JPH0239748B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus that automatically supplies microplates for, for example, clinical tests, and automatically collects and stores microplates that have undergone mixing, dilution, and the like.

Conventionally, such devices are known to raise and lower the stacker itself and open claws provided at the bottom of the stacker to the left and right to drop the microplates one by one, or to collect them by gripping them from the left and right sides. . However, this type of device not only has a complicated mechanism, but also has the disadvantage that, because the claws are attached to springs to grip the microplate, there are occasional feeding or collection errors due to spring pressure, etc. It was hot.

In order to solve these problems, the present inventors investigated various options and developed a device in which the stacker itself is fixed, a push-up member is newly provided, and the microplate is attached and detached by moving the stacker up and down. It was discovered that this device solves all of the above-mentioned problems, and the present invention was completed based on this finding. A major feature of the present invention is that the method of retaining the microplate using the claws has been devised so that the microplate can be attached and detached using the weight of the claws.

That is, the present invention provides a holding frame for a tray laminate;
A pawl that is rotatably pivoted and locks and holds the lowest tray of the stack, a member that limits the lower end of the pawl that can swing and rotate, and a member that pushes up the tray stack from the lower surface of the pawl. At this time, it includes a push-up member that pushes and rotates the claw to release the engagement between the claw and the tray, a mechanism that moves the push-up member up and down, and a mechanism that transports the tray that has separated from the stack. The present invention relates to a characteristic tray feeding device.

Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be explained with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the lower part of the tray stack holding frame of a feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a right side view thereof. In addition, the claw holding plate 15a at the lower right of FIG.
2 and the right half of the claw cover plate 27 in FIG. 2 are shown in cutaway form. In this embodiment, a rectangular cylinder made of aluminum is used as the holding frame 1 for the tray stack, with the front surface of the cylinder cut largely from top to bottom. A large window 2 is provided on the right side of the tray so that the stacked trays can be seen. It is sufficient for this holding frame to be able to hold the tray stack and smoothly move the stack downward, and therefore it is not limited to the shape of the embodiment, but may take various shapes that satisfy these conditions. be able to.

This holding frame 1 is fixed to the main body of the apparatus by fixing fittings 3 and 4. Reference numeral 5 denotes a fixing member on the main body side that engages with the fixing member 3, and a projection 7 at the tip of the holding frame side fixing member 3 is fitted from above into a groove 6 formed therein. On the other hand, the lower fixing metal fitting 4 is fixed by inserting its hole 8 into a bar-shaped projection 10 fitted to a fixing member 9 on the main body side. This holding frame can be fixed with one touch. Fixing fittings 11 and 12, which are the same as those of 3 and 4, are also screwed onto the right side surface so that this holding frame can be fixed both vertically and horizontally. 13 is a screw that fastens the fixture 3, and 14 is a screw that fastens the fixture 4.

At the lower end of the holding frame 1, there are four claw holding plates 15a, 1
5b, 16a, 16b are screwed, and claw plates 17, 18 are attached to the lower part of the pins 19a, 19b, 20.
A and 20b are fixed in a swingable and rotatable manner. A perspective view of the nail plate is shown in FIG. This claw plate has the function of locking and holding the stack of trays on its upper surface, and rotates upward until the tip portions 21 and 22 are pushed up by a push-up plate 29, which will be described later, and are disengaged from the tray. It is necessary to have a function to rotate the push-up plate by its own moment as the push-up plate descends, and to return to the original position. As a result, the upper limit of rotation must be a point from which the pawl plate can easily return to its original direction, and the lower limit point must be a place where the pawl plate can be held. Further, the width (l) of the claw plate should not be too large in order to reduce the vertical movement of the push-up plate 29. In the embodiment, the range in which the nail plate can swing and rotate is between the horizontal position of the upper surface of the nail plate and an angle of approximately 30 degrees upward from there, and the width of the nail plate is approximately 2 cm. The plate only needs to have a shape that satisfies these conditions, and can take various shapes other than the plate shape. Further, it is sufficient that the mounting position is at a constant distance from the holding frame, and for example, the claw holding plate may be mounted on the main body of the apparatus.

In order to exhibit the function of locking and holding the tray of the claw plate, a member is required to limit the swinging lower end of the claw plate. In the device shown in the drawings, stopper pins 23a, 23b, 24 are attached to the upper surface of the claw plate.
a and 24b come into contact with the outer surfaces of the lower parts 25 and 26 of the holding frame, thereby restricting the lower end of the swinging rotation of the claw plate. Note that the upper limit of rotation is limited by the stopper pin hitting the back side of the claw covers 27 and 28.

In the device shown in the drawings, a cross-shaped plate 29 as shown in FIG. 4 is used as a member for pushing up the tray. This push-up member has the function of pushing up the stacked material on the tray from the bottom, and the function of pushing and rotating the claw to release the engagement between the claw and the tray. It must also have the function of ensuring that when the tip of the claw descends as the rear push-up member descends, the tip will be above the engagement protrusion 43 of the tray with which it was previously engaged. Therefore, the ends 30 and 31 of the push-up member are located near the engagement protrusion 43 of the tray, and the distance between the push-up member and the engagement protrusion of the tray after the claw and the tray are disengaged is You need to make sure that the tip of your nail does not get stuck in it. FIG. 5 shows some examples of the types of engagement protrusions on the tray and the corresponding push-up plates.

