Article alignment mechanism and blood collecting tube sorting device

Abstract

To provide an article alignment mechanism which hardly clogs, and aligns articles of random postures at a high speed.SOLUTION: An article alignment mechanism which aligns an article having a first diameter part having a predetermined diameter, and a second diameter part having a diameter smaller than that of the first diameter part includes: an article holding part which has a groove for supporting the first diameter part and holding the article in a predetermined posture in which the second diameter part is fitted; a groove input part where the plurality of articles in a loose state are inputted, and the postures of the articles are changed and the articles are inputted in the groove; and a push-out conveyance part which changes a posture of the article which is not in the predetermined posture by pressing the article inputted in the article holding part from the groove input part, and pushes out the article held in the groove to the outside of the groove input part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an article alignment mechanism and a blood collection tube sorting device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in hospitals and the like, blood has been collected in blood collection tubes. The collected blood collection tubes are sorted according to the type of examination. In recent years, devices for automating the sorting of blood collection tubes have been developed. In such devices, from the perspective of reducing the workload of humans, it is desirable that blood collection tubes can be directly inserted into the device in a random posture (scattered state). In a device that processes articles in a random posture, first, the articles in a random posture are aligned into a predetermined direction and posture.

[0003] As a technique for aligning articles in a random posture into a predetermined direction and posture, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a pipette tip setting machine that can automatically set pipette tips to a tip rack. Further, Patent Document 1 states that "in the machine body, a stocker 2 for accommodating a large number of pipette tips A in an aggregated state is installed, and a bucket conveyor 3 for scooping up and lifting one or a small number of pipette tips A at a time is arranged so that its lower end side is located at the bottom of the stocker and its upper end side is located above the stocker, and a funnel-shaped hopper 4 having a slit-shaped opening with a width into which a small-diameter portion below the fitting portion of the head of the pipette tip is inserted at the discharge side at the upper end of the bucket conveyor is arranged, and a conveying rail 5 composed of a pair of vibrating rails is installed below the opening thereof, and the pipette tip A is supplied to the tip rack B from the terminal side in the conveying direction of the conveying rail." (See the abstract of Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when a plurality of pipette tips (articles) are inserted into a slit-shaped opening as in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the small-diameter portion below the fitting portion of the head may not be inserted and become clogged. If the rotation of the bucket conveyor is reduced to avoid the simultaneous insertion of articles, the processing speed will decrease.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an article alignment mechanism that can easily align articles in a random posture at high speed without clogging.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure is an article alignment mechanism for aligning an article having a first diameter portion having a predetermined diameter and a second diameter portion having a diameter smaller than the first diameter portion, the article alignment mechanism comprising: an article holding portion that supports the first diameter portion and has a groove for holding the article in a predetermined posture in which the second diameter portion is fitted; a groove insertion portion into which a plurality of the articles in a scattered state are inserted and the posture of the article is changed and inserted into the groove; and an extrusion conveyance portion that changes the posture of the article that is not in the predetermined posture by pressing the article inserted from the groove insertion portion into the article holding portion and extrudes the article held in the groove out of the groove insertion portion.

[0008] Further features related to the present disclosure will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. Also, the aspects of the present disclosure are achieved and realized by elements and combinations of various elements and the aspects of the following detailed description and the appended claims. The description of this specification is merely a typical example and does not limit the scope of the claims or the application examples of the present disclosure in any way.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the article alignment mechanism of the present disclosure, it is possible to align articles in a random posture at high speed with less clogging. Other problems, configurations, and effects will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

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Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the article alignment mechanism of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, common members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0012] [First Embodiment] <Configuration Example of Article Alignment Mechanism> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an article alignment mechanism 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the article alignment mechanism 1 includes an article input part 2, an article holding part 3, a groove input part 4, an extrusion conveyance part 5, and an extrusion prevention part 6. Articles such as blood collection tubes 7A are randomly inserted (in a scattered state) into the article input part 2. The article input part 2 conveys the blood collection tube 7A to the groove input part 4. The groove input part 4 changes the posture of the blood collection tube 7A and inserts it into the article holding part 3. The extrusion conveyance part 5 conveys the blood collection tube 7A held by the article holding part 3 by pressing it. The blood collection tubes 7A held by the article holding part 3 are aligned in an equal posture. The extrusion prevention part 6 is fixed on the article holding part 3. The extrusion prevention part 6 allows the blood collection tube 7A held in an appropriate predetermined posture on the article holding part 3 to pass through. The article alignment mechanism 1 is connected to a control device 100. The control device 100 controls the driving of various actuators of the article alignment mechanism 1.

