Specimen application device

Abstract

The present invention provides a specimen application device capable of applying a specimen to both Petri dishes and slide glasses. A specimen application device according to the present invention comprises a Petri dish supply part 1, a slide glass setting part 2, a specimen container setting part 3, an application jig supply part 4, a robot arm 5, a Petri dish storage part 6, and conveyance means 7. The robot arm executes, as a series of application operations, at least an operation for gripping an application jig supplied from the application jig supply part 4, an operation for causing the gripped application jig to hold a specimen housed in a specimen container, an operation for applying the specimen to medium housed in a Petri dish conveyed to the application operation region before application, an operation for applying the specimen to a slide glass set in the slide glass setting part, and an operation for discarding the application jig.

Description

Specimen Coating Device

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

[0002] As a specimen coating device, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that dots a specimen on a petri dish supplied from a petri dish supply stacker, and spreads the aseptic solution discharged from a rod-shaped member supply device with a robot arm so that the specimen dotted on the petri dish is made uniform, and then stores the petri dish in a petri dish storage stacker.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 7394456

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the object to be coated with the specimen is only a petri dish. However, in addition to the petri dish, there is a slide glass as an object to be coated. Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a specimen coating device capable of coating a specimen on both a petri dish and a slide glass.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, the following specimen coating device is provided. A petri dish supply unit that supplies a petri dish containing a culture medium, a slide glass setting unit that sets a slide glass, a specimen container setting unit that sets a specimen container containing a specimen, a coating jig supply unit that supplies a coating jig for applying the specimen, a robot arm that executes a series of coating operations in a coating operation area, a petri dish storage unit that stores the petri dish after coating, and a conveying means that conveys the uncoated petri dish supplied from the petri dish supply unit to the coating operation area and conveys the coated petri dish to the petri dish storage unit. The slide glass setting unit and the specimen container setting unit are arranged in the coating operation area. The robot arm executes, as the series of coating operations, at least an operation of gripping a coating jig supplied from the coating jig supply unit, an operation of holding the specimen contained in the specimen container in the gripped coating jig, an operation of applying the specimen to the culture medium contained in the uncoated petri dish conveyed to the coating operation area, an operation of applying the specimen to the slide glass set in the slide glass setting unit, and an operation of discarding the coating jig.

[0006] According to the specimen application apparatus of the present invention, specimens can be applied to both petri dishes and glass slides.

[0007] A perspective view showing the overall configuration of a sample application device according to one embodiment of the present invention. A front view showing the overall configuration of a sample application device according to one embodiment of the present invention. A plan view showing the overall configuration of a sample application device according to one embodiment of the present invention. A plan view showing the overall configuration of the transport means. A perspective view showing the configuration of the main part of the transport means. A perspective view showing the configuration of the rotating holder. A plan view showing the configuration of the rotating holder. A perspective view showing the configuration of the robot arm. A perspective view of the sample detection means viewed from the rear. A perspective view of the sample detection means viewed from the front. A plan view showing the operation of a sample application device according to one embodiment of the present invention (with the petri dish transported to the fractionation detection position). A plan view showing the operation of a sample application device according to one embodiment of the present invention (with the petri dish transported to the sample application position). A plan view showing the operation of a sample application device according to one embodiment of the present invention (with an identification label attached to the side of the petri dish).

[0008] Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C show the overall configuration of a sample application apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, in perspective view, front view, and plan view, respectively. In this embodiment, the sample application apparatus comprises a petri dish supply unit 1, a slide glass setting unit 2, a sample container setting unit 3, a coating jig supply unit 4, a robot arm 5, a petri dish storage unit 6, and a transport means 7, and optionally includes an identification label supply unit 8 and a sample detection means 15. In this embodiment, these components, with the exception of a part of the transport means 7, are arranged on the upper surface side of the table 91 of the apparatus stand 9. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation of these components is integrally controlled by a control unit 10.

[0009] The Petri dish supply unit 1 supplies Petri dishes A containing culture medium. Specifically, the Petri dish supply unit 1 stores multiple Petri dishes A stacked vertically, and the Petri dish supply unit 1 supplies Petri dishes A one at a time by cutting them out from an opening at the bottom. A known mechanism can be used for this purpose. In this embodiment, three Petri dish supply units 1 are provided in parallel along the Y direction (depth direction of the device).

