Sampling tube rack

Abstract

A sampling tube rack, comprising a sampling tube support base, a sampling tube positioning base, and a sampling tube fixing pad. The sampling tube positioning base is disposed on the sampling tube support base and is provided with a plurality of first through holes and a plurality of surrounding protrusions, extending upward from peripheries of the plurality of first through holes. When a plurality of sampling tubes is inserted through the plurality of first through holes and placed on the sampling tube rack, lower edges of caps of the plurality of sampling tubes abut against top surfaces of the plurality of surrounding protrusions. The sampling tube fixing pad is disposed between the sampling tube positioning base and the sampling tube support base and is provided with a plurality of second through holes respectively corresponding to the plurality of first through holes, a diameter of each second through hole is smaller than that of each first through hole, and a plurality of interference members is provided around each second through hole to accommodate sampling tubes of different diameters.

Description

Sampling tube rack Technical Field

[0001] This case relates to a sampling tube holder, and more particularly to a sampling tube holder suitable for an automatic opening and closing device for sampling tubes. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, laboratory sample processing includes manual, semi-automatic, and fully automated methods. When there is a large demand for sample processing, automated equipment is often used to perform large-scale sample processing at once to improve sample processing efficiency.

[0003] Various types of sampling tubes are available on the market, with even more diverse cap types, such as screw caps, rigid caps, and flexible caps. However, most automated equipment only supports large-volume sample processing for a single type of sampling tube, or requires manual cap opening. A few automated devices that support multiple types of sampling tubes require prior confirmation of the tube type using image recognition, or manual pre-setting of the tube type before proceeding with automated operations. However, establishing image recognition mechanisms significantly increases costs, and manual setting requires time to select and set the sampling tube type.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to develop an automatic cap-opening device that can automatically open and close caps of various types of sampling tubes, and a suitable sampling tube rack. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic cover-opening device and a suitable sampling tube rack that can automatically open and close the covers of various types of sampling tubes, thereby addressing the deficiencies in the aforementioned prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a sampling tube rack for holding multiple sampling tubes. The sampling tube rack includes a sampling tube support, a sampling tube positioning seat, and a sampling tube fixing pad. The sampling tube positioning seat is disposed on the sampling tube support and has multiple first through holes and multiple circumferential protrusions extending upward from the periphery of the multiple first through holes. When multiple sampling tubes are inserted through the multiple first through holes and placed on the sampling tube rack, the lower edges of the multiple tube caps of the multiple sampling tubes abut against the top surfaces of the multiple circumferential protrusions. The sampling tube fixing pad is disposed between the sampling tube positioning seat and the sampling tube support and has multiple second through holes corresponding to the multiple first through holes, and the diameter of each second through hole is smaller than the diameter of each first through hole. Multiple interference elements are provided around the periphery of each second through hole to accommodate multiple sampling tubes of different diameters.

[0007] In one embodiment, the diameter of each first perforation is slightly larger than the diameter of the body of each sampling tube and smaller than the diameter of the cap of each sampling tube.

[0008] In one embodiment, the inner wall surfaces of a plurality of surrounding protrusions disposed around the periphery of each first perforation are arc-shaped, and their cross-sections collectively define a circle with the same diameter as the first perforation.

[0009] In one embodiment, the sampling tube support is made of plastic material.

[0010] In one embodiment, a gap is defined between two adjacent interfering elements, the gap extending radially from the periphery of the second perforation to the periphery of the first perforation.

[0011] In one embodiment, the sampling tube retainer is made of a soft, elastic material.

[0012] In one embodiment, the sampling tube support includes a top frame, a bottom frame, and a plurality of positioning struts that connect and fix the top frame and the bottom frame.

[0013] In one embodiment, the top frame, the bottom frame, and the plurality of positioning pillars are made of metal or engineering plastic.

[0014] In one embodiment, the sampling tube support base further includes a sampling tube limiting plate, which is disposed between the top frame and the bottom frame, and is connected and fixed together with the top frame and the bottom frame by a plurality of positioning pillars.

