Transport system for transport of samples in medical analysis laboratory

Abstract

To provide a transport system for transporting samples in a laboratory.SOLUTION: A transport system 1 comprises: a transport track 3 that defines a travel route; and a transport carriage 2 that moves on the transport track 3 along the travel route. The transport carriage 2 has: a wheel to be driven by an electric motor, an electric energy storage device supplying electric energy to the electric motor, and a control device controlling the electric motor. The transport carriage 2 has four wheels, in which each wheel is arranged on an array of two axles adjusted mutually in parallel. The wheel of the first axle is driven, and the wheel pf the second axle is not driven. The wheel of the first axle is connected to respective individual electric motors, and is driven at a rotating velocity individually settable by the control device. A groove 4 in a longitudinal direction is provided along the travel route of the transport track 3. The transport carriage 2 has a guide protrusion part 5 protruding from the underside, and the guide protrusion part 5 is engaged with the groove 4 in the longitudinal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport system for the transport of samples in a laboratory, in particular a medical and / or chemical laboratory, and in particular to such a transport system comprising the features of the preamble of claim 1. [Background technology]

[0002] In medicine, a branch of medicine highly relevant to diagnostics is the so-called laboratory medicine. In this branch, specialized and highly mechanized medical laboratories function, in which medical samples sent by various medical institutions, such as clinics or hospitals, are examined and analyzed according to submitted orders. Such samples are in particular samples of body fluids, for example blood or urine samples, but also fecal samples or swabs. In this case, the work in such laboratories includes not only medical or clinical chemical tests or analyses, but also analyses of chemical nature, so that such laboratories can usually examine not only medical samples, but also chemical samples.

[0003] In this case, the sample is generally submitted by the sender to the medical or chemical laboratory in a sample container provided for this purpose, which is mostly a cylindrical container, generally made of transparent plastic, closed for shipping and handling with a cap, mainly a screw cap or a bung. The sample container in question is often already predetermined by the supplier to accommodate a particular sample or a sample for carrying out a particular analysis, in particular by the choice of a color-coded cap.

[0004] The submitted sample container is accompanied by an appropriately coded data set by the sender, from which it is possible to infer the origin, i.e. the sender and the patient from whom the sample was taken, as well as the analytical request associated with the sample delivery. These codes are usually affixed to the sample container by means of a bar code or QR code and can be linked, for example, to a written order or an electronically transmitted order reflecting the relevant data.

[0005] Medical laboratories generally have numerous analytical devices and analytical equipment, with which samples can be subjected to specific analyses related to medical diagnosis, such as clinical chemistry tests, morphological blood tests, hormone tests, immunological tests, marker tests for specific tumor markers, etc. Medical laboratories also have so-called pre-analytical preparation devices or equipment, e.g. automated centrifuges, with which the delivered samples can be prepared for the subsequent sample analysis according to the ordered analysis.

[0006] In modern medical and / or chemical laboratories, medical and / or chemical sample analyses are carried out with a high throughput and a high degree of automation. The incoming samples are transported into an automated analysis system, in particular into a transport system, which then automatically transports the samples to predefined and intermediate destinations, for example first to a first analyzer for a first medical analysis, then to a second analyzer for a second medical analysis, and finally to storage, or first to a processing device such as a centrifuge, then to an analyzer, and finally to storage, or further transport between the individual stations. In the field of clinical laboratory medicine, a high degree of automation and a high throughput are sought for the management of laboratories, since relatively little is paid for by health insurance systems, especially for standardized analyses. In this case, particular attention is paid to the transport of samples within the laboratory equipment, since the processing speed in this area, i.e. in laboratory logistics, is always a limiting factor for the throughput.

[0007] Correspondingly, in large medical laboratories, transport systems are already established today in which samples, in particular sample containers with the respective samples, are carried on individual transport carriages along predefined transport routes to the respective destination, be it a preparation or analysis device. An example of such a transport system with corresponding transport carriages is disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,399,436. Another example is described in US Pat. No. 5,399,436. US Pat. No. 5,499,436 also deals with automated sample transport in medical laboratories. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application No. 2010 / 0239461 [Patent Document 2] European Patent No. 2629100 [Patent Document 3] European Patent No. 2629099 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] A problem with known transport systems used for transporting samples in medical laboratories is, on the one hand, that they have a limited transport speed and therefore a limited throughput in the laboratory, and, on the other hand, that the proposed systems are complex in construction and prone to breakdowns or maintenance.The invention takes as its starting point the object of providing a transport system for transporting samples in medical laboratories which is improved in relation to these problems, which is robust, requires as little maintenance as possible and allows a high throughput of samples in medical laboratories due to a high cycle rate and a high transport speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] This problem is solved by the below described transport system for sample transport in a laboratory, in particular in a medical and / or chemical laboratory.

[0011] According to this, a transport system for transporting samples in a laboratory, in particular in a medical and / or chemical laboratory, firstly has a transport track which defines a travel path. Furthermore, at least one autonomous transport carriage is provided which is arranged for moving on the transport track along the travel path, in particular a plurality, preferably a multiplicity of such transport carriages, can be a component of the transport system according to the invention. The at least one transport carriage has a receiving part for the sample to be transported, in general a receiving part which can receive, hold and carry a sample container in which the sample is contained. The transport carriage of the transport system according to the invention has electric motor-driven wheels, an electric energy storage device for supplying electric energy to the electric motor drive of the wheels, as well as a control device for the electric motor drive. By means of the control device it is possible to control or set the electric motor drive, in particular with regard to the drive speed of the wheels. Furthermore, the control device can in particular be arranged for exchanging data and signals with the external environment.

