Automatic slide loading mechanism

Abstract

The application discloses a slide automatic feeding mechanism, which comprises a base, a linear moving module, a storage bin, a slide pushing tongue and a controller. The linear moving module is arranged on the top of the base in a manner capable of linearly moving in the horizontal direction. The base is provided with a stepping motor for driving the linear moving module to move. The stepping motor is provided with a current monitoring element. The base is provided with an initial sensing element and an in-place sensing element at both ends. The storage bin extends in the vertical direction and is opposite to the base at the top. A T-shaped discharge channel is formed in the lower part of the storage bin along the moving direction of the linear moving module. The T-shaped discharge channel comprises a vertical channel and horizontal channels symmetrically arranged on both sides of the vertical channel. The height of the horizontal channel is greater than the thickness of a single slide and less than the thickness of two slides. The slide pushing tongue is connected to the moving end of the linear moving module and cooperates with the vertical channel to push the slide in the horizontal channel and realize feeding. The overall structure is simple, easy to maintain and not easy to damage the motor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of feeding equipment technology, and in particular to an automatic glass slide feeding mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] In a fully automated spore capture and analysis system, precise placement of the glass slide is a key step in achieving high-quality imaging.

[0003] In the traditional method of loading glass slides, manual loading has the problem of low work efficiency;

[0004] Some automatic spore catchers on the market also have a slide feeding function, but most of their feeding mechanisms have the disadvantage of being bulky and difficult to maintain. In addition, some feeding mechanisms have defects such as slide jamming or motor blockage caused by foreign objects, which damages the motor. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application provides an automatic glass slide feeding mechanism, which is not only simple in structure, low in cost, and easy to maintain, but also prevents the stepper motor from being damaged due to jamming or foreign objects.

[0006] This application provides an automatic glass slide feeding mechanism, including a base, a linear moving module, a storage bin, a glass pusher, and a controller;

[0007] The linear motion module is mounted on top of the base in a manner that enables linear movement in the horizontal direction. The base has a stepper motor at one end for driving the linear motion module to move. The stepper motor has a current monitoring element that is connected to the controller signal. The base has an initial sensing element and a position sensing element at both ends of the linear motion module in the direction of movement.

[0008] The storage compartment extends vertically and is used to stack and store glass slides vertically. The storage compartment is directly opposite the base at the top. The storage compartment has a T-shaped discharge channel at the bottom along the moving direction of the linear moving module. The T-shaped discharge channel includes a vertical channel and transverse channels symmetrically distributed on both sides of the vertical channel. The height of the transverse channel is greater than the thickness of a single glass slide and less than the sum of the thicknesses of two glass slides.

[0009] The pusher tongue is connected to the moving end of the linear moving module and cooperates with the vertical channel to push out the glass slide in the horizontal channel, thereby realizing the feeding.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the linear motion module is a lead screw module, including a lead screw and a lead screw slider threadedly fitted on the lead screw. The lead screw slider is slidably engaged with the base, and the shaft of the stepper motor is coaxially connected to the lead screw.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the bottom of the lead screw slider is provided with a guide seat, the bottom of the guide seat is provided with a slot, the slot is provided with symmetrical engaging protrusions on both sides, the base is square steel, the top of the base is provided with a guide groove that cooperates with the guide seat, and the bottom of the guide groove is provided with a guide rail that cooperates with the slot and the engaging protrusions.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the controller is a lower-level machine used to receive working instructions from the upper-level machine, and the current monitoring element is a Hall sensor or a shunt.

[0013] In one possible implementation, both the initial sensing element and the position sensing element are proximity switches.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the pusher tongue includes a connecting portion and a pusher portion that cooperates with the vertical channel. The pusher portion is connected to the moving end of the linear moving module through the connecting portion. The connecting portion includes a horizontal connecting portion and a vertical connecting portion. The horizontal connecting portion is horizontally connected to the top of the moving end of the linear moving module. The vertical connecting portion is provided with multiple rows of positioning hole groups along the horizontal direction. Each positioning hole group includes multiple positioning holes evenly distributed along the vertical direction.

