Article alignment mechanism and blood collection tube sorting device

Abstract

Provided is an article alignment mechanism that quickly aligns randomly-oriented articles with less jams. An article alignment mechanism according to the present disclosure aligns articles each including a first diameter portion having a prescribed diameter and a second diameter portion having a diameter that is smaller than that of the first diameter portion. Said article alignment mechanism comprises: an article holding unit that has a groove for holding each of the articles in a prescribed orientation in which the first diameter portion is supported and the second diameter portion is fitted; a groove loading unit that receives loading of a plurality of articles in nonuniform states and that loads the articles to the groove by changing the orientations of the articles; and an extrusion transfer unit that presses an article which has been loaded from the groove loading unit to the article holding unit so as to change the orientation of the article which is not in the prescribed orientation and to extrude the article which is held in the groove to the outside of the groove loading unit.

Description

Article alignment mechanism and blood collection tube sorting device

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

[0002] Conventionally, blood is collected into blood collection tubes in hospitals and other facilities. The collected blood collection tubes are sorted according to the type of test. In recent years, devices that automate the sorting of blood collection tubes have been developed. In such devices, it is desirable to be able to directly load blood collection tubes in random orientations (loose), from the perspective of reducing the amount of manual work. In devices that process randomly oriented objects, the randomly oriented objects are first aligned in a predetermined direction or orientation.

[0003] A technology for aligning randomly positioned objects into a predetermined orientation or posture is described, for example, in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a pipette tip setting machine that can automatically set pipette tips to a tip rack. Patent Document 1 also describes the following: "A stocker 2 for storing a large number of pipette tips A in a stacked state is installed within the machine body, and a bucket conveyor 3 for scooping up and transporting pipette tips A one or a few at a time is installed upright, with its lower end positioned at the bottom of the stocker and its upper end positioned above the stocker. A funnel-shaped hopper 4 is disposed on the discharge side of the upper end of the bucket conveyor, with a slit-like opening formed in its bottom, the width of which is large enough to fit the small-diameter portion below the fitting portion of the head of the pipette tip. A conveyor rail 5 consisting of a pair of vibrating rails is installed below the opening, and pipette tips A are supplied to the tip rack B from the end of the conveyor rail in the conveying direction" (see the abstract of Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-19182

[0005] However, when multiple pipette tips (items) are inserted into the slit-shaped opening as in Patent Document 1, the smaller diameter portion below the fitting of the head may not fit in, resulting in a clogging condition. If the rotation speed of the bucket conveyor is reduced to prevent multiple items from being inserted at the same time, the processing speed will decrease.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an article alignment mechanism that is less likely to jam and can quickly align articles in random orientations.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides an article alignment mechanism that aligns articles having a first diameter portion with a predetermined diameter and a second diameter portion with a diameter smaller than the first diameter portion, the mechanism comprising: an article holding portion having a groove for supporting the first diameter portion and holding the article in a predetermined position into which the second diameter portion fits; a groove input portion into which multiple loose articles are input and which changes the position of the articles to input them into the groove; and an extrusion conveying portion that changes the position of the articles that are not in the predetermined position by pressing the articles input from the groove input portion into the article holding portion, and extrudes the articles held in the groove out of the groove input portion.

[0008] Further features related to the present disclosure will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. Also, aspects of the present disclosure are achieved and realized by the 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 exemplary and does not limit the scope or application of the claims of the present disclosure in any way.

[0009] According to the article alignment mechanism of the present disclosure, it is possible to align randomly oriented articles at high speed without jamming. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the description of the following embodiments.

