Full-automatic cover opening and closing device for flip type EP pipe

Abstract

The utility model discloses a full-automatic cover opening and closing device for a flip type EP pipe, and belongs to the technical field of EP pipe operation. The device comprises an EP pipe quick-change assembly and an EP pipe cover opening and closing movement assembly. The EP pipe quick-changing assembly comprises a bracket mounting plate, one or more groups of EP pipe brackets are arranged on the bracket mounting plate, and one or more EP pipes are placed on the EP pipe brackets; the EP pipe opening and closing cover movement assembly comprises a horizontal movement assembly and a turnover movement assembly matched with the horizontal movement assembly, and the output end of the turnover movement assembly is connected with a porous finger matched with an EP pipe cover. According to the EP pipe cover opening and closing device, quick replacement of EP pipes and multi-row full-automatic continuous cover opening and closing operation of the EP pipes can be achieved, and the EP pipes can be kept stable in the cover opening and closing process; and full-automatic cover opening and closing of flip type EP pipes of different sizes can be achieved by replacing different EP pipe molds and matched porous fingers, and wide universality is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of EP tube technology, specifically relating to a flip-top type EP tube fully automatic opening and closing device. Background Technology

[0002] In laboratory and automated testing fields, opening and closing the cap of an EP tube is a crucial step before sampling, directly impacting the success or efficiency of the sampling process. Currently, there are no fully automated devices for opening and closing flip-top EP tubes in biological, medical, and chemical laboratories. Several EP tube cap-opening and closing devices exist in the testing field, but they are bulky, complex to operate, inconvenient to handle, and cannot achieve rapid, continuous opening, resulting in low operational efficiency.

[0003] Among the existing publicly available technical documents, such as the patent document entitled "An EP Tube Capping Machine" with application number 2024203580968, this patent document discloses an EP tube capping machine that uses multiple push rods and tube grooves to open EP tubes. It can open a large number of EP tubes at once, and can be pressed with the assistance of an electric telescopic rod when opening the cap. However, this utility model has a problem: it is necessary to open the test tubes on the entire tray, which may cause cross-contamination of samples. In addition, the device is too complicated. When a large number of sample tubes are placed in the integrated mold cavity, it is inconvenient to pick up and put down, and it is easy to make mistakes. Moreover, it cannot achieve continuous cap opening and closing operations.

[0004] For example, the patent document titled "EP Tube Opening Device" and application number 2023203735729 discloses an EP tube opening device. This device uses multiple grippers that match the EP tube, and the grippers can move up and down along the lifting rod, driving the flip plate movably connected to the end of the lifting rod. The EP tube cap is opened by moving the EP tube body and cooperating with the lifting rod. However, in actual experiments, EP tubes are usually centrifuged and then left to stand. If the EP tube is moved at this time, it will cause the EP tube to shake, resulting in internal sample oscillation and mixing, which is very detrimental to taking the upper sample. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a flip-type EP tube fully automatic opening and closing device, which can realize the rapid replacement of EP tubes and the continuous opening and closing operation of multiple rows of EP tubes, and can ensure that the EP tubes remain stable during the opening and closing process; it can also realize automatic compensation of opening and closing action to ensure the stability of continuous opening and closing operation.

[0006] This utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0007] An automatic flip-top EP tube opening and closing device includes an EP tube quick-change assembly and an EP tube opening and closing motion assembly. The EP tube quick-change assembly includes a bracket mounting plate with a set of spaced-apart EP tube brackets, on which at least one EP tube is placed. The EP tube opening and closing motion assembly includes a horizontal movement assembly and a rotating motion assembly that moves in coordination with it. The output end of the rotating motion assembly is connected to a multi-hole finger that matches the EP tube on the EP tube bracket. The horizontal movement assembly and the rotating motion assembly move in coordination, thereby driving the multi-hole finger to rotate along a specific curved trajectory, thus realizing the fully automatic opening and closing of the flip-top EP tube. The horizontal movement assembly can drive the rotating motion assembly to move linearly along the direction of the EP tube bracket arrangement, and can also realize the coordinated movement of the horizontal movement and the rotating movement to achieve fully automatic opening and closing of the EP tubes on the EP tube brackets at different positions.

