Article aligning and conveying device

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a simple article aligning and conveying device capable of conveying articles with a locally large diameter at a higher throughput than a conventional device, and reducing the risk of clogging and falling. An article alignment and conveying device according to the present disclosure comprises: a supply unit that supplies articles in an orientation in which a first-diameter part of an article is disposed as an upper part and a second-diameter part is disposed as a lower part; a holding unit that arranges the plurality of articles supplied from the supply unit in parallel and holds the articles in one row; an alignment unit that abuts on each of the plurality of articles held by the holding unit and pushes and moves the articles; and a control unit that controls the alignment unit. The control unit controls the alignment unit to push and move an article, and where at least one other article is already held on the other end side of the holding unit, the control unit causes the alignment unit to contact with the other article and push and move the articles together, and performs control to arrange the plurality of articles at predetermined positions and intervals in the holding unit.

Description

Article alignment and transport device

[0001] The present invention relates to an article aligning and conveying 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 configure the devices so that blood collection tubes can be directly inserted into the device in random positions (loose), from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of manual work.

[0003] In some devices for processing large-diameter items such as blood collection tubes, the large-diameter portion is first hooked between two rails, aligned in a predetermined direction, and then transported out. An example of such a device is described in Patent Document 1.

[0004] Patent Document 1 states, "Furthermore, the rotary transport unit 60 has the function of rotating and transporting the cuvette 200 that has slid down the transport rail 51 in the direction of arrow H (see FIG. 6) to a standby position where the supply catcher unit 70 can grasp it. The rotary transport unit 60 includes a support base 61, a rotatable turntable 62 attached to the support base 61, and a drive motor 63 for driving the turntable 62. When the drive motor 63 rotates the turntable 62 in the direction of arrow H, the cuvette 200 fitted into the three notches 62a of the turntable 62 is transported to the notches 61a of the support base 61 (standby position)." Also, there is a method of transporting some large-diameter objects by loading the objects onto a feed screw.

[0005] Patent document 2 states, "The transport unit 38 is provided to move pipette tips 2 that have slid down the inclined surface 374 of the sorting mechanism 37 in the direction of arrow X1 (see Figure 15). As shown in Figure 15, this transport unit 38 is composed of a motor 381 serving as a driving source, a gear 382 attached to the motor 381, a feed screw 383, a shaft 384, a gear 385 attached to the feed screw 383 and meshing with the gear 382, ​​and a gear 386 attached to the shaft 384 and meshing with the gear 385."

[0006] JP 2007-309792 A JP 2007-170980 A

[0007] However, the method of transporting containers such as blood collection tubes one by one using an arm as in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is not possible to increase throughput. Also, the method of transferring containers from an alignment rail to a rotary table as in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the orientation of the containers becomes unstable, making them prone to clogging on the rotary table or alignment rail.

[0008] Alternatively, in the method of dropping an article onto a feed screw and transporting it, as in Patent Document 2, there is a concern that the large diameter portion of the article may get caught in the feed screw, causing the article to fall. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 is a method in which articles are dropped one after another onto the feed screw from above, which means that it cannot process multiple articles loaded at the same time, and it is necessary to wait for each article to pass after it is dropped. This makes it difficult to improve throughput, and in addition, a mechanism for loading articles one by one onto the feed screw is required in the upstream stage.

[0009] The present disclosure provides an article alignment and conveyance device that can convey some large-diameter articles at a higher throughput than conventional devices, has a low risk of clogging or falling, and has a simple structure.

[0010] The object aligning and conveying device of the present disclosure that solves the above problem is an object aligning and conveying device that aligns cylindrical objects having a first diameter portion and a second diameter portion that is smaller than the first diameter portion, and includes: a supply unit that supplies the objects in an orientation in which the first diameter portion of the object is positioned at the top and the second diameter portion is positioned at the bottom; a holding unit that holds multiple objects supplied from the supply unit in a line in parallel; an alignment unit that abuts against and pushes each of the multiple objects held in the holding unit; and a control unit that controls the alignment unit, wherein when an object is supplied from the supply unit to one end of the holding unit, the control unit controls the alignment unit to push the object toward the other end of the holding unit, and if at least one other object is already held on the other end side of the holding unit than the object, the control unit pushes and moves the other object together with the object, and controls to arrange the multiple objects at a predetermined position and interval on the holding unit.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an article aligning and conveying device that is safer and faster than conventional devices and has a simple structure.

[0012] Further features related to the present disclosure will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure are achieved and realized by the elements and combinations of various elements, as well as 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.

[0013] 1 is a perspective view showing an article alignment and conveying device in Example 1. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the article alignment and conveying device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which aligned blood collection tubes are lifted by a conveying tray. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the open / close rails are open. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a supply unit. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control content by the control unit. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the blood collection tubes are not aligned upright in the article alignment and conveying device. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a sorting unit of the article alignment and conveying device. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a sequence for loading blood collection tubes into a buffer. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of blood collection tubes handled by the article alignment and conveying device. FIG. 11 is a bottom view showing an article alignment and conveying device in Example 2.

[0014] [Embodiment 1] An embodiment of an article aligning and conveying device according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Note that common members in each figure are given the same reference numerals.

[0015] The article aligning and carrying-out device 1 is a device that aligns a plurality of articles at predetermined positions and intervals and carries them out, and in this embodiment, a blood collection tube 2 will be used as an example of the article.