[0010] 10 is a perspective view showing an article alignment mechanism of a first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a top view showing the article alignment mechanism of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view near the groove insertion section of the article alignment mechanism. FIG. 13 is a side view showing blood collection tubes to be aligned by the article alignment mechanism. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the extrusion prevention section. FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the extrusion prevention section. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the article alignment mechanism 1 with a blood collection tube fitted in a groove and passing through the extrusion prevention section. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a state in which a blood collection tube facing backwards cannot pass through the extrusion prevention section. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a state in which a blood collection tube facing sideways is placed on top of a blood collection tube fitted in a groove and cannot pass through the extrusion prevention section. FIG. 19 is a bottom view of the state of FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the article alignment mechanism 1 showing a state in which transported blood collection tubes are aligned on the groove. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the article alignment mechanism showing a state in which two blood collection tubes are inserted approximately perpendicular to the groove and close to each other. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view near the groove insertion section showing a state in which a blood collection tube is placed on top of another blood collection tube and the upper blood collection tube is not fitted in the groove. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of the groove insertion unit, showing a state in which another blood collection tube is placed on top of the blood collection tube and the upper blood collection tube is not fitted in the groove. 2 is a control sequence of the driving directions of the extrusion conveying unit, rollers, and belt conveyor.

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an article alignment mechanism according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that common members in the various drawings 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 a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the article alignment mechanism 1 includes an article input section 2, an article holding section 3, a groove input section 4, an extrusion conveying section 5, and an extrusion prevention section 6. Articles such as blood collection tubes 7A are input into the article input section 2 in random positions (loose). The article input section 2 conveys the blood collection tubes 7A to the groove input section 4. The groove input section 4 changes the position of the blood collection tubes 7A and inputs them into the article holding section 3. The extrusion conveying section 5 conveys the blood collection tubes 7A held in the article holding section 3 by pressing them. The blood collection tubes 7A held in the article holding section 3 are aligned in an even position. The extrusion prevention section 6 is fixed on the article holding section 3. The extrusion prevention section 6 allows blood collection tubes 7A held in an appropriate, predetermined position to pass through the article holding section 3. 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 section 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 item holding unit 3 includes a groove outer plate 31 and a groove inner plate 32. The groove outer plate 31 and the groove inner plate 32 are fixedly connected to a base (not shown). A certain gap exists between the groove outer plate 31 and the groove inner 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 portion (cap) is larger than the diameter of the lower portion (container portion). The width of the groove 33 is smaller than the diameter of the upper portion of the blood collection tube 7A and larger than the diameter of the lower portion of the blood collection tube 7A. As a result, the bottom surface of the upper portion of the blood collection tube 7A is supported by the groove outer plate 31 and the groove inner plate 32, and the lower portion of the blood collection tube 7A fits into the groove 33. Note that in this disclosure, the term "groove" simply refers to the gap between the groove outer plate 31 and the groove inner plate 32, and the groove 33 serves as a transport path for the blood collection tube 7A. Alternatively, a path having a bottom may be formed, in which case the depth of the path having a bottom is formed to be greater than the length of the container portion of the blood collection tube 7A.

[0015] The grooved feeding section 4 includes rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C, and side walls 45 and 46. Below the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C, the grooves 33 extend substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C.

[0016] The conveyor actuator 22, conveyor side walls 29A and 29B, and 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, when the conveyor actuator 22 is driven, 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 to this 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 the function of rotating freely when a predetermined torque is exceeded, thereby preventing the transmission of excessive torque.