[0008] Furthermore, the EP pipe bracket is detachably mounted on the bracket mounting plate, and the EP pipe is positioned on the EP pipe bracket. One, two, or more EP pipe brackets can be provided, with six or twelve EP pipe brackets being preferred.

[0009] Furthermore, the horizontal movement component includes a linear module, a module slider disposed on the linear module, and a linear motor that drives the module slider to move along the linear module.

[0010] Furthermore, the flipping motion assembly includes a flipping motor connected to the module slider, and the output end of the flipping motor is detachably connected to one end of the multi-hole finger.

[0011] Furthermore, the rear end of the flipping motor is connected to an anti-tipping structure.

[0012] Furthermore, the porous finger is provided with a through groove to facilitate the insertion of the EP tube cap on the EP tube. It can be set to one, two or more through grooves, and is generally set to eight or twelve through grooves as preferred.

[0013] Furthermore, one end of the porous finger is connected to the output end of the flip motor via a coupling; the coupling is connected to the output end of the flip motor for transmission, and a U-shaped groove is provided on it. One end of the porous finger is inserted into the U-shaped groove and fastened by fasteners.

[0014] By adopting the above-mentioned technology, the beneficial effects of this utility model compared with the prior art are as follows:

[0015] 1) In this utility model, the detachable installation between the EP tube bracket and the bracket mounting plate enables the rapid assembly of EP tubes. When one row of operations is completed, a new EP tube to be opened can be removed and placed manually or by a robot, thereby achieving uninterrupted continuous operation. Furthermore, the assembly operation of the EP tube to be placed can be performed outside the movement area of ​​the motion mechanism, reducing the safety risks of manual replacement operations.

[0016] 2) In the EP tube opening and closing motion assembly of this utility model, the ingenious combination of the horizontal moving component and the rotating motion component working in tandem with it, along with a collaborative motion algorithm, enables the multi-hole fingers to perform a curved rotating motion along a specific trajectory. This replicates the vertical plane operation trajectory of manually opening and closing the flip-type EP tube cover, achieving fully automatic and stable opening and closing of the EP tube cover. The horizontal moving component also enables the opening and closing component to move horizontally to achieve automatic positioning, ensuring that the relative position of the rotating component with respect to each row of EP tube brackets and the relative position of the rotating component with respect to the first row of EP tube brackets are constant. After positioning, the linear motor works in tandem with the rotating motion component to achieve fully automatic opening and closing of the EP tubes on multiple spaced EP tube brackets. Simultaneously, the multi-hole fingers, under the coordinated movement of the horizontal moving component and the rotating motion component, can achieve a specific curved trajectory movement in the vertical plane, automatically compensating for the problem of the EP tube cover falling off due to manufacturing size deviations or assembly deviations during the multi-hole finger rotation process.

[0017] 3) In this utility model, the rotation radius of the multi-hole finger relative to the flip axis of the EP tube cover can be adjusted based on the replacement of couplings of different sizes or the adjustment of the mounting position of the multi-hole finger in the U-groove of the coupling, or the coordinated movement of the horizontal moving component and the flipping motion component. Then, it can achieve coordinated movement with the linear motor, thereby adapting to the opening and closing cover requirements of EP tubes of different sizes. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bracket mounting plate of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the EP tube bracket of this utility model;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the assembly of EP tubes on the EP tube bracket of this utility model and the EP tube with the cover open.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the porous finger of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be 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 illustrative of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of the present utility model.

[0024] Conversely, this utility model encompasses any substitutions, modifications, equivalent methods, and solutions made within the spirit and scope of this utility model as defined in the claims. Furthermore, to provide the public with a better understanding of this utility model, certain specific details are described in detail in the following description. However, those skilled in the art will fully understand this utility model even without these detailed descriptions.

