Picking device

Abstract

To prevent creation of a region inside a container where a target to be collected cannot be collected, in a picking device in which a collecting implement, including a pipette tip, is inserted into the container in a posture inclined for collecting the target to be collected.SOLUTION: A picking device comprises: a placement table (142) having a placement surface on which a container (10) is placed; a placement-table rotating mechanism (143) that rotates the placement table around a rotation axis orthogonal to the placement surface and passing through a center of the placement surface; a collecting implement (31) having a rod-like or tubular shape, whose tip is inserted into the container in a posture inclined relative to the rotation axis; and a collecting-implement moving mechanism (330) that moves the collecting implement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a picking device for picking up collection targets such as cells from a container. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, cell picking devices that assist in the operation of collecting specific cells from a container such as a petri dish and transferring them to another container are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The cell picking device includes, for example, a microscope equipped with an XY stage and an aspirator that aspirates cells from a container such as a petri dish placed on the XY stage and dispenses them into another container (for example, a specified well on a microplate). The aspirator includes an aspirator arm to which a pipette tip is attached and a driver that moves the aspirator arm and causes the aspirator arm to perform aspirating and dispensing operations.

[0003] When cells are collected from a container such as a petri dish using the cell picking device described above, the drive unit adjusts the position of the suction arm three-dimensionally, and the XY stage adjusts the position of the container such as a petri dish two-dimensionally in the XY plane (i.e., horizontal plane), thereby bringing the tip of the pipette tip attached to the suction arm close to the cells to be collected. Then, in this state, the suction arm performs a suction operation to suck the cells into the pipette tip. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7255687 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the cell picking device described above, when inserting the tip of the pipette tip into a petri dish, the pipette tip and the suction arm must be tilted relative to the vertical axis so that they do not interfere with the illumination unit or lens barrel of the microscope located above the petri dish. However, when the pipette tip is inserted into the petri dish in this tilted position, an area near the peripheral wall of the petri dish is created where the tip of the pipette tip cannot be positioned (i.e., an area where cells cannot be collected).

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to avoid the occurrence of areas in a container from which the object to be collected cannot be collected, in a picking device that inserts a collection tool such as a pipette tip into the container in an inclined position to collect the object to be collected from the container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The picking device according to the present invention, which is made to solve the above problems, a mounting table having a mounting surface on which a container is placed; a mounting table rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting table around a rotation axis that is a virtual axis that is perpendicular to the mounting surface and passes through the center of the mounting surface; a collecting tool having a rod-like or cylindrical shape, the tip of which is inserted into the container in an inclined position with respect to the rotation axis; a sampling tool moving mechanism that moves the sampling tool; It has the following characteristics. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the picking device of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the mounting table on which a container containing the object to be collected (collection object) is placed can be rotated around a rotation axis perpendicular to the mounting surface by the mounting table rotation mechanism.Therefore, when the collection tool is inserted into the container in an inclined position to collect the object to be collected from the container, it is possible to avoid the creation of areas in the container from which the object to be collected cannot be collected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cell picking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of a control unit of the cell picking device. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cell picking device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement possible area and an arrangement impossible area in the embodiment, and is a plan view showing the state in which the petri dish and the chip are viewed from above. [Figure 5] AA cross-sectional view of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for specifying an arrangement possible area and an arrangement impossible area, and is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a petri dish and a chip are viewed from the side. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram for explaining a method for specifying an arrangement possible area and an arrangement impossible area, and is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the petri dish and the chip in FIG. 6 are viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 8] A schematic diagram showing multiple virtual tip positions set in the XY plane, represented by multiple circles. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the stage and the rotating table over time when cells are collected. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of a control unit of a cell picking device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for moving a table based on an instruction from a user via a movement instruction receiving unit in the embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for moving a table based on an instruction from a user via a target position designation receiving unit in the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a cell picking device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of a control unit of the cell picking device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a cell picking device according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of a control unit 500 included in the cell picking device.

[0011] The cell picking device according to this embodiment includes a container transfer unit 100, an observation and photography unit 200, a suction unit 300, a plate replacement unit 400, and a control unit 500. Hereinafter, left and right, front and rear, and up and down are defined with the direction of the arrowhead of the X axis in FIG. 1 being right, the direction of the arrowhead of the Y axis being backward, and the direction of the arrowhead of the Z axis being upward. As shown in FIG. 1, the container transfer unit 100 and the suction unit 300 are disposed adjacent to the left and right of the observation and photography unit 200, respectively, and the plate replacement unit 400 is disposed adjacent to the right of the suction unit 300. However, the positional relationship of the units is not limited to this; for example, the positional relationship of the units may be reversed left and right.

[0012] The container moving unit 100 includes a base 110, a first moving mechanism 120 arranged on the base 110, a second moving mechanism 130 arranged on the first moving mechanism 120, and a table 140 arranged on the second moving mechanism 130. Of these, the first moving mechanism 120 and the second moving mechanism 130 correspond to the "mounting table moving mechanism" in the present invention. The first moving mechanism 120 includes a first rail 121 fixed to the upper surface of the base 110 and extending in the front-rear direction, a first slider 122 that moves along the first rail 121, and a first drive mechanism (not shown) that includes a linear motor or the like (not shown) for driving the first slider 122. The second moving mechanism 130 includes a second rail 131 fixed to the upper surface of the first slider 122 and extending in the left-right direction, a second slider (not shown) that moves along the second rail 131, and a second drive mechanism (not shown) including a linear motor (not shown) for driving the second slider. The table 140 includes a base 141 fixed to the upper surface of the second slider, a disk-shaped rotating table 142 (corresponding to the "mounting table" in this invention) provided at the tip of the base 141, and a rotation mechanism 143 (corresponding to the "mounting table rotation mechanism" in this invention) provided on the base 141 and rotating the rotating table 142 around a vertical axis (corresponding to the "rotation axis" in this invention) passing through its center. The upper surface of the rotating table 142 serves as a mounting surface for mounting a Petri dish 610 (corresponding to the "container" in this invention) containing cells. The mounting surface has a recess into which the Petri dish 610 is fitted. At least the area (i.e., the center) of the turntable 142 located directly below the Petri dish 610 is made of a light-transmitting material. The rotation mechanism 143 includes a rotary motor and a rotation transmission mechanism including a belt or gears that transmits the power of the motor to the turntable 142.