[0013] The article input part 2 includes a belt conveyor 21, a conveyor actuator 22, conveyor gears 23 and 24, a conveyor connection timing pulley 25, a torque limiter 26, a conveyor drive shaft 27, a conveyor driven shaft 28, and conveyor side walls 29A and 29B.

[0014] The article holding part 3 includes a groove outer side plate 31 and a groove inner side plate 32. The groove outer side plate 31 and the groove inner side plate 32 are fixedly connected to a base (not shown). There is a certain interval between the groove outer side plate 31 and the groove inner side plate 32, forming a groove 33. The groove 33 is formed in a substantially U shape. The blood collection tube 7A has a structure in which the diameter of the upper part (cap) is larger than the diameter of the lower part (container part). The width of the groove 33 is smaller than the diameter of the upper part of the blood collection tube 7A and larger than the diameter of the lower part of the blood collection tube 7A. Thereby, the bottom surface of the upper part of the blood collection tube 7A is supported by the groove outer side plate 31 and the groove inner side plate 32, and the lower part of the blood collection tube 7A fits into the groove 33. In the present disclosure, the "groove" simply refers to the gap between the groove outer side plate 31 and the groove inner side plate 32, and the groove 33 serves as the conveyance path of the blood collection tube 7A. Instead of this, a path having a bottom may be formed. In this case, the depth of the path having a bottom is formed to be larger than the length of the container part of the blood collection tube 7A.

[0015] The groove input part 4 includes rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C, and side walls 45 and 46. The groove 33 extends substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C below the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C.

[0016] The conveyor actuator 22, the conveyor side walls 29A and 29B, and the side walls 45 and 46 are fixedly connected to a base (not shown). The conveyor drive shaft 27 is rotatably connected to the side walls 45 and 46, and the conveyor driven shaft 28 is rotatably connected to the base. The belt conveyor 21 is wound around the conveyor drive shaft 27 and the conveyor driven shaft 28. The conveyor gear 23 is connected to the output shaft of the conveyor actuator 22 and further meshes with the conveyor gear 24. The conveyor gear 24 and the conveyor drive shaft 27 are fixedly connected and rotate synchronously. Therefore, by driving the conveyor actuator 22, the conveyor drive shaft 27 rotates and the belt conveyor 21 is driven. The conveyor actuator 22 is a servo-controlled DC motor, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, a stepping motor.

[0017] The conveyor connection timing pulley 25 is rotatably connected to the conveyor drive shaft 27, and the torque limiter 26 is fixedly connected to the conveyor drive shaft 27. The torque limiter 26 is connected to the conveyor connection timing pulley 25, but has a function of idling when the torque exceeds a predetermined value and not transmitting excessive torque.

[0018] The extrusion conveying unit 5 includes an elastic part 51, a chain 52, and sprockets 53A and 53B. The sprockets 53A and 53B are rotatably connected to a base (not shown). The chain 52 is wound around and connected to the sprocket 53A. A plurality of elastic parts 51 are provided and fixedly connected to the chain 52 at intervals. A drive actuator (not shown) is connected to the sprocket 53A to move the elastic part 51 via the chain 52. At this time, the elastic part 51 moves so as to pass above the groove 33. Since the elastic part 51 is an elastic body and deforms when a force is applied, it does not apply an excessive force to an article such as the blood collection tube 7A. As the elastic part 51, for example, a thin polyacetal resin plate with a thickness of 0.5 mm can be used. However, it is not limited to this, and for example, other elastic materials may be used. Further, the elastic part 51 may be configured to deform when a force is applied by an iron plate and a hinge with a spring or the like.

[0019] Figure 2 is a top view of the article alignment mechanism 1. As shown in Figure 2, the groove input section 4 includes rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C, roller shafts 42A, 42B, and 42C, roller connection gears 43A and 43B, and roller connection timing pulleys 44A, 44B, and 44C. The roller shafts 42A, 42B, and 42C are rotatably connected to the side walls 45 and 46. The roller 41A, the roller shaft 42A, the roller connection gear 43A, and the roller connection timing pulley 44A are fixedly connected. The roller 41B, the roller shaft 42B, the roller connection gear 43B, and the roller connection timing pulley 44B are fixedly connected. The roller 41C, the roller shaft 42C, and the roller connection timing pulley 44C are fixedly connected. The roller connection gears 43A and 43B are engaged with each other, and the roller connection timing pulleys 44B and 44C are connected by a timing belt (not shown). The roller connection timing pulley 44A and the conveyor connection timing pulley 25 are connected by a timing belt (not shown).