[0018] The extrusion conveying unit 5 includes an elastic member 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. Multiple elastic members 51 are provided and fixedly connected to the chain 52 at intervals. A drive actuator (not shown) is connected to the sprocket 53A, which moves the elastic members 51 via the chain 52. At this time, the elastic members 51 move so as to pass above the groove 33. The elastic members 51 are elastic and deform when subjected to force, preventing excessive force from being applied to items such as the blood collection tube 7A. The elastic members 51 may be made of, for example, a thin polyacetal resin plate with a thickness of 0.5 mm. However, the elastic members 51 are not limited to this material and may be made of other elastic materials. The elastic members 51 may also be configured to deform when subjected to force, such as an iron plate and a spring-loaded hinge.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a top view of the article alignment mechanism 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the groove insertion 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 side walls 45 and 46. The roller 41A, roller shaft 42A, roller connection gear 43A, and roller connection timing pulley 44A are fixedly connected. The roller 41B, roller shaft 42B, roller connection gear 43B, and roller connection timing pulley 44B are fixedly connected. The roller 41C, roller shaft 42C, and roller connection timing pulley 44C are fixedly connected. The roller connection gears 43A and 43B are meshed, 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 this configuration, rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C rotate synchronously. Unless the torque exceeds a predetermined torque set by torque limiter 26, belt conveyor 21 also rotates synchronously. At this time, belt conveyor 21 and roller 41A rotate in the same direction, while rollers 41B and 41C rotate in the opposite direction. Torque limiter 26 limits the maximum torque transmitted to rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C. If torque exceeding a predetermined value is applied to any of rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C, torque limiter 26 and conveyor connection timing pulley 25 rotate freely, and belt conveyor 21 continues to rotate, but rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C stop. While an example has been shown in which belt conveyor 21 and rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C are operated by one actuator, this is not limiting and they may be driven by two or more actuators.

[0021] 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the groove insertion portion 4 of the article alignment mechanism 1. As shown in FIG. 3, an elastic portion 51 is disposed above the groove 33, and rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C are disposed above the elastic portion 51. However, this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the elastic portion 51 may be disposed below the groove 33, or may be disposed both above and below the groove 33.

[0022] The number of rollers in the groove feeding section 4 is not limited to three. It is sufficient to provide one roller on each side of the groove 33 (i.e., above the groove outer plate 31 and above the groove inner plate 32). The belt conveyor 21 may be used instead of the roller 41A. In this case, the end of the belt conveyor 21 is installed so as to be positioned at the position of the roller 41A in FIG. 3. By adopting such a configuration, the number of parts is reduced and the structure is simplified.

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

[0024] The article alignment mechanism 1 can handle various types of blood collection tubes, not just 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. Like blood collection tube 7A, blood collection tubes 7B, 7C, and 7D each include caps 7B1, 7C1, and 7D1 and container portions 7B2, 7C2, and 7D2. While the longitudinal lengths are different, the diameters of caps 7B1, 7C1, and 7D1 are equal to the diameter of cap 7A1. While the longitudinal lengths are different, the diameters of container portions 7B2, 7C2, and 7D2 are equal to the diameter of container portion 7A2. Therefore, blood collection tubes 7B, 7C, and 7D can be loaded into groove 33 in the same way as blood collection tube 7A.

[0025] Blood collection tubes having a container portion with a diameter different from that of the container portion 7A2 (larger than the width of the groove 33) cannot be handled in 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 of various diameters can be handled. In the first embodiment, blood collection tubes are generally referred to as blood collection tube 7A. 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 object alignment mechanism 1 has been described as handling blood collection tubes 7A, the object alignment mechanism 1 is not limited to this. Any object having a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, such as a blood collection tube, with the small diameter portion fitting into the groove 33 and standing upright, can be similarly handled. Examples of objects to be aligned include cuvettes, pipette tips, dispensing tips, sample cups, and measurement containers. The various dimensions of the object alignment mechanism 1 are designed to match the objects to be handled. For example, the width of the groove 33 is designed to be slightly larger than the small diameter portion of the object to be handled.

[0027] However, when multiple types of articles with significantly different diameters are to be aligned using a single article alignment mechanism, they cannot be handled using a single groove. In such cases, the article alignment mechanism can be provided with multiple grooves of different widths and a mechanism for sorting by article type can be installed. By configuring each type of article to be sent to the appropriate groove, it is possible to handle articles with various diameters using a single article alignment mechanism. For articles that cannot be aligned using grooves or that are not eligible for alignment, other means can be used, such as using a robot arm and gripper to align or exclude them.