[0015] In one embodiment, the sampling tube limiting plate has a plurality of third perforations corresponding to a plurality of first perforations and a plurality of second perforations.

[0016] In one embodiment, the diameter of each third perforation is approximately the same as the diameter of each first perforation, which allows the sampling tube to be inserted therein and prevents the sampling tube from being skewed.

[0017] In one embodiment, the sampling tube limiting plate is made of plastic material.

[0018] In one embodiment, the top frame is provided with multiple positioning protrusions, and the sampling tube positioning seat and the sampling tube fixing pad are respectively provided with multiple first positioning holes and multiple second positioning holes corresponding to the multiple positioning protrusions. By fitting the multiple second positioning holes and multiple first positioning holes onto the multiple positioning protrusions, the sampling tube fixing pad and the sampling tube positioning seat can be positioned on the sampling tube support.

[0019] To achieve the above objectives, this invention also provides a sampling tube holder, which is used to hold sampling tubes. The sampling tube holder includes a sampling tube support, a sampling tube positioning seat, and a sampling tube fixing pad. The sampling tube positioning seat is disposed on the sampling tube support and has a first through hole and a plurality of circumferential protrusions extending upward from the periphery of the first through hole. When the sampling tube is inserted through the first through hole and placed on the sampling tube holder, the lower edge of the tube cap of the sampling tube abuts against the top surface of the plurality of circumferential protrusions. The sampling tube fixing pad is disposed between the sampling tube positioning seat and the sampling tube support and has a second through hole corresponding to the first through hole, and the diameter of the second through hole is smaller than the diameter of the first through hole. The periphery of the second through hole is provided with a plurality of interference elements to accommodate sampling tubes of different diameters.

[0020] Therefore, this case proposes a sampling tube rack that can accommodate sampling tubes of different heights and diameters. In addition to accommodating high-throughput sampling tubes of various types, it also ensures that the lower edges of the tube caps of the sampling tubes are at the same height, so that the sampling tube cap opening and closing device can determine the type of the tube cap and then perform the corresponding automatic cap opening and closing operation. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device in this case;

[0022] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device, along with the sampling tube holder and sampling tube in this case;

[0023] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the sampling tube rack and various types of sampling tubes used in the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device applicable to this case;

[0024] Figure 4 shows a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device in this case.

[0025] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device in this case, along with another sampling tube holder and sampling tube;

[0026] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the sampling tube rack and the sampling tubes housed therein in this case;

[0027] Figure 7 shows a partial exploded view of the sampling tube rack in this case;

[0028] Figures 8 and 9 show schematic diagrams of the clamps of the sampling tube switch cover device extending into the sampling tube rack;

[0029] Figure 10 shows a partial top view of the sampling tube rack;

[0030] Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the sampling tube holder at the center of the sampling tube.

[0031]

Symbol Explanation

[0032] Some typical embodiments embodying the features and advantages of this invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the invention can have various variations in different forms, all of which do not depart from the scope of the invention, and the descriptions and drawings herein are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the invention.

[0033] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device of this invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device of this invention combined with a sampling tube holder and sampling tubes; Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the setup of a sampling tube holder and various types of sampling tubes applicable to the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device of this invention; and Figure 4 shows a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device of this invention. The automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device 1 of this invention is used to automatically perform the separation and connection of the tube caps 32 (e.g., 32a, 32b, 32c) and tube bodies 31 (e.g., 31a, 31b, 31c) of various types of sampling tubes 30 (e.g., 30a, 30b, 30c) set on the sampling tube holder 20. The automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device 1 includes a base 11, multiple clamps 12, a first drive device 13, and a second drive device 19. Multiple clamps 12 are disposed below the base 11, wherein the extension direction of each clamp 12 is approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis A of the base 11, i.e., parallel to the Z-axis direction, and the multiple clamps 12 are symmetrically arranged around the longitudinal axis A of the base 11. A first drive device 13 is used to control the rotation of the base 11 around the longitudinal axis A, thereby driving the multiple clamps 12 below to rotate. In addition, the first drive device 13 also controls the opening and closing of the multiple clamps 12 relative to the longitudinal axis A of the base 11. A second drive device 19 is used to control the common movement of the first drive device 13, the base 11, and the multiple clamps 12 along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. Therefore, driven by the first driving device 13 and the second driving device 19, the base 11 and its multiple clamps 12 can move between the sampling tube frame 20 carrying the sampling tube 30 and the opening and closing position of the sampling tube 30. The clamps 12 can be placed around the tube cover 32 of the sampling tube 30 to clamp the tube cover 32 of the sampling tube 30, so as to achieve the operation of moving the sampling tube 30 and opening and closing the tube cover 32 of the sampling tube 30.