[0016] 10 shows blood collection tubes 2, 2B, 2C, and 2D as examples of blood collection tubes 2 handled by the article sorting and carrying-out device of this embodiment 1. The blood collection tube 2 includes a cap portion 21 and a main body portion 22. Both the cap portion 21 and the main body portion 22 are substantially cylindrical, but the cap portion 21 has a larger diameter and the main body portion 22 has a smaller diameter. The cap portion 21 corresponds to the first diameter portion in the claims, and the main body portion 22 corresponds to the second diameter portion in the claims.

[0017] Similarly, blood collection tubes 2B, 2C, and 2D each include a cap portion 2B1, 2C1, or 2D1, and a main body portion 2B2, 2C2, or 2D2. Although the cap portions 21, 2B1, 2C1, or 2D1 and the main body portions 22, 2B2, 2C2, or 2D2 of blood collection tubes 2, 2B, 2C, and 2D have different lengths, they have roughly the same diameter, and all of them can be handled by the article aligning and carrying out device 1.

[0018] Furthermore, in addition to blood collection tubes, any article with a large diameter in one portion, such as the cap portion 21, can be handled by the article aligning and carrying out device 1 by designing it accordingly. For example, pipette tips, medical containers, etc. also have such shape characteristics.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an article aligning and carrying out device according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the article aligning and carrying out device.

[0020] 1, the article aligning and carrying out device 1 includes a supply unit 4, a holding unit 11, a control unit 12, an alignment unit 13, and a carrying out unit 3. The supply unit 4 supplies blood collection tubes 2 to the holding unit 11, which holds the plurality of blood collection tubes 2 in a line in parallel arrangement, the alignment unit 13 aligns the plurality of blood collection tubes 2 held in the holding unit 11 at predetermined positions and intervals, and the carrying out unit 3 carries out the plurality of blood collection tubes 2 aligned by the alignment unit 13.

[0021] The holding portion 11 has a pair of rails 11A, 11B extending horizontally at a fixed distance from each other. The pair of rails 11A, 11B are made of flat plate members having a predetermined thickness, and the width of a slit formed between the pair of rails 11A, 11B is set to be wider than the diameter of the main body portion 22 and narrower than the diameter of the cap portion 21.

[0022] The holder 11 holds the blood collection tube 2 in a vertically extending position with the cap portion 21 located on top and the body portion 22 located on the bottom by placing the body portion 22 of the blood collection tube 2 between the rails 11A and 11B and placing the cap portion 21 astride the rails 11A and 11B. The cap portion 21 slides along the top surfaces of the rails 11A and 11B, so that the blood collection tube 2 is held so as to be able to move back and forth along the extension direction of the rails 11A and 11B. The rails 11A and 11B are long enough to hold a plurality of blood collection tubes 2 side by side.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the state in which the aligned blood collection tubes are lifted by the discharge tray, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the open-close rail. Of the rails 11A and 11B, rail 11B includes a fixed rail 11B2 and an open-close rail 11B1 that can open the gap between rail 11A and rail 11B1 from a holding position connected to fixed rail 11B2 to release the holding of the blood collection tubes 2. Open-close rail 11B1 is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 112 extending along the longitudinal direction of rail 11B, and is rotated by a rotation actuator (not shown) to be selectively disposed between a holding position (see Figs. 2 and 3) and an open position (see Fig. 4).

[0024] The holding unit 11 can be opened from the rail 11A by rotating the open / close rail 11B1 and moving it from the holding position to the open position. The unloading unit 3 can unload the blood collection tube 2 from the holding unit 11 by horizontally moving the unloading tray 31 toward the open / close rail 11B1 to slightly separate the blood collection tube 2 from the rail 11A and then lowering it.

[0025] In this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the opening / closing rail 11B1 is rotated to open the space between the rail 11A, but it is also possible to use a configuration in which the opening / closing rail 11B1 is slid to open the space between the rail 11A.

[0026] 2, the alignment portion 13 is disposed directly below the rail 11A. The alignment portion 13 has a cylindrical shaft portion 132 that extends parallel to the rail 11A, and a spiral protrusion portion 131 that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shaft portion 132 and continues spirally in the axial direction of the cylindrical shaft portion 132.

[0027] The alignment unit 13 has a structure in which both ends of a cylindrical shaft portion 132 are rotatably supported on a base (not shown), and the cylindrical shaft portion 132 and the spiral protrusion portion 131 rotate integrally. The alignment unit 13 is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical shaft portion 132 is aligned vertically and at the same position as the end face of the rail 11A, and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical shaft portion 132 is in general contact with the main body portion 22 of the blood collection tube 2 held in the holder 11.

[0028] At least a portion of the spiral protrusion 131 of the alignment unit 13 has a pitch equal to the predetermined position and spacing for aligning multiple blood collection tubes 2. The pitch, which is the spiral spacing of the spiral protrusion 131, is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the body 22 of the blood collection tube 2. The protrusion height of the spiral protrusion 131 from the cylindrical shaft 132 is large enough that, when the cylindrical shaft 132 is rotated, it can come into contact with the body 22 of the blood collection tube 2 held in the holder 11 and press and move the body 22 of the blood collection tube 2 in the axial direction of the cylindrical shaft 132. The blood collection tube 2 mounted on the holder 11 cannot move beyond the spiral protrusion 131.

[0029] When multiple blood collection tubes 2 are held in the holder 11, the spiral protrusion 131 rotates integrally with the cylindrical shaft 132, thereby coming into contact with all of the blood collection tubes 2 held in the holder 11 and pushing and moving each of the blood collection tubes 2 along the rails 11A, 11B of the holder 11. In other words, when a blood collection tube 2 is supplied to one end of the holder 11, if at least one other blood collection tube 2 is already held closer to the other end of the holder 11 than the supplied blood collection tube 2, the spiral protrusion 131 will come into contact with each of the other blood collection tubes 2 and push and move them together, thereby arranging the multiple blood collection tubes 2 at predetermined positions and intervals on the holder.