[0028] <Configuration Example of Extrusion Prevention Unit> Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the extrusion prevention unit 6. Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the extrusion prevention unit 6. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 , the extrusion prevention unit 6 includes a side wall 61, an upper wall 62, a side shaft 63, a detection sensor 64, a rear wall 65, and a hole 66. The side wall 61 and the rear wall 65 form a continuous wall having a curve. The side wall 61 and the rear wall 65 are located on the groove outer plate 31. The side shaft 63 protrudes downward from the upper wall 62 and is located above the groove inner plate 32. The side shaft 63 has a bearing (not shown) and is 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 inside of the extrusion prevention unit 6 through the hole 66 and is irradiated downward into the groove 33. A photoelectric sensor light-receiving unit (not shown) is provided below the groove 33 and detects the light emitted by the detection sensor 64. This makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of a blood collection tube in the extrusion prevention unit 6. The control device 100 receives a detection signal from the detection sensor 64 and controls the drive 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 in which a blood collection tube 7A is fitted into the groove 33 and passing through the extrusion prevention part 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the extrusion prevention part 6 is fixed to the upper surface of the groove outer plate 31 so that there is a small gap between the groove 33 and the side wall 61, allowing the bottom surface of the cap 7A1 to rest. As a result, when the blood collection tube 7A is held in the groove 33 in an appropriate, predetermined position (i.e., the container part is positioned below the groove 33 and is upright), the blood collection tube 7A passes through without contacting the extrusion prevention part 6. Therefore, the blood collection tube 7A can pass through without any problems. The groove 33 has a curved groove 331. Because the elastic part 51 also passes along the curved groove 331, the blood collection tube 7A can also pass through the curved groove 331. Thus, only the blood collection tube 7A fitted into the groove 33 can pass through the extrusion prevention part 6. Below, several examples are described in which a blood collection tube 7A not fitted into the groove 33 cannot pass through the extrusion prevention part 6.

[0031] 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which an inverted blood collection tube 7A cannot pass through the extrusion prevention part 6. As shown in Fig. 8, when the blood collection tube 7A is inverted, it is blocked by the upper wall 62 and cannot pass through the extrusion prevention part 6. Similarly, the blood collection tube 7A cannot pass through when it is tilted.

[0032] 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which a blood collection tube 7A placed sideways is placed on top of a blood collection tube 7C fitted in groove 33 and cannot pass through extrusion prevention part 6. As shown in FIG. 9, when blood collection tube 7A is placed on top of blood collection tube 7C with a short cap 7C1 and does not fit into groove 33, upper wall 62 cannot prevent blood collection tube 7A from passing through and blood collection tube 7A enters the inside of extrusion prevention part 6.

[0033] Fig. 10 is a bottom view of the state shown in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 10, the blood collection tube 7A is blocked by the side shaft 63 and the rear side wall 65 and cannot curve, and therefore cannot pass through the extrusion prevention part 6.

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

[0035] 9 and 10, the state in which the blood collection tube is inserted sideways can be detected by the detection sensor 64. When detecting that the blood collection tube is inserted sideways, the control device 100 can return the blood collection tube 7A to the entrance of the groove insertion unit 4 by, for example, driving the extrusion conveying unit 5 in the reverse direction. A specific control flow will be described later.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 9 , the inner side wall of the extrusion prevention unit 6 is configured by combining a side wall 61, a side shaft 63, and a rear wall 65. Alternatively, a structure in which side walls shaped along the curved groove 331 are simply attached to the groove inner plate 32 and the groove outer plate 31 can be used. This structure can also prevent the passage of a horizontally oriented blood collection tube 7A. However, in this case, the blood collection tube 7A may become pinched between the inner and outer side walls, or may become difficult or impossible to remove due to friction. On the other hand, in the extrusion prevention unit 6 of the first embodiment, the side wall 61 is linear at the introduction portion, but suddenly curves inward halfway to form the rear wall 65. The blood collection tube 7A that has entered contacts the rear wall 65. Because the side wall 61 curves inward, the above-mentioned pinching and friction are less likely to occur. Furthermore, the extrusion prevention unit 6 of the first embodiment has a side shaft 63 on the inside, but the side shaft 63 is equipped with a bearing, and rotational friction is very small. Therefore, when the blood collection tube 7A is inserted sideways as shown in FIG. 10 and pushed back by the pushing and conveying unit 5, almost no obstructing frictional force is generated.