[0034] To achieve universal opening and closing of caps for various types of sampling tubes, this case study categorizes commonly used sampling tubes into three types using common cap types, designated 30a, 30b, and 30c, after researching various commercially available sampling tubes. The first type, sampling tube 30a, has a cap 32a made of a hard material that is screwed onto the tube body 31a. The second type, sampling tube 30b, has a cap 32b made of a hard material on the outside and a soft material on the inside, which is plugged onto the tube body 31b. The third type, sampling tube 30c, has a cap 32c made of a soft material that is plugged onto the tube body 31c. Therefore, sampling tube caps can be categorized into two types based on their external material: hard caps and soft caps. Furthermore, although commercially available sampling tubes come in various lengths and shapes, if we take the lower edge of the cap (with a diameter larger than the tube body) as a reference when it is attached to the tube body, as shown in Figure 3, we can simply distinguish between two types based on the height of the cap: high caps (e.g., cap 32a) and low caps (e.g., caps 32b and 32c). In addition, caps made solely of soft materials (e.g., cap 32c) are usually lower in height, while caps made of hard materials may vary in height (e.g., caps 32a and 32b). In other words, caps can be classified as high caps and low caps (i.e., they have different heights), and as hard caps and soft caps (i.e., they have different hardnesses). High caps are mostly hard caps, while low caps can be further divided into hard caps (with a hard outer material) and soft caps. This case involves developing corresponding automatic sampling tube cap opening and closing devices and methods based on the aforementioned tube cap classifications, aiming to complete the opening and closing procedures for multiple types of sampling tubes in the same batch without prior image recognition and / or manual settings.

[0035] More specifically, the automatic cover opening and closing method in this case is based on the fact that the lower edges of the tube caps 32 of various types of sampling tubes 30 are set on the same lower edge plane 21. Therefore, regardless of the height and shape of the tube body 31, the lower edges of all tube caps 32 will be located on the same plane, so the height of the tube caps 32 can be accurately determined. After determining the height of the tube caps 32, it is only necessary to determine the hardness of the external material of the lower cap, which can roughly cover various types of tube caps 32 commonly used in the market and perform the corresponding opening and closing operation.

[0036] Please also refer to Figure 5, which shows a schematic diagram of the automatic sampling tube cover opening and closing device of this case, combined with another sampling tube rack and sampling tube. The sampling tube rack 20' can also be implemented in the form of placing a single sampling tube. In this case, the sampling tube rack 20' still has a lower edge setting plane 21' for the tube cover, which can serve as the basis for judging the height of the tube cover 32, and thus determine the corresponding opening and closing operation. In this embodiment, the first drive device 13 is also used to control the rotation of the base 11 around the longitudinal axis A, and drive the multiple clamps 12 below to rotate, and also control the opening and closing of the multiple clamps 12 relative to the longitudinal axis A of the base 11. The second drive device 19 is mainly used to control the common movement of the first drive device 13, the base 11 and the multiple clamps 12 along the longitudinal axis A (Z-axis direction).

[0037] Please refer to Figures 2 to 5. Before executing the opening and closing operation procedure for any target sampling tube, the automatic sampling tube opening and closing device 1 of this invention first performs a process to determine the type of its tube cap 32. More specifically, before moving the sampling tube 30 to the opening and closing position, the automatic sampling tube opening and closing device 1 first performs a process to determine whether the tube cap 32 of the target sampling tube 30, which is still supported on the sampling tube rack 20, is a high cap or a low cap, and further determines whether it is a hard cap or a soft cap after determining that it is a low cap. After the determination is completed, the target sampling tube 30 is moved to the opening and closing position, and the corresponding opening and closing operation procedure is executed according to the determined tube cap 32 type.