[0020] With such a configuration, the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C rotate synchronously. When the predetermined torque by the torque limiter 26 is not exceeded, the belt conveyor 21 also rotates synchronously. At this time, the belt conveyor 21 and the roller 41A rotate in the same direction, and the rollers 41B and 41C rotate in the opposite direction. The maximum torque transmitted to the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C is limited by the torque limiter 26. When a torque exceeding a predetermined value is applied to any of the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C, the torque limiter 26 and the conveyor connection timing pulley 25 rotate idly, and the belt conveyor 21 continues to rotate, but the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C stop. Although an example of operating the belt conveyor 21 and the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C with one actuator is shown, the present invention is not limited thereto, and they may be driven by two or more actuators.

[0021] Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the groove insertion part 4 of the article alignment mechanism 1. As shown in Figure 3, an elastic part 51 is arranged above the groove 33, and rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C are arranged above the elastic part 51. However, it is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the elastic part 51 may be arranged below the groove 33, or may be arranged on both the upper and lower sides of the groove 33.

[0022] The number of rollers in the groove insertion part 4 is not limited to three. As long as one roller is provided on each side of the groove 33 (that is, above the outer groove plate 31 and above the inner groove plate 32). Also, the belt conveyor 21 may be used instead of the roller 41A. In this case, it is installed so that the end of the belt conveyor 21 is arranged at the position of the roller 41A in Figure 3. By adopting such a configuration, the number of parts is reduced and the structure becomes simpler.

[0023] <Regarding the objects to be aligned by the article alignment mechanism> Figure 4 is a side view showing blood collection tubes 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D to be aligned by the article alignment mechanism 1. The blood collection tube 7A includes a cap 7A1 (first diameter part) and a container part 7A2 (second diameter part). Both the cap 7A1 and the container part 7A2 are cylindrical, but the cap 71A has a larger diameter than the container part 7A2. For example, the diameter of the cap 7A1 is 16 mm, and the diameter of the container part 7A2 is 12.5 mm. The width of the groove 33 is narrower than the diameter of the cap 7A1 and wider than the diameter of the container part 7A2. When aligning the blood collection tube 7A with such dimensions, the width of the groove 33 is designed to be, for example, 13.5 mm. Therefore, as shown in Figure 1, by fitting the container part 7A2 into the groove 33 and hooking the cap 7A1 on the outer groove plate 31 and the inner groove plate 32, the blood collection tube 7A can be held. At this time, the center of gravity of the blood collection tube 7A is closer to the container part 7A2 side, and due to gravity, the posture of the blood collection tube 7A is held such that the container part 7A2 is on the lower side and the cap 7A1 is on the upper side.

[0024] The article alignment mechanism 1 can handle various types of blood collection tubes, not limited to the blood collection tube 7A. As shown in FIG. 4, there are various types of blood collection tubes such as blood collection tubes 7B, 7C, and 7D. Similar to the blood collection tube 7A, the blood collection tubes 7B, 7C, and 7D are each provided with caps 7B1, 7C1, and 7D1, and container parts 7B2, 7C2, and 7D2. Although the lengths in the longitudinal direction are different, the diameters of the caps 7B1, 7C1, and 7D1 are equivalent to the diameter of the cap 7A1. Although the lengths in the longitudinal direction are different, the diameters of the container parts 7B2, 7C2, and 7D2 are equivalent to the diameter of the container part 7A2. Therefore, the blood collection tubes 7B, 7C, and 7D can also be mounted in the groove 33 in the same manner as the blood collection tube 7A.

[0025] In the case of a blood collection tube having a container part with a diameter different from (larger than the width of the groove 33) the diameter of the container part 7A2, it cannot be handled with the same groove 33. Therefore, by designing the width of the groove 33 according to the type of blood collection tube to be aligned, blood collection tubes with various diameters can be handled. In the first embodiment, basically, when representing the blood collection tube, it is described as the blood collection tube 7A as a representative. However, unless otherwise specified, the technology of this embodiment can be similarly applied to the other blood collection tubes 7B, 7C, and 7D.

[0026] Although the handling of the blood collection tube 7A has been described as the object to be aligned by the article alignment mechanism 1, it is not limited thereto. As long as it is an article having a large-diameter part and a small-diameter part and the shape is such that the small-diameter part fits into the groove 33 and stands up, it can be handled in the same way. Examples of the articles to be aligned include cuvettes, pipette tips, dispensing tips, sample cups, measurement containers, etc. The various dimensions of the article alignment mechanism 1 are designed according to the articles to be handled. For example, the width of the groove 33 is designed to be slightly larger than the small-diameter part of the article to be handled.