[0037] <Flow of Aligning Items> Next, the flow of aligning randomly oriented items by the item alignment mechanism 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1 , blood collection tubes are inserted into the item insertion unit 2 in a random orientation. The blood collection tubes may be inserted into the item insertion unit 2 by an operator or by a transport mechanism (not shown), such as a belt conveyor. The inserted blood collection tubes are placed on the belt conveyor 21 and transported to the groove insertion unit 4. As a simple example, as shown in FIG. 1 , assume that the longitudinal direction of the blood collection tubes 7A placed on the belt conveyor 21 is aligned substantially parallel to the groove 33 and is spaced apart from other blood collection tubes 7A. At this time, the blood collection tubes 7A are inserted one by one into the groove insertion unit 4, and the blood collection tubes 7A stand upright in the groove 33 with their caps 7A1 facing upward. Then, the elastic portion 51 of the extrusion conveying portion 5 circulating on the groove 33 pushes the cap 7A1 of the upright blood collection tube 7A, causing the blood collection tube 7A to pass through the extrusion prevention portion 6 and be extruded from the groove insertion portion 4.

[0038] 11 is a perspective view of the article alignment mechanism 1 showing the state in which the transported 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 continues to push and convey the blood collection tubes 7A extruded from the groove input unit 4 to the article alignment unit 8. Thereafter, another blood collection tube 7A is similarly loaded into the groove 33 and conveyed by the extrusion conveying unit 5, and this process is repeated. As shown in FIG. 11, the extrusion conveying unit 5 extrudes the blood collection tubes 7A one after another to the back of the groove 33, where they are accumulated in an aligned state in an equal orientation.

[0039] The uniformly aligned blood collection tubes 7A are sorted in the article alignment unit 8. For example, the caps 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 the caps can be transported to a position according to the type. However, the sorting method is not limited to this. A multi-axis robot arm may be used instead of a three-axis orthogonal stage.

[0040] Although an example has been described in which the blood collection tubes 7A are pushed into the article alignment unit 8 by the push-out conveying unit 5, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the article alignment unit 8 may be provided with a separate conveying mechanism. The blood collection tubes 7A that have reached the article alignment unit 8 in an upright position may be conveyed to the next process by this separate conveying mechanism. In the next process, the blood collection tubes 7A are gripped by a gripper, for example, in the same manner as described above, and sorted.

[0041] Although the example in which sorting is performed after aligning the blood collection tubes 7A has been described, other tasks such as analysis may also be performed. As described above, various processing methods are conceivable for processing the blood collection tubes 7A after they are pushed out from the groove insertion part 4. In any case, by aligning the blood collection tubes 7A, which were in random positions, in the groove 33, the subsequent processing can be performed with a simple mechanism and control.

[0042] 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 substantially perpendicularly and closely to the groove 33. The shape and size of the blood collection tubes 71 and 72 are the same as that of the blood collection tube 7A. As shown in FIG. 12, the article alignment mechanism 1 can align the blood collection tubes on the groove 33 in the above-described manner, even when multiple blood collection tubes are inserted onto the belt conveyor 21 in random orientations.