[0038] The process for determining the type of tube cap is as follows. First, in step S101, the determination process begins. In step S102, the first driving device 13 drives the clamp 12 to open, and the second driving device 19 drives the base 11 together with the clamp 12 to move downwards to above the target sampling tube 30 supported on the sampling tube rack 20, so that the clamp 12 is placed around the outer periphery of the tube cap 32, and the baffle 111 located below the base 11 and between the multiple clamps 12 abuts against the upper edge of the tube cap 32; here, the lower edge of the tube cap 32 of the target sampling tube 30 is set on the lower edge setting plane 21 of the tube cap of the sampling tube rack 20, and the base 11 moves towards the target sampling tube 30 along the normal direction of the lower edge setting plane 21 of the tube cap. Step S103: The height of the pipe cover 32 is determined based on the distance the base 11 moves downward to make the baffle 111 abut against the upper edge of the pipe cover 32. When the pipe cover 32 is a high cover (e.g., pipe cover 32a), the distance the base 11 moves downward from the baffle 111 to the upper edge of the pipe cover 32 is shorter. When the pipe cover 32 is a low cover (e.g., pipe covers 32b, 32c), the distance the base 11 moves downward from the baffle 111 to the upper edge of the pipe cover 32 is longer. Therefore, by setting a preset distance and judging whether the downward movement distance of the base is less than the preset distance, it can be determined whether the pipe cover 32 is a high cover or a low cover.

[0039] When it is determined in step S104 that the pipe cover 32 is a high cover (first height), as mentioned above, based on the premise that high covers are mostly hard covers, as shown in step S105, the pipe cover 32a that is determined to be a high cover will be executed accordingly for the high cover / hard cover opening and closing operation procedure.

[0040] Next, a further judgment process is performed on the pipe caps 32b and 32c that are determined to be low-profile (second height) in step S106. As mentioned above, low-profile caps may be made of only soft material or have a soft inner material combined with a hard outer material. In other words, if only the outer material is used to distinguish them, low-profile caps can still be further divided into hard caps and soft caps. Accordingly, a pipe cap material judgment process is further performed on the low-profile (second height). In step S107, the clamps 12 that were placed around the pipe caps during the height judgment of pipe caps 32b and 32c are further closed under the drive of the first drive device 13 to apply a clamping force to the pipe caps 32b and 32c that are determined to be low-profile. Then, in step S108, it is determined whether the compression amount generated by the clamping force on the pipe cap is less than a preset compression amount. Under a certain clamping force, when the amount of compression generated by the clamp 12 on the tube cap 32b is less than the preset compression amount, as shown in step S109, it can be determined that the outer surface of the tube cap 32b is made of a hard material (first material), and then as shown in step S110, the corresponding hard cap opening and closing operation procedure is executed; on the other hand, under the same clamping force, when the amount of compression generated by the clamp 12 on the tube cap 32c is greater than the preset compression amount, as shown in step S111, it can be determined that the outer surface of the tube cap 32c is made of a soft material (second material), and then as shown in step S112, the corresponding soft cap opening and closing operation procedure is executed. For example, the clamping force can be set to a torque value of 50 to 70 Nm, and the preset compression amount can be set to 0.5 to 5 mm. When the compression amount generated by the clamping force on the tube cap 32b is less than 0.5 mm, it indicates that the outer material of the tube cap 32b is a hard material, and therefore the opening and closing operation procedure for the hard cap is executed accordingly. On the other hand, when the compression amount generated by the clamping force on the tube cap 32c is greater than 5 mm, it indicates that the tube cap 32c is made of a soft material, and therefore the opening and closing operation procedure for the soft cap is executed accordingly.