[0030] When the alignment unit 13 rotates forward, the spiral protrusion 131 comes into contact with the retreating surface of the main body 22 of the blood collection tube 2, pushing and moving the blood collection tube 2 in the forward direction (leftward in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 ), which is one axial side of the cylindrical shaft 132, thereby moving the blood collection tube 2 forward. Then, in conjunction with the forward rotation of the cylindrical shaft 132, the multiple blood collection tubes 2 are sequentially supplied one by one between the pitches of the spiral protrusion 131 from one end of the alignment unit 13, and ultimately, the multiple blood collection tubes 2 can be aligned at predetermined positions and intervals in accordance with the pitch of the spiral protrusion 131.

[0031] The predetermined intervals and the spiral pitch of the spiral protrusion 131 are not limited to being equal intervals, and may be shaped so that the pitch varies along the way. In this case, the distance that the blood collection tube 2 moves forward is determined by the position of the blood collection tube 2, the pitch of the alignment unit 13, and the number of rotations.

[0032] The alignment unit 13 is driven to rotate forward or backward by an actuator 17. The actuator 17 is connected to the cylindrical shaft 132 of the alignment unit 13 via a gear at its output section, and rotates it. The actuator 17 is, for example, a stepping motor, but is not limited to this, and any actuator capable of controlling the rotation angle can be used. The actuator 17 is controlled by the control unit 12.

[0033] The control unit 12 is configured by an electronic control device having a CPU and memory, and controls the holding unit 11, the alignment unit 13, the supply unit 4, and the discharge unit 3. The control unit 12 controls the alignment unit 13 based on the detection results of the arrival detection unit 15 and the advance detection unit 16.

[0034] The arrival detection unit 15 is provided at one end of the holder 11 and detects that the blood collection tube 2 has reached the entrance of the alignment unit 13. The advancement detection unit 16 is disposed at a position further forward than the arrival detection unit 15 and detects the advancement of the blood collection tube 2 held in the holder 11. In other words, the advancement detection unit 16 detects that the blood collection tube 2 has moved forward from the arrival position toward the other end of the holder 11. The arrival detection unit 15 and the advancement detection unit 16 can also be replaced by a camera. However, using a photoelectric sensor is inexpensive and allows for fast detection.

[0035] The control unit 12 controls the actuator 17 based on the detection result of the arrival detection unit 15, and by rotating the cylindrical shaft portion 132 through the rotational drive of the alignment unit 13, multiple blood collection tubes 2 are continuously taken in one by one in order between the pitches of the spiral protrusion portion 131, thereby controlling so that there is no gap of at least one tube in the row of multiple blood collection tubes 2 held in the holding unit 11.

[0036] The control unit 12 can confirm the position of the blood collection tube 2 in the holder 11 by detecting the forward movement of the blood collection tube 2 with the forward movement detection unit 16, and can determine whether the aligning unit 13 has failed to pick up the blood collection tube 2. If the control unit 12 controls the aligning unit 13 to push and move the blood collection tube 2 from the arrival position toward the other end of the holder 11 but the forward movement detection unit 16 does not detect the forward movement of the blood collection tube 2, the control unit 12 controls the actuator 17 to reversely rotate the aligning unit 13 and move the blood collection tube 2 held in the holder 11 backward.

[0037] 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the supply unit. The supply unit 4 has an input unit 41 into which the blood collection tube 2 is input, and a transfer unit 42 that transfers the blood collection tube 2 input into the input unit 41 to the holder 11. The transfer unit 42 has a base 421 in which a transfer groove 422 is formed, which continues between the rails 11A and 11B of the holder 11. The base 421 is made of a flat plate member having approximately the same plate thickness as the rails 11A and 11B.

[0038] The transfer groove 422 has the same width as the slit between the rails 11A and 11B of the holder 11, and holds the blood collection tube 2 in a position extending vertically by inserting the body 22 of the blood collection tube 2 and placing the cap 21 on the base 421. The transfer groove 422 is formed in a substantially U-shape, with one end 422a continuing to the input portion 41 and the other end 422b continuing to the holder 11.

[0039] The transfer unit 42 has a drive chain 423 that rotates circumferentially along the transfer groove 422, and a plurality of pressure plates 424 that protrude radially from the drive chain 423. The drive chain 423 is driven to rotate by a rotary motor (not shown). The control unit 12 controls the rotary motor based on the number and positions of the blood collection tubes 2 in the transfer groove 422 and the holder 11.

[0040] The multiple pressure plates 424 are provided at predetermined intervals on the drive chain 423. As the drive chain 423 rotates, they come into contact with the caps 21 of the blood collection tubes 2 held in the transport grooves 422, pushing and moving the blood collection tubes 2 along the transport grooves 422 from one end 422a to the other end 422b, and supplying them from the other end 422b to the holder 11 of the article aligning and carrying out device 1.

[0041] The input unit 41 has a conveyor 411 that transports the blood collection tubes 2 in a random orientation, and a guide port 412 that changes the orientation of the blood collection tubes 2 transported from the conveyor 411 to a vertical orientation in which the cap portion 21 and the main body portion 22 are positioned one above the other, and guides the blood collection tubes 2 to the transfer groove 422. The guide port 412 is located above one end 422a of the transfer groove 422, and by dropping the blood collection tubes 2 into the transfer groove 422, the blood collection tubes 2 can be held in the transfer groove 422 in a vertical orientation.