[0015] The bottom of the glass pusher is provided with a connecting plate, and the connecting plate is provided with a fastening groove corresponding to the positioning hole group. The bottom of the fastening groove is provided with a fastening hole, which cooperates with the positioning hole and is fitted with a fastening bolt, wherein the head of the fastening bolt is located in the fastening groove.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the storage compartment is further provided with a counterweight for applying pressure to the top of the stacked glass slides.

[0017] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the automatic slide feeding mechanism provided in this application uses a linear motion module to drive the pusher tongue to move in a directional manner. Through the cooperation of the pusher and the T-shaped discharge channel, the slides in the storage compartment are pushed out repeatedly, realizing automatic feeding. The overall structure is simple, low in cost, and easy to maintain. At the same time, the stepper motor used to drive the linear motion module to move in a directional manner is also equipped with a current monitoring element. When the current exceeds the set stall overcurrent threshold, the stepper motor will automatically stop rotating, which can prevent the stepper motor from being damaged due to jamming or foreign objects.

[0018] These and other objects, features and advantages of this utility model will be fully realized through the following detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the automatic slide feeding mechanism of this application is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 A partial structural schematic diagram of the automatic slide feeding mechanism of this application is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 A partial side view of the automatic slide feeding mechanism of this application is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 A partial cross-sectional view of the automatic slide feeding mechanism of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The following description is intended to disclose the present invention so that those skilled in the art can implement it. The preferred embodiments described below are merely examples, and other obvious variations will occur to those skilled in the art. The basic principles of the present invention defined in the following description can be applied to other embodiments, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0024] Those skilled in the art should understand that, in the disclosure of this specification, the terms "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0025] It is understood that the term "a" should be understood as "at least one" or "one or more", that is, in one embodiment, the number of an element can be one, while in another embodiment, the number of the element can be multiple, and the term "a" should not be understood as a limitation on the number.

[0026] refer to Figures 1 to 4 This application provides an automatic glass slide feeding mechanism, including a base 10, a linear movement module 20, a glass pusher 30, a storage bin 40, and a controller;

[0027] The linear motion module 20 is mounted on top of the base 10 in a manner that enables linear movement in the horizontal direction. The base 10 has a stepper motor 50 at one end for driving the linear motion module 20. The stepper motor 50 has a current monitoring element that is connected to the controller signal. The current monitoring element can be a Hall sensor or a shunt, used to control the rotation of the stepper motor by monitoring the current. In addition, the base 10 has an initial sensing element and a position sensing element at both ends of the linear motion module 20 in the direction of movement. The initial sensing element and the position sensing element are preferably both proximity switches.

[0028] The storage compartment 40 extends vertically and is used to stack and store glass slides vertically. The storage compartment 40 is directly opposite the base 10 above, and a T-shaped discharge channel 401 is provided in the lower part of the storage compartment 40 along the moving direction of the linear moving module 20. The T-shaped discharge channel 401 includes a vertical channel 4011 and transverse channels 4012 symmetrically distributed on both sides of the vertical channel 4011. The height of the transverse channel 4012 is greater than the thickness of a single glass slide and less than the sum of the thicknesses of two glass slides. The storage compartment 40 can be installed on the automatic spore trap or suspended by a support frame, but the position of the storage compartment 40 must meet the requirement of being directly opposite the base 10.

[0029] The glass pusher tongue 30 is provided with a connecting part 31 and a glass pusher part 32. The glass pusher part 32 is connected to the moving end of the linear moving module 20 through the connecting part 31, and the glass pusher part 32 cooperates with the vertical channel 4011 to push out the glass slide in the horizontal channel 4012 to realize the feeding.