[0025] Please see Figure 1-5 An automatic flip-top EP tube cover opening and closing device is provided. The device is mounted on a base plate and includes an EP tube quick-change assembly A for quick assembly of EP tubes and an EP tube cover opening and closing motion assembly B for opening and closing the EP tube cover.

[0026] Specifically, the EP pipe quick-change assembly A includes a bracket mounting plate 12, which is fixedly mounted on a base plate. The bracket mounting plate 12 has multiple spaced mounting slots, into which EP pipe brackets 1 are inserted. The sidewalls of the mounting slots have protrusions, and the outer side of the EP pipe bracket 1 has guide grooves 101 that mate with the protrusions. The detachable installation of the EP pipe bracket 1 and the bracket mounting plate 12 is achieved through the insertion and engagement structure between the protrusions and the guide grooves 101. The EP pipe bracket 1 has a insertion slot and a handle clearance slot 105. An EP pipe 2 is inserted into the insertion slot, and the bottom of the EP pipe bracket 1 has a limiting surface. After the EP pipe bracket 1 is inserted, the limiting surface abuts against the side of the bracket mounting plate 12, thus securing it in place.

[0027] The structure of EP tube 2 is shown in the attached figure. It includes an EP tube body 206, an EP tube cavity 204 is formed inside the EP tube body 206, an EP tube upper plane 205 is provided at the upper end of the EP tube body 206, and an EP tube cap 201 is connected to the outside of the EP tube upper plane 205 through an EP tube elastic connecting arm 203. An EP tube cap protrusion 202 is provided on the EP tube cap 201.

[0028] The insertion groove is designed to fit into the structure of the EP tube 2 and is used to limit its placement. The insertion groove includes an EP tube opening groove 102, an EP tube cap positioning groove 103, and an orientation groove 104.

[0029] The number of mounting slots can be set as needed, preferably 6 or 12. This is because when switching the second and subsequent EP pipes 2 on the EP pipe bracket 1, the first row of EP pipes 2 has already been processed, and can be manually or robotically removed and replaced with new EP pipes 2 ready for operation, thus achieving continuous opening and closing of the cover. The number of insertion slots on the EP pipe bracket 1 can be 1, 2, 8, or 12.

[0030] Specifically, the EP tube switch motion assembly B includes a horizontal movement assembly and a flipping motion assembly.

[0031] The horizontal movement component can be a linear motor or a linear module. This embodiment takes a linear module as an example, specifically including a linear module 13 and a drive module slider 14 slidably disposed on the linear module 13. The linear module 13 is arranged along the direction of the EP tube bracket 1. The module slider 14 can move horizontally and linearly along the linear module 13 under the drive of the linear motor 15.

[0032] The flipping motion assembly includes a flipping motor 6, which is fixedly connected to the module slider 14 via an adapter plate 5; the output end of the flipping motor 6 is connected to a multi-hole finger 3 via a coupling 4.

[0033] The output shaft of the flip motor 6 is inserted into the coupling 4 and connected by a key transmission mechanism. The outer side of the coupling 4 is provided with a U-shaped slot.

[0034] The multi-hole finger 3 includes a vertical limiting part 302, a horizontal limiting part 303, and a mounting part 304; the mounting part 304 is inserted into a U-shaped slot and fastened by fasteners, and the mounting part 304 is provided with finger mounting holes.

[0035] The vertical limiting part 302 and the horizontal limiting part 303 are arranged in an L-shape, and a through groove 301 is provided at the junction of the two. The through groove 301 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the EP tube 2 on the EP tube bracket 1.

[0036] Since the porous finger 3 is a cantilever structure, an anti-tipping structure is provided at the rear end of the flipping motor 6. The anti-tipping structure uses a guide rail slider mechanism for sliding support.

[0037] The working principle of the device in this embodiment is as follows:

[0038] Multiple EP pipe brackets 1 can be quickly matched and installed on the bracket mounting plate 12 to achieve continuous operation. The EP pipes 2 on each EP pipe bracket 1 can be pre-assembled in a position away from the moving mechanism, reducing operational safety risks.