[0027] However, when attempting to align multiple types of articles with significantly different diameters using a single article alignment mechanism, it cannot be handled by a single type of groove. In such a case, a plurality of types of grooves with different widths can be provided in the article alignment mechanism, and a mechanism for classifying according to the type of article can be provided. And by configuring it to send to an appropriate groove for each type of article, articles with various diameters can also be handled by a single article alignment mechanism. For articles that cannot be aligned by the grooves or articles that are not the target, they can also be combined with other means, such as aligning or excluding them using a robot arm and a gripper.

[0028] <Configuration Example of Extrusion Prevention Part> Figure 5 is a perspective view of the extrusion prevention part 6. Figure 6 is a bottom view of the extrusion prevention part 6. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the extrusion prevention part 6 includes side walls 61, an upper wall 62, side shafts 63, detection sensors 64, rear side walls 65, and holes 66. The side walls 61 and the rear side walls 65 constitute continuous walls having curves. The side walls 61 and the rear side walls 65 are located on the outer groove plates 31. The side shafts 63 protrude downward from the upper wall 62 and are located above the inner groove plates 32. The side shafts 63 have bearings (not shown) and are configured to be rotatable.

[0029] The detection sensor 64 is, for example, a transmissive photoelectric sensor. The detection sensor 64 emits light downward. The light from the detection sensor 64 is irradiated into the interior of the extrusion prevention part 6 through the holes 66 and is irradiated downward of the groove 33. A photoelectric sensor light receiving part (not shown) is provided below the groove 33 to detect the light emitted by the detection sensor 64. Thereby, the presence or absence of the blood collection tube in the extrusion prevention part 6 can be detected. The control device 100 receives the detection signal of the detection sensor 64 and controls the driving of the article alignment mechanism 1 based on the detection signal.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the article alignment mechanism 1 in a state where the blood collection tube 7A is fitted into the groove 33 and passes through the extrusion prevention portion 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the extrusion prevention portion 6 is fixed to the upper surface of the groove outer plate 31 such that there is a slight gap between the groove 33 and the side wall 61 for the bottom surface of the cap 7A1 to rest on. Thus, when the blood collection tube 7A is held in an appropriate predetermined posture in the groove 33 (a posture where the container portion is located below the groove 33 and stands upright), the blood collection tube 7A passes through without contacting the extrusion prevention portion 6. Therefore, the blood collection tube 7A can pass through without problems. The groove 33 has a curved groove 331 with a part being curved. Since the elastic portion 51 also passes along the curved groove 331, the blood collection tube 7A can also pass through the curved groove 331. In this way, the extrusion prevention portion 6 can only pass through the blood collection tube 7A fitted in the groove 33. Hereinafter, several examples where the blood collection tube 7A not fitted in the groove 33 cannot pass through the extrusion prevention portion 6 will be described.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where the reverse blood collection tube 7A cannot pass through the extrusion prevention portion 6. As shown in FIG. 8, when the blood collection tube 7A is in the reverse direction, it is blocked by the upper wall 62, so it cannot pass through the extrusion prevention portion 6. Similarly, the blood collection tube 7A cannot pass through even when it is in an oblique state.

[0032] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state where the horizontal blood collection tube 7A rides on the blood collection tube 7C fitted in the groove 33 and cannot pass through the extrusion prevention portion 6. As shown in FIG. 9, when the blood collection tube 7A rides on the blood collection tube 7C with a low cap 7C1 and the blood collection tube 7A is not fitted in the groove 33, it cannot be blocked from passing by the upper wall 62 and enters the inside of the extrusion prevention portion 6.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the state in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10, the blood collection tube 7A is blocked by the side axis 63 and the back wall 65 and cannot curve, so it cannot pass through the extrusion prevention portion 6.