[0030] During operation, glass slides are placed in storage compartment 40, stacked vertically, with the bottom slide located in the horizontal channel 4012. First, a stepper motor drives the pusher 30 to retract to the initial sensing element position, i.e., the leftmost end. Then, the stepper motor 50 rotates clockwise, driving the pusher 30 to move to the right. Utilizing the cooperation between the pusher 32 and the vertical channel 4011, the bottom slide is pushed to the right, for example, into the detection slot or to the next process, thus achieving loading. At this point, the pusher 30 is positioned at the arrival sensing element. Subsequently, the stepper motor 50 rotates counterclockwise, driving the pusher 30 to retract back to the initial sensing element position. At this time, the glass slides in storage compartment 40 automatically fall under gravity to fill the position of the horizontal channel 4012. Then, the stepper motor 50 rotates clockwise again, pushing the bottom slide out through the pusher 30 once more, achieving automatic loading. This process is repeated continuously to achieve automatic loading.

[0031] Because the height of the transverse channel 4012 is greater than the thickness of a single glass slide but less than the sum of the thicknesses of two glass slides, the pusher 30 pushes out one glass slide at a time. During the process of pushing out the glass slide, the pusher 30 also supports the remaining glass slides above it. When the pusher 30 retracts and resets, the remaining glass slides automatically fall into the transverse channel 4012 under gravity for use in the next feeding cycle.

[0032] To ensure that the glass slides in the storage chamber 40 can fall smoothly under the action of gravity, the storage chamber 40 is also equipped with a counterweight to apply pressure to the top of the stacked glass slides.

[0033] In addition, based on the function of the current monitoring element inside the stepper motor 50, when the current is detected to exceed the set stall overcurrent threshold, in order to prevent the stepper motor 50 from being damaged due to the glass sheet or foreign objects during the glass pushing process causing the motor to stall, the controller will actively stop the rotation of the stepper motor 50 to protect the stepper motor 50.

[0034] In addition, based on the functions of the initial sensing element and the position sensing element, for example, when the proximity switch senses that the moving end of the linear motion module 20 is close, it will output a high level and forcibly stop the forward or reverse rotation of the stepper motor 50 through the controller, and set the register state to the position, thereby preventing the controller from being damaged due to excessive voltage.

[0035] In one embodiment, the linear motion module 20 is a lead screw module, including a lead screw 21 and a lead screw slider 22 threadedly fitted on the lead screw 21. The lead screw slider 22 is slidably fitted with the base 10, and the rotating shaft of the stepper motor 50 is coaxially connected with the lead screw 21. Thus, the movement of the pusher tongue 30 is precisely controlled by the cooperation of the stepper motor 50 and the lead screw module.

[0036] In one embodiment, the bottom of the lead screw slider 22 is provided with a guide seat 23. The bottom of the guide seat 23 is provided with a slot 201, and the slot 201 is symmetrically provided with engaging protrusions 24 on both sides. The base 10 is made of square steel, which is easy to purchase or manufacture. The top of the base 10 is provided with a guide groove 101 that cooperates with the guide seat 23. At the same time, the base 10 is also provided with a guide rail 11 at the bottom of the guide groove 101 that cooperates with the slot 201 and the engaging protrusions 24, so that the lead screw slider 22 can be firmly held on the guide rail 11 for sliding, and it is not easy to disengage from the guide rail 11, thus improving the guiding and limiting effect.

[0037] In one embodiment, the controller is a lower-level machine used to receive working instructions from the upper-level machine, and then control the stepper motor 50 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. During the glass pushing process, the lower-level machine continuously checks the execution status of the stepper motor 50. When the stepper motor 50 malfunctions, such as stalling or failing to reach the desired position after a timeout, it will actively stop the stepper motor 50 and perform protection, and set a designated register in the lower-level machine to an abnormal state to facilitate subsequent reading and processing by the upper-level machine.

[0038] In one embodiment, the connecting part 31 includes a horizontal connecting part 311 and a vertical connecting part 312, wherein the horizontal connecting part 311 is horizontally connected to the top of the moving end of the linear moving module 20, and wherein the vertical connecting part 312 is provided with multiple rows of positioning hole groups 301 along the horizontal direction, and each positioning hole group 301 includes multiple positioning holes 302 evenly distributed along the vertical direction.