[0042] The blood collection tubes 2 are placed on the conveyor 411, but the placement method on the conveyor 411 may be a pre-processing method using some kind of mechanism, or the blood collection tubes 2 may be placed directly by a person. The blood collection tubes 2 are carried by the conveyor 411 to the guide port 412. The blood collection tubes 2 that have flowed into the guide port 412 are placed into the transfer groove 422 and held in a vertical position. The blood collection tubes 2 held in the transfer groove 422 are pressed by the pressing plate 424 as the drive chain 423 rotates, and are pushed and moved while held in the transfer groove 422 toward the holding unit 11 of the article aligning and carrying-out device 1.

[0043] The above-described configuration of the supply unit 4 is one example, and other configurations are also possible in which the blood collection tubes 2 are held in the transfer grooves 422 and supplied to the holder 11 of the article aligning and carrying-out device 1. For example, the transfer grooves 422 may be configured as a slope inclined toward the holder 11, and the blood collection tubes 2 may be supplied to the holder 11 by applying vibration to the base 421.

[0044] The discharge unit 3 is configured to discharge the blood collection tubes 2 aligned by the alignment unit 13. The discharge unit 3 has an output tray 31 that stores the blood collection tubes 2 aligned in an aligned state, and a moving device 34 that moves the output tray 31 in the Z direction (up and down direction) and the XY direction (horizontal direction). The output tray 31 has a vertically long block shape, and its upper surface is opened with a plurality of holding holes 32 into which the plurality of blood collection tubes 2 aligned by the alignment unit 13 can be inserted, respectively.

[0045] Each holding hole 32 has a bottomed recessed shape and a hole diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the main body 22 of the blood collection tube 2. The plurality of holding holes 32 are set at the same pitch interval as the spiral protrusions 131, i.e., the same interval as the arrangement interval of the plurality of blood collection tubes 2 aligned at predetermined intervals by the alignment unit 13. Therefore, by raising the discharge tray 31 and approaching the blood collection tubes 2 held in the holder 11 from below, the plurality of blood collection tubes 2 can be inserted collectively into each holding hole 32, loaded, and then carried out. A more detailed operation will be described later.

[0046] A tapered surface 33 is formed at the upper opening end of each holding hole 32, so that when the discharge tray 31 is raised from below onto the blood collection tubes 2 held by the holding section 11 and aligned by the alignment section 13, even if there is a slight positional misalignment between the position of the holding hole 32 and the position of the lower end of the blood collection tube 2, this can be absorbed and the lower end of the blood collection tube 2 can be guided into the holding hole 32.

[0047] Next, a control flow for aligning the blood collection tubes 2 that have reached the alignment unit 13 will be described. Because the blood collection tubes 2 reach the alignment unit 13 intermittently by the supply unit 4, if the alignment unit 13 is simply rotated forward at all times, the blood collection tubes 2 that reach the alignment unit 13 will be moved forward each time they reach the alignment unit 13. Therefore, for example, if there is a gap between the blood collection tubes 2 that reach the alignment unit 13, there will be a gap of one or more between the blood collection tubes 2 that have already reached the alignment unit 13, and multiple blood collection tubes 2 cannot be closely packed together, and they cannot be aligned at the specified positions and intervals.

[0048] If multiple blood collection tubes 2 cannot be packed and arranged, many blood collection tubes 2 cannot be collectively transported to the output tray 31, resulting in a decrease in throughput. Therefore, the control unit 12 controls the alignment unit 13 to rotate in accordance with the detection by the arrival detection unit 15 that detects that the blood collection tubes 2 have reached the entrance of the alignment unit 13, thereby preventing gaps from occurring between the aligned blood collection tubes 2.

[0049] On the other hand, there is a possibility that gaps will occur in the intervals between the lined up blood collection tubes 2 if the alignment unit 13 fails to pick up a blood collection tube 2 or if the arrival detection unit 15 makes an erroneous detection. Therefore, the control unit 12 performs control to prevent gaps from occurring in the intervals between the lined up blood collection tubes 2 by disposing the advancement detection unit 16 next to the arrival detection unit 15 and detecting the advancement of the blood collection tube 2 with the advancement detection unit 16.

[0050] 6 is a flowchart showing the control contents by the control unit. Here, "forward rotation" in the alignment unit 13 is defined as the rotation direction in which the blood collection tubes 2 move forward, that is, the rotation direction in which the blood collection tubes move leftward in FIG.

[0051] The control unit 12 waits for the arrival detection unit 15 to detect the blood collection tube 2 (S12), and when the arrival detection unit 15 detects the blood collection tube 2, it causes the alignment unit 13 to rotate once in the forward direction (S13). Here, the actuator 17 is controlled to rotate the cylindrical shaft 132 in the forward direction by 360 degrees. In normal operation, the blood collection tube 2 is taken in from one end side of the cylindrical shaft 132 between the pitches of the spiral protrusion 131 and pushed forward. Accordingly, the advancement detection unit 16 detects the blood collection tube 2 advanced by the alignment unit 13 (S14).

[0052] If the forward movement detection unit 16 does not detect a blood collection tube 2, it is possible that the alignment unit 13 failed to pick up a blood collection tube 2 for some reason. In this case, the cylindrical shaft 132 of the alignment unit 13 is rotated once in the reverse direction (S15). This causes all blood collection tubes 2 held in the holder 11 to temporarily retreat. The flow then returns to the initial flow (S12). However, if another blood collection tube 2 is already held on the forward movement side of the forward movement detection unit 16, the arrival detection unit 15 immediately detects the other blood collection tube 2, and S12, S13, and S14 are attempted again. By repeating this process several times, blood collection tubes 2 gradually accumulate in the alignment unit 13, and the discharge portion of the alignment unit 13 is filled with blood collection tubes 2 without any gaps between the blood collection tubes 2. In other words, the same number of blood collection tubes 2 as the number of holding holes 32 in the discharge tray 31 are aligned at predetermined positions and intervals in the discharge portion of the holder 11.

