Automated Biological Specimen Handling System for Refrigerated Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Manual handling of biological material specimens in refrigerated storage introduces human errors, slows down test procedures, and poses safety risks for laboratory operators, necessitating automation to ensure specimen integrity and safety.

Innovation Solution

An automated apparatus using a mechanical arm and conveyor belt system for loading and unloading test tubes from refrigerated storage, with a control unit for identification and tracking, and a container handling device for precise positioning and retrieval, minimizing human intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual handling of specimens is used, then operators can directly manage and retrieve specimens, but human errors are introduced and safety risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespecimen handling reliabilityVSAvoidoperator safety risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A robotic arm with gripper serves as an intermediary device between the operator and biological specimens. The robotic system handles all specimen manipulation tasks including retrieval from refrigerated storage, transport through the processing line, and placement in testing devices, eliminating direct operator contact with potentially infected materials while maintaining precise control over specimen handling operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical handling with an automated robotic mechanical system. The robotic arm, controlled by a control unit that receives commands from testing devices, substitutes human operators in performing repetitive specimen handling tasks, thereby eliminating human errors and safety risks associated with manual manipulation of biological materials

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Productivity

If manual specimen processing is used, then flexible handling is possible, but test procedure speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetest processing speedVSAvoidspecimen processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The robotic system enables continuous automated handling of specimens through the entire testing process. The robotic arm operates without interruption to retrieve specimens from refrigerated storage, transport them through the processing line, and place them in testing devices, eliminating the time losses associated with manual operation transitions and enabling high-speed continuous processing of multiple specimens

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary positioning and preparation of specimens automatically before testing begins. The robotic arm pre-positions specimens in the optimal orientation and location for immediate testing, eliminating setup time and ensuring that specimens are ready for analysis without manual intervention delays

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If automated robotic handling is implemented, then safety and reliability improve, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespecimen handling accuracyVSAvoidautomation system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The robotic arm is designed as a universal handling device that performs multiple functions including specimen retrieval from refrigerated storage, transport through different processing zones, precise positioning for testing, and placement in various testing devices. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized mechanisms for each handling task, thereby managing system complexity while maintaining high reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The control unit receives feedback signals from testing devices and uses this information to adjust robotic arm movements and positioning in real-time. This closed-loop control system ensures precise specimen handling and positioning while automatically compensating for variations, thereby maintaining high handling accuracy without requiring overly complex manual control mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8465693B2Apparatus for automatically depositing, preserving and retrieving biological material specimens in a refrigerated storage

Publication Date: 2013.06.18 INPECO

AI summary

An apparatus for automatically depositing, preserving and retrieving biological material test tubes is described, including a refrigerated storage with movable horizontal shelves and a conveyor interface, adapted to automatically transport biological material test tubes, a device adapted to handle the test tubes between the interface and the containers of a sorted plurality of test tubes, the containers having toothed guides and being able to be placed on the lanes of a bench, a handling device of the containers between the bench and an access area of the storage, slidingly mounted to the bench and including motorized toothed members adapted to couple with the toothed guides of the containers for horizontally moving the latter between the access area of the storage and the bench, and a control unit adapted to coordinate the devices during the loading/unloading operations.