[0039] Correspondingly, the bottom of the glass-pushing part 32 is provided with a connecting plate 33, and the connecting plate 33 is provided with a fastening groove 303 corresponding to the positioning hole group 301. The bottom of the fastening groove 303 is provided with a fastening hole 304. The fastening hole 304 cooperates with the positioning hole 302 and is fitted with a fastening bolt. The head of the fastening bolt is located in the fastening groove 303 and does not protrude from the fastening groove 303. This allows for convenient and flexible adjustment of the glass-pushing height of the glass-pushing part 32, and the head of the fastening bolt is less likely to touch other objects.

[0040] It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, the application of current monitoring elements, proximity switches, host computers, and slave computers are all very conventional technologies. Therefore, the application principles have not been explained in detail.

[0041] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the accompanying drawings are merely examples and do not limit the present invention. The advantages of the present invention have been fully and effectively realized. The functions and structural principles of the present invention have been shown and explained in the embodiments, and any modifications or variations may be made to the implementation of the present invention without departing from the stated principles.

Claims

1. An automatic glass slide feeding mechanism, characterized in that, Includes a base, linear motion module, storage compartment, pusher, and controller; The linear motion module is mounted on top of the base in a manner that enables linear movement in the horizontal direction. The base has a stepper motor at one end for driving the linear motion module to move. The stepper motor has a current monitoring element that is connected to the controller signal. The base has an initial sensing element and a position sensing element at both ends, respectively. The storage compartment extends vertically and faces the base directly above. The storage compartment has a T-shaped discharge channel at its lower part along the moving direction of the linear moving module. The T-shaped discharge channel includes a vertical channel and transverse channels symmetrically distributed on both sides of the vertical channel. The height of the transverse channels is greater than the thickness of a single glass slide and less than the sum of the thicknesses of two glass slides. The pusher tongue is connected to the moving end of the linear moving module and cooperates with the vertical channel to push out the glass slide in the horizontal channel, thereby realizing the feeding.

2. The automatic slide feeding mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The linear motion module is a lead screw module, including a lead screw and a lead screw slider threadedly fitted on the lead screw. The lead screw slider is slidably fitted with the base, and the rotating shaft of the stepper motor is coaxially connected to the lead screw.

3. The automatic slide feeding mechanism as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the lead screw slider is provided with a guide seat, the bottom of the guide seat is provided with a slot, the slot is provided with symmetrical engagement protrusions on both sides, the base is square steel, the top of the base is provided with a guide groove that cooperates with the guide seat, and the bottom of the guide groove is provided with a guide rail that cooperates with the slot and the engagement protrusions.

4. The automatic slide feeding mechanism as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The controller is a lower-level machine used to receive working instructions from the upper-level machine, and the current monitoring element is a Hall sensor or a shunt.

5. The automatic slide feeding mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Both the initial sensing element and the position sensing element are proximity switches.

6. The automatic slide feeding mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The pusher tongue includes a connecting part and a pusher part that cooperates with the vertical channel. The pusher part is connected to the moving end of the linear moving module through the connecting part. The connecting part includes a horizontal connecting part and a vertical connecting part. The horizontal connecting part is horizontally connected to the top of the moving end of the linear moving module. The vertical connecting part is provided with multiple rows of positioning holes along the horizontal direction. Each positioning hole group includes multiple positioning holes evenly distributed along the vertical direction. The bottom of the glass pusher is provided with a connecting plate, and the connecting plate is provided with a fastening groove corresponding to the positioning hole group. The bottom of the fastening groove is provided with a fastening hole, which cooperates with the positioning hole and is fitted with a fastening bolt, wherein the head of the fastening bolt is located in the fastening groove.

7. The automatic slide feeding mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The storage compartment is also equipped with a counterweight to apply pressure to the top of the stacked glass slides.

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