[0012] In the main variant of the invention, the transport system according to the invention is characterized in that the transport carriage has four wheels, each of which is arranged in an arrangement on two axles that are aligned parallel to one another. In other words, the transport carriage has two wheels arranged along a first axle and two further wheels arranged at a distance along a second axle. Here, the arrangement of the wheels along the axles does not mean that the wheels are attached to an actual common axle, but rather, as will be described in particular below, they may be suspended individually. Furthermore, it is important for this main variant of the invention that the wheels of the first axle are driven, whereas the wheels of the second axle are not driven, and that the wheels of the driven axle are each connected to their own electric motor drive and can each be driven via this drive at a rotational speed that can be set individually by the control device. Finally, it is essential for this embodiment of the transport system according to the invention that a longitudinal groove is provided along the travel path of the transport track and that at least one transport carriage is formed with a guide projection protruding from its underside, which guide projection is adapted to engage in the longitudinal groove. In particular, advantageously only one longitudinal groove may be provided for each travel path.

[0013] This inventive configuration of the transport system proposed here allows for special advantages in the construction of the transport track, since, in particular at locations where there is a branching or merging of travel paths in the transport track, for example when transferring samples from a circular main track in the direction of an analytical device, the configuration of the transport carriages in the transport system according to the invention ensures that the transport carriages can be transferred to the branching or continue on the main section without the need for a switching device in the transport track. Since the direction of travel can be specified here either to the left or to the right, simply by setting different drive speeds of the drive wheels, which can in particular be arranged on the axles located at the rear in the travel direction of the transport carriage, if a suitable setting of the different drive speeds is made correspondingly in a spatially compatible manner before the branching, the guide projections will be transferred along the main section or along the branching into the continuing run of the longitudinal groove, and then the transport carriage will continue to travel along the main section or main path accordingly, or enter the branching. In this way, as already mentioned, in the transport track itself along the travel route, switching devices and other adjustment mechanisms which are prone to malfunctions and breakdowns due to mechanically moving parts and frequently performed operations can be omitted.

[0014] However, if the relevant component of the transport track breaks down and has to be replaced, which can happen quite frequently in known transport systems of the type mentioned at the beginning, this leads to the shutdown of a larger part of the laboratory, at least with a corresponding accumulation of samples, a decrease in the throughput and therefore also to a loss of revenue. In the case of the solution according to the invention, the technology required for the direction of travel at the branch is exclusively entrusted to the transport carriage, with regard to the mechanical settings and adjustability required for this direction of travel, which can be removed from the transport system without any problems in the event of a breakdown and replaced by a replacement carriage if necessary. Since the transport system itself is not broken down in this case, the laboratory can continue to work normally.

[0015] Independently of the particular configuration of the transport carriage with four wheels, the guide projections and the transport track with longitudinal grooves, another aspect of the invention which can be used in the transport system according to the invention is that the electric energy storage device is formed by one or more capacitors. In the known transport systems, the transport carriage is equipped with accumulators, so-called accumulator batteries. These have the advantage that they can store very large amounts of electric energy, thus enabling relatively long travel or operating times of the transport carriage. However, such accumulator batteries are relatively heavy and bring additional weight to the transport carriage. This, on the one hand, increases the energy consumption and, on the other hand, also limits the movement states of the transport carriage. Furthermore, since accumulator batteries of this kind require relatively long charging times, known transport systems which work with transport carriages which have accumulator batteries as energy storage devices are provided with corresponding charging stations, at which some transport carriages are always stopped for charging the accumulator batteries. In this case, these transport carriages cannot take part in the actual transport of the samples, so that when equipping the transport system, the parts of the transport carriages which are lost due to the charging process must be taken into account and a corresponding number of additional transport carriages must be introduced.

[0016] Furthermore, the battery loses charge capacity over time, and so the battery must be replaced after a certain number of hours of operation, or the entire transport vehicle must be replaced, which also leads to additional maintenance costs and associated expenses.

[0017] In contrast, electrical capacitors are advantageous as electrical energy storage devices. Electrical capacitors can be constructed relatively light and have a long service life, since the number of charging and discharging cycles is virtually unlimited in comparison with accumulators. Furthermore, electrical capacitors can be charged by relatively high currents and / or with the aid of short charging processes, in particular due to the availability of relatively high currents, which can be carried out in particular while the transport carriage is in operation. A disadvantage of capacitors is the limited charge capacity, and thus also the amount of electrical energy that can be stored, which can be compensated for by shorter cycles of the charging process, which is carried out in particular while the transport carriage is in operation. Here, it is particularly advantageous if capacitors with a high capacity are used, for example so-called supercapacitors (in English, also called Super Capacitors or for short Supercaps).

[0018] In particular, if the transport vehicle is equipped with a capacitor as an energy storage device as described above, it can be advantageous to provide charging sections in the transport track and along the travel route, whereby charge can be transferred to the transport vehicle and the electric energy storage device can be charged during the passage of the charging sections. If a capacitor, which can store a smaller amount of electric energy than a battery, is used as the energy storage device for storing electric energy, such a charging section can ensure a stable and cyclical charging of electric energy during operation. In this case, the length and position of the charging section must be determined taking into account the passing speed in order to ensure that the electric capacitor or other electric energy storage device is always fully charged with electric energy and thus can be reliably covered over the next distance to the charging section newly arranged in the transport track, i.e., when the transport vehicle reaches the next charging section for charging with electric energy, the electric energy storage device still has a sufficient residual charge or electric energy reserve.