[0010] The slide glass setting section 2 holds the slide glass B. The specimen container setting section 3 holds the specimen container C containing the specimen. In this embodiment, the slide glass setting section 2 and the specimen container setting section 3 are provided using a rotating holder 11. Details of the rotating holder 11 will be described later.

[0011] The coating jig supply unit 4 supplies coating jigs for applying samples. In this embodiment, the coating jig is a rod-shaped member called an aze D (see Figure 4), and the coating jig supply unit 4 supplies the aze D one by one by cutting them out from the cut-out at the bottom. A known mechanism can be used for this purpose. As shown in Figure 4, the aze D has a loop-shaped sample holding portion D1 at its tip.

[0012] The robot arm 5 performs a series of coating operations in the coating operation area. Specifically, the robot arm 5 performs at least the following operations as part of the series of coating operations: grasping the coating jig (A-ze D) supplied from the coating jig supply unit 4; having the gripped A-ze D hold the sample contained in the sample container C; coating the culture medium contained in the pre-coating petri dish A, which has been transported to the coating operation area; coating the sample onto the slide glass B set in the slide glass setting unit 2; and discarding the A-ze D. Details of the series of coating operations will be described later.

[0013] The petri dish storage section 6 stores the petri dishes A after coating. Specifically, the petri dish storage section 6 receives the coated petri dishes A one by one from the receiving opening at the bottom and stores the coated petri dishes A stacked vertically. A known mechanism can be used for this purpose. In this embodiment, three petri dish storage sections 6 are provided in parallel along the Y direction.

[0014] The transport means 7 transports the uncoated petri dishes A supplied from the petri dish supply unit 1 to the coating operation area, and transports the coated petri dishes A to the petri dish storage unit 6. The specific configuration of the transport means 7 is as follows. Figure 2A shows the overall configuration of the transport means 7 in a plan view, and Figure 2B shows the configuration of the main parts of the transport means 7 in a perspective view. Note that the table 91 is omitted in Figures 2A and 2B. As shown in Figure 2B, the transport means 7 has a petri dish holding unit 71 that can adsorb and hold petri dishes A. The mobile body 72 including the petri dish holding unit 71 moves along a rail 74 extending in the X direction (width direction of the device) by the drive of a motor 73, thereby transporting the petri dishes A held in the petri dish holding unit 71 in the X direction. Furthermore, the transport means 7 has a pair (two) rails 75, 75 that extend in the Y direction (depth direction of the device), and a motor 76 that moves the movable body 72, including the petri dish holder 71, together with the rails 74 along the rails 75, 75 in the Y direction. In addition, the transport means 7 has a cylinder 77 that moves the petri dish holder 71 in the Z direction (height direction of the device). That is, when the cylinder 77 reciprocates in the Z direction, the petri dish holder 71 moves in the Z direction in conjunction with it. In this embodiment, with the above configuration, the transport means 7 can hold the petri dish A supplied from the petri dish supply unit 1 before coating with the petri dish holder 71, transport it to the coating operation area, and then transport the coated petri dish A to the petri dish storage unit 6 and store it in the petri dish storage unit 6. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transport means 7 has a motor 78 that rotates the petri dish holder 71 around an axis in the Z direction. As will be explained in more detail later, if the culture medium contained in petri dish A is a fractionated culture medium, the petri dish holder 71 is rotated around the Z-axis to adjust the orientation of the fractionated culture medium.

[0015] Next, the configuration of the rotating holder 11 will be described. Figures 3A and 3B show the configuration of the rotating holder 11 in perspective and plan views, respectively. The rotating holder 11 is circular in plan view and has a sample container setting section 3 for setting a sample container C containing a sample and a slide glass setting section 2 for setting a slide glass B. This rotating holder 11 (sample container setting section 3 and slide glass setting section 2) is arranged on the upper surface side of the table 91. Multiple sample container setting sections 3 (20 in this embodiment) are provided along the circumferential direction of the rotating holder 11, and the same number of slide glass setting sections 2 are provided along the circumferential direction of the rotating holder 11 so that the radial positions of the sample container setting sections 3 and the rotating holder 11 are aligned and they form pairs. The rotating holder 11 is also detachably mounted on the table 91 of the apparatus stand 9 and is rotatable about an axis in the Z direction. The rotation drive mechanism for rotating the rotating holder 11 is not shown in the figures.