[0043] 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the groove insertion part 4, showing a state in which a blood collection tube 71 rests on rollers 41B when inserted perpendicularly to groove 33. As shown in FIG. 12, when blood collection tube 71 is inserted into groove insertion part 4 substantially perpendicularly to groove 33, there is a possibility that blood collection tube 71 will rest on rollers 41B, as shown in FIG. 13. If rollers 41B are rotating inward at this time, blood collection tube 7A will fall from rollers 41B and get stuck in groove 33.

[0044] FIG. 14 is a front cross-sectional view of the groove insertion unit 4 showing a state in which a blood collection tube 72 is placed on top of a 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 blood collection tubes 71 and 72 are closely spaced and flowing from the belt conveyor 21, they are inserted into the groove insertion unit 4 almost simultaneously. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, there is a possibility that the blood collection tube 72 will be placed on top of the blood collection tube 71 that is fitted into the groove 33 without fitting into the groove 33. However, because the elastic portion 51 is rotating above the groove 33, the elastic portion 51 presses against the blood collection tubes 71 and 72, changing their position and orientation. For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 14, the blood collection tube 72 is pushed to the right by the elastic portion 51, rides over the blood collection tube 71, moves to the right, falls clockwise, and fits into the groove 33. The blood collection tubes 71 and 72 are then pushed out of the groove insertion unit 4 and transported to the next process.

[0045] As such, there is a possibility that the blood collection tube 7A will not immediately fit into the groove 33. However, the elastic portion 51 presses the blood collection tube 7A, changing the position of the blood collection tube 7A. As a result, the blood collection tube 7A fits into the groove 33, and the fitted blood collection tube 7A is transported out of the groove insertion portion 4 one after another. In many cases, by repeating this process, the blood collection tubes can gradually be fitted into the groove 33 in an upright position and transported. Furthermore, the blood collection tubes 7A that are not fitted into the groove 33 are blocked by the extrusion prevention portion 6 and cannot pass through, and remain in the groove insertion portion 4 until they fit into the groove 33.

[0046] Furthermore, when multiple blood collection tubes 7A are clogged in the groove insertion part 4, the blood collection tubes 7A that are not fitted into the groove 33 are often in contact with any of the belt conveyor 21 and rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C. The rotating belt conveyor 21 and rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C also change the position and posture of the blood collection tubes 7A, facilitating fitting into the groove 33.

[0047] 15 is a front cross-sectional view of the groove insertion unit 4 showing a state in which a blood collection tube 72 is placed on top of a 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 direction of travel. Furthermore, the cap 721 is blocked by the upper wall 62. As a result, even if the elastic portion 51 presses the blood collection tube 71, it is blocked by the blood collection tube 72, and the positions and orientations of the blood collection tubes 71 and 72 do not change any further. In such a situation where a clog has occurred, it is difficult to fit the upper blood collection tube 72 into the groove 33 even if the elastic portion 51 presses the blood collection tube 71 in the direction of travel.

[0048] At this time, the blockage can be cleared by reversing the circulation direction of the extrusion conveying unit 5. When the circulation direction of the extrusion conveying unit 5 is reversed, the elastic unit 51 flows from right to left in FIG. 15 . This causes the blood collection tube 72 to move leftward, riding over the blood collection tube 71 and rotating counterclockwise, allowing it to fit into the groove 33. Thereafter, the circulation direction of the extrusion conveying unit 5 is returned to its original state, and the blood collection tubes 71 and 72 are transported to the next process.

[0049] There are other possible situations in which the position and orientation of the blood collection tube do not change when the extrusion conveying unit 5 is rotated in the same direction. This situation is thought to occur when the blood collection tube is shifted toward the direction of travel of the extrusion conveying unit 5 (the right side in Figures 14 and 15 ). At this time, there is empty space on the opposite side of the direction of travel (the left side in Figures 14 and 15 ). Therefore, when the circulation direction of the extrusion conveying unit 5 is reversed, the blood collection tube has room to move into the empty space, and its position and orientation change somewhat, allowing it to fit into the groove 33. Even if the blood collection tube cannot be fitted into the groove 33 at first, it is thought that by repeatedly changing the circulation direction of the extrusion conveying unit 5, it will eventually be possible to fit into the groove 33.