[0053] Whether the discharge portion of the holder 11 is filled with blood collection tubes 2 can be determined by the total number of rotations of the alignment unit 13 (S16). In the configuration shown in Fig. 1, the number of rotations is 15 initially, and 12 thereafter. If the branch in S16 is Yes, the process proceeds to S17.

[0054] In S17, the alignment unit 13 is controlled to rotate a small amount forward and then a small amount backward, thereby standing the blood collection tubes 2 upright. This will be described in detail next. Finally, the plurality of blood collection tubes 2 (12 in this embodiment) held in the holder 11 are collectively carried out by the discharge tray 31 of the discharge unit 3 (S18), and the system waits until the next blood collection tube 2 arrives (S12). By repeating S12 to S18, the blood collection tubes 2 that are inserted one after another can be aligned, and the same number of blood collection tubes 2 as the number of holding holes 32 of the discharge tray 31 can be collectively carried out by the discharge unit 3 without leaving any gaps between the blood collection tubes 2.

[0055] A detailed description will be given of the control (S17) for slightly rotating the aligning unit 13 in the reverse direction shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the blood collection tubes 2 are not aligned upright in the article aligning and carrying-out device 1.

[0056] When the blood collection tube 2 held in the holder 11 is pressed by the alignment unit 13, a frictional force is generated between the cap portion 21 of the blood collection tube 2 and the holder 11. This frictional force and the force with which the alignment unit 13 presses the main body portion 22 of the blood collection tube 2 generate a clockwise moment as shown in Fig. 7 in the blood collection tube 2 when it moves forward, and the blood collection tube 2 is tilted so that the lower end of the main body portion 22 is positioned closer to the other end of the holder 11 than the cap portion 21, as shown in Fig. 7.

[0057] Because the blood collection tube 2 has a certain length, when it is tilted in this manner, the lower end of the main body 22 of the blood collection tube 2 becomes misaligned, as shown in Fig. 7. A tapered surface 33 is formed at the open end of the holding hole 32 of the discharge part 3, and even if the lower end of the blood collection tube 2 is slightly misaligned, the lower end of the blood collection tube 2 can be guided into the holding hole 32. However, if the inclination of the blood collection tube 2 becomes large, even the tapered surface 33 cannot guide it, and there is a concern that the misalignment of the blood collection tube 2 cannot be absorbed. For example, if the cap 21 of the blood collection tube 2 is made of a material with high friction, such as rubber, the inclination of the blood collection tube 2 may become large.

[0058] As a solution to the above problem, in the control flow shown in FIG. 6 , as preparation before transporting the blood collection tube 2 (S18), in S17 immediately before transporting, the actuator 17 is controlled to slightly reversely rotate the alignment unit 13, thereby reducing the inclination of the blood collection tube 2 and reducing the positional deviation of the blood collection tube 2 to a range that can be absorbed by the tapered surface 33 of the holding hole 32.

[0059] 7 shows a tilted blood collection tube 2 and a non-tilted blood collection tube 2F. From the tilted state of the blood collection tube 2 as shown in Fig. 7, the cylindrical shaft portion 132 of the alignment unit 13 is rotated slightly in the reverse direction, causing the spiral protrusion portion 131 of the alignment unit 13 to abut against the forward-moving surface of the main body portion 22 of the blood collection tube 2, and the portion supporting the tilt of the blood collection tube 2 is pushed and moved (toward the right direction Ba in the figure), thereby eliminating the tilt of the blood collection tube 2 and bringing it closer to an upright position.

[0060] On the other hand, for a blood collection tube 2F that is not tilted and is standing upright, the main body 2F2 is subjected to a force that moves it backward, and a moment that rotates it clockwise. However, since the blood collection tube 2F is not originally tilted, the friction coefficient of the cap portion 2F1 of the blood collection tube 2 is small, and the amount of tilt due to the rotation moment is small. Alternatively, the blood collection tube 2F moves backward while remaining upright (to the right direction Ba in the figure). Therefore, the blood collection tube 2F does not tilt as much as a blood collection tube 2 that was originally tilted significantly.

[0061] This reduces the amount of tilt of the blood collection tubes 2, 2F, and reduces the positional deviation of the blood collection tubes 2 to a level that can be absorbed by the tapered surface 33 at the upper open end of the holding hole 32. The discharge unit 3 is kept at a position corresponding to the position after the alignment unit 13 is slightly retracted (S17).

[0062] The alignment unit 13 is configured to rotate clockwise, so that the tilting moment of the blood collection tubes 2 is smaller in the backward direction than in the forward direction. The alignment unit 13 is configured to rotate clockwise as shown in FIG. 7 and is located in front of the blood collection tubes 2.

[0063] In terms of the contact state between the alignment unit 13 and the blood collection tube 2, when the blood collection tube 2 is retracted, the contact is made above the cylindrical shaft portion 132 of the alignment unit 13, and when the blood collection tube 2 is advanced, the contact is made below the cylindrical shaft portion 132 of the alignment unit 13. That is, when the blood collection tube 2 is pressed backward Ba, the distance between the pressing contact point and the holding unit 11 is shorter and the moment is smaller than when the blood collection tube 2 is pressed forward Fr, so the blood collection tube 2 is less likely to tilt. Therefore, the blood collection tube 2 is likely to tilt when pressed forward Fr, but is finally pressed backward Ba, so the tilt ultimately becomes smaller.