[0016] Next, the operation of the sample application apparatus of this embodiment will be described, including a series of application operations performed by the robot arm 5. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the robot arm 5 has an aze gripping unit 51 for gripping the aze D and a label holding unit 52 for adsorbing and holding the identification label supplied from the identification label supply unit 8 at its tip. Note that Figure 4 shows the state in which the aze D is gripped by the aze gripping unit 51.

[0017] Before starting the sample application device, the following preparatory steps are performed: (1) Place Petri dish A containing the culture medium into Petri dish supply unit 1. (2) Place slide glass B into slide glass setting unit 2. (3) Place sample container C containing the sample into sample container setting unit 3. Although not shown in the diagram, each sample container C has a sample identification label attached to identify the sample contained in that container C. (4) Place AZ D into application jig supply unit 4. The above preparatory steps (1) to (4) are performed by the operator, but the order of these steps is not important.

[0018] When the sample coating device is started, the robot arm 5, the transport means 7, and the rotating holder 11 each perform the following operations simultaneously. <Operation of robot arm 5> The robot arm 5 performs the operation of grasping the aze D supplied from the coating jig supply unit 4. <Operation of transport means 7> The transport means 7 performs the operation of transporting the petri dish A, which is not yet coated, supplied from the petri dish supply unit 1, to the coating operation area. In this embodiment, the culture medium contained in petri dish A is a fractionated culture medium consisting of two types of culture media, as shown in Figure 2B, for example. Therefore, the transport means 7 first transports the petri dish A, which is not yet coated, supplied from the petri dish supply unit 1, to the fractionation detection position within the coating operation area. Figure 5A shows the state in which the transport means 7 has transported petri dish A to the fractionation detection position. At this fractionation detection position, the orientation of the fractionated culture medium is detected by a sensor (not shown), and the petri dish holder 71 is rotated around the Z-axis as described above so that it is in a predetermined orientation. Subsequently, the transport means 7 transports Petri dish A to the sample application position within the application operation area. Figure 5B shows the state in which the transport means 7 has transported Petri dish A to the sample application position. <Operation of the Rotating Holder 11> As described above, the rotating holder 11 has a slide glass set section 2 and a sample container set section 3. In order to read the sample identification label attached to the first sample container C1 among the sample containers C set in the sample container set section 3, it rotates so that the first sample container C1 is at the label reading position. In this embodiment, the label reading position is the position opposite to the label reader 12 shown in Figure 5A. Subsequently, the rotating holder 11 rotates so that the first sample container C1 is at the sample collection position. In this embodiment, the sample collection position is the position opposite to the Petri dish A that has been transported to the sample application position, as shown in Figure 5B. Note that the label reader 12 is omitted in Figure 5B.

[0019] After each of the above operations (operations of the robot arm 5, transport means 7, and rotating holder 11) is completed, the robot arm 5 performs an operation to have the grasped aze D hold the sample contained in the sample container C1. Then, the robot arm 5 performs an operation to apply the sample to the first slide glass B1 of the slide glasses B set in the slide glass set unit 2. Subsequently, the robot arm 5 performs the operation to have the aze D hold the sample contained in the sample container C1 again, and then performs an operation to apply the sample to the culture medium contained in Petri dish A at the sample application position. In the above description, the operation to apply the sample to slide glass B1 is performed before the operation to apply the sample to Petri dish A, but the opposite may be performed, where the operation to apply the sample to Petri dish A is performed before the operation to apply the sample to slide glass B1.