[0019] Electrical energy can be transferred in different ways in the charging section, for example wirelessly, but also by mechanically created electrical contacts. The latter is advantageous since it is a simple and robust solution that allows the transfer of relatively large electrical energies even with short contact times. Furthermore, the mechanical transfer of electrical energy does not pose a risk of crosstalk or interference with radio signals that can be used, for example, for communication within the transport system. Accordingly, according to an advantageous development of the transport system according to the invention, conductive tracks, in particular made of copper, extend along the travel path in the charging section, and at least one transport carriage can have sliding or rolling contact surfaces that can come into contact with these conductive tracks. Accordingly, when the transport carriage passes through the charging section, an electrical connection is established by the contact of the conductive tracks with the sliding or rolling contact surfaces, and electrical energy is transferred to the transport carriage and stored in an electrical energy storage device, for example the aforementioned capacitor or capacitors.

[0020] Advantageously, the aforementioned sliding or rolling contact surface can be resiliently supported by a spring on the transport carriage and preloaded in the position where it is lifted from the transport track, and in the region of the charging section, the sliding or rolling contact surface can be attracted to the conductive track against the spring tension by a magnetic force, so that mechanical and therefore electrical contact is established. This magnetic force can then be obtained in particular by providing a magnet on one of the components of the conductive track or the sliding or rolling contact surface and a magnet or magnetizable material on the other component. In particular, in addition to the copper rail, a magnetizable material can be provided in the region of the conductive track, for example an iron or stainless steel rail, and a permanent magnet can be arranged on the sliding or rolling contact surface, which is resiliently supported by the spring. This configuration prevents the sliding or rolling contact surface from permanently sliding on the transport track, which would otherwise cause additional friction. Mechanical contact and therefore friction only occurs in the area where the actual charge transfer takes place in order to charge the electrical energy storage device.

[0021] A further special aspect of the transport system according to the invention, which can be realized independently of the four-wheel design of the transport carriage, the guide projections on the transport carriage and the longitudinal grooves of the transport track, and independently of the form of the energy storage device as one or more capacitors, consists in that a first optical, in particular infrared, communication interface can be integrated into the transport track and arranged in the area of ​​the travel path, and a second optical, in particular infrared, communication interface is arranged on the transport carriage, in order to establish a two-way communication with the transport carriage. The first and second optical communication interfaces are then arranged to interact with each other when the transport carriage passes through the area in which the first optical communication interface is arranged. The first optical communication interface arranged on the transport track can then be particularly elongated and can maintain a communication connection, in particular of two-way type, over the entire time frame during the passage, for example by means of a number of uniform light diodes or laser diodes. Via such a communication interface, travel commands can be transmitted in particular to the transport carriage, in particular to its control device, regarding the direction of travel to be taken, for example in the area before a branch on the transport track, whether to proceed along the main route or to transition to a branch. Conversely, in the direction of the transport track and from there, for example, further in the direction of the central control device, identification data and the like can be transmitted that can uniquely identify the transport vehicle that is just passing the location of the first communication interface on the transport track. Such optical communication is advantageous because it can be configured in a very spatially limited manner and therefore does not result in overlaps, which can be a concern with wireless communication, especially if several such first communication interfaces are arranged on the transport track. Furthermore, optical communication, especially infrared communication, can be arranged in the transport track protected and covered by a cover that is transparent to the relevant light wavelengths, and is therefore robust and resistant, for example, to abrasive particles, dust, moisture, etc.

[0022] A further embodiment of the transport system according to the invention, which can be realized in combination with the above-mentioned features or separately, may be a distance sensor arranged on the transport carriage and connected to the control device, the measurement field of which is in front of the direction of travel of the transport carriage. Here, the control device is adjusted to reduce the travel speed of the transport carriage if an obstacle is detected by the distance sensor and is below a set threshold value, and / or to adjust the travel speed of the transport carriage in order to maintain a minimum distance that is kept constant if the obstacle is moving. In this way, it is possible to automatically realize, for example, a series of transport carriages traveling at the same speed. It is also possible to prevent the transport carriages from running into stationary obstacles without braking and colliding with them.

[0023] A further special feature of the invention, which can likewise be realised in the transport system according to the invention, apart from the features described so far as particularities, consists in that the transport carriage can have a button switch on its side facing forward in the direction of travel during operation, which, when actuated, interrupts the mains supply line between the electrical energy storage device and the electrical consumers arranged on the transport carriage. By means of such a configuration, it is possible to achieve a reduction in the energy consumption of the transport carriage to a minimum, optimally to zero, in particular in the case of a collision with an obstacle, for example a transport carriage or a car stop in front, by disconnecting the electrical energy storage device from all electrical consumers arranged on the transport carriage, i.e. by completely switching off the system of the transport carriage.

