Specimen conveyance device

Abstract

The present invention includes: a lower-side conveyance line 4a for conveying a specimen holder 10; an upper-side conveyance line 4b placed above the lower-side conveyance line 4a in the vertical direction; and a specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 for lifting the specimen holder 10, which has been conveyed by the lower-side conveyance line 4a and received by the mechanism, and transferring the specimen holder 10 to the upper-side conveyance line 4b. The specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 includes: a spiral body 11 forming a spiral conveyance line; a push rod 21 that comes into contact with a side face of the specimen holder 10 conveyed by the spiral body 11; and a drive part 26 that rotates the spiral body 11. This makes it possible to provide a specimen conveyance device that achieves higher stability in upward and downward conveyance of a specimen holder than the prior art.

Description

Sample transport device

[0001] The present invention relates to a specimen transport device.

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a specimen testing automation system in which an empty rack transport line is arranged at a lower level, independent of the main transport line, emergency overtaking line, and return line, and is connected to the empty rack transport line by an inclined transport line within a rack stocker between a storage module and an input module, thereby avoiding the intersection of transport lines and enabling continuous supply and collection of empty racks.

[0003] JP 2015-121562 A

[0004] In a sample testing system, in addition to an analyzer, multiple transport lines are provided for transporting samples. In particular, when the transport lines are provided vertically, a mechanism is required to raise and lower the samples from one transport line to the other.

[0005] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not have a mechanism for controlling the posture of the object being transported, and it has become clear that there is room for improvement in stability when transporting the object up and down.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a specimen transport device that can improve the stability of the upward and downward transport of a specimen holder compared to conventional devices.

[0007] The present invention includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and one example thereof includes a first conveying line for conveying holders, a second conveying line positioned vertically above the first conveying line, and a lifting mechanism that, when the holder conveyed by the first conveying line or the second conveying line is conveyed in, raises or lowers the holder and conveys it out to the other conveying line, and the lifting mechanism has a spiral body that forms a spiral conveying line, a pushing body that contacts the side of the holder conveyed by the spiral body, and a drive unit that rotates the spiral body or the pushing body.

[0008] According to the present invention, the stability of the upward and downward transport of the specimen holder can be improved compared to the prior art. Objects, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a top view showing the configuration of a sample testing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a sample transport apparatus according to Example 1. FIG. 3 is a top view showing the configuration of a sample holder lifting mechanism in the sample transport apparatus according to Example 1. FIG. 4 is a top sectional view showing the configuration around a sample holder outlet of the sample holder lifting mechanism in the sample transport apparatus according to Example 1. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration around a sample holder outlet of the sample holder lifting mechanism in the sample transport apparatus according to Example 1. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of a sample holder lowering mechanism in the sample transport apparatus according to Example 1. FIG. 7 is a top view of a sample transport apparatus according to Example 2. FIG. 8 is a side view of a sample transport apparatus according to Example 2.

[0010] The following describes an embodiment of the specimen transport device of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in this specification, identical or similar reference numerals are used to designate identical or corresponding components, and repeated explanations of these components may be omitted.

[0011] Example 1 Example 1 of the sample transport device of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Figure 1 is a top view showing the configuration of the sample testing system, Figure 2 is a side sectional view of the sample holder lifting mechanism, Figure 3 is a top view showing the configuration of the sample holder lifting mechanism, Figure 4 is a top sectional view showing the configuration around the sample holder outlet of the sample holder lifting mechanism, Figure 5 is a side view showing the configuration around the sample holder outlet of the sample holder lifting mechanism, and Figure 6 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the sample holder lowering mechanism.

[0012] First, the overall configuration of a sample testing system equipped with a sample transport device will be described with reference to FIG.

[0013] The sample testing system shown in FIG. 1 includes a pretreatment device 1, a sample transport device 2, an analyzer 3, and a transport line 4.

[0014] The pretreatment device 1 pretreats the specimen before the analysis process in the analyzer 3. Specifically, after the operator inserts a specimen container containing the specimen, the pretreatment device 1 performs processes such as centrifugation, uncapping, and dispensing according to the requested items. In addition, posttreatment can be performed as necessary.