[0064] The retracting operation (S17) may be omitted. If the friction between the cap portion 21 of the blood collection tube 2 and the holder 11 is sufficiently small or the discharge portion hole tapered portion 35 is sufficiently wide, the blood collection tube 2 can be inserted into the holder hole 32 without performing a retracting operation. Also, a combination of control including a retracting operation may be used, such as performing a small forward movement and then a small retracting movement to return to the original position just before discharge by the discharge portion 3.

[0065] In addition, although an example has been described in which the blood collection tubes 2 are transported in groups of 12, the same number as the holding holes 32 of the transport tray 31, this is not limiting and the number of tubes transported may be less than 12. For example, if no blood collection tubes 2 are input into the supply unit 4 for a certain period of time and do not reach the alignment unit 13, the alignment unit 13 may be rotated forward to advance all of the blood collection tubes 2 in the alignment unit 13 to the holding unit 11, and then transported by the transport unit 3. This prevents delays in testing due to blood collection tubes 2 remaining in the article aligning and transporting device 1 for a long period of time.

[0066] At this time, a method of placing the blood collection tube 2 directly on the alignment unit 13 is also possible. In this case, the risk of the blood collection tube becoming tilted is reduced. However, if the blood collection tube is placed directly on the spiral, the spiral may entangle the cap portion 21, causing it to fall. In the sequence shown in FIG. 6 , both forward and reverse rotation are used, so rotation may occur that entangles the cap portion 21 of the blood collection tube 2 inward. In particular, there are blood collection tubes 2 whose cap portion 21 is made of soft material such as rubber, and in such cases, the risk of entanglement is high. In this embodiment, the blood collection tube 2 is moved by being pressed by the alignment unit 13 while remaining mounted on the holder 11, so there is no risk of it falling.

[0067] Other methods for transporting the blood collection tubes 2 include making the holder 11 sloped or vibrating it. However, if the frictional force of the cap 21 of the blood collection tube 2 is large, transportation may be difficult due to the frictional force. In the article aligning and carrying-out device 1 of this embodiment, the alignment unit 13 applies a fairly large force to the tubes, so that the tubes can be reliably moved forward while still mounted on the holder 11, even if there is some friction.

[0068] Next, the sequence (S18) of unloading the blood collection tube 2 by the unloading unit 3 will be described in detail.

[0069] First, as shown in Fig. 1, the discharge unit 3 raises the discharge tray 31 from below the holder 11, with the 12 blood collection tubes 2 aligned and held at a predetermined interval in the holder 11. Then, the lower portions of the blood collection tubes 2 are inserted into the holding holes 32 of the discharge tray 31, and the discharge tray 31 is further raised to a position where the cap portions 21 of each blood collection tube 2 float above the rails 11A and 11B of the holder 11, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0070] Next, the article aligning and carrying out device 1 rotates the open / close rail 11B1 to place it in the open position, as shown in Figure 4. Then, the carrying out unit 3 moves the carrying out tray 31 slightly toward the open / close rail 11B1 to move the cap unit 21 laterally away from the upper position above the rail 11A. Then, the carrying out tray 31 is lowered to carry out the blood collection tubes 2 from the article aligning and carrying out device 1.

[0071] The article aligning and carrying-out device 1 returns the open / close rail 11B1 to the holding position, and the article aligning sequence shown in Fig. 6 is resumed (S12). While the carrying-out unit 3 is carrying out the blood collection tubes 2, the article aligning sequence shown in Fig. 6 must be temporarily stopped, but this is only done every time 12 tubes are aligned, and the carrying-out operation itself takes about 3 seconds, so it has almost no effect on the overall throughput.

[0072] When the discharge unit 3 transports the blood collection tubes 2, the discharge tray 31 does not interfere with the blood collection tubes 2E that are loaded on the holder 11 but are not to be discharged. The spiral protrusion 131 of the alignment unit 13 has a variable pitch portion 133, which is a portion with a wider spiral pitch, at one end side of the holder 11 compared to the portion where multiple blood collection tubes 2 are inserted into the holding holes 32 as the discharge tray 31 is raised. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 , the spiral protrusion 131 of the alignment unit 13 has a variable pitch portion 133 with a wider spiral pitch than the front and rear portions.

[0073] In this embodiment, the helical pitch of the other portions is 20 mm, while the helical pitch of the different-pitch portion 133 is 40 mm. The different-pitch portion 133 is provided in a portion corresponding to the blood collection tube 2E immediately preceding the blood collection tube 2 discharged by the discharge unit 3. Therefore, when the discharge unit 3 rises, a gap is formed between the blood collection tube 2E and the blood collection tube 2 being discharged, and the discharge unit 3 can discharge the blood collection tube 2 without bringing the discharge tray 31 into contact with the blood collection tube 2E.

[0074] Even if contact occurs, because the lower end of the blood collection tube 2E has a semicircular shape, it will not be lifted up on the discharge part 3, but will retreat to the rear (to the right in Figure 1) and can be discharged without any problems. In this way, the spiral protrusions 131 of the alignment part 13 are not limited to being of equal pitch, and by designing the overall pitch shape, such as by providing variable pitch parts 133, it is possible to control the positions of the multiple blood collection tubes 2 and meet the requirements of various devices.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 2, even if the rail 11B1 is opened, the blood collection tube 2E cannot move to the rail 11B1 due to the spiral protrusion 131 of the variable pitch portion 133, and will not fall.