[0034] Although an example where the groove 33 is a path of an arc with a constant curvature like the curved groove 331 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if the groove 33 is an S-shaped path, the horizontal blood collection tube 7A cannot pass through it. However, if it is an arc with a constant curvature like the curved groove 331, as in the first embodiment, it is easy to move the elastic portion 51 along the curved groove 331.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the state where the blood collection tube enters horizontally can be detected by the detection sensor 64. When it is detected that the blood collection tube has entered horizontally, the control device 100 can return the blood collection tube 7A to the entrance of the groove insertion portion 4 by driving the extrusion conveyance portion 5 in the reverse direction or the like. The specific control flow will be described later.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 9, the inner side wall of the extrusion prevention portion 6 has a configuration in which the side wall 61, the side shaft 63, and the back side wall 65 are combined. Alternatively, a structure may be adopted in which side walls having a shape simply along the curved groove 331 are attached to the inner groove plate 32 and the outer groove plate 31. Even with such a structure, it is possible to prevent the horizontal blood collection tube 7A from passing through. However, in that case, there is a possibility that the blood collection tube 7A may be sandwiched between the inner and outer side walls, it may be difficult to come out due to frictional force, or it may not come out at all. On the other hand, in the extrusion prevention portion 6 of the first embodiment, although the introduction portion of the side wall 61 is linear, it suddenly bends inward from the middle and becomes the back side wall 65. The inserted blood collection tube 7A comes into contact with the back side wall 65. Since the side wall 61 is curved inward, it is difficult for the above-mentioned pinching and frictional force to occur. Further, the extrusion prevention portion 6 of the first embodiment is provided with a side shaft 63 on the inner side, and the side shaft 63 is provided with a bearing, and the frictional force of rotation is very small. Therefore, when the blood collection tube 7A enters horizontally as shown in FIG. 10 and is pushed back by the extrusion conveyance portion 5, almost no inhibitory frictional force is generated.

[0037] <Flow of article alignment> Next, the flow of aligning articles in a random posture by the article alignment mechanism 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1, blood collection tubes are inserted from the article input unit 2 in a random posture. The insertion of the blood collection tubes into the article input unit 2 may be performed by an operator or by a conveying mechanism (not shown) such as a belt conveyor. The inserted blood collection tubes are placed on the belt conveyor 21 and conveyed to the groove insertion unit 4. As a simple example, as shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the longitudinal direction of the blood collection tube 7A placed on the belt conveyor 21 is aligned substantially parallel to the groove 33 and there is a certain gap from other blood collection tubes 7A. At this time, the blood collection tubes 7A are inserted into the groove insertion unit 4 one by one, and the blood collection tube 7A stands up with the cap 7A1 on the upper side in the groove 33. Then, the elastic part 51 of the extrusion conveying unit 5 that is circulating on the groove 33 presses the cap 7A1 of the standing blood collection tube 7A, passes through the extrusion prevention part 6, and the blood collection tube 7A is extruded from the groove insertion unit 4.

[0038] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the article alignment mechanism 1 showing the state where the conveyed blood collection tubes 7A are aligned on the groove 33. As shown in FIG. 11, an article alignment unit 8 is provided downstream of the groove 33. The extrusion conveying unit 5 continuously presses and conveys the blood collection tube 7A extruded from the groove insertion unit 4 to the article alignment unit 8. Thereafter, similarly, another blood collection tube 7A is loaded onto the groove 33 and conveyed by the extrusion conveying unit 5 is repeated. As shown in FIG. 11, the extrusion conveying unit 5 continuously extrudes the blood collection tubes 7A into the depth of the groove 33 and accumulates them in an aligned state with equal postures.

[0039] The blood collection tubes 7A aligned in equal postures are sorted at the article alignment unit 8. For example, the cap 7A1 can be gripped by a gripper 9 (sorting mechanism) that moves on a three-axis orthogonal stage, the type can be recognized by a camera, and transferred to a position corresponding to the type. However, the sorting method is not limited to this. Instead of a three-axis orthogonal stage, a multi-axis robot arm may be used.

[0040] An example of pushing the blood collection tube 7A into the article alignment unit 8 by the extrusion conveyance unit 5 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the article alignment unit 8 may be provided with another conveyance mechanism. By this other conveyance mechanism, the blood collection tube 7A that has reached the article alignment unit 8 in an upright posture may be conveyed to the next process. In the next process, the blood collection tube 7A is gripped by a gripper and sorted in the same manner as described above, for example.

[0041] Note that although an example of performing a sorting operation after aligning the blood collection tube 7A has been described, other operations such as an analysis operation may be performed. As described above, various processing methods can be considered for the processing after extrusion from the groove insertion unit 4. In any case, by making the blood collection tube 7A in an equal posture on the groove 33 from a random posture, the subsequent processing can be performed with a simple mechanism and control.

[0042] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the article alignment mechanism 1 showing a state in which two blood collection tubes 71 and 72 are inserted into the groove 33 substantially perpendicular to each other and at a short distance. The shapes and sizes of the blood collection tubes 71 and 72 are the same as those of the blood collection tube 7A. As shown in FIG. 12, the article alignment mechanism 1 can align the blood collection tubes onto the groove 33 as described above even when a plurality of blood collection tubes are inserted onto the belt conveyor 21 in a random posture.