[0050] Similarly, by reversing the rotation direction of the belt conveyor 21 and rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C (changing from inward to outward relative to the groove 33), the position and posture of the blood collection tubes are prevented from remaining the same, and the blood collection tubes are promoted to be fitted into the groove 33. Furthermore, when the belt conveyor 21 and rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C are rotated in the reverse direction, the blood collection tubes accumulated in the groove 33 are subjected to an upward force, i.e., a force that separates the blood collection tubes from each other. Therefore, in addition to the pressing force by the elastic portion 51, the position and posture of the blood collection tubes are likely to change.

[0051] The extrusion and conveyance unit 5, the belt conveyor 21, and the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C are reversed when the detection sensor 64 reacts, and periodically if it does not react. When a blood collection tube 7A is caught in the groove and passes through, the detection sensor 64 is in a detection state for only a very short time. However, as shown in FIG. 15 , if a blood collection tube is clogged in the extrusion prevention unit 6, the detection sensor 64 will be in a detection state for a long time. For example, if the detection sensor 64 is in a detection state for 0.5 seconds, reverse rotation will begin. To deal with clogging conditions that cannot be detected by the detection sensor 64, reverse rotation will be performed at regular intervals even if the detection sensor 64 does not react.

[0052] Although a method of using a photoelectric sensor in the extrusion prevention part 6 as the detection sensor 64 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a clog can also be detected by measuring with a photoelectric sensor or an RGB camera from above the groove insertion part 4. This makes it possible to detect a wider variety of clog states and deal with the clog immediately. Also, while the configuration in which the detection sensor 64 is provided in the extrusion prevention part 6 has been described, the detection sensor 64 may also be provided in, for example, the groove insertion part 4. In other words, the detection sensor 64 can be placed in any position as long as it can detect the state of the blood collection tube 7A extruded from the groove insertion part 4.

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

[0054] When a clog occurs and reverse control is being performed frequently, the belt conveyor 21 (input amount adjustment mechanism) also reverses, so the input of blood collection tubes into the groove input unit 4 stops or the input amount decreases. Therefore, the clog in the groove input unit 4 does not worsen. Although an example has been described in which the belt conveyor 21 and the rollers 41A, 41B, and 41C are driven in conjunction with each other, this is not limited to this, and they can also be driven independently. In this case, when the control device 100 (input amount adjustment mechanism) detects the occurrence of a clog in the groove input unit 4, it can also stop the input of blood collection tubes into the groove input unit 4 by stopping the belt conveyor 21, so as not to worsen the clog in the groove input unit 4.

[0055] Summary of First Embodiment As described above, the article alignment mechanism 1 of this embodiment is an article alignment mechanism that aligns blood collection tubes (articles) having caps (first diameter portion) and container portions (second diameter portion), and includes: an article holding portion 3 having grooves 33 for supporting the caps and holding the blood collection tubes in an upright position (predetermined position) into which the container portions fit; a groove insertion portion 4 into which a plurality of blood collection tubes are input and which changes the positions of the blood collection tubes to input them into grooves 33; and an extrusion and conveying portion 5 that presses the blood collection tubes input from groove insertion portion 4 into the article holding portion 3, thereby changing the position of blood collection tubes that are not fitted in grooves 33 in an upright position, and extrudes the blood collection tubes held in grooves 33 out of groove insertion portion 4.

[0056] In this way, the article alignment mechanism 1 of this embodiment can change the orientation of the articles to a predetermined orientation before conveying them, making it possible to align the articles at high speed without jamming. Furthermore, because the articles can be fed into the article alignment mechanism in random orientations, the labor required by the operator can be minimized.