[0024] In particular, if the electrical energy storage device is capable of receiving only a limited amount of electrical energy, for example a capacitor or a device consisting of a capacitor, it is possible to prevent a situation in which, if the electrical function is maintained and electrical energy continues to be consumed while the transport carriage is stopped and does not move, the electrical energy storage device becomes empty, so that, in the worst case, when the stop is released, there is no more energy remaining and the transport carriage cannot move forward, i.e. the transport carriage cannot be driven. Here, a button switch is used, which is preloaded in the switched-on position, so that when the obstacle is removed, the button switch is moved again to the switched-on position, whereby a connection is again established between the electrical energy storage device and the consumer of the transport carriage, and the transport carriage can again be driven fully, in particular autonomously.

[0025] If the transport track is equipped with a longitudinal groove extending along the travel path, as proposed in the first aspect of the invention, the button switch can have a downward projection that is arranged in particular to engage in the longitudinal groove, such that, when it is desired to stop the transport carriage, the button switch can, for example, strike a corresponding structure in the longitudinal groove and activate it. For this purpose, for example, a reduction in travel speed can be instructed in advance via a communication connection to the transport carriage, in particular to its control device, so that a collision with such a stop point does not occur at an excessive speed that could endanger the samples on the transport carriage.

[0026] In a further separate embodiment of the invention, provision can be made for stops to be arranged in the transport track of the transport system at defined stop positions, which protrude from the surface of the transport track into the travel path and are designed so that they can be pushed upward against the transport carriage or, if a longitudinal groove is provided, can be inserted into this longitudinal groove, so that if several transport carriages with samples have arrived and previous samples have not yet been analyzed to completion and the transport carriages still block the stop positions of the analyzer, the transport carriages can stop at defined stop positions, for example in a waiting position before entering the area of ​​the analyzer.

[0027] If the transport carriage has a guide projection for engaging in a longitudinal groove defining the travel path, the guide projection can be formed with a contact ring, which is supported by a rolling bearing and can come into contact with the lateral border of the longitudinal groove. The rolling bearing can be, for example, a ball bearing, but also a needle bearing or other type of rolling bearing. Such an arrangement with rolling bearings further reduces friction that occurs when the guide projection is guided along the wall of the longitudinal groove, especially at high speeds. In addition, this also serves to save electrical energy, which is therefore particularly important in the case of energy storage devices which can only store a relatively small amount of electrical energy.

[0028] For the same reason, the transport carriage may be provided with a laterally protruding roll ring supported by rolling bearings in each corner area of ​​the rear side as seen in the direction of travel during operation, by means of which, in particular where wall-like lateral guide structures are arranged along the travel path for safety reasons due to small curve radii, a guide contact can be established between the transport carriage and its guide structure without excessive friction losses, particularly for absorbing lateral or centrifugal forces, especially at high speeds.

[0029] If the transport carriage has a guide projection for engaging in a longitudinal groove defining the travel path, then a magnet can be arranged on the guide projection, for example. Such a magnet can be used, for example, to activate a control element and / or a stop at a defined stop position when it passes a magnetic field-sensitive sensor, in particular a Hall sensor, of the travel path, in particular at the bottom of the longitudinal groove. By means of such a magnet, the presence of the transport carriage in the sensor area can also be indicated and / or detected, in which case the magnet can be used for localizing the transport carriage. In particular, such a magnet can be arranged in a guide pin of the rolling bearing, in particular a ball bearing, in particular in the fixing of the rolling bearing, in particular a ball bearing, in particular in the fixing of the rolling bearing, in particular a ball bearing, in which case the magnet can be arranged in a guide pin of the rolling bearing, in particular a ball bearing, in particular in the fixing of the rolling bearing, in particular a ball bearing, in which case the magnet can be aligned flush with the rolling bearing, in particular a ball bearing, on the underside.

[0030] According to the invention, the receptacle arranged on the transport carriage can in particular be a receptacle tube with a bottom, into which the sample containers in the form of a cylindrical tube can be placed, which preferably has a longitudinal opening in its circumferential side wall, which opening in particular allows a code arranged on the sample container, for example a bar code, to be read through the longitudinal opening by a reading device arranged laterally.

[0031] A further aspect of the transport system according to the invention, which also has an inventive character on its own, is shown by the proposal that the receptacles provided in the transport carriage for the samples to be transported are assigned holders formed in the transport carriage for the sealing caps associated with the samples. This means that the samples, in particular the sample containers, are transported in an open state so that the sample contents can be taken directly at the respective analysis station. After a series of tests in the medical laboratory, the samples, or the sample containers, are usually sent to a storage facility where they must be stored in a sealed state and therefore must be sealed again with a sealing cap accordingly. Optimally, a dedicated sealing cap can be used for this, but due, inter alia, to the different proprietary standards set by the various suppliers of sample containers, there are various sealing caps, which differ not only in color but also in size and function, as already mentioned in this specification.

[0032] Thus, by the above-mentioned proposal, the sample container and the associated sealing cap are kept in a paired state during the passage through the medical laboratory along the transport system according to the invention, so that after the end of the journey the sample can be safely and securely sealed again with the associated sealing cap. Furthermore, it is possible to save spare stoppers, which are often used in conventional sample management in medical laboratories, with negative consequences in terms of resource consumption and environmental burden when disposed of. The holder for the sealing cap can, for example, be formed as a kind of overhanging shelf on the side of the receiving tube, if the receiving part for the sample to be transported is configured as a receiving tube as mentioned above.