[0015] A transport line 4 is connected to the pre-treatment device 1 and the sample transport device 2, and the sample that has been pre-treated in the pre-treatment device 1 is transported to the sample transport device 2 via the transport line 4 together with a sample holder 10 that supports the sample container.

[0016] The specimen transport device 2 transfers specimen holders transported from the pretreatment device 1 via the transport line 4 to a different transport line 4 and transports them to the analysis device 3, and is equipped with a lower transport line 4a that transports specimen holders 10, an upper transport line 4b that is positioned vertically above the lower transport line 4a, a specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 that lifts the specimen holder 10 transported by the lower transport line 4a and transports it to the upper transport line 4b when the specimen holder 10 transported by the lower transport line 4a is brought in, and a specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 that lowers the specimen holder 10 and transports it to the lower transport line 4a when the specimen holder 10 transported by the upper transport line 4b is brought in.

[0017] For example, the sample transport device 2 raises and lowers the sample holder 10 transported from the lower transport line 4a using the sample holder lifting mechanism 5, and then transports the sample holder 10 from the upper transport line 4b to the analyzer 3. The analyzer 3 analyzes the sample in the sample container supported by the transported sample holder 10.

[0018] After dispensing and analysis in the analyzer 3, the specimens are transported to a storage module or an unloading section in the pretreatment device 1 via the upper transport line 4b, the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6, and the lower transport line 4a in that order.

[0019] The specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 and the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 are not limited to being mounted on the specimen transport device 2, but may also be mounted on other modules such as the pretreatment device 1.

[0020] First, the configuration of the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 will be described below with reference to Figures 2 to 5. The specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 and specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 transport specimen holders 10 with or without specimen containers, but for convenience of illustration, the following description will be given taking the specimen holder 10 with or without specimen containers as an example.

[0021] The lower transport line 4a shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 transports the specimen holder 10 in a direction approaching the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5, and at its end, carries the specimen holder 10 into the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5.

[0022] On the other hand, the upper transport line 4 b carries the specimen holder 10 out of the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 at its end and transports the specimen holder 10 in a direction away from the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 .

[0023] The specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 is arranged adjacent to each transport line and is a transfer mechanism for the specimen holder 10 that lifts the specimen holder 10 transported from the lower transport line 4a and transports it to the upper transport line 4b.

[0024] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 includes a spiral body 11, a lower loading / unloading opening 13, a push rod 21, a drive unit 26, a guide 14, an upper loading / unloading opening 31, an unloading guide 32, and an unloading push rod 33.

[0025] The spiral body 11 is a cylindrical member with a conveying surface 12 and a guide 14 formed on its inner circumference, and has a lower loading / unloading opening 13 on the lower end side of the outer surface and an upper loading / unloading opening 31 on the upper end side as openings.

[0026] The transport surface 12 is a surface along which the specimen holder 10 slides upward. The guide 14 is provided along the vertical upper side of the transport surface 12 and is a member that prevents the specimen holder 10 from falling over when the specimen holder 10 ascends.

[0027] The lower loading / unloading port 13 is an entrance through which the specimen holder 10 is loaded from the lower transport line 4a onto the spiral body 11. In contrast, the upper loading / unloading port 31 is an exit through which the specimen holder 10 is loaded from the spiral body 11 onto the upper transport line 4b. The transport surface 12 and the guide 14 are arranged in a spiral shape from the lower loading / unloading port 13 to the upper loading / unloading port 31.

[0028] In the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5, the positional relationship between the lower inlet / outlet 13 and the upper inlet / outlet 31 and the lower transport line 4a and upper transport line 4b is such that, in order to ensure more reliable loading and lifting using only the push rod 21, at the lower inlet / outlet 13, which is the inlet side, the upper end surface 4a1 of the lower transport line 4a is higher in the vertical direction than the upper end surface 13a1 of the lower inlet / outlet 13. In contrast, at the upper inlet / outlet 31, which is the outlet side, the outlet push rod 33 and outlet guide 32, which will be described later, are present, so they can be provided on the same plane, but there is no particularly preferred positional relationship and they can be changed as appropriate.