[0041] Thus, it can be seen that the automatic opening and closing method of the sampling tube in this case starts by determining the type of tube cover 32. First, the height of the tube cover 32 (first height or second height) is determined. Then, the material of the tube cover 32 (first material or second material) is determined from the low cover (second height). Based on the principle that the high cover (first height) is mostly made of hard material (first material), all types of tube covers 32 are divided into two types: hard cover (first material) (i.e., high cover (first height)) and soft cover (second material). Then, the corresponding hard cover or soft cover opening and closing operation procedure is executed.

[0042] The cap 32 and body 31 of the sampling tube 30 are typically connected in two ways: screw connection and plug connection. Screw connection requires rotating the cap 32 to separate and connect it to the body 31. Plug connection primarily involves inserting the cap 32 into the body 31, regardless of whether the force is applied directly from top to bottom or by rotating while applying force downwards. Therefore, to accommodate various types of caps 32, the cap opening and closing procedure in this invention uses the method of rotating the cap 32, thus being compatible with both situations.

[0043] After determining the type of the tube cap 32, the first driving device 13 drives the clamp 12 to close and grasp the target sampling tube 30, and the second driving device 19 drives the base 11 and the clamp 12 to move. The target sampling tube 30 moves from the sampling tube rack 20 to the opening and closing position, and then executes the corresponding opening and closing operation procedure according to the determination result. In order to execute the opening and closing operation procedure, the automatic opening and closing device 1 for sampling tubes also includes a tube body fixing part 14, which can fix the tube body 31 of the target sampling tube 30 at the opening and closing position, so as to facilitate the clamp 12 to perform the operation procedure of rotating to open and rotate to close the tube cap 32 after grasping it.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, depending on the material of the external tube cap, each clamp 12 includes a first clamp 121 and a second clamp 122 arranged vertically. The first clamp 121 is located below the base 11, and the second clamp 122 is located below the first clamp 121. The space enclosed by the multiple first clamps 121 facing the inner side of the longitudinal axis A of the base 11 is smaller than the space enclosed by the multiple second clamps 122 facing the inner side of the longitudinal axis A of the base 11. That is, the shortest distance between the first clamp 121 and the longitudinal axis A of the base 11 is smaller than the shortest distance between the second clamp 122 and the longitudinal axis A of the base 11. Therefore, there is a step difference 123 between the first clamp 121 and the second clamp 122, that is, the lower edge of the first clamp 121 is exposed. For example, the first clamping portion 121 may be generally cylindrical, and the second clamping portion 122 may be generally semi-cylindrical, with the plane of the semi-cylindrical portion generally facing the longitudinal axis A of the base 11, thus creating a step 123 between the cylinder and the semi-cylindrical portion. According to the concept of this invention, the first clamping portion 121 is used to clamp a hard cap (first material / first height tube cap), and the second clamping portion 122 is used to clamp a soft cap (second material).

[0045] As shown in Figure 3, in order to accommodate multiple types of sampling tubes 30 (e.g., 30a, 30b, 30c) and ensure that the lower edges of the tube caps 32 (e.g., 32a, 32b, 32c) of the multiple types of sampling tubes 30 are at the same height, so that the sampling tube cap opening and closing device 1 can determine the form of the tube cap 32 of the sampling tube 30 (e.g., high cap, low cap, hard cap, soft cap, etc.) and then perform the corresponding automatic cap opening and closing operation, this invention proposes a flattened sampling tube rack 20 design. This sampling tube rack 20 has a lower edge setting plane 21 for the tube cap. When multiple types of sampling tubes 30 are accommodated in the sampling tube rack 20, the lower edge of the tube cap 32 of the sampling tube 30 will be flush with the lower edge setting plane 21 for the tube cap. The structure of the sampling tube rack 20 of this invention will be described in detail below.