[0013] The observation and photography unit 200 includes a microscope 210 and a photography section 220. The microscope 210 is a so-called inverted optical microscope for observing an object from below, and includes a stage 211, an illumination section 212 having a light source such as an LED and arranged above the stage 211, an objective lens (not shown) arranged below the stage 211, an eyepiece 213 arranged diagonally above and in front of the stage 211, and an optical system (not shown) that bends the optical path of the light passing through the objective lens diagonally upward so that the light reaches the eyepiece 213. At least the area of ​​the stage 211 located directly below the petri dish 610 is made of a translucent material, or has an opening that allows light from the illumination section 212 to pass through. The photography section 220 includes an optical path branching section including a half mirror or the like, an imaging lens, and an image sensor such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor (all not shown). When observing and photographing cells using the observation and photography unit 200, a Petri dish 610 containing cells is placed above the stage 211 of the microscope 210 by the container moving unit 100. Light is emitted from the illumination unit 212 toward the Petri dish 610. After passing through the Petri dish 610 and the objective lens, the light is split into two beams by the optical path splitter. One beam passes through the optical system and is guided to the eyepiece 213, while the other beam is guided to the imaging lens and forms an image on the light receiving surface of the image sensor. This allows the photography unit 220 to capture an image of the Petri dish 610 viewed from below. Note that while the microscope 210 is an inverted optical microscope here, it is not limited to this, and may also be a so-called upright optical microscope, which observes an object from above. In this case, the photography unit 220 captures an image of the Petri dish 610 viewed from above. In addition, in the above, the lighting unit 212 is placed above the stage 211 to illuminate the dish 610 from above, but this is not limited to this, and the lighting unit 212 can also be placed below the stage 211 to illuminate the dish 610 from below.

[0014] The suction unit 300 includes a pipette 310 to which a pipette tip (hereinafter simply referred to as a "tip") 431 can be attached, an arm 311 that supports the pipette 310, an suction / discharge drive unit 320 equipped with a pump or the like for aspirating and discharging cells via the pipette 310, and a pipette drive unit 330 (corresponding to a "collection tool moving mechanism" in this invention) that drives the pipette 310 by moving and rotating the arm 311. The pipette drive unit 330 rotates the pipette 310 around a vertically extending pivot shaft 331, or rotates the pipette 310 in a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane, thereby changing the attitude of the pipette 310, i.e., its inclination relative to the vertical axis (Z-axis), and moving the pipette 310 in the axial direction of the tip 431 (corresponding to a "collection tool" in this invention) attached to the pipette, and includes multiple drive mechanisms including a motor or the like (not shown). In the suction unit 300, the pipette 310 can be positioned near the plate replacement unit 400 or near the observation and photography unit 200 by rotating the pipette 310 around the rotation axis 331 using the pipette drive unit 330. The suction unit 300 further includes a tip removal mechanism (not shown) for removing the tip 431 from the tip of the pipette 310.

[0015] The plate exchange unit 400 includes a hollow base 410, a drive shaft (not shown) that extends vertically through the upper surface of the base 410, a plate-shaped mounting unit 420 that is attached horizontally to the upper end of the drive shaft, and a mounting table drive unit (not shown) that is provided within the base 410 and includes a motor or the like for rotating the drive shaft and moving it in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. A multiwell plate 422 with multiple wells 421 for recovering cells sampled from a Petri dish 610 and a tip rack 430 on which multiple tips 431 are set are placed on the upper surface of the mounting unit 420. In the plate exchange unit 400, the mounting table drive unit rotates the drive shaft to rotate the mounting unit 420, thereby allowing either the multiwell plate 422 or the tip rack 430 placed on the mounting unit 420 to be selectively positioned near the suction unit 300.

[0016] The control unit 500 controls the operation of the container transfer unit 100, observation and photography unit 200, suction unit 300, and plate replacement unit 400. It is configured by a computer, specifically, a personal computer or tablet terminal, equipped with a CPU, memory, and an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive or flash memory. The computer constituting the control unit 500 is provided with a display unit 570 such as an LCD display, and an operation unit 560 such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 500 includes, as functional blocks, a container transfer unit control unit 510, an observation and photography unit control unit 520, a suction unit control unit 530, a plate replacement unit control unit 540, and a display control unit 550. The container transfer unit control unit 510 further includes, as subordinate functional blocks, a collection target designation receiving unit 511, a determination unit 512, a horizontal movement control unit 513, and a rotation control unit 514. These functional blocks are realized by executing a predetermined program pre-installed in the computer's CPU.

[0017] The operation of the cell picking device according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the cell picking device according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement possible area and arrangement impossible area described below, showing the state of the petri dish 610 as viewed from above. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 4. FIGS. 6 to 8 are diagrams illustrating a method for identifying the arrangement possible area and arrangement impossible area. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the table 140 and the turntable 142 in chronological order when cells are picked. In FIG. 9, the area surrounded by a dashed-dotted circle 650 represents the field of view of the microscope 210.

[0018] First, the user places the tip rack 430 and the multiwell plate 422 on the mounting section 420 of the plate exchange unit 400, and also places the Petri dish 610 containing cells and a liquid such as a culture medium in the center of the turntable 142 of the container transfer unit 100. Note that each well of the multiwell plate 422 already contains a predetermined liquid such as a culture medium.