[0029] The push rod 21 is arranged coaxially inside the spiral body 11 so as to contact the side surface of the specimen holder 10 that the spiral body 11 transports, and is arranged consistently from the lower loading / unloading opening 13 to the upper loading / unloading opening 31. The push rod 21 has a surface that is larger than the radius of the specimen holder 10.

[0030] The push rod 21 can be provided spirally on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 21a of the push rod 21 so as to be perpendicular to the conveying surface 12 of the spiral body 11. That is, of the multiple surfaces of the push rod 21, the surface 21b that comes into contact with the specimen holder 10 can be arranged perpendicular to the spiral body 11. This prevents force from acting on the specimen holder 10 in a direction different from the conveying direction, and more reliably prevents the specimen holder 10 from clogging or tipping over.

[0031] The drive unit 26 is connected to the shaft 21a and is configured with a motor or the like that rotates the shaft 21a, i.e., the push rod 21. The drive unit 26 may be configured to rotate the spiral body 11 instead of rotating the push rod 21.

[0032] When the specimen holder 10 is carried into the spiral body 11, the drive unit 26 rotates the push rod 21. As a result, the specimen holder 10 is pushed by the push rod 21 and rises along the transport surface 12 of the spiral body 11.

[0033] The discharge guide 32 is disposed on the upper loading / unloading port 31 side and is a mechanism for urging the specimen holder 10 toward the upper loading / unloading port 31. When the specimen holder 10 rises to the upper loading / unloading port 31, it is pushed out of the spiral body 11 so as to be sandwiched between the discharge guide 32 and the discharge push rod 33.

[0034] The discharge push rod 33 is a mechanism that rotates coaxially relative to the spiral body 11 by the drive unit 26 and pushes the specimen holder 10 toward the upper loading / unloading opening 31, and is arranged behind the push rod 21. The discharge push rod 33 is arranged only at the same height as the upper loading / unloading opening 31. When the specimen holder 10 is raised, the specimen holder 10 is in contact with the push rod 21 and does not come into contact with the discharge push rod 33. The discharge push rod 33 is long enough so as not to come into contact with the inner wall of the spiral body 11.

[0035] Next, the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0036] 6, on the side of the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6, the upper transport line 4b transports the specimen holder 10 in a direction approaching the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6, and at its end, transports the specimen holder 10 into the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6. On the other hand, the lower transport line 4a transports the specimen holder 10 out of the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 at its end, and transports the specimen holder 10 in a direction away from the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6.

[0037] Next, the configuration of the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 will be described.

[0038] The specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 is a transfer mechanism for the specimen holder 10, which is disposed adjacent to each transport line and lowers the specimen holder 10 transported from the upper transport line 4b and transports it to the lower transport line 4a.

[0039] Like the specimen holder raising mechanism 5, the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 also comprises a spiral body 11, a lower loading / unloading opening 13, a push rod 21, a drive unit 26, a guide 14, an upper loading / unloading opening 31, an unloading guide 32, and an unloading push rod 33.

[0040] The difference from the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 is that the lower loading / unloading port 13 is the side from which the specimen holder 10 is unloaded, an unloading guide 32 urges the specimen holder 10 toward the lower loading / unloading port 13, and an unloading push rod 33 rotates relatively on the same axis as the spiral body 11 by a drive unit 26, pushing the specimen holder 10 toward the lower loading / unloading port 13. The rest of the configuration of the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 is basically the same as that of the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5, so only the differences will be explained here.

[0041] In the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6, the positional relationship between the lower inlet / outlet 13 and the upper inlet / outlet 31 and the lower transport line 4a and upper transport line 4b is such that, similar to the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5, the upper end surface 4b1 of the upper transport line 4b at the upper inlet / outlet 31, which is the inlet side, is higher in the vertical direction than the upper end surface 31b1 of the upper inlet / outlet 31, in order to more reliably load specimens and stably lower specimens with the push rod 21. In contrast, at the lower inlet / outlet 13, which is the outlet side, the outlet push rod 33 and outlet guide 32, which will be described later, are present, so they can be provided on the same plane, but there is no particularly preferred positional relationship and these can be changed as appropriate.