[0046] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the sampling tube rack and the sampling tube housed therein; Figure 7 shows a partial exploded view of the sampling tube rack; Figures 8 and 9 show schematic diagrams of the clamping parts of the sampling tube cover switch extending into the sampling tube rack; Figure 10 shows a partial top view of the sampling tube rack; and Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the sampling tube rack at the center of the sampling tube. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the sampling tube rack 20 of this invention includes a sampling tube support 22, a sampling tube positioning seat 23, and a sampling tube fixing pad 24. The sampling tube support 22 is located at the lower part of the sampling tube rack 20, and is supported and mounted on the sampling tube positioning seat 23 and the sampling tube fixing pad 24. The sampling tube positioning seat 23 has a plurality of first through holes 231 and a plurality of surrounding protrusions 232 extending upward from the periphery of the plurality of first through holes 231, and the top surface 233 of the plurality of surrounding protrusions 232 together defines the lower edge setting plane 21 of the tube cover (as shown in Figure 3), thus providing a clamping height reference for the sampling tube cover switch. When the tube body 31 of the sampling tube 30 is inserted through the first perforation and placed on the sampling tube rack 20, the lower edge of the tube cap 32 of the sampling tube 30 abuts against the top surface of multiple surrounding protrusions 232, thereby achieving the purpose of making the lower edges of the tube caps 32 of the various types of sampling tubes 30 at the same height.

[0047] The diameter of the first perforation 231 is slightly larger than the diameter of the tube body 31 of the multi-type sampling tube 30 and smaller than the diameter of the tube cap 32 of the multi-type sampling tube 30. Therefore, the first perforation 231 can accommodate tube bodies 31 of sampling tubes 30 with different diameters, and at the same time, the lower edge of the tube cap 32 of the sampling tube 30 abuts against the top surface 233 of the multiple surrounding protrusions 232.

[0048] In one embodiment, each first perforation 231 is provided with a plurality of surrounding protrusions 232 around its periphery, such as four surrounding protrusions 232 but not limited thereto, and the inner wall surface of the surrounding protrusions 232 is an arc surface, the cross-section of which together define a circle with the same diameter as the first perforation 231.

[0049] Furthermore, the height of the surrounding protrusions 232 also provides working space for the clamps 12 (including the first clamp 121 and the second clamp 122) of the sampling tube opening and closing device 1. The surrounding protrusions 232 and the clamps 12 are designed to avoid interference, so that the clamps 12 will not interfere with the tube cap judgment or clamping and placing of the sampling tube 30. In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, four surrounding protrusions 232 are provided around the periphery of the first through hole 231. A space is defined between two adjacent surrounding protrusions 232. The sampling tube opening and closing device 1 has four clamps 12. When the clamps 12 are inserted into the sampling tube rack 20, the four clamps 12 are respectively located in the four spaces between the corresponding surrounding protrusions 232. After the baffle 111 pushes down to the tube cap 32 to determine whether it is a high cap or a low cap, the clamps 12 can move inward to determine whether the tube cap 32 is a hard cap or a soft cap, and then further clamp the sampling tube 30 out and move it to the opening and closing position for opening and closing operation.

[0050] In one embodiment, the sampling tube positioning seat 23 is made of a lightweight plastic material that can stably support the tube cap 32 of the sampling tube 30, such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and polyoxymethylene (POM), but is not limited thereto.

[0051] A sampling tube fixing pad 24 is disposed between the sampling tube positioning seat 23 and the sampling tube support seat 22, and has a plurality of second perforations 241 corresponding to a plurality of first perforations 231. As shown in Figures 7, 10 and 11, the diameter of the second perforation 241 is smaller than the diameter of the first perforation 231, and a plurality of interference elements 242 are provided around the second perforation 241. A gap 243 is defined between two adjacent interference elements 242, and this gap 243 extends radially from the periphery of the second perforation 241 to the periphery of the first perforation 231 (as shown in Figures 10 and 11). In other words, multiple interference elements 242 are arranged radially around the second perforation 241, and the interference elements 242 can be pushed downwards and deformed according to the insertion of the sampling tube 30, and have different deformation amounts according to the diameter of the tube body 31, so as to clamp and center the tube body 31 of the sampling tube 30 in the first perforation 231 and the second perforation 241, thereby accommodating sampling tubes 30 of different diameters, and can accommodate tube bodies 31 with diameters from 8mm to 16mm. In addition, when the sampling tube 30 is removed from the sampling tube holder 20, the interference elements 242 will return to their original position due to their elastic restoring force, and provide clamping function when the sampling tube 30 is inserted again.