[0039] Driven by linear motor 15, the module slider 14 moves linearly along the linear module 13, moving the flip motor 6 connected to the module slider 14 to a designated position to open and close the EP tube 2 on the corresponding EP tube bracket 1. When opening and closing the cover, linear motor 15 and flip motor 6 start simultaneously and need to move in coordination. Flip motor 6 flips the perforated finger 3 to a specific angle so that the through groove 301 on the perforated finger 3 corresponds to the EP tube 2 on the corresponding EP tube bracket 1. Linear motor 15 drives flip motor 6 and perforated finger 3 to move as a whole, so that the EP tube cover 201 on the EP tube 2 is inserted into the corresponding through groove 301. Then flip motor 6 flips to a specific angle. At this time, the perforated finger 3 will achieve a flipping movement under the drive of flip motor 6. The EP tube cover is locked inside the perforated finger 3, and the EP tube body is restricted within the EP tube bracket 1. Therefore, the EP tube cover will be forced to rotate around the flipping axis of the tail end of the EP tube cover, thereby realizing the fully automatic opening operation of the EP tube. After the opening is completed, it is flipped in the opposite direction to a specific angle to close the cover.

[0040] When it is necessary to open or close the cover of the EP tube 2 on the next EP tube bracket 1, the linear motor 15 is driven to move the moving and flipping motor 6 and the multi-hole finger 3 to the position of the next EP tube bracket 1, and the above operation is repeated.

[0041] During operation, the rotation radius of the multi-hole finger relative to the EP tube cover flipping axis can be adjusted by replacing the coupling 4 with a different size, adjusting the installation position of the mounting part 304 of the multi-hole finger 3 in the U-shaped groove on the coupling 4, or by the coordinated movement of the horizontal moving component and the flipping motion component, thereby adapting to the opening and closing requirements of EP tubes of different sizes.

[0042] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A fully automatic opening and closing device for flip-top EP tubes, characterized in that, The device includes an EP tube quick-change assembly (A) and an EP tube opening and closing motion assembly (B). The EP tube quick-change assembly (A) includes a bracket mounting plate (12), on which an EP tube bracket (1) is provided, and at least one EP tube (2) is placed. The EP tube opening and closing motion assembly (B) includes a horizontal movement assembly and a rotating motion assembly that moves in coordination with it. The output end of the rotating motion assembly is connected to a multi-hole finger (3) that matches the EP tube (2) on the EP tube bracket (1). The horizontal movement assembly and the rotating motion assembly move in coordination, thereby driving the multi-hole finger (3) to rotate, thereby realizing the fully automatic opening and closing of the flip-top EP tube (2).

2. The fully automatic opening and closing device for flip-top EP tubes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The EP pipe bracket (1) is detachably mounted on the bracket mounting plate (12), and there is at least one EP pipe bracket (1). The EP pipe (2) is positioned on the EP pipe bracket (1).

3. The fully automatic opening and closing device for flip-top EP tubes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal movement component includes a linear module (13), a module slider (14) disposed on the linear module (13), and a linear motor (15) that drives the module slider (14) to move along the linear module (13).

4. The fully automatic opening and closing device for flip-top EP tubes according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flipping motion assembly includes a flipping motor (6) connected to the module slider (14), and the output end of the flipping motor (6) is detachably connected to one end of the porous finger (3).

5. The fully automatic opening and closing device for flip-top EP tubes according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rear end of the flip motor (6) is connected to an anti-tipping structure.

6. The fully automatic opening and closing device for flip-top EP tubes according to claim 4, characterized in that, The porous finger (3) has a through groove (301) for easy insertion of the EP tube cap (201) on the EP tube (2), and the number of through grooves (301) is at least one.

7. The fully automatic opening and closing device for flip-top EP tubes according to claim 4, characterized in that, One end of the porous finger (3) is connected to the output end of the flip motor (6) via a coupling (4); the coupling (4) is connected to the output end of the flip motor (6) via a transmission connection, and a U-shaped groove is provided on it. One end of the porous finger (3) is inserted into the U-shaped groove and fastened by fasteners.

Images