[0019] Next, the user operates the operation unit 560 to issue a predetermined instruction to the control unit 500. As a result, under the control of the display control unit 550, a predetermined screen for accepting input of collection conditions (hereinafter referred to as the "collection condition input screen") is displayed on the display unit 570. The user inputs collection conditions on the collection condition input screen, including the diameter of the dish 610, the height of the peripheral wall of the dish 610, the tilt angle of the pipette 310 during collection, and the rotation angle of the pipette 310 during collection (Step 1). Here, the tilt angle of the pipette 310 during collection refers to the tilt of the pipette 310 and the tip 431 relative to the vertical axis (angle α in FIG. 5) when the tip of the tip 431 attached to the pipette 310 is positioned at a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as the "collection position") on the stage 211 of the observation and photography unit 200. The collection position is typically the center of the field of view of the microscope 210, but is not limited thereto. The rotation angle of the pipette 310 during collection means the rotation angle of the pipette 310 around the rotation axis 331 when the tip of the tip 431 is positioned at the collection position (i.e., the rotation angle from the initial position of the arm 311). The tilt angle of the pipette 310 during collection and the rotation angle of the pipette 310 during collection may be stored in advance in the control unit 500 as values ​​specific to the device, rather than being input by the user on the collection condition input screen.

[0020] Thereafter, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation section 560, the photographing section 220 starts photographing under the control of the observation and photographing unit control section 520. As a result, the image acquired by the image sensor of the photographing section 220, i.e., an enlarged image of the inside of the petri dish 610, is displayed on the display section 570.

[0021] While visually viewing the image, the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 560 to instruct the control unit 500 to move the petri dish 610 in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) and / or the front-back direction (Y-axis direction). As a result, under the control of the container moving unit control unit 510, the first moving mechanism 120 and / or the second moving mechanism 130 are driven, and the area within the petri dish 610 that is photographed by the photographing unit 220 changes.

[0022] The user searches for cells to be collected while visually checking the image displayed on the display unit 570. Then, when the cells to be collected (hereinafter referred to as "collection target cells 640") are determined, the user performs a predetermined operation using the operation unit 560 (e.g., tapping on a touch panel or clicking on a mouse) while the cells are displayed in the image, thereby specifying the position of the collection target cells 640 (corresponding to the "collection target" in this invention). Thereafter, the user performs a predetermined operation using the operation unit 560 to instruct the control unit 500 to collect the cells. As a result, the designation of the collection target cells 640 and the collection instruction are received by the collection target designation receiving unit 511 (step 2). Note that the above-mentioned recess is provided on the upper surface (i.e., the mounting surface) of the turntable 142, and the petri dish 610 is positioned on the turntable 142 by fitting the petri dish 610 into the recess. Therefore, when the user specifies the cell 640 to be collected on the image, the collection target specification receiving unit 511 can determine where the cell 640 to be collected is located in the dish 610 based on the position of the turntable 142 at that time (coordinates in the XY plane), the magnification of the microscope 210, and the position (coordinates) of the cell 640 to be collected in the image.

[0023] Next, the determination unit 512 determines whether the collection target cells 640 can be collected without rotating the turntable 142 based on the collection conditions input in step 1 (or pre-stored in the control unit 500) and information on the position of the collection target cells 640 specified in step 2, etc. (step 3). Specifically, first, based on the diameter of the Petri dish 610 and the height of the peripheral wall of the Petri dish 610 input in step 1, and the tilt angle and rotation angle of the pipette 310 at the time of collection input in step 1 or pre-stored in the control unit 500 as fixed values, a region corresponding to the inside of the Petri dish 610 in a top view is identified, and in which the tip of the pipette 310 tilted to the tilt angle can be positioned only by moving the table 140 by the first moving mechanism 120 and the second moving mechanism 130, or only by moving the pipette 310 by the pipette driving unit 330, or by both. (Hereinafter, this will be referred to as "arrangeable region 611"). In the following, the area corresponding to the inside of the dish 610 in a top view, other than the arrangement area 611, will be referred to as the "non-arrangement area 612." As is clear from Figures 4 and 5, the larger the tilt angle of the tip 431 during collection (angle α in Figure 5), the wider the arrangement area 612. Furthermore, the higher the height of the peripheral wall of the dish 610, the wider the arrangement area 612. Furthermore, the position of the non-arrangement area 612 within the dish 610 changes depending on the rotation angle.

[0024] Here, a method for specifying the placement-possible area 611 and the placement-unpossible area 612 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the petri dish 610 and the tip 431, cut along a plane perpendicular to the XY plane and including the central axis of the tip 431, with the tip of the tip 431 placed at a predetermined position (referred to as the imaginary tip position P) in the XY plane, which extends to a position at the same height as the inner bottom surface of the petri dish 610 or slightly higher than the inner bottom surface. In FIG. 6, d is the length of a perpendicular line extending from point P to the peripheral wall of the petri dish 610 in the plane. Point Q in the figure represents the intersection of the perpendicular line and the peripheral wall. Also, h in the figure represents the height of the peripheral wall of the petri dish 610, and τ represents the inclination angle of the tip 431 with respect to the vertical axis (corresponding to angle α in FIG. 5). Here, h is, for example, 20 mm, and τ is, for example, 30°. Furthermore, h' in the figure refers to the height from a point on the central axis of the tip 431 located directly above the peripheral wall of the petri dish 610 to the bottom surface of the petri dish 610. FIG. 7 is a top view of the petri dish 610, the tip 431, and the arm 311 supporting the tip 431 in the same state as FIG. 6. However, in this figure, only the central axes of the tip 431 and the arm 311 are shown. In FIG. 7, point O is the center of the petri dish 610, and r is the radius of the petri dish 610. Here, r is, for example, 30 mm. 1 is the length of the line connecting point O and the imaginary tip position P (i.e., the line segment OP), and Θ is the angle between the central axis of the arm 311 when the tip of the tip 431 is positioned at the imaginary tip position P and the central axis of the arm 311 in the initial position. Here, Θ is, for example, 70°. In addition, the central axis of arm 311 in the initial position is perpendicular to a line extending left and right through point O, and this perpendicular point is hereinafter referred to as point S. Also, Φ is the angle formed by line segments SO and PO.