[0042] Next, the operation of the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0043] The specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 is disposed adjacent to each transport line, and lowers the specimen holder 10 transported from the upper transport line 4b and transports it to the lower transport line 4a. At this time, the push rod 21 that pushes the specimen holder 10 in the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 rotates while being positioned in front of the specimen holder 10 in the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6, thereby preventing the specimen holder 10 from freely descending along the transport surface 12. This achieves more stable downward transport than conventional methods.

[0044] When the specimen holder 10 descends along the push rod 21 to the height of the lower inlet / outlet 13, it is sandwiched between the outlet guide 32 and the outlet push rod 33 and pushed out, and is transported from the spiral body 11 to the lower transport line 4a.

[0045] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0046] The specimen transport device 2 of the first embodiment of the present invention described above comprises a lower transport line 4a for transporting specimen holders 10, an upper transport line 4b arranged vertically above the lower transport line 4a, a specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 for lifting the specimen holder 10 and transporting it to the upper transport line 4b when the specimen holder 10 transported by the lower transport line 4a is brought in, and a specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 for lowering the specimen holder 10 and transporting it to the lower transport line 4a when the specimen holder 10 transported by the upper transport line 4b is brought in. The specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 and the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 each comprise a spiral body 11 on which a transport surface 12 is formed, a push rod 21 that contacts the side of the specimen holder 10 transported by the spiral body 11, and a drive unit 26 that rotates the spiral body 11 or the push rod 21.

[0047] In this way, by rotating the push rod 21 and the conveying surface 12 relative to each other on the same axis, the object to be conveyed can be raised and lowered stably, thereby improving the stability when conveying the object to be conveyed up and down compared to the conventional method.

[0048] In addition, the spiral body 11 is arranged along the vertically upper side of the transport surface 12, and a guide 14 is further formed to prevent the specimen holder 10 from tipping over, so that force is not applied to the specimen holder 10 in a direction other than the transport direction, preventing the specimen holder 10 from clogging or tipping over, thereby further improving the stability of transport.

[0049] Furthermore, the surface 21b of the push rod 21 that comes into contact with the specimen holder 10 is positioned perpendicular to the spiral body 11, thereby increasing the contact area with the specimen holder 10 and further improving the stability of transportation.

[0050] Furthermore, the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 and the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 further include an upper loading / unloading opening 31 for unloading the specimen holder 10, an unloading guide 32 for urging the specimen holder 10 toward the upper loading / unloading opening 31, and an unloading push rod 33 that rotates relatively on the same axis as the spiral body 11 by the drive unit 26 and pushes the specimen holder 10 toward the upper loading / unloading opening 31, thereby enabling the transport object to be transported more smoothly to the transport line on the unloading opening side.

[0051] In addition, the example shown is one in which the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5, which transports the specimen holder vertically upward, and the specimen holder lowering mechanism 6, which transports the specimen holder vertically downward, are separate, i.e., dedicated to either lifting or lowering transport, but the structure can also be such that it can be used for both lifting and lowering transport.

[0052] A sample transport device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a top view showing an example of a sample holder lifting mechanism that transports multiple sample holders in one revolution, and Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example in which a sample holder stopper is arranged on the transport line.

[0053] In the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 and specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 of the first embodiment, one specimen holder 10 is transported per stage of the transport surface 12. In contrast, the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A of the present embodiment has a plurality of push rods 21 arranged in the circumferential direction when the specimen transport device 2 is viewed from above in the vertical direction, as shown in Fig. 7, and transports a plurality of specimen holders 10 per stage of the transport surface 12, thereby realizing stable transport and improving transport efficiency compared to the first embodiment.

[0054] FIG. 7 shows an example in which three push rods 21 and three transport push rods 33 are arranged, and this configuration makes it possible to transport three specimen holders 10 with one rotation.

[0055] By increasing the diameter of the spiral body 11 and the shaft 21a of the push rod 21, it is possible to increase the number of specimen holders 10 that can be transported on one stage of the transport surface 12. Furthermore, when transporting multiple specimen holders 10 on one stage of the transport surface 12, only the push rod 21 is rotated by the drive unit 26.

[0056] Similarly, the specimen holder lowering mechanism can also have a plurality of push rods 21 and ejection push rods 33, but the structure is substantially the same, so details are omitted.