[0043] FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view near the groove insertion unit 4 showing a situation where the blood collection tube 71 is placed on the roller 41B when the blood collection tube 71 is inserted in a direction perpendicular to the groove 33. As shown in FIG. 12, when the blood collection tube 71 is inserted into the groove insertion unit 4 substantially perpendicular to the groove 33, as shown in FIG. 13, the blood collection tube 71 may be placed on the roller 41B. At this time, if the roller 41B rotates inward, the blood collection tube 7A falls from the roller 41B and fits into the groove 33.

[0044] FIG. 14 is a front sectional view of the groove insertion portion 4 showing a situation where the blood collection tube 72 is placed on the blood collection tube 71 and the upper blood collection tube 72 is not fitted into the groove 33. As shown in FIG. 12, when the distance between the blood collection tubes 71 and 72 is close and they flow from the belt conveyor 21, they are almost simultaneously inserted into the groove insertion portion 4. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, there is a possibility that the blood collection tube 72 rides on the blood collection tube 71 without being fitted into the groove 33. However, since the elastic portion 51 circulates above the groove 33, the elastic portion 51 presses the blood collection tube 71 and the blood collection tube 72 to change their position and posture. For example, in the situation of FIG. 14, the blood collection tube 72 is pushed to the right by the elastic portion 51, rides over the blood collection tube 71 and moves to the right, falls to the right, and fits into the groove 33. Then, the blood collection tubes 71 and 72 are pushed out of the groove insertion portion 4 and conveyed to the next process.

[0045] In this way, there is a possibility that the blood collection tube 7A may not immediately fit into the groove 33. However, the elastic portion 51 presses the blood collection tube 7A to change the posture of the blood collection tube 7A. As a result, the blood collection tube 7A fits into the groove 33 and is sequentially conveyed from the fitted blood collection tube 7A to the outside of the groove insertion portion 4. In many cases, by repeating this, the blood collection tube can be gradually fitted into the groove 33 in an upright posture and conveyed. Also, the blood collection tube 7A that is not fitted into the groove 33 is blocked by the extrusion prevention portion 6 and cannot pass through, and stays in the groove insertion portion 4 until it fits into the groove 33.

[0046] Further, when a plurality of blood collection tubes 7A are clogged in the groove insertion portion 4, the blood collection tube 7A that is not fitted into the groove 33 often contacts one of the belt conveyor 21, the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C. The position and posture of the blood collection tube 7A are also changed by the rotating belt conveyor 21, the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C, which promotes fitting into the groove 33.

[0047] FIG. 15 is a front cross-sectional view of the groove insertion portion 4 showing a situation where the blood collection tube 72 is placed on the blood collection tube 71 and the upper blood collection tube 72 is not fitted into the groove 33. The blood collection tube 72 is placed on the blood collection tube 71, but the cap 721 is tilted in the advancing direction. Further, the cap 721 is blocked by the upper wall 62. As a result, even if the blood collection tube 71 is pressed by the elastic portion 51, it is blocked by the blood collection tube 72, and the positional postures of the blood collection tubes 71 and 72 do not change any further. In such a situation where clogging occurs, it is difficult to fit the upper blood collection tube 72 into the groove 33 even if it is pressed in the advancing direction by the elastic portion 51.

[0048] At this time, the clogging can be eliminated by reversing the circulation direction of the extrusion conveyance portion 5. When the circulation direction of the extrusion conveyance portion 5 is reversed, the elastic portion 51 flows from right to left in FIG. 15. Then, the blood collection tube 72 moves leftward, rides over the blood collection tube 71, rotates counterclockwise, and can be fitted into the groove 33. Thereafter, by returning the circulation direction of the extrusion conveyance portion 5 to its original state, the blood collection tubes 71 and 72 are conveyed to the next process.

[0049] Other situations where the positional postures of the blood collection tubes do not change when the extrusion conveyance portion 5 is circulated in the same direction can also be considered. Such a situation is considered to occur when the blood collection tubes approach the advancing direction side (the right side in FIGS. 14 and 15) of the extrusion conveyance portion 5. At this time, there is space on the side opposite to the advancing direction (the left side in FIGS. 14 and 15). Therefore, when the circulation direction of the extrusion conveyance portion 5 is reversed, the blood collection tubes have room to move into the empty space, the positional postures change to some extent, and they can be fitted into the groove 33. Even if they cannot be fitted into the groove 33 at once, it is considered that they can be fitted into the groove 33 eventually by repeating the change of the circulation direction of the extrusion conveyance portion 5.