[0025] 6, it can be seen that if h'>h, tip 431 will not collide with the peripheral wall of petri dish 610 (i.e., tip 431 and petri dish 610 will not interfere with each other). Since h is a fixed value determined by petri dish 610, in order to determine whether tip 431 will collide with the peripheral wall of petri dish 610 when the tip of tip 431 is positioned at virtual tip position P, it is sufficient to find the value of h' at that time.

[0026] To find the value of h', we must first find the value of d. From Figure 7, the angle between the line segments QP and OP is expressed as Θ-Φ+π (where π=180°). Then, by the law of cosines, r 2 =l 2 +d 2 -2ldcos(Θ-Φ+π). Rearranging this to a quadratic formula with respect to d gives d 2 -2lcos(Θ-Φ+π)d+l 2 -r 2 =0, and from the solution formula, d can be expressed as follows.

number

number

number

number

[0027] On the other hand, h' is expressed by the following formula: Here, τ=30°.

number

[0028] The value of h' obtained above is compared with the value of h, and if h'>h, it can be determined that the tip 431 will not interfere with the dish 610 at the virtual tip position P. On the other hand, if h'≦h, it can be determined that the tip 431 will interfere with the dish 610 at the virtual tip position P.

[0029] The above-mentioned placement possible area 611 and placement impossible area 612 can be identified by mapping the virtual tip position P where h'>h and the virtual tip position P where h'≦h onto the XY plane while varying the virtual tip position P in various ways within an XY plane located at the same height as the inner bottom surface of the petri dish 610. An example of the mapping result is shown in FIG. 8. In the figure, white circles 621 represent virtual tip positions P where h'>h, and shaded circles 622 represent virtual tip positions P where h'≦h. That is, in the figure, the area where white circles 621 are lined up corresponds to the placement possible area 611, and the area where shaded circles 622 are lined up corresponds to the placement impossible area 612. Note that the area where black circles 623 are lined up corresponds to the area outside the petri dish 610.

[0030] Once the possible placement area 611 (and the impossible placement area 612) has been identified as described above, it is then determined whether the cell to be collected 640 specified in step 2 is currently located within the possible placement area 611, i.e., whether the cell can be collected without rotating the turntable 142.

[0031] In step 3, if it is determined that the cell 640 to be collected is located within the arrangement possible area 611, the horizontal movement control unit 513 controls the first movement mechanism 120 and the second movement mechanism 130 of the container movement unit 100 to move the table 140 in the horizontal plane, thereby moving the cell 640 to the collection position (step 5).

[0032] Thereafter, the suction unit control unit 530 controls the pipette driving unit 330 to rotate the pipette 310 by the rotation angle input in step 1 relative to a predetermined initial position and tilt the pipette 310 by the tilt angle input in step 1 relative to the vertical axis. Then, the pipette 310 is moved along the axial direction of the tip 431 attached to the pipette 310 toward the tip of the tip 431, thereby positioning the tip of the tip 431 at the collection position. This brings the tip of the tip 431 attached to the pipette 310 into close proximity with the collection target cell 640, and the suction unit control unit 530 then drives the suction / discharge driving unit 320 to aspirate the collection target cell into the tip 431 (step 6).

[0033] On the other hand, if it is determined in step 3 that the collection target cell is not located in the arrangement possible area 611 (i.e., located in the arrangement impossible area 612), the rotation control unit 514 moves the collection target cell 640 to the arrangement possible area 611 by rotating the turntable 142 as shown in the upper part of FIG. 9 (step 4; see the upper and middle parts of FIG. 9). At this time, the turntable 142 rotates so that the collection target cell 640 is located in a predetermined orientation around the central axis of the Petri dish 610 when viewed from above. An example of such an orientation is an orientation +180° from the orientation around the central axis of the intersection of the tip 431 and the peripheral wall of the Petri dish 610 when the tip of the tip 431 is positioned at the center of the Petri dish 610 when viewed from above. By using such an orientation, the collection target cell can be more reliably collected. Alternatively, in order to minimize the amount of rotation of the turntable 142, the minimum rotation angle required to move the collection target cell 640 to the placement area 611 may be calculated, and the turntable 142 may be rotated by that angle.

[0034] Thereafter, the horizontal movement control unit 513 controls the first movement mechanism 120 and the second movement mechanism 130 of the container movement unit 100 to move the table 140 in the horizontal plane, thereby moving the collection target cell 640 to the collection position (step 5; see the middle and bottom rows of FIG. 9). Then, by controlling the pipette driving unit 330 in the same manner as above, the pipette 310 is tilted and the tip of the tip 431 attached to the pipette 310 is positioned at the collection position (see the bottom row of FIG. 9). Thereafter, the suction / discharge driving unit 320 is driven to suction the collection target cell 640 into the tip 431 (step 6).