[0076] Next, the configuration of the sorting unit that sorts the blood collection tubes 2 carried out by the carrying-out unit by type will be described. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the sorting unit of the article aligning and carrying-out device, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the sequence for loading the blood collection tubes 2 into the buffer unit 5A, with Fig. 9(1) showing the state before loading and Fig. 9(2) showing the state after loading.

[0077] 8, the sorting unit includes buffer units 5A and 5B, a gripper 6, and a storage unit 7. The buffer unit 5A includes buffer units 5A1, 5A2, and 5A3, opening actuators 5A13 and 5A33, tension springs 5A11, 5A12, 5A31, and 5A32, and opening rack and pinion mechanisms 5A14 and 5A34.

[0078] The buffer sections 5A1, 5A2, and 5A3 are composed of three strip members arranged horizontally and extending parallel to each other. The buffer section 5A2 is fixed in the center, and the buffer sections 5A1 and 5A3 on both sides are provided so as to be movable toward or away from the central buffer section 5A2.

[0079] When the opening actuator 5A13 is driven, the buffer unit 5A1 is driven via the opening rack and pinion mechanism 5A14 in a direction toward or away from the buffer unit 5A2, thereby opening or closing. A force is always applied to the buffer unit 5A1 in a closing direction by the tension springs 5A11 and 5A12, and the buffer unit 5A1 is closed when the power is not turned on. The same is true for the buffer unit 5A3.

[0080] When transferring the blood collection tube 2 from the discharge tray 31 to the buffer unit 5A, the blood collection tube 2 is inserted from below with the buffer units 5A1 and 5A2 open. When the cap 21 of the blood collection tube 2 protrudes above the buffer unit 5A1, the discharge unit 3 is moved to the front right side in Figure 9 so that the buffer unit 5A2 and the body 22 of the blood collection tube 2 come into contact. Then, the buffer unit 5A1 is closed.

[0081] The buffer unit 5A1 has a wave shape 5A15 at the portion that contacts the blood collection tube 2. Therefore, even if the blood collection tube 2 transported by the discharge unit 3 is misaligned, the buffer unit 5A1 and 5A2 are accurately positioned. At this time, the buffer units 5A1 and 5A2 are designed with a slight gap so as not to clamp the main body 22 of the blood collection tube 2.

[0082] When the discharge tray 31 of the discharge unit 3 is lowered, the caps 21 of the blood collection tubes 2 are caught on the buffer units 5A1 and 5A2, and the blood collection tubes 2 can be loaded into the buffer unit 5A as shown in FIG. 8. In this state, even if the power is cut off due to an emergency stop, a power outage, or the like, the closed state is maintained by the tension springs 5A11 and 5A12, so the blood collection tubes 2 will not fall out of the buffer unit 5A. Buffer unit 5A3 is similar to buffer unit 5A1. Buffer unit 5B is also similar to buffer unit 5A.

[0083] Finally, the blood collection tubes 2 loaded in the buffer units 5A and 5B are sorted by type using the gripper 6 from the buffer units 5A and 5B to the storage units 7, which are the destinations for the blood collection tubes 2. As shown in FIG. 8 , the storage unit 7 includes sorting racks 71, 72, 73, and 74, which correspond to the types of blood collection tubes 2.

[0084] The blood collection tubes 2 held in the buffer units 5A and 5B are spaced apart by 20 mm. The gripper 6 has four gripper holding portions 61, 62, 63, and 64 spaced apart by 60 mm, and holds the blood collection tubes 2. The gripper holding portions 61, 62, 63, and 64 hold every third blood collection tube 2 from the buffer units 5A and 5B.

[0085] After gripping the blood collection tube 2, the gripper 6 is transported in front of a camera (not shown) to photograph the blood collection tube 2, and the type is recognized by the barcode attached to the body 22 of the blood collection tube 2, the color of the cap 21 of the blood collection tube 2, etc. Then, the blood collection tube 2 is placed on one of the sorting racks 71, 72, 73, and 74 according to the recognized type.

[0086] However, the carrying-out method is not limited to this. For example, the gripper 6 may directly grip and carry out the blood collection tubes 2 aligned by the article alignment and carrying-out device 1 without using the buffer units 5A and 5B. In this case, too, the blood collection tubes 2 are aligned at a predetermined interval by the article alignment and carrying-out device 1, so that the gripper 6 can simultaneously carry out multiple blood collection tubes 2. This method eliminates the need for the carrying-out unit 3 and the buffer units 5A and 5B, simplifying the mechanism.

[0087] On the other hand, the number of blood collection tubes 2 input into the input unit 41 is not always constant; there are times when a large number of blood collection tubes 2 are input, and times when only a small number are input. If a large number of blood collection tubes 2 are input temporarily, the sorting by the gripper 6 cannot keep up, and the blood collection tubes may accumulate in the input unit 41, causing overflow. On the other hand, during times when only a small number of blood collection tubes are input, there is a possibility that there will be no blood collection tubes 2 in the alignment unit 13, and the gripper 6 will not move. If these two situations occur, throughput will decrease.

[0088] Therefore, in this embodiment, a method is used in which the input blood collection tubes 2 are temporarily loaded into the buffer units 5A and 5B. As a result, when a large number of blood collection tubes 2 are input into the input unit 41, the blood collection tubes 2 are accumulated in the buffer units 5A and 5B. When only a small number of blood collection tubes 2 are input, the accumulated blood collection tubes 2 remain in the buffer units 5A and 5B. As a result, even if there is some variation in the frequency of input of the blood collection tubes 2, the gripper 6 is always performing a sorting operation, and throughput can be maximized.

