Dual-Scale Sample Carrier Buffers for Reduced Conveyance Delays
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing sample examination automation systems face delays in sample conveyance due to the need for a large buffer region for one-piece sample carriers, leading to congestion and inefficiencies when empty carriers are not available, necessitating additional conveyance lines.
Innovation Solution
A system with a large-scale sample carrier buffer and a smaller sample carrier sub-buffer, managed by a conveyance unit, controls the supply of carriers to minimize delays without additional conveyance lines, using sensors to determine optimal carrier distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large buffer region is provided for one-piece sample carriers, then the system can maintain continuous operation without delays, but the apparatus size becomes extremely large
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer region is divided into two segments: a large-scale sample carrier buffer and a small-scale sample carrier buffer. The large buffer stores a substantial number of empty carriers to ensure continuous operation, while the small buffer near the analyzer couples only stores a minimal number of carriers. This segmentation allows the system to maintain reliability without requiring a single enormous buffer region, thereby reducing the overall apparatus size.
2Loss of time
If a large buffer region is provided for one-piece sample carriers, then conveyance delays are reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional conveyance lines
Solution Approach 1:
The small-scale sample carrier buffer acts as an intermediary between the large-scale buffer and the analyzer coupling unit. It receives empty carriers from the large buffer and supplies them to the analyzer, decoupling the analyzer from direct dependency on the large buffer. This intermediary buffer reduces conveyance delays by ensuring local availability of carriers while avoiding the need for additional complex conveyance lines to service multiple large buffers.
3Productivity
If empty sample carriers are not available, then conveyance stops and delays occur, but providing more carriers increases the buffer region size
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier buffer is segmented into a large-scale buffer holding many empty carriers and a small buffer holding only a few carriers. The large buffer ensures high productivity by providing a substantial reservoir of carriers, while the small buffer minimizes the additional volume required near the analyzer. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high conveyance throughput without proportionally increasing the buffer region size throughout the entire system.
Data Source
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AI summary
A sample examination automation system that allows reducing a delay of conveyance due to a stop of supply of empty sample carriers without disposing a conveyance line for empty sample carrier is provided. The sample examination automation system includes a conveyance line 101, a large-scale sample carrier buffer 104, an analyzer coupling unit 103, and a conveyance managing unit 1. The conveyance line 101 conveys a sample carrier. One or a plurality of sample containers is mountable on the sample carrier. The large-scale sample carrier buffer 104 stores a plurality of the sample carriers. The analyzer coupling unit 103 is couplable to an analyzer 102. The analyzer coupling unit 103 incorporates a sample carrier sub-buffer 105. The sample carrier sub-buffer 105 is capable of storing the sample carriers by an amount smaller than an amount of the large-scale sample carrier buffer. The conveyance managing unit 1 has a function of controlling a sample carrier conveyance destination. The conveyance managing unit 1 is configured to determine an amount of the sample carriers supplied to the sample carrier sub-buffer via the large-scale sample carrier buffer according to a storage situation of the sample carriers in the sample carrier sub-buffer.