[0033] A further aspect of the transport system described herein, which also constitutes an invention by itself, is that a downward-facing optical scanning sensor is arranged on the transport carriage, by means of which the direction and speed of movement of the transport carriage relative to the transport track can be detected. Such an optical scanning sensor can be suitably designed, for example, as an optical sensor known from optical computer mice, which can also detect the direction and speed of movement of a mouse housing. By arranging such a scanning sensor on the transport carriage, it is possible to detect the travel speed and direction of the transport carriage, in particular also along a curved track, i.e. also in curved travel, and to transmit the corresponding travel data to a control device, which can be taken into account when setting the travel speed of the transport carriage. In this way, for example, overspeeding can be prevented, and excessive speeds in curved travel can be avoided, which would otherwise cause the samples to be spilled, toppled or spilled out due to possible centrifugal forces.

[0034] The transport system according to the invention may furthermore have a transport track forming at least two horizontally overlapping surfaces, with ramps connecting the overlapping surfaces, by means of which the transport carriages can move from surface to surface along the ramps, i.e. from the lower surface to the upper surface or vice versa. Such an arrangement allows a space-saving design of the transport system, in particular the transport track, in terms of the required area. In order to configure such ramps with a constant gradient and to ensure a sufficient pressing force of the transport carriages against the track surface, it may be provided that in the region of the ramp along the travel path, an electromagnetic coupling is obtained between the transport carriage and the travel path, by arranging at least one magnet, usually a magnetizable material, along the travel path and on the transport carriage. If a configuration is provided with a charging section and a sliding or rolling contact surface which can be moved by magnetic forces into an extended position against the preload of a spring, this magnetic coupling can be used in the region of the ramp to hold the transport carriage on the ground. For this purpose, in particular a charging section may be configured in the region of the ramp.

[0035] All the described advantages of the transport system according to the invention for sample transport in a medical laboratory apply analogously to corresponding transport systems for sample transport in a chemical laboratory.

[0036] Further features and advantages of the invention and the technical solutions and particularities contained in the transport system disclosed therein will become apparent from the following description of possible embodiments using the attached drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a transport carriage according to the invention arranged on a transport track according to the invention as a component part of a possible embodiment of a transport system according to the invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a transport carriage according to the invention of the transport system according to the invention according to FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the transport carriage according to FIG. 2 without the cover. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the transport carriage shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] The figures show possible variants of the transport system according to the invention, in which various inventive aspects are realizable independently of one another. In this regard, the following description of these variants requires the understanding that the various particularities and aspects can be realizable independently of one another, i.e. that individual features or combinations of features in the present invention provide an inventive contribution and that the transport system or individual components, such as a transport track or a transport carriage, can also be realizable within the scope of new and inventive aspects.

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a transport system according to the invention, which can also be described as a conveyor system, and is here generally designated 1 .

[0040] The transport or conveyor system 1 is provided for use in a medical laboratory and for transporting samples. It is a part of a laboratory facility which receives samples from a pre-sorting, e.g. an automatic sorting device, and transports them to any destination within the laboratory facility, which can be set in the system. The destination can be a preparation device, e.g. a centrifuge, an analysis device or a storage facility. There is also the possibility of transporting the samples to a sorting location for further sorting.

[0041] The transport system 1 comprises at least one, and in fact a number of, individual autonomous transport carriages 2, which may also be called sample carriers, each of which is provided for receiving exactly one sample and is used to transport the sample received therein to a specific destination, where the sample is in the form of a tube-shaped sample container containing the actual medical sample to be analyzed, e.g. blood, urine, etc., which are known and previously used in medical testing technology. At the respective destination, the sample can be removed by a pick-and-place mechanism and placed, for example, in a suitable rack or container for further processing.

[0042] Among the other components of the transport system 1, besides at least one transport carriage 2, there is a transport track 3. This transport track 3 forms a flat base along which one or more transport carriages 2 travel. In this respect, the transport track 3 serves as a running track for one or more transport carriages 2. To guide the transport carriage 2 or carriages 2 on a defined running path, longitudinal grooves 4 are fitted to the transport track, which serve as guide grooves, into which guide projections 5 of the transport carriage 2 extend. The longitudinal groove 4 branches off at a branch 6, where the running paths branch off separately, so that the respective transport carriage 2 can proceed selectively. The longitudinal grooves 4 which branch off at the branch 6 meet and reunite at another point (not shown here). In the transport track 3 of the transport system 1 according to the invention, the running paths respectively marked and defined by the longitudinal grooves 4 are thus likewise formed as circular paths or (not in a strictly geometrical sense) in a constantly closed state. This allows a transport vehicle 2 which, for example at a junction 6, cannot move onto the target section due to a congestion to travel in a circular manner and continue to travel until the entrance to the junction is free when it next arrives. The transport track 3 can in particular be configured on various overlapping surfaces, which are provided with ramps connecting the surfaces to one another and on which the travel path is defined by longitudinal grooves 4 in the embodiment shown here.

[0043] The transport carriage 2 of the transport system 1 according to the invention in the illustrated embodiment has four wheels 7, 8, unlike the sample carriers of other similar systems which slide partially on a running track. The wheels 7, 8 are arranged on two axles, one with the wheel 7 and the other with the wheel 8. However, the wheels 7, 8 are suspended separately and uncoupled on the axles. Furthermore, the wheels 7, 8 are each provided with a cushion or a tire, which on the one hand contributes to an improved grip on the transport track 3 and on the other hand allows noiseless operation. The wheels 7 here form the wheels which are located at the rear in the direction of travel of the transport carriage 2, i.e. the rear wheels. The wheels 8 can therefore be regarded as front wheels.