[0052] In one embodiment, the sampling tube fixing pad 24 is made of a soft elastic material that can stably clamp the sampling tube 30 and has a hardness controlled below A50, such as soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC), PP elastomer, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), thermoplastic rubber (TPR), thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE), thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), polyolefin elastomer (POE), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), and soft acrylic, but is not limited thereto.

[0053] The sampling tube support 22 is mainly used to support the sampling tube positioning seat 23 and the sampling tube fixing pad 24 set thereon, and to provide space for the tube body 31 of the sampling tube 30 to pass through and be accommodated. Therefore, the structural design of the sampling tube support 22 can be varied according to needs without limitation. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG7, the sampling tube support 22 includes a top frame 221, a bottom frame 222, and a plurality of positioning pillars 223 connecting and fixing the top frame 221 and the bottom frame 222.

[0054] In one embodiment, the sampling tube support 22 further includes a sampling tube limiting plate 224, disposed between the top frame 221 and the bottom frame 222, and connected and fixed to the top frame 221 and the bottom frame 222 by a positioning post 223, and has multiple third through holes 225 corresponding to the first through hole 231 and the second through hole 241. In other words, the first through hole 231 of the sampling tube positioning seat 23, the second through hole 241 of the sampling tube fixing pad 24, and the third through holes 225 of the sampling tube support 22 are in an upper and lower alignment relationship, allowing the tube body 31 of the sampling tube 30 to be sequentially inserted into them. The diameter of the third through hole 225 is approximately the same as the diameter of the first through hole 231, providing a function of limiting the lower part of the tube body 31, which can prevent the overly short sampling tube 30 from tilting.

[0055] In one embodiment, the top frame 221 is provided with a plurality of positioning protrusions 226, and the sampling tube positioning seat 23 and the sampling tube fixing pad 24 are respectively provided with a plurality of first positioning holes 234 and a plurality of second positioning holes 244 corresponding to the plurality of positioning protrusions 226. By fitting the second positioning holes 244 and the first positioning holes 234 onto the positioning protrusions 226, the sampling tube fixing pad 24 and the sampling tube positioning seat 23 can be positioned on the sampling tube support 22.

[0056] In one embodiment, the top frame 221, the bottom frame 222, and the positioning support 223 are made of lightweight materials that can stably support the structure, such as aluminum alloy and engineering plastics, but are not limited thereto.

[0057] In one embodiment, the sampling tube limiting plate 224 is made of lightweight plastic materials, such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and polyoxymethylene (POM), but is not limited thereto.

[0058] According to the concept of this case, considering the weight burden on users when handling the sampling tube rack 20, a weight-reducing design is added to the rack while maintaining its supporting strength. Therefore, the sampling tube rack 20 in this case is assembled from composite materials in a multi-layer structure, and only the necessary structural features are retained in the processing. In one embodiment, for structures with strength requirements, such as the top frame 221, bottom frame 222, and positioning support 223, metal materials or engineering plastics are used; while for other structures with less strength requirements, such as the sampling tube positioning seat 23 and the sampling tube limiting plate 224, lightweight plastic materials are used. In addition, the sampling tube fixing pad 24 is made of a soft elastic material because it requires elasticity.

[0059] In summary, this invention proposes a sampling tube rack applicable to sampling tubes of different heights and diameters. The rack includes a sampling tube support, a sampling tube positioning base, and a sampling tube fixing pad. Besides accommodating high-throughput, multi-type sampling tubes, it ensures that the lower edges of the tube caps of all the tubes are at the same height. This facilitates the identification of the tube cap type by the tube cap opening / closing device, enabling corresponding automatic cap opening / closing operations. The advantages of this invention include reduced clamp installation and movement space, and flattened placement of the sampling tubes. When identifying the presence or absence of sampling tubes using image recognition, it avoids obstruction, shadows, and blind spots caused by excessive differences in tube height. Furthermore, because sampling tubes from different brands vary significantly in diameter, this sampling tube rack design, in addition to being compatible with such a wide range of diameters, keeps multiple types of sampling tubes centered within the rack, preventing collisions caused by tilting during clamping and ensuring smooth sampling tube handling. Furthermore, the sampling tube rack in this case has a weight-reduction design, and is assembled with composite materials in a multi-layer structure, which can reduce the weight burden on users when handling the sampling tube rack.