[0035] After the collection target cells 640 have been aspirated into the tip 431 as described above, the pipette 310 is moved along the axial direction of the tip 431 toward the base end of the tip 431 under the control of the suction unit control unit 530, thereby lifting the tip 431 from the Petri dish 610. Next, the pipette 310 is rotated to an upright position (a position in which the tip of the tip 431 faces directly downward), and the pipette 310 is rotated about the pivot shaft 331 to position the pipette 310 and the tip 431 above the mounting portion 420 of the plate exchange unit 400. Then, under the control of the plate exchange unit control unit 540, the mounting portion 420 is moved and rotated in a horizontal plane, so that a predetermined well 421 of a multiwell plate 422 mounted on the mounting portion 420 is positioned directly below the pipette 310. Then, by moving the pipette 310 toward the tip of the tip 431 (i.e., downward), the tip of the tip 431 approaches the well 421, and by driving the suction / discharge drive unit 320, the cells 640 to be collected in the tip 431 are discharged into the well 421 (step 7).

[0036] As described above, in the cell picking device according to this embodiment, not only can the first moving mechanism 120 and the second moving mechanism 130 move the Petri dish 610 in a horizontal plane, but also the rotation mechanism 143 can rotate the Petri dish 610 around a vertical axis passing through its center. As a result, if a cell to be collected is located in the above-mentioned unplaceable area, the Petri dish 610 can be rotated to move the cell to the above-mentioned placeable area. Therefore, the cell picking device according to this embodiment can avoid the creation of an area in the Petri dish 610 where cells cannot be collected. Furthermore, in the cell picking device according to this embodiment, the user simply designates the cell to be collected 640 on the image displayed on the display unit 570, and the control unit 500 determines whether the cell is located in the above-mentioned placeable area 611. If the cell is not located in the placeable area 611 (i.e., located in the unplaceable area 612), the control unit 500 automatically rotates the turntable 142 to move the cell to the placeable area 611 and then collects the cell. Therefore, the user does not need to be aware of whether or not the collection target cell 640 is in the arrangement possible area 611 in the Petri dish 610, and the burden on the user in relation to cell collection can be reduced.

[0037] Although specific examples of the form for carrying out the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications are permitted within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0038] For example, in the above embodiment, the user is prompted to select one collection target cell 640 on the image displayed on the display unit 570, and then the cell is collected (i.e., aspirated into the tip 431) and recovered (i.e., discharged into the well 421 of the multiwell plate 422). However, instead, the user may be prompted to select multiple collection target cells 640 on the image, and then the collection and recovery described above may be performed for each of the selected collection target cells 640. In this case, it is desirable to replace the tip 431 attached to the pipette 310 each time collection and recovery of one collection target cell 640 is completed. Furthermore, after the user is prompted to select multiple collection target cells 640 as described above, the determination unit 512 determines whether each of the collection target cells 640 is located in the arrangement possible area 611 based on the position of each collection target cell 640 in the Petri dish 610, and based on the result, it is desirable that the container movement unit control unit 510 determines the collection order of each cell so as to minimize the total amount of rotation of the turntable 142 and the total amount of movement of the table 140 in the left-right and front-back directions. This reduces the time required to collect and recover multiple cells.

[0039] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the judgment unit 512 judges whether or not the cell to be collected 640 is located in the above-mentioned arrangement possible area 611, and if it is determined that the cell is not located in the arrangement possible area 611, the turntable 142 is automatically rotated to move the cell to the arrangement possible area 611. However, instead of this, the user may judge whether or not the cell to be collected is located in the arrangement possible area 611, and if it is determined that the cell is not located in the arrangement possible area 611, the user may rotate the turntable 142 manually or by inputting an instruction to the rotation control unit 514 via the operation unit 560, to move the cell to be collected 640 to the arrangement possible area 611.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example of applying the present invention to a cell picking device is shown, but the present invention is not limited to devices that collect cells such as cultured cells or microbial cells, and can be widely applied to all picking devices that collect particulate objects, such as spores, pollen, or seeds.

[0041] In the above embodiment, cells (collection targets) contained in the Petri dish 610 are collected into a predetermined well 421 of the multiwell plate 422. However, the container in which the collection targets are stored before collection is not limited to a cylindrical container with a bottom and an upper opening, such as the Petri dish 610, and may be any container with an opening through which a collection tool such as the tip 431 can be inserted. If a container other than a cylindrical container is used, in step 1 described above, the user is prompted to input other information describing the shape of the container in addition to or instead of the diameter and peripheral wall height of the container, and the arrangement area 611 is determined taking this information into account in step 3. Furthermore, the container for collecting the collection targets collected with the collection tool such as the tip 431 is not limited to the well 421 of the multiwell plate 422, and may be any container with an opening through which the collection tool can be inserted. For example, a microtube can be used as such a container. In this case, the microtube is placed upright on a predetermined rack on the placement unit 420 of the plate exchange unit 400.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a collection target object in a liquid contained in a container (specifically, cells in a culture medium contained in a Petri dish 610) is sucked into the tip 431 and collected. However, the picking device according to the present invention is not limited to a configuration using a tubular collection tool such as the tip 431 for collecting the collection target object. For example, a collection target object (e.g., a cell colony) present on a solid (e.g., an agar medium) contained in the Petri dish 610 may be scraped off with a rod-shaped collection tool such as a platinum loop, thereby attaching the collection target object to the tip of the collection tool and collecting the collection target. Note that, when collecting a collection target object present on a solid in a container in this manner, the mounting table on which the container is placed does not necessarily have to be horizontal. In other words, the mounting surface in the present invention is not necessarily limited to a horizontal plane. Similarly, the rotation axis of the mounting table in the present invention is not necessarily limited to one extending vertically, but may be any axis extending perpendicular to the mounting surface.

[0043] Furthermore, the picking device according to the present invention may have a function of limiting the area in which the table 140 can move to a range in which the collection tool, such as the tip 431, does not interfere with the container, such as the Petri dish 610, when the tip of the collection tool is inserted into the container. Such an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of a control unit 1500 included in the cell picking device according to this embodiment. In this figure, components that are the same as or correspond to those shown in FIG. 2 are designated by reference numerals with the same last three digits, and their description will be omitted as appropriate. The appearance of the picking device according to this embodiment and the configuration other than the control unit 1500 are substantially the same as those shown in FIG. 1, and therefore will not be illustrated here.