[0044] The transport carriage 2 is driven by two DC motors 9, 10, each of which directly drives one of the wheels 7. The wheels 8, on the other hand, are suspended in a freewheeling manner. The DC motors 9, 10 are then separately controllable, so that the drive speed or number of revolutions of the two wheels 7 can be set independently of one another. For this purpose, the DC motors 9, 10 are connected to a control device (not shown) arranged on the transport carriage, which controls and regulates the operation of the respective DC motors 9, 10. The two DC motors 9, 10 provide high propulsive power and high torque, which is very advantageous for overcoming gradients, for example when travelling on inclined sections connecting different planes of the transport track 2, and also for high-speed travel. A further advantage is that the DC motors 9, 10 can be controlled separately. This allows speed regulation between the inner and outer wheels 7, for example on curves, thus replacing a differential that would otherwise have to be provided. This means that mechanical parts that are subject to wear are saved. A further important feature of the drive selected here by two separated DC motors 9, 10 is the replacement of the control of the mechanical switching device of the junction 6 of the travel track by an easily realizable software control in the transport carriage 2. With this control, the selection of the next travel direction at the junction 6 is achieved by presetting different speeds of the drive wheels 7 instead of switching the switching device of the travel section. If the transport carriage 2 then wants to enter the right lane at the junction 6, the DC motors 9, 10 are controlled accordingly in such a way that the left rear wheel 7 generates a high torque, thereby urging the guide projection 5 to the right and into the longitudinal groove 4 branching off to the right at the junction 6. As an alternative, braking the right wheel can also achieve the same result. In this way, in particular a lot of effort can be saved in the mechanical control of the switching device of the transport track 3 and at the same time the system reliability can be significantly improved. In particular, this reduces the failure rate of the transport track 3.

[0045] The provision of four wheels 7, 8 on the transport carriage 2 has the advantage over known solutions that friction is minimal, optimally almost zero, when driving along the transport track 3. This significantly reduces the amount of energy required for driving.

[0046] The energy storage for operating the DC motors 9, 10, the electronic control devices as well as other consumers, such as sensors as will be further described below, is realized in the illustrated embodiment by means of electric capacitors (not shown). These capacitors are in particular so-called supercapacitors which have a high storage capacity.

[0047] Capacitors have a smaller storage capacity than accumulators, but are lighter and have a significantly greater, almost unlimited number of charging cycles, which significantly increases the service life of these components and the transport carriage 2 in which they are equipped.

[0048] On the one hand, the accumulator batteries have a high charging capacity, i.e. the transport carriage equipped with the accumulator batteries can be driven for a relatively long time, but on the other hand, long charging times are also required for recharging. This can only be done statically at charging stations, where the transport carriage equipped with the accumulator batteries must be parked and the accumulator batteries must be charged. During the preparation time required for this, the transport carriage cannot be used for transporting samples, so that in a transport system with transport carriages powered by batteries, an additional number of carriages must be provided for each transport carriage being charged. Furthermore, the charging stations that must be provided require space, which cannot be used for other purposes.

[0049] The transport vehicle 2 is supplied with power by a power rail 11, which is a conductive path embedded in the transport track 3 in the partially constructed charging section, i.e., the power rail does not have to extend along the entire travel section. The power rail 11 is provided in the charging section.

[0050] Contact surfaces 12 are arranged on the underside of the transport carriage 2 in the form of sliding or rolling contact surfaces to form a contact surface with the power rail 11, which supply electricity to the capacitor via the power rail 11. The contact surfaces 12 are arranged on the free ends of spring tongues 13 which hold the contact surfaces 12 in a rest position lifted up and recessed from the transport track 3, but which can also be deflected downwards due to their spring properties. This deflection is caused by magnets 14 arranged on the spring tongues 13, which are attracted by an iron layer arranged below the copper layer of the power rail 11. This causes the contact rollers of the contact surfaces 12 to be pressed against the power rail 11, and the capacitors are charged. At the end of the power rail 11, where the iron layer also ends, the spring tongues 13 are lifted up again from the power rail 11 or the transport track 3. This contact and charging process typically lasts only a fraction of a second as the power rail 11 passes, but is sufficient to charge the capacitor with electrical energy to travel distances on the order of several meters, so that only a relatively small portion of the section of power rail 11 needs to be equipped.

[0051] The above-described solution using a capacitor as energy storage device in the transport carriage 2, which is charged via the contact surface 12 when the power rail 11 passes, offers in particular the following advantages: High-capacity capacitors, especially those used in the form of so-called supercapacitors, are able to store high amounts of energy in a small space, which are sufficient to operate the transport carriage 2 along a travel distance of several metres. The charging of the capacitor is very fast, i.e. in a fraction of a second, so the area where the power rail 11 is provided can be estimated at a short distance. A continuous energy supply is possible, making a permanent energy supply or a static charging mode unnecessary. In this way, the transport carriages 2 are charged during operation, so that fewer transport carriages 2 are required, which in particular allows continuous operation 24 hours a day, every day.

[0052] The transport track 3 is provided with an infrared-transparent area and a first optical communication interface 15 arranged thereunder, which allows two-way communication between the control elements of the transport track 3 and the transport carriage 2. Correspondingly, on the underside of the transport carriage, in line with the arrangement of the first optical communication interface 15, a second optical communication interface 28 is mounted, respectively in the form of an LED and a photodiode, for two-way communication with the first optical communication interface 15 of the transport track 3.

