 415 to the sample holding mechanism 200, and the tested sample is returned to the sample holding mechanism 200;

[0194] 8) The sample carrying mechanism 200 , the sample lifting device, and the buffer sample tray 415 operate in conjunction to continue placing subsequent samples to be tested into the buffer sample tray 415 , and keep the rotor 420 in the non-working position of the buffer sample tray 415 filled.

[0195] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a sample carrying mechanism, a sample buffer injection mechanism and a sample transfer mechanism for clamping and transferring a sample tube assembly, wherein: The sample carrying mechanism includes a conveyor having a conveyor belt, the belt surface of the conveyor belt being arranged vertically, and a plurality of sample tube carriers carrying sample tube assemblies being installed on the conveyor belt, wherein the sample tube assemblies include sample tubes and carriers carrying the sample tubes, and the carriers of the sample tube assemblies are placed on the sample tube carriers; The sample buffer injection mechanism is installed at the top of the magnet of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The sample buffer injection mechanism includes a motor A and a buffer sample disk rotatably mounted on the magnet. The buffer sample disk is circumferentially arranged with multiple accommodating holes, and each accommodating hole is provided with a rotor without a sample tube assembly inserted therein. The motor A is connected to the buffer sample disk to drive the buffer sample disk to rotate around a vertical line.

2. A high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveyor belt has a serpentine section; The conveyor belt is provided with a sample tube positioning hole in the portion between any two adjacent sample tube carrier cylinders; A sample tube positioning hole is provided next to each sample tube carrier at a distance L from the sample tube carrier to facilitate positioning of the sample tube carrier; The conveyor belt is provided with an origin positioning hole above or below one of the positioning holes; The conveyor belt is fixed with a positioning sensor and an origin sensor at the upper and lower positions below the first guide rail, respectively corresponding to the positioning hole and the origin positioning hole; The conveyor belt is provided with a sample tube detection sensor above each sample tube carrier.

3. A high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrier of the sample tube assembly is cylindrical, with O-rings at both ends of the carrier's inner hole. The sample tube is inserted into the carrier's inner hole and fixed by the O-rings. The carrier is located at the top of the sample tube, and the distance between the bottom of all sample tubes in the sample carrying mechanism and the carrier is the same.

4. A high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buffer sample tray is respectively provided with a first spring latch at a position corresponding to each accommodating hole, and the first spring latch is driven to move by a first power mechanism.

5. A high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 4, characterized in that: A plurality of cylinders are circumferentially arranged on the buffer sample tray, and the receiving holes are the inner cavities of the cylinders; The first spring latch is arranged on the cylinder; A cap is provided on the top of the cylinder, and the cap is located above the rotor; Each cylinder is respectively provided with a sensor for detecting whether a sample tube assembly is installed in the rotor in the accommodating hole.

6. A high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample transfer mechanism includes a first conveying mechanism, a first clamping mechanism, a second conveying mechanism, and a second clamping mechanism. The first clamping mechanism is installed on the first conveying mechanism, and the second clamping mechanism is installed on the second conveying mechanism.

7. A high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first transmission mechanism includes a transmission bracket and a belt transmission mechanism installed on the transmission bracket, wherein the belt transmission mechanism has a transmission belt and a plurality of pulleys for driving the transmission belt to move; The first clamping mechanism includes a guide block, a bearing seat, a bearing, a shaft, and a sample tube holding block, wherein the guide block is mounted on the transmission belt, the bearing seat is mounted on the guide block, the shaft is horizontally arranged and mounted on the bearing seat via the bearing, the sample tube holding block is fixedly mounted on the shaft, the sample tube holding block has an inner hole, and a second spring latch is mounted on the sample tube holding block and can extend into the inner hole to fix the sample tube assembly; The transmission bracket is provided with a first guide rail and a second guide rail, the first guide rail and the second guide rail are arranged vertically and horizontally respectively, and the second guide rail is located above the first guide rail; A pulley is arranged between the second guide rail and the first guide rail; The second power mechanism is arranged below the first guide rail; The third power mechanism is arranged on the transmission bracket; An elastic rubber block is provided on the second clamping mechanism.

8. The high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The transmission bracket is further provided with a bracket, and the bracket is provided with a groove running through it from top to bottom; The lifting mechanism is arranged below the bracket.

9. The high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the sample tube accommodating block is on the first guide rail and does not hold a sample tube assembly, the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block is inclined relative to a horizontal plane; When the sample tube assembly clamped by the sample tube accommodating block moves on the conveyor belt, the inner hole of the sample tube accommodating block and the sample tube assembly clamped by the sample tube accommodating block are in a vertical state under the action of gravity; A stopping mechanism is provided on the first guide rail to allow the sample tube assembly to stay at the sample tube assembly releasing position.

10. The high-load rapid automatic sample delivery system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second transmission mechanism includes a motor B, a rotating platform and a linear slide module. The rotating platform is installed on the motor B to drive the rotating platform to rotate around a vertical line. The linear slide module is installed on the rotating platform, and the second clamping mechanism is installed on the linear slide module. The second clamping mechanism is a mechanical clamp.

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