[0020] In this embodiment, the sample application device is equipped with an optional sample detection means 15, as described above. The sample detection means 15 detects whether or not a sample is held in the sample holding section D1 of the AESE D. As shown in Figures 1A, 5A, and 5B, the sample detection means 15 is installed above the rotating holder 11 and has a flash unit 151 that irradiates a flash of light toward the sample holding section D1 and a light receiving unit 152 that receives the reflected light of the flash. In other words, in this embodiment, the sample detection means 15 detects whether or not a sample is held in the sample holding section D1 of the AESE D based on the amount of reflected light received by the light receiving unit 152. Note that Figures 5A and 5B show the rotating holder 11 with the cover 111 attached. Meanwhile, as described above, the robot arm 5 performs the operation of having the grasped aze D hold the sample contained in the sample container C1. At that time, it performs the operation of inserting the sample holding part D1 at the tip of the aze D to a first depth position in the sample container C1. If the sample detection means 15 does not detect that the sample is being held, it performs the operation of inserting the sample holding part D1 at the tip of the aze D to a second depth position, which is deeper than the first depth position in the sample container C1. If the sample detection means 15 does not detect that the sample is being held after the operation of inserting to the second depth position, it is possible to perform the operation of inserting the sample holding part D1 at the tip of the aze D to a third depth position, which is deeper than the second depth position in the sample container C1, and so on. In other words, if the insertion depth of the sample holding section D1 is made too deep from the beginning, the sample will adhere to parts of the ASE D other than the sample holding section D1, resulting in a larger amount of sample being held in the ASE D than specified, leading to a decrease in the accuracy of the test. Here, the first depth position, which is the initial insertion depth, is set in advance according to the amount of sample in the sample container, but this first depth position is not fixed and can be changed. In addition, the difference between the first depth position and the second depth position, and the difference between the second depth position and the third depth position are also set in advance, but these differences are not fixed and can be changed.

[0021] After the sample application operation to petri dish A1 and slide glass B1 is completed, the robot arm 5 performs an operation to discard the gripped aze D. Specifically, in this embodiment, for example as shown in Figure 5B, a coating jig disposal unit 13 is provided on the petri dish storage unit 6 side from the sample application position. The robot arm 5 moves to a position above the coating jig disposal unit 13, and at that position, releases the grip of aze D by the aze gripping unit 51, thereby discarding aze D to the coating jig disposal unit 13.

[0022] For the second and subsequent Petri dishes A and slides B, the sample can be applied by repeating the above procedure.

[0023] As described above, according to this embodiment, the sample can be applied to both Petri dish A and slide glass B. In this embodiment, the slide glass set section 2 and the sample container set section 3 are provided using the rotating holder 11 as described above. Specifically, multiple sample container set sections 3 are provided along the circumferential direction of the rotating holder 11, and the same number of slide glass set sections 2 are provided along the circumferential direction of the rotating holder 11, such that the radial positions of the sample container set sections 3 and the rotating holder 11 are aligned and they form pairs. With this configuration, multiple slide glass set sections 2 and sample container set sections 3 can be efficiently arranged, and the device can be made smaller. In addition, since the slide glass set sections 2 and the sample container set sections 3 are arranged so that their radial positions on the rotating holder 11 are aligned and they form pairs, it is possible to prevent contamination from occurring, especially when applying the sample to slide glass B, by preventing the sample from mixing with other slide glass B or other sample containers C. Furthermore, since the rotating holder 11 is detachably provided in this embodiment, by using multiple rotating holders, it is possible to quickly and easily exchange a sample container and a slide glass.

[0024] In this case, the petri dish may have a cover. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cover can be removed before applying the sample to the petri dish, and then the cover can be put back on after application. This will be explained in detail below. In this embodiment, for example, as shown in Figure 5B, a cover holding part 14 is provided that can adsorb and hold the cover (not shown) of petri dish A. This cover holding part 14 is positioned above the rail 74 shown in Figure 2B. That is, the cover holding part 14 is positioned above the transport path of petri dish A along the rail 74 that extends in the X direction (width direction of the device). The cover holding part 14 is also vertically movable. In this embodiment, by providing a cover holding part 14 with this configuration, before applying the sample to petri dish A, the petri dish A is transported by the transport means 7 to a position below the cover holding part 14, and at that position, the cover can be adsorbed and held by the cover holding part 14 and raised to remove the cover. Subsequently, the petri dish A, with its cover removed, is transported by the transport means 7 to the sample application position described above (see Figure 5B), where the robot arm 5 applies the sample to petri dish A as described above. After application, the petri dish A is transported by the transport means 7 to a position below the cover holding unit 14, where the cover holding unit 14 is lowered, releasing the suction hold of the cover, allowing the cover to be placed over it. The petri dish A with the cover on is then transported by the transport means 7 to the petri dish storage unit 6.