[0044] 2, the container movement unit control unit 1510 of the control unit 1500 includes a movement instruction receiving unit 1515, a target position designation receiving unit 1516, and a horizontal movement regulating unit 1517 (corresponding to the mounting table movement regulating unit in the present invention). The movement instruction receiving unit 1515 receives a user instruction to start moving the table 140 in a predetermined direction and an instruction to end the movement. The target position designation receiving unit 1516 receives a user instruction to designate a target position for the table 140. The horizontal movement regulating unit 1517 limits the area in which the table 140 can be moved when the tip of the tip 431 is inserted into the petri dish 610 to a range in which the tip 431 and the petri dish 610 do not interfere with each other.

[0045] In the picking device according to this embodiment, the procedure for moving table 140 based on an instruction from a user via movement instruction receiving unit 1515 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 11. Here, it is assumed that the tip of tip 431 is inserted into Petri dish 610 as shown in Fig. 5 or 6.

[0046] In this state, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 1560 to instruct the table 140 to move in a predetermined direction, the instruction is received by the movement instruction receiving unit 1515 (step 11). At this time, the movement instruction receiving unit 1515 can, for example, display arrows or the like pointing in different directions on the screen of the display unit 1570 via the display control unit 1550 together with the image captured by the image capturing unit 220, and when the user selects one of the multiple arrows, receive an instruction to start movement in the direction indicated by the arrow.

[0047] When a command to move in a predetermined direction is received as described above, horizontal movement regulating unit 1517 determines the distance that table 140 can be moved in the predetermined direction (step 12). Here, the term "movable distance" refers to the distance that table 140 can be moved in the predetermined direction from its current position without causing tip 431 to collide with Petri dish 610. Here, the movable distance can be determined, for example, by determining the distance from the current tip position of tip 431 in the predetermined direction to the placement-unavailable area 612.

[0048] Once the movable distance is specified, movement of the table 140 in the predetermined direction is started under the control of the horizontal movement control unit 1513 (step 13). During the movement of the table 140, the horizontal movement regulation unit 1517 determines at predetermined time intervals whether the distance traveled by the table 140 since the start of movement has reached the movable distance (step 14). If it is determined that the movable distance has been reached (i.e., if step 14 is Yes), the horizontal movement control unit 1513 stops the movement of the table 140 (step 16). On the other hand, if it is determined that the movable distance has not been reached (i.e., if step 14 is No), the horizontal movement control unit 1517 subsequently determines whether a movement stop instruction has been received from the user (step 15), and if it is determined that the movement stop instruction has been received (i.e., if step 15 is Yes), the horizontal movement control unit 1513 stops the movement of the table 140 (step 16). The movement stop instruction is given, for example, by the user pressing a predetermined button displayed on the screen of the display unit 1570 in addition to or instead of the above-mentioned arrow, etc. Alternatively, the movement start instruction may be input when the user touches the arrow, etc., and the movement stop instruction may be input when the user releases the arrow, etc. Furthermore, instead of such software buttons, physical buttons for instructing the movement direction and start of movement, and a physical button for instructing movement stop may be provided on the container movement unit 100 or the observation and photography unit 200.

[0049] On the other hand, if it is determined in step 15 that a movement stop instruction has not been received (i.e., step 15 is No), the process returns to step 14 and table 140 continues to move in the specified direction until step 14 or step 15 becomes Yes.

[0050] As described above, in the picking device according to this embodiment, when a movement instruction is received via the movement instruction receiving unit 1515, the horizontal movement regulating unit 1517 stops the movement of the table 140 by the horizontal movement control unit 1513 after starting movement in a predetermined direction, either when the movable distance is reached or when an instruction to stop the movement is received by the movement instruction receiving unit 1515, whichever comes first. Therefore, with the tip of the tip 431 inserted into the petri dish 610, it is possible to move the table 140 within a range where the tip 431 and the petri dish 610 do not interfere with each other.

[0051] Next, the procedure for moving table 140 based on an instruction from a user via target position designation receiving unit 1516 in the picking device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 12. Note that it is assumed here that the tip of tip 431 is inserted into Petri dish 610 as shown in Fig. 5 or 6.

[0052] First, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 1560 in the above state, the target position designation receiving unit 1516 causes a predetermined operation screen to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 1570 via the display control unit 1550, and prompts the user to specify a destination (i.e., target position) of the table 140 and input an instruction to start the movement on the operation screen (step 21). Here, the operation screen may, for example, prompt the user to input coordinates of the target position in the XY plane, or may display an image of the current field of view of the microscope 210 captured by the imaging unit 220 on the screen of the display unit 1570 and prompt the user to designate a predetermined position on the image by clicking or tapping. In the latter case, the target position designation receiving unit 1516 identifies coordinates of a position of the table 140 such that the position designated by the user is at the center of the field of view of the microscope 210, based on the coordinates of the current position of the table 140, the coordinates in the image of the position designated by the user, the current magnification of the microscope 210, and the like, and sets this as the target position.

[0053] Next, when a movement instruction in a predetermined direction is received as described above, the horizontal movement regulating unit 1517 determines whether or not it is possible to move the table 140 to the target position (hereinafter simply referred to as "movable") without causing interference between the chip 431 and the Petri dish 610 (step 22). This determination in step 22 can be made, for example, based on whether or not the target position is included in the above-mentioned arrangement possible area 611.

[0054] If it is determined in step 22 that movement is possible (i.e., if the answer is Yes in step 22), table 140 is moved to the target position under the control of horizontal movement control unit 1513 (step 23). On the other hand, if it is determined in step 22 that movement is not possible (i.e., if the answer is No in step 22), table 140 is not moved to the target position, and a notification to that effect is displayed on the screen of display unit 1570 (step 24).