[0053] For example, the first optical communication interface 15 may be provided in the area before the branch 6, where it can transmit a travel command to the transport carriage 2 so that it follows the branch 6 in either of the two possible directions and "changes direction" by controlling, for example, the above-mentioned DC motors 9, 10, to move to the branch line of the longitudinal groove 4. The first optical communication interface 15 is configured vertically, which provides sufficient transmission time for communication even when the transport carriage 2 is traveling at high speed. For example, when the transport carriage travels at a speed of 1 m / s over a section of 50 mm, the communication time will be 50 ms. This type of information transmission is very locally limited, so there is no need to worry about crosstalk, it is very safe and, above all, is not susceptible to external influences, such as, for example, radio waves or other electromagnetic interference.

[0054] Furthermore, since the transport track 3 does not contain any mechanical components and has a completely enclosed surface, the electronic circuits contained therein are well protected against dust and moisture.

[0055] The transport carriage 2 is equipped with a receptacle 16 for placing tube-shaped sample containers upright. The receptacle 16 has a deep cut opening 17 in the side, through which automatic reading of the identification code is possible over the entire length of the sample tube.

[0056] The container 16 is provided with a holder 18 on the side for the sealing stoppers of the sample tubes. This holder 18 allows the sample tubes to be carried together with their dedicated stoppers after removing the sealing stoppers, so-called decapsing, and the dedicated stoppers can be reattached after taking a small sample from the sample. This has many advantages over the conventional methods of discarding the stoppers and later replacing them with standard stoppers or sealing the tubes by welding: · Improved economy due to savings on additional plugs. - Reduces the environmental impact caused by discarded plastic stoppers. -Restore the tube to its original state. -The use of a special stopper ensures a more secure seal on the tube. - Problem-free decap when reopening sample tubes. Smaller, simpler, cheaper and faster decap mechanisms make it easier to cascade decaps for greater throughput.

[0057] The transport carriage 2 may in particular be provided with a multi-coloured LED 19, which by means of a colour-coded display makes it possible to obtain information during operation regarding the operating state of the transport carriage 2. By means of this multi-coloured LED 19, states such as "charging" or "communicating with the communication interface of the travel track" can be indicated.

[0058] Furthermore, the embodiment of the transport carriage 2 shown in the figures is provided with an effective proximity sensor 20 at the front, which is used to slow down the speed to a controlled low collision speed when approaching an obstacle, and is also used to maintain a constant distance depending on the speed of the transport carriage 2 in front when the transport carriages 2 are traveling in series.

[0059] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment of the transport carriage 2, a button switch is provided on the front of the transport carriage 2 in the form of a switch-off plate 21. This switch-off plate 21 is used to completely switch off the electronics of the transport carriage 2 when it hits an obstacle, thereby storing the electrical energy in the capacitor until the transport carriage 2 starts moving again. For this switch-off mechanism to function, it is necessary, as mentioned above, to hit the obstacle with a restrained speed until the switch-off is reached. The switch-off plate 21 has a small extension 22 that reaches into the longitudinal groove 4. At the handling point, the transport carriage 2 with the extension moves towards a stop slider that can be inserted into the longitudinal groove 4 and allows a particularly precise positioning of the transport carriage 2.

[0060] In the illustrated embodiment, ball bearings 23 are fixed in the guide projections 5 in order to reduce wear on the longitudinal grooves 4. This is particularly important when travelling around curves quickly. Furthermore, the enlarged radius provided by the ball bearings 23 smooths out the irregularities of the longitudinal grooves 4 and thus contributes to a smoother travel. For fast travelling curves or curves with small radii, the transport track 3 can be provided with lateral supports. Here, ball bearings 24 provided at the rear end of the transport carriage abut against the supports with low friction and contribute to an additional stabilization of the transport carriage 2, so that curves with small radii can also be negotiated at comparatively high speeds.

[0061] Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the transport carriage 2 has a notch 25 at its rear end, which allows the lifting of the stop slider when two transport carriages 2 are closely adjacent to each other. In this respect, the notch allows a controlled separation of two successive transport carriages 2.

[0062] The transport carriage 2 can be attracted towards the running track in the area of ​​the iron base at the bottom of the power rail 11 by the magnets 26 in addition to its own weight. This is important to strengthen the grip of the drive wheels 7 on uphill slopes and to avoid the drive wheels 7 tilting backwards or forwards on uphill or downhill slopes, especially at high speeds, together with another pair of magnets 27 in the area of ​​the front wheels. With a suitable design, running upside down is also conceivable, for example to empty the transport carriage 2.

[0063] In the illustrated embodiment, a special sensor (optical sensor) 29, which can be called a "mouse sensor", is arranged on the underside of the transport carriage 2. This sensor is used like an optical computer mouse and can be used to perform distance measurement, direction recognition and speed determination. When entering a curve, this sensor not only detects the curvature of the route section but also calculates the radius of curvature, so that the drive speed of the drive wheels 7 of the transport carriage 2 can be optimally controlled.