[0050] Similarly, by reversing the rotation directions of the belt conveyor 21 and the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C (changing from inward to outward with respect to the groove 33), the same position and orientation state is avoided, and the insertion of the blood collection tube into the groove 33 is promoted. Further, when the belt conveyor 21 and the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C are reversed, the blood collection tubes accumulated in the groove 33 receive an upward force, that is, a force that separates the blood collection tubes from each other. Therefore, combined with the pressing by the elastic portion 51, the position and orientation of the blood collection tube are likely to change.

[0051] The reverse rotation of the extrusion conveyance unit 5, the belt conveyor 21, and the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C is performed when the detection sensor 64 reacts, and is periodically performed when there is no reaction. When the blood collection tube 7A is fitted into the groove and passes through, the detection sensor 64 is in the detection state only for a very short time. However, as shown in FIG. 15, when the blood collection tube is clogged in the extrusion prevention unit 6, the detection sensor 64 remains in the detection state for a long time. For example, when the detection sensor 64 is in the detection state for 0.5 seconds, the reverse rotation is started. In order to cope with a clogging state that cannot be detected by the detection sensor 64, the reverse rotation is performed at regular intervals even when the detection sensor 64 does not react.

[0052] Although a method of using a photoelectric sensor for the extrusion prevention unit 6 as the detection sensor 64 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, clogging can also be detected by measuring with a photoelectric sensor or an RGB camera from above the groove insertion unit 4. As a result, more diverse clogging states can be detected, and immediate countermeasures can be taken for the clogging. Further, although the configuration in which the detection sensor 64 is provided in the extrusion prevention unit 6 has been shown, the detection sensor 64 may be provided in the groove insertion unit 4, for example. That is, the detection sensor 64 can be arranged at an arbitrary position as long as it can detect the state of the blood collection tube 7A extruded from the groove insertion unit 4.

[0053] FIG. 16 shows a control sequence of the extrusion conveyance unit 5, rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C, and the drive direction of the belt conveyor 21 by the control device 100. In step S11, when the clogging is not detected by the detection sensor 64, the control device 100 rotates the drive direction forward (first control mode). In step S12, the control device 100 determines whether clogging has been detected or whether 5 seconds have elapsed. When 5 seconds have elapsed (YES in step S12), the control device 100 proceeds to step S13 and reverses the drive direction (second control mode). However, when clogging is detected in step S12, the control device 100 proceeds to step S13 without waiting for 5 seconds to elapse and reverses the drive direction. After that, the control device 100 determines whether 1 second has elapsed since the drive direction was reversed. When 1 second has elapsed (YES in step S14), the control device 100 returns to step S11 and rotates forward again. The control device 100 repeats the above control.

[0054] While clogging occurs and reverse control is frequently performed, the belt conveyor 21 (feed rate adjustment mechanism) also reverses, so the feeding of blood collection tubes into the groove feeding unit 4 stops or the feed rate decreases. Therefore, the clogging of the groove feeding unit 4 does not deteriorate. Although an example in which the driving of the belt conveyor 21 and the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C is interlocked has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and independent driving can also be used. At this time, in order not to deteriorate the clogging of the groove feeding unit 4, when the control device 100 (feed rate adjustment mechanism) detects the occurrence of clogging in the groove feeding unit 4, the control device 100 can also stop the feeding of blood collection tubes into the groove feeding unit 4 by stopping the belt conveyor 21.

[0055] <Summary of the First Embodiment> As described above, the article alignment mechanism 1 of the present embodiment is an article alignment mechanism for aligning blood collection tubes (articles) having caps (first diameter portions) and container portions (second diameter portions). The article alignment mechanism 1 includes an article holding portion 3 having a groove 33 for holding the blood collection tube in an upright posture (predetermined posture) in which the cap is supported and the container portion is fitted, a groove insertion portion 4 into which a plurality of blood collection tubes are inserted and the posture of the blood collection tube is changed and then inserted into the groove 33, and an extrusion conveyance portion 5 that presses the blood collection tube inserted from the groove insertion portion 4 into the article holding portion 3, thereby changing the posture of the blood collection tube that is not fitted in the upright posture in the groove 33 and pushing out the blood collection tube held in the groove 33 outside the groove insertion portion 4.