[0055] As described above, in the picking device according to this embodiment, when a movement instruction is received via the target position designation receiving unit 1516, the horizontal movement restricting unit 1517 determines whether it is possible to move the table 140 to the target position without causing interference between the tip 431 and the petri dish 610, and if it determines that movement is not possible, it prevents the table from moving to the target position. This makes it possible to limit the movement of the table 140 to a range in which the tip 431 and the petri dish 610 do not interfere with each other when the tip 431 is inserted into the petri dish 610.

[0056] Of the picking operations according to this embodiment, operations other than those described in the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 and 12 are almost the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0057] Note that even in a picking device that does not have a rotating table 142, as described above, a function can be employed to limit the area in which the table 140 can move when the tip of a sampling tool such as tip 431 is inserted into a container such as a Petri dish 610 to a range in which the sampling tool does not interfere with the container. The appearance of a picking device according to this embodiment is shown in FIG. 13, and the main configuration of a control unit 2500 included in the picking device is shown in FIG. 14. In these figures, components that are the same as or correspond to those shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 10 are designated by reference numerals with the same last three digits. The configuration of the picking device according to this embodiment is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 10, except that it does not have the rotating table 142, the rotation mechanism 143 (see FIG. 1), and the rotation control units 514 and 1514 (see FIGS. 2 and 10), and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, among the operations of the picking device according to this embodiment, the operation relating to the movement of table 2140 when the tip of chip 2431 is inserted into dish 2610 is the same as that shown in the flowcharts of Figures 11 and 12, and the other operations are the same as those shown in Figures 3 to 9, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0058] [Aspect] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above-described exemplary embodiments are examples of the following aspects.

[0059] (Item 1) A picking device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a mounting table having a mounting surface on which a container is placed; a mounting table rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting table around a rotation axis that is a virtual axis that is perpendicular to the mounting surface and passes through the center of the mounting surface; a collecting tool having a rod-like or cylindrical shape, the tip of which is inserted into the container in an inclined position with respect to the rotation axis; a sampling tool moving mechanism that moves the sampling tool; It has the following characteristics.

[0060] In the picking device according to paragraph 1, the mounting table can be rotated around a rotation axis passing through the center of the mounting surface, thereby preventing the creation of areas within the container placed on the mounting table from which the object to be collected cannot be picked up.

[0061] (2) The picking device according to paragraph 2 is a picking device according to paragraph 1. Furthermore, a mounting table moving mechanism that moves the mounting table within a plane parallel to the mounting surface; an imaging unit that images the container from above or below; a display unit that displays an image of the inside of the container captured by the imaging unit; a collection target designation receiving unit that receives designation of a collection target by a user on the image of the inside of the container displayed on the display unit; a determination unit that determines whether the collection target is within an arrangement possible area, which is an area where the tip of the collection tool can be arranged without interfering with the collection tool and the container, by moving the placement table by the placement table moving mechanism or moving the collection tool by the collection tool moving mechanism, or both; a rotation control unit that drives the table rotation mechanism to move the collection target object into the arrangement possible area when the determination unit determines that the collection target object is not within the collection target area; It has the following characteristics.

[0062] In the picking device according to paragraph 2, when a user designates a collection target on an image displayed on the display unit, the determination unit determines whether the collection target is in the above-mentioned arrangement possible area, and if it is determined as a result that the collection target designated by the user is not in the arrangement possible area, the rotation control unit rotates the mounting table to move the cell to the arrangement possible area. Therefore, the user does not need to be aware of whether the collection target is in the arrangement possible area in the container, and the burden on the user in collecting the collection target can be reduced.

[0063] (3) The picking device according to paragraph 3 is a picking device according to paragraph 1. Furthermore, a mounting table moving mechanism that moves the mounting table within a plane parallel to the mounting surface; a mounting base movement restricting unit that restricts an area in which the mounting base can be moved by the mounting base moving mechanism to a range in which the mounting base does not interfere with the mounting base and the container when the tip of the mounting base is inserted into the container by the mounting base moving mechanism; It has the following characteristics.

[0064] (4) The picking device according to paragraph 4 is a picking device according to paragraph 3. a movement instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction from a user to start moving the stage in a predetermined direction and an instruction to end the movement; and When the movement instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to start the movement, the mounting table movement regulating unit specifies a distance over which the mounting table can be moved in the predetermined direction without interfering with the collection tool and the container, and starts movement of the mounting table in the predetermined direction by the mounting table moving mechanism, and then stops the movement of the mounting table when the movable distance is reached or when an instruction to end the movement is received by the movement instruction receiving unit, whichever is earlier.

[0065] (5) The picking device according to 5 is a picking device according to 3. a target position specification receiving unit that receives specification of a target position of the mounting table by a user; and When the target position specification receiving unit receives the specification of the target position, the mounting platform movement regulating unit determines whether it is possible to move the mounting platform to the target position by moving the mounting platform using the mounting platform moving mechanism without causing interference between the collection tool and the container, and if it determines that it is possible, it causes the mounting platform moving mechanism to move the mounting platform to the target position, but if it determines that it is not possible, it does not cause the movement to be carried out.

[0066] (Item 6) The picking device according to item 6 is a mounting table having a mounting surface on which a container is placed; a mounting table moving mechanism that moves the mounting table within a plane parallel to the mounting surface; a collecting tool having a rod-like or cylindrical shape, the tip of which is inserted into the container in an inclined position with respect to an axis perpendicular to the placement surface; a sampling tool moving mechanism that moves the sampling tool; a mounting base movement restricting unit that restricts an area in which the mounting base can be moved by the mounting base moving mechanism to a range in which the mounting base does not interfere with the mounting base and the container when the tip of the mounting base is inserted into the container by the mounting base moving mechanism; It has the following characteristics.