[0057] When transporting a plurality of specimen holders 10 on one stage of the transport surface 12, it is important to adjust the timing at which the specimen holders 10 are transported into the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A and the specimen holder lowering mechanism.

[0058] Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, it is more desirable to provide the lower transport line 4a with a specimen holder stopper 41 that is provided on the entrance side to the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A and operates in cooperation with the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A, and / or to provide the upper transport line 4b with a specimen holder stopper that is provided on the entrance side to the specimen holder lowering mechanism and operates in cooperation with the specimen holder lowering mechanism, in order to control the timing of loading of the specimen holder 10.

[0059] 8 shows an example in which a specimen holder stopper 41 is arranged on the lower transport line 4a that transports the specimen holders 10 to the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A. The specimen holder stopper 41 is movable and operates in conjunction with the rotation of the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A.

[0060] Although the specimen holder stopper 41 is shown as being installed when using a specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A equipped with a plurality of push rods 21 and an ejection push rod 33, it can also be installed for timing adjustment when using a specimen holder lifting mechanism 5 and a specimen holder lowering mechanism 6 that transport one specimen holder 10 per stage of the transport surface 12 as in Example 1.

[0061] The other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the specimen transport device of the first embodiment, and the details thereof will be omitted.

[0062] The specimen transport apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention also provides substantially the same effects as those of the specimen transport apparatus according to the first embodiment described above.

[0063] Furthermore, the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A has multiple push rods 21 arranged circumferentially when the specimen transport device 2 is viewed from above in the vertical direction, thereby further improving the efficiency of upward and downward transport.

[0064] Furthermore, by providing a specimen holder stopper 41 on the lower conveying line 4a at the entrance to the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A and operating in conjunction with the specimen holder lifting mechanism 5A, and / or on the upper conveying line 4b at the entrance to the specimen holder lowering mechanism and operating in conjunction with the specimen holder lowering mechanism, the timing of transport can be adjusted, thereby achieving stable, high-speed transport.

[0065] <Others> The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and includes various modifications. The above-described examples have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all of the described configurations.

[0066] It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of one embodiment to the configuration of another embodiment.It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment.

[0067] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Pretreatment device 2...Sample transport device 3...Analyzer 4...Transport line 4a...Lower transport line (first transport line) 4a1...Upper end surface 4b...Upper transport line (second transport line) 4b1...Upper end surface 5, 5A...Sample holder lifting mechanism (lifting mechanism) 6...Sample holder lowering mechanism (lifting mechanism) 10...Sample holder (holder) 11...Spiral body 12...Transport surface (spiral transport line) 13...Lower carry-in / outlet (carry-out outlet) 13a1...Upper end surface 14...Guide 21...Push rod (push body) 21a...Shaft 21b...Surface 26...Drive unit 31...Upper carry-in / outlet (carry-out outlet) 31b1...Upper end surface 32...Carry-out guide 33...Carry-out push rod (carry-out push body) 41...Sample holder stopper

Claims

1. A specimen transport device comprising: a first transport line for transporting holders; a second transport line arranged vertically above the first transport line; and a lifting mechanism for raising or lowering the holder when the holder transported by the first or second transport line is carried in, and transporting it to the other transport line, wherein the lifting mechanism has: a spiral body on which a spiral transport line is formed; a pushing body that comes into contact with the side of the holder transported by the spiral body; and a drive unit that rotates the spiral body or the pushing body.

2. A specimen transport device according to claim 1, wherein the spiral body is provided along the vertically upper side of the spiral transport line, and further includes a guide for preventing the holder from tipping over.

3. A specimen transport device according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the pushing body that comes into contact with the holder is arranged perpendicular to the spiral body.

4. A specimen transport device according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism further comprises: an outlet for transporting the holder; an outlet guide for urging the holder towards the outlet; and an outlet pusher that rotates coaxially relative to the spiral body by the drive unit and pushes the holder towards the outlet.

5. A specimen transport device according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism has a plurality of pushing bodies arranged in the circumferential direction when the specimen transport device is viewed from above in the vertical direction.

6. A specimen transport device according to claim 1, further comprising a holder stopper that is provided on the inlet side of the first transport line or the second transport line to the lifting mechanism and that operates in conjunction with the lifting mechanism.

Images