[0089] [Embodiment 2] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In Fig. 11, the same reference numerals as in Figs. 1 and 2 denote the same parts, and therefore a repeated description will be omitted.

[0090] Figure 11 is a bottom view showing an article aligning and conveying device 1 of this embodiment 2, and is a view corresponding to Figure 2 of embodiment 1. The article aligning and conveying device 1 of this embodiment has an alignment unit 13A instead of the alignment unit 13. The alignment unit 13A has a chain unit 134 and a plurality of pressure plate units 135. The chain unit 134 and the plurality of pressure plate units 135 are connected, and the plurality of pressure plate units 135 move in a circle as the chain unit 134 rotates.

[0091] As a result, the alignment unit 13A can align the blood collection tubes 2 at predetermined positions and intervals while holding them in the holder 11, similar to the alignment unit 13. The alignment unit 13A moves the blood collection tubes 2 that have reached the holder 11 forward by pressing them with the pressing plate 135, and at the same time, it also presses the multiple blood collection tubes 2 that have already reached the holder 11 with the pressing plate 82 to move them forward. By repeating this process, the multiple blood collection tubes 2 can be aligned at predetermined positions and intervals in accordance with the pitch of the pressing plate 135.

[0092] Compared to the alignment unit 13, the alignment unit 13A has the advantage that the blood collection tubes 2 are less likely to be tilted and are easier to position reliably because the pressure plate 135 holds the blood collection tubes 2 in an upright position. On the other hand, the number of parts and size increase, so the alignment unit 13 of Example 1 is more advantageous in this respect.

[0093] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[0094] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0095] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Article aligning and carrying out device, 2, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F...Blood collection tube, 21, 2B1, 2C1, 2D1, 2F1...Cap portion (first diameter portion), 22, 2B2, 2C2, 2D2, 2F2...Main body portion (second diameter portion), 3...Carrying out portion, 4...Supply portion, 11...Holding portion, 11A, 11B...Rail, 11B1...Opening and closing rail, 11B2...Fixed rail, 12...Control portion, 13, 13A...Alignment portion, 15...Arrival detection portion, 16...Advancement detection portion, 17...Actuator, 31...Carrying out tray, 32...Holding hole portion, 34...Moving device, 131...Spiral protrusion portion, 132...Cylindrical shaft portion, 133...Different pitch portion, 134...Chain portion, 135...Pressure plate portion

Claims

1. An article aligning and conveying device that aligns cylindrical articles having a first diameter portion and a second diameter portion smaller than the first diameter portion, comprising: a supply unit that supplies the articles in an orientation in which the first diameter portion of the article is located at the top and the second diameter portion is located at the bottom; a holding unit that holds multiple articles supplied from the supply unit in a line in parallel; an alignment unit that abuts against and pushes each of the multiple articles held in the holding unit; and a control unit that controls the alignment unit, wherein when an article is supplied from the supply unit to one end of the holding unit, the control unit controls the alignment unit to push the article toward the other end of the holding unit, and if at least one other article is already held on the other end of the holding unit closer to the first article, the control unit pushes the other article together with the article, and controls to arrange the multiple articles at predetermined positions and intervals in the holding unit.

2. The article aligning and conveying device according to claim 1, wherein said holding section has a pair of rails with a gap therebetween that is smaller than said first diameter section and larger than said second diameter section.

3. The article alignment and conveying device described in claim 2, characterized in that the alignment section has a cylindrical shaft section that extends parallel to one of the pair of rails, and a helical protrusion section that protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shaft section and continues spirally in the axial direction of the cylindrical shaft section, and at least a portion of the helical protrusion section has a helical pitch equal to the predetermined position and interval.

4. An article alignment and conveying device as described in claim 3, further comprising an arrival detection unit that detects when the article has reached the alignment unit, and an actuator that rotates the alignment unit, wherein the control unit controls the actuator based on the detection result of the arrival detection unit.

5. An article alignment and conveying device as described in claim 4, further comprising a forward movement detection unit that detects that the article has moved forward from the arrival position at the alignment unit toward the other end of the holding unit, and wherein the control unit controls the alignment unit to push and move the article from the arrival position toward the other end of the holding unit, but if the forward movement detection unit does not detect the forward movement of the article, the control unit controls the actuator to reversely rotate the alignment unit and move backward the article held in the holding unit.

6. The article alignment and conveying device described in claim 5, characterized in that the control unit controls the actuator to rotate in the reverse direction to eliminate the tilt of the articles held in the holding unit as preparation before the articles aligned by the alignment unit are conveyed out of the holding unit.

7. The article alignment and transport device described in claim 6, characterized in that the other rail of the pair of rails comprises a fixed rail and an openable rail that can release the hold of an article by opening the gap between the one rail and a holding position that is connected continuously to the fixed rail.

8. An article alignment and delivery device as described in claim 7, comprising: an output tray having holding holes on its upper surface into which multiple articles aligned by the alignment section can be inserted; and a moving device that moves the output tray vertically and horizontally below the holding section, wherein the control section controls the moving device to raise the output tray, thereby inserting the multiple articles into the holding holes and holding them on the output tray.

9. An article alignment and conveying device as described in claim 8, characterized in that the spiral protrusion portion of the alignment portion has a portion with a wider spiral pitch at one end side of the holding portion compared to the portion where the multiple articles are inserted into the holding hole portion as the conveying tray is raised.

10. The article aligning and carrying-out device according to claim 9, characterized in that the article is a blood collection tube, and the device is provided with a sorting section that sorts the blood collection tubes carried out by the carrying-out tray by type.

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