[0057] [Modifications] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present disclosure, and it is not necessary to include all of the described configurations. Furthermore, a part of one embodiment can be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, a configuration of another embodiment can be added to a configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added to, deleted from, or substituted for a part of the configuration of another embodiment.

[0058] 1... Article alignment mechanism, 2... Article input section, 21... Belt conveyor, 22... Conveyor actuator, 23, 24... Conveyor gears, 25... Conveyor connection timing pulley, 26... Torque limiter, 27... Conveyor drive shaft, 28... Conveyor driven shaft, 29A, 29B... Conveyor side wall, 31... Groove outer plate, 32... Groove inner plate, 33... Groove, 331... Curved groove, 4... Groove input section, 41A, 41B and 41C... Rollers, 42A, 42B, 42C ...Roller shaft, 43A, 43B...Roller connecting gears, 44A, 44B, 44C...Roller connecting timing pulleys, 45, 46...Side wall, 5...Extrusion conveying section, 51...Elastic section, 52...Chain, 53A, 53B...Sprocket, 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 tube, 7A1...Cap, 7A2...Container section, 8...Article alignment section

Claims

1. An article alignment mechanism that aligns articles having a first diameter portion having a predetermined diameter and a second diameter portion having a diameter smaller than the first diameter portion, comprising: an article holding portion having a groove for supporting the first diameter portion and holding the article in a predetermined attitude into which the second diameter portion fits; a groove input portion into which a plurality of loose articles are input and which changes the attitude of the articles and inputs them into the groove; and an extrusion conveying portion that changes the attitude of the articles that are not in the predetermined attitude by pressing the articles input from the groove input portion into the article holding portion, and extrudes the articles held in the groove out of the groove input portion.

2. The article alignment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the push-out conveying section has an elastic section which presses against the article and is deformed by the force received from the article.

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

4. The article alignment mechanism described in claim 1, characterized in that the extrusion conveying section has a first control mode in which the extrusion conveying section is driven in a direction to push the article out of the groove input section, and a second control mode in which the extrusion conveying section is driven in a direction opposite to the first control mode.

5. The article alignment mechanism described in claim 4, further comprising a detection sensor for detecting the state of the article pushed out from the groove feed section, wherein the extrusion conveying section switches between the first control mode and the second control mode based on the state of the article obtained by the detection sensor.

6. The article alignment mechanism described in claim 1, further comprising: a detection sensor that acquires the state of the article pushed out of the groove input section; and an input amount adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of the article input into the groove based on the state of the article acquired by the detection sensor.

7. The article alignment mechanism described in claim 3, characterized in that the anti-extrusion portion has an upper wall portion and a side wall portion, the article held in the groove in the specified attitude passes through without contacting the upper wall portion and the side wall portion, and the article not held in the groove in the specified attitude comes into contact with the upper wall portion or the side wall portion, thereby preventing passage of the anti-extrusion portion.

8. The article alignment mechanism described in claim 7, characterized in that the side wall portion comprises a side wall shaped to follow a portion of one side of the groove, and a shaft arranged on the opposite side of the side wall across the groove and configured to be rotatable around an axis.

9. The article alignment mechanism described in claim 1, wherein the groove insertion section has a plurality of rollers arranged on both sides of the groove, and the article is inserted into the groove while changing the posture of the article by rotating the plurality of rollers.

10. An article alignment mechanism as described in claim 1, further comprising a belt conveyor for transporting the article to the groove input section, the groove input section comprising a roller arranged on one side of the groove, the belt conveyor and the roller arranged on both sides of the groove, and the article is input into the groove while changing the position of the article by rotating the belt conveyor and the roller.

11. A blood collection tube sorting device comprising: a blood collection tube input section into which loose blood collection tubes are input; a blood collection tube alignment mechanism for aligning the blood collection tubes; and a sorting mechanism configured to sort the blood collection tubes aligned by the blood collection tube alignment mechanism, wherein the blood collection tube alignment mechanism is the article alignment mechanism described in claim 1.

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