[0067] (7) The picking device according to 7 is a picking device according to 6. a movement instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction from a user to start moving the stage in a predetermined direction and an instruction to end the movement; and When the movement instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to start the movement, the mounting table movement regulating unit determines the distance the mounting table can be moved in the specified direction without interfering with the collection tool and the container, and starts moving the mounting table in the specified direction using the mounting table moving mechanism, and then stops the movement of the mounting table when the movable distance is reached or when an instruction to end the movement is received by the movement instruction receiving unit, whichever is earlier.

[0068] (8) The picking device according to 8 is a picking device according to 6. a target position specification receiving unit that receives specification of a target position of the mounting table by a user; and When the target position specification receiving unit receives the specification of the target position, the mounting platform movement regulating unit determines whether it is possible to move the mounting platform to the target position by moving the mounting platform using the mounting platform moving mechanism without causing interference between the collection tool and the container, and if it determines that it is possible, it causes the mounting platform moving mechanism to move the mounting platform to the target position, but if it determines that it is not possible, it does not cause the movement to be carried out. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 100...Container transfer unit 120...First moving mechanism 130...Second moving mechanism 140...table 142...Turntable 143...Rotation mechanism 200...Observation and photography unit 300...Suction unit 310...Pipette 330...Pipette drive unit 400...Plate exchange unit 500...Control unit 510...container transfer unit control section 511...Collection Target Designation Reception Department 512...Judgment section 513...Horizontal movement control section 514...Rotation control unit 570...Display section 610…Petri dish 11...Possible area 12…Unplaceable area 420...Multiwell plate 431...Chips 40...Cells to be collected

Claims

1. a mounting table having a mounting surface on which a container is placed; a mounting table rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting table around a rotation axis that is a virtual axis that is perpendicular to the mounting surface and passes through the center of the mounting surface; a collecting tool having a rod-like or cylindrical shape, the tip of which is inserted into the container in an inclined position with respect to the rotation axis; a sampling tool moving mechanism that moves the sampling tool; A picking device having the above structure.

2. Furthermore, a mounting table moving mechanism that moves the mounting table within a plane parallel to the mounting surface; an imaging unit that images the container from above or below; a display unit that displays an image of the inside of the container captured by the imaging unit; a collection target designation receiving unit that receives designation of a collection target by a user on the image of the inside of the container displayed on the display unit; a determination unit that determines whether the collection target is within an arrangement possible area, which is an area where the tip of the collection tool can be arranged without interfering with the collection tool and the container, by moving the placement table by the placement table moving mechanism or moving the collection tool by the collection tool moving mechanism, or both; a rotation control unit that drives the placement table rotation mechanism to move the collection target object into the arrangement possible area when the determination unit determines that the collection target object is not within the collection target area; The picking device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. Furthermore, a mounting table moving mechanism that moves the mounting table within a plane parallel to the mounting surface; a mounting base movement restricting unit that restricts an area in which the mounting base can be moved by the mounting base moving mechanism to a range in which the mounting base does not interfere with the mounting base and the container when the tip of the mounting base is inserted into the container by the mounting base moving mechanism; The picking device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

4. a movement instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction from a user to start moving the stage in a predetermined direction and an instruction to end the movement; and When the movement instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to start the movement, the mounting table movement regulating unit specifies a distance over which the mounting table can be moved in the predetermined direction without interfering with the collection tool and the container, and starts movement of the mounting table in the predetermined direction by the mounting table moving mechanism, and then stops the movement of the mounting table when the movable distance is reached or when an instruction to end the movement is received by the movement instruction receiving unit, whichever is earlier. The picking device according to claim 3.

5. a target position specification receiving unit that receives specification of a target position of the mounting table by a user; and When the target position specification receiving unit receives the specification of the target position, the mounting table movement regulating unit determines whether or not it is possible to move the mounting table to the target position by moving the mounting table using the mounting table moving mechanism without causing interference between the sampling tool and the container, and if it determines that it is possible, causes the mounting table moving mechanism to move the mounting table to the target position, and if it determines that it is not possible, does not cause the movement. The picking device according to claim 3.

6. a mounting table having a mounting surface on which a container is placed; a mounting table moving mechanism that moves the mounting table within a plane parallel to the mounting surface; a collecting tool having a rod-like or cylindrical shape, the tip of which is inserted into the container in an inclined position with respect to an axis perpendicular to the placement surface; a sampling tool moving mechanism that moves the sampling tool; a mounting base movement restricting unit that restricts an area in which the mounting base can be moved by the mounting base moving mechanism to a range in which the mounting base does not interfere with the mounting base and the container when the tip of the mounting base is inserted into the container by the mounting base moving mechanism; A picking device having the above structure.

7. a movement instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction from a user to start moving the stage in a predetermined direction and an instruction to end the movement; and When the movement instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to start the movement, the mounting table movement regulating unit specifies a distance over which the mounting table can be moved in the predetermined direction without interfering with the collection tool and the container, and starts movement of the mounting table in the predetermined direction by the mounting table moving mechanism, and then stops the movement of the mounting table when the movable distance is reached or when an instruction to end the movement is received by the movement instruction receiving unit, whichever is earlier. The picking device according to claim 6.

8. a target position specification receiving unit that receives specification of a target position of the mounting table by a user; and When the target position specification receiving unit receives the specification of the target position, the mounting table movement regulating unit determines whether or not it is possible to move the mounting table to the target position by moving the mounting table using the mounting table moving mechanism without causing interference between the sampling tool and the container, and if it determines that it is possible, causes the mounting table moving mechanism to move the mounting table to the target position, and if it determines that it is not possible, does not cause the movement. The picking device according to claim 6.

Images