[0056] In this way, since the article alignment mechanism 1 of the present embodiment changes the posture of the article to a predetermined posture and conveys it, the articles can be aligned at high speed with less clogging. Further, since the articles can be inserted into the article alignment mechanism in a random posture, the labor of the operator can be minimized.

[0057] [Modification Example] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modification examples. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present disclosure, and it is not necessarily required to include all the configurations described. Further, a part of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Also, the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, for a part of the configuration of each embodiment, a part of the configuration of another embodiment can be added, deleted, or replaced.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0058] 1... Article alignment mechanism, 2... Article input section, 21... Belt conveyor, 22... Actuator for conveyor, 23, 24... Gears for conveyor, 25... Conveyor connection timing pulley, 26... Torque limiter, 27... Conveyor drive shaft, 28... Conveyor driven shaft, 29A, 29B... Conveyor side walls, 31... Outer groove plate, 32... Inner groove plate, 33... Groove, 331... Curve groove, 4... Groove input section, 41A, 41B and 41C... Rollers, 42A, 42B, 42C... Roller shafts, 43A, 43B... Roller connection gears, 44A, 44B, 44C... Roller connection timing pulleys, 45, 46... Side walls, 5... Extrusion conveying section, 51... Elastic section, 52... Chain, 53A, 53B... Sprockets, 6... Extrusion prevention section, 61... Side wall, 62... Upper wall, 63... Side shaft, 64... Detection sensor, 65... Rear side wall, 66... Hole, 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D... Blood collection tubes, 7A1... Cap, 7A2... Container section, 8... Article alignment section

Claims

1. An article alignment mechanism for aligning articles having a first diameter portion with a predetermined diameter and a second diameter portion having a diameter smaller than that of the first diameter portion, comprising an article holding portion having a groove for holding the article in a predetermined posture in which the first diameter portion is supported and the second diameter portion is fitted, a groove insertion portion into which a plurality of the articles in a scattered state are inserted, and the posture of the articles is changed and then inserted into the groove, and an extrusion conveyance portion that changes the posture of the article not in the predetermined posture by pressing the article inserted from the groove insertion portion into the article holding portion, and pushes out the article held in the groove outside the groove insertion portion. The article alignment mechanism is characterized by comprising the above.

2. The article alignment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the extrusion conveyance portion has an elastic portion that presses the article and deforms by the force received from the article.

3. The article alignment mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising an extrusion prevention portion that prevents the passage of the articles that are not fitted into the groove among the articles extruded from the groove insertion portion.

4. The article alignment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the extrusion conveyance portion has a first control mode for driving the extrusion conveyance portion in a direction to push the article outside the groove insertion portion, and a second control mode for driving the extrusion conveyance portion in a direction opposite to the first control mode.

5. further comprising a detection sensor for detecting the state of the article extruded from the groove insertion portion, and the extrusion conveyance portion switches between the first control mode and the second control mode based on the state of the article acquired by the detection sensor. The article alignment mechanism according to claim 4 is characterized by this.

6. a detection sensor for acquiring the state of the article extruded from the groove insertion portion, An input amount adjustment mechanism that adjusts the input amount of the article into the groove based on the state of the article acquired by the detection sensor, and an article alignment mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising the same.

7. The extrusion prevention portion has an upper wall portion and a side wall portion. The article held in the groove in the predetermined posture passes through the upper wall portion and the side wall portion without contact. The article not held in the groove in the predetermined posture is characterized in that the passage of the extrusion prevention portion is prevented by contacting the upper wall portion or the side wall portion, and the article alignment mechanism according to claim 3.

8. The side wall portion A side wall having a shape along a part of one side of the groove, An article alignment mechanism according to claim 7, further comprising a shaft disposed on the opposite side of the side wall across the groove and configured to be rotatable about an axis.

9. The groove input portion includes a plurality of rollers disposed on both sides of the groove. The article alignment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the article is inserted into the groove while changing the posture of the article by rotation of the plurality of rollers.

10. The groove input portion further includes a belt conveyor for conveying the article to the groove input portion. The groove input portion includes a roller disposed on one side of the groove. The belt conveyor and the roller are disposed on both sides across the groove, and the article is inserted into the groove while changing the posture of the article by rotation of the belt conveyor and the roller. The article alignment mechanism according to claim 1.

11. A blood collection tube input portion into which a loose blood collection tube is inserted, A blood collection tube alignment mechanism for aligning the blood collection tubes, A sorting mechanism configured to sort the blood collection tubes aligned by the blood collection tube alignment mechanism, The blood collection tube alignment mechanism is the article alignment mechanism according to claim 1, and is characterized by a blood collection tube sorting device.

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