[0025] In this embodiment, the sample application device is equipped with an optional identification label supply unit 8, as described above. In this embodiment, the identification label supply unit 8 supplies identification labels containing sample identification information corresponding to the sample identification information of the sample identification label read by the label reader 12 described above. The robot arm 5 receives the identification labels supplied from the identification label supply unit 8 with the label holding unit 52 and performs an operation to attach them to the petri dish A before or after application in the application operation area. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5C, the identification label E is attached to the side of the petri dish A after application. Although the cover holding unit 14 is not shown in Figure 5C, the position of petri dish A shown in Figure 5C is the same position as the position where the cover of petri dish A is attached and detached by the cover holding unit 14. That is, in this embodiment, the identification label E is attached to the side of petri dish A just before the cover is placed over the petri dish A after application. Of course, the position and timing of attaching the identification label E are not limited to this embodiment.

[0026] In this invention, the coating operation area refers to the area in which the robot arm performs a series of coating operations.

[0027] 1 Petri dish supply unit 2 Slide glass setting unit 3 Sample container setting unit 4 Coating jig supply unit 5 Robot arm 51 Aise gripping unit 52 Label holding unit 6 Petri dish storage unit 7 Transport means 71 Petri dish holding unit 72 Moving body 73 Motor 74, 75 Rail 76 Motor 77 Cylinder 78 Motor 8 Identification label supply unit 9 Device stand 91 Table 10 Control unit 11 Rotating holder 111 Cover 12 Label reader 13 Coating jig disposal unit 14 Cover holding unit 15 Sample detection means A Petri dish B Slide glass B1 First slide glass C Sample container C1 First sample container D Aise (coating jig) D1 Sample holding unit E Identification label

Claims

1. The system comprises: a petri dish supply unit for supplying petri dishes containing culture media; a slide glass setting unit for setting slide glasses; a sample container setting unit for setting sample containers containing samples; a coating jig supply unit for supplying coating jigs for coating samples; a robot arm for performing a series of coating operations in a coating operation area; a petri dish storage unit for storing coated petri dishes; and a transport means for transporting uncoated petri dishes supplied from the petri dish supply unit to the coating operation area and transporting coated petri dishes to the petri dish storage unit, wherein the slide glass setting unit and the sample container setting unit are arranged in the coating operation area. A sample application device wherein the robot arm performs, as part of the series of application operations, at least: grasping an application jig supplied from the application jig supply unit; causing the grasped application jig to hold the sample contained in the sample container; applying the sample to a culture medium contained in a petri dish before application, which has been transported to the application operation area; applying the sample to a slide glass set in the slide glass setting unit; and discarding the application jig.

2. The specimen application apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of specimen container setting sections are provided along the circumferential direction of the rotating holder, and the same number of slide glass setting sections are provided along the circumferential direction of the rotating holder such that the radial positions of the specimen container setting sections and the rotating holder are aligned and form pairs.

3. The specimen coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an identification label supply unit for supplying identification labels, wherein the robot arm receives the identification labels supplied from the identification label supply unit and further performs an operation in the coating operation area to attach them to a petri dish before or after coating.

4. The sample application device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the application jig has a loop-shaped sample holding portion at its tip, the sample application device further comprises a sample detection means for detecting whether or not a sample is held in the sample holding portion, and when the robot arm performs an operation to cause the gripped application jig to hold the sample contained in the sample container, it performs an operation to insert the sample holding portion at the tip of the application jig to a first depth position in the sample container, and thereafter, if the sample is not detected to be held by the sample detection means, it performs an operation to insert the sample holding portion at the tip of the application jig to a second depth position deeper than the first depth position in the sample container.

5. The sample application apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sample detection means comprises a flash unit that irradiates a flash of light toward the sample holding unit and a light receiving unit that receives the reflected light of the flash.

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