[0064] A particular advantage of the configuration according to the invention as described and realised in the above-mentioned embodiment is to be emphasised here again: the transport track 3 is mechanically completely passive, with the exception of the processing stations (where the contents or samples in the PTS are processed), which favours their functional safety, while the essential functions are transferred to the transport carriage 2. This has the advantage that in case of a functional fault, the relevant transport carriage 2 can simply be removed from the system and, if necessary, replaced by another transport carriage 2, without the functionality of the entire system being affected, since no work on the transport track 3 is necessary and the transport track 3 can still be used by the transport carriage 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1. Transportation System 2 Transport trolley 3 Transport track 4 Longitudinal groove 5 Guide protrusion 6 Branch 7 wheels 8 wheels 9. DC Motor 10 DC motor 11 Power rails as conductive paths 12 Contact surface 13 Spring tongue 14. Magnets 15 First Optical Communication Interface 16 Storage unit 17 Opening 18 Holder 19 Multi-color LEDs 20. Proximity Sensor 21 Switch-off plate 22 Extension 23 Ball bearings 24 Ball bearings 25 Notch 26 Magnet 27 Magnet 28 Second Optical Communication Interface 29 Sensors

Claims

1. A transport system for transporting samples in a laboratory, comprising: a transport track defining a travel path; and at least one autonomous transport vehicle having a storage portion for the sample to be transported, the transport vehicle being arranged to move on the transport track along the travel path, the transport vehicle having wheels driven by electric motors, an electric energy storage device supplying electric energy to the electric motors that drive the wheels, and a control device controlling the electric motor; the transport carriage has four wheels, each of which is arranged on two axles arranged parallel to each other, the wheels of a first axle being driven and the wheels of a second axle not being driven, the wheels of the driven first axle being connected to individual electric motors and being driven via the electric motors at rotational speeds that can be individually set by the control device, A longitudinal groove is provided along the travel path of the transportation track, and a guide protrusion protrudes from the underside of the transportation carriage, and the guide protrusion is engaged with the longitudinal groove. A transportation system characterized by:

2. The electrical energy storage device is formed by one or more capacitors.

10. The transportation system of claim 1.

3. A charging section is provided within the transportation track and partially along the travel path for transferring electric charge to the transportation vehicle to charge the electric energy storage device.

2. The transportation system of claim 1.

4. a conductive path extending along the travel path is provided in the charging section; The transport carriage is provided with a sliding contact surface or a rolling contact surface that can come into contact with the conduction path.

4. The transportation system of claim 3.

5. The sliding contact surface or the rolling contact surface is elastically supported by a spring, and a preload is applied at a position where the sliding contact surface or the rolling contact surface is lifted from the transport track; The charging section is provided with a magnet or a magnetizable material, The sliding contact surface or the rolling contact surface, which is elastically supported, is provided with a magnet or a magnetizable material so that when the transport carriage passes through the charging section, the sliding contact surface or the rolling contact surface is attracted by a magnetic force in the direction of the conductive path and comes into contact with the conductive path.

5. The transportation system of claim 4.

6. A first optical communication interface is integrated into the transport track and positioned in the area of ​​the travel path, and a second optical communication interface is positioned on the transport vehicle to establish two-way communication with the transport vehicle.

2. The transportation system of claim 1.

7. a distance sensor connected to the control device and disposed on the transport vehicle, the distance sensor having a measurement area indicating a forward direction of the transport vehicle; The control device controls the transport vehicle to slow down its travel speed if an obstacle is detected by the distance sensor and is below a set threshold, and / or to adjust the travel speed of the transport vehicle to maintain a constant minimum distance if the obstacle is moving.

2. The transportation system of claim 1 .

8. The transport vehicle has a button switch on the side facing forward in the direction of travel during operation, and when the button switch is operated, a main power supply line between the electric energy storage device and an electric consumer disposed on the transport vehicle is cut off.

2. The transportation system of claim 1.

9. The button switch has a downward protrusion adapted to engage the longitudinal groove.

9. The transportation system of claim 8.

10. The device is provided with at least one of a stopper that is disposed at a predetermined stopping position within the transport track, protrudes from the surface of the transport track into the travel path, and abuts against the transport vehicle, and a stopper that is disposed at the predetermined stopping position within the transport track and is formed so as to be insertable into the longitudinal groove.

2. The transportation system of claim 1.

11. a contact ring supported by a rolling bearing on the guide projection and in contact with the lateral boundaries of the longitudinal groove; 2. The transportation system of claim 1.

12. The transport carriage has a laterally protruding roll ring supported by a rolling bearing in each corner area of ​​the side facing rearward in the direction of travel during operation.

2. The transportation system of claim 1.

13. The container provided on the transport carriage for the sample to be transported is a container tube having a bottom surface.

2. The transportation system of claim 1.

14. The storage tube has an opening in the side wall along the length thereof.

14. The transportation system of claim 13.

15. The containers provided on the transport carriage for the samples to be transported are assigned holders formed on the transport carriage for sealing caps that accompany the samples to be transported.

2. The transportation system of claim 1.

16. an optical scanning sensor disposed downward on the transport vehicle and capable of detecting the direction and speed of movement of the transport vehicle relative to the transport track; 2. The transportation system of claim 1.

17. The transport track forms at least two horizontally overlapping surfaces, with ramps provided to connect the overlapping surfaces.

2. The transportation system of claim 1.

18. In the region of the inclined portion, the magnets or magnetizable materials are provided along the travel path to interact with the magnets or magnetizable materials configured on the transport carriage to generate a magnetic holding force for holding the transport carriage on the transportation track.

20. The transportation system of claim 17.

19. A number of identically formed transport vehicles are included, each of which has a unique, individual, electronically readable identification.

19. A transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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