[0060] It should be noted that the above are merely preferred embodiments for illustrative purposes, and the scope of this application is not limited to the described embodiments. The scope of this application is determined by the claims. Furthermore, this application may be modified in various ways by those skilled in the art, but all such modifications shall not depart from the scope of protection sought by the claims.

Claims

1. A sampling tube rack, characterized in that, The architecture is designed to house multiple sampling tubes; the sampling tube rack includes: A sampling tube support base; A sampling tube positioning seat is disposed on the sampling tube support seat, having multiple first through holes and multiple circumferential protrusions extending upward from the periphery of the multiple first through holes. When the multiple sampling tubes are inserted through the multiple first through holes and placed on the sampling tube rack, the lower edges of the multiple tube caps of the multiple sampling tubes abut against the top surface of the multiple circumferential protrusions. as well as A sampling tube fixing pad is disposed between the sampling tube positioning seat and the sampling tube support seat, and has a plurality of second perforations corresponding to the plurality of first perforations, wherein the diameter of each second perforation is smaller than the diameter of each first perforation, and a plurality of interference elements are provided around each second perforation to accommodate the plurality of sampling tubes of different diameters.

2. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of each of the first perforations is slightly larger than the diameter of the body of each of the sampling tubes, and smaller than the diameter of the cap of each of the sampling tubes.

3. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall surfaces of the plurality of surrounding protrusions located around the periphery of each of the first perforations are arc-shaped, and their cross-sections collectively define a circle with the same diameter as the first perforation.

4. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sampling tube support is made of a plastic material.

5. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A gap is defined between two adjacent interference elements, the gap extending radially from the periphery of the second perforation to the periphery of the first perforation.

6. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sampling tube mounting pad is made of a soft, elastic material.

7. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sampling tube support includes a top frame, a bottom frame, and multiple positioning pillars that connect and fix the top frame and the bottom frame.

8. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The top frame, the bottom frame, and the plurality of positioning supports are made of a metal material or an engineering plastic.

9. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The sampling tube support also includes a sampling tube limiting plate, which is disposed between the top frame and the bottom frame, and is connected and fixed to the top frame and the bottom frame by the multiple positioning pillars.

10. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The sampling tube limiting plate has multiple third perforations corresponding to the multiple first perforations and the multiple second perforations.

11. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The diameter of each of the third perforations is approximately the same as the diameter of each of the first perforations, which allows the sampling tube to be inserted into it and prevents the sampling tube from being skewed.

12. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The sampling tube limiting plate is made of a plastic material.

13. The sampling tube rack as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The top frame is provided with multiple positioning protrusions, and the sampling tube positioning seat and the sampling tube fixing pad are respectively provided with multiple first positioning holes and multiple second positioning holes corresponding to the multiple positioning protrusions. By fitting the multiple second positioning holes and the multiple first positioning holes onto the multiple positioning protrusions, the sampling tube fixing pad and the sampling tube positioning seat can be positioned on the sampling tube support.

14. A sampling tube rack, characterized in that, The structure is designed to hold a sampling tube, and the sampling tube holder includes: A sampling tube support base; A sampling tube positioning seat, disposed on a sampling tube support, has a first through hole and a plurality of circumferential protrusions extending upward from the periphery of the first through hole. When the sampling tube is inserted through the first through hole and placed on the sampling tube rack, the lower edge of a cap of the sampling tube abuts against the top surface of the plurality of circumferential protrusions; and A sampling tube fixing pad is disposed between the sampling tube positioning seat and the sampling tube support seat, and has a second through hole corresponding to the first through hole, wherein the diameter of the second through hole is smaller than the diameter of the first through hole, and the periphery of the second through hole is provided with multiple interference elements to accommodate sampling tubes of different diameters.

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