FIG. 6 is a front view of an example of the push-up device, and FIG. 7 is a right side view thereof. The portion to the right of the push-up shaft 37 in FIG. 6 is shown in cross-section.
The crank plate 33 is rotated by the drive of the motor 32, and the power is further transmitted to the connecting rod 35 via the crank pin 34, causing the push-up shaft 37 to perform a piston movement through the bar 36, and the push-up plate 29 attached to its tip. Move it up and down. 38 is a roller, and 39 is a guide rod for the roller. A bar passage is bored in the sleeve 40 of the lift shaft. 41 is a tray positioning projection. 42 is a limit switch that stops the push-up plate at the lowest point. The apex of the push-up plate must be kept at a point where the push-up plate does not come off the claw plate.

The trays have locking protrusions 43 at least in a stacked state.
must exist. This protrusion is, for example, the 5th a
As shown in the figure, this may be caused by a difference in length between the top and bottom surfaces of the tray.

The tray transfer mechanism is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected from known transfer mechanisms depending on the purpose.

In the tray recovery device, a notch 44 is formed in the center of the claw plate so that the push-up plate can pass through the claw, and the width of the push-up plate is slightly shorter both vertically and horizontally. All parts of the feeding device are different from each other except for the following three points: and the highest point of the vertical movement of the pushing shaft in the pushing up device is slightly higher so that the pushing up plate can be pushed up to the top of the pawl. may be exactly the same as. The embodiment is also different from the supply device in that the fixture is on the left side and the window is on the right side.

Next, the operation of this apparatus will be explained. First, samples and other fillers are filled into each tray as necessary, and then the trays are stacked on the holding frame of the supply device.
Next, when the activation button of the push-up device is pressed, the motor 32 is activated and the push-up plate 29 is raised, and the ends 30 and 31 of the push-up plate abut against the claw plates 17 and 18. Push up while rotating. Then, the tips 21 and 22 of the claw plates 17 and 18 are released from the tray and positioned above the engaging portion, that is, the tips 21 and 22 are connected to the bottom tray (the tray to be taken out) and the bottom tray. It is located between the engaging portion of the second tray. At this time, the tray shifts from being placed on the claw plate to being placed on the push-up member. Then, as the crank plate rotates, the push-up plate descends with the tray placed thereon, and the pawl plate rotates downward under its own weight and enters below the engaging part of the second tray, allowing the tray to be placed on the lowest tray. or the side of the second tray. As the push-up plate continues to descend further, the tray at the lowest stage descends with the push-up board placed thereon, the claw plate is stopped by a stopper pin, and the tray on the second stage is locked on its upper surface. On the other hand, the detached tray is transferred by a transfer mechanism, and, if necessary, subjected to operations such as filling and mixing, and then transferred to the push-up plate of the tray recovery device. The push-up device then operates to push up the tray on the push-up plate, and when the top of the tray hits the bottom of the trays already stacked, it continues to rise while pushing up the entire stack of trays, until the end of the tray. The pawl plate is pushed open at the part, and the push-up plate stops when it passes the pawl part. The claw plate then rotates under its own weight and returns to its original position. After that, when the push-up plate starts to descend, the tray is locked by the claw plate,
Only the push-up plate returns to its original position.

In the above-mentioned operation, the supply device may be operated by manually turning on the switch, or the switch may be operated in conjunction with other processes.

The trays used in the apparatus of the present invention are not particularly limited as long as they are stacked and have locking protrusions on the sides, but relatively small and lightweight trays are preferable, such as trays for automatic analyzers, etc. , trays used in various medical or chemical measuring instruments such as agar medium microplates,
Another example is a tray for storing confectionery. A perspective view of an example of the tray is shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing an outline of an automatic mixing and diluting device for serum, etc., as an example of a device using the tray supply device and recovery device of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a right side view. In this device, the feeding device is arranged on the right side and the collecting device on the left side. For the tray, use the microplate shown in Figure 8.
When a microplate containing, for example, a serum sample is placed in one row of holes at the left end and a diluent is placed in fixed amounts in the other rows of holes, is stacked on the holding frame 1 of the supply device and the start button of the switch board 45 is pressed, the supply device The push-up device is activated to release one microplate, and the push-up plate holding the microplate is lowered and placed on the carrier plate as it passes through the central hole of the carrier plate 46. . Next, the carrier plate moves to the left and repeats movement and stopping according to the operation predetermined by the switch on the switch board 56, while the direuter 47 operates to mix the liquid in each hole and keep a constant amount of liquid. By repeating the operation of holding the hole and moving to the next hole, a series of sample solutions with different dilution ratios of the serum sample are prepared, and then the left end is reached. Then, the push-up device 48 of the collection device is activated, and the push-up plate passes through the hole from under the carrier plate, holds the microplate and rises, and is stored in the holding frame 49 of the collection device and stacked. . 50 and 51 are stopper plates of the carrier plate, and 52
and 53 are endless chain sprocket wheels for moving the carrier plate. Further, 54 is a sensor for stopping the carrier plate at a predetermined position, and 55 is a tank for cleaning water for the diluter.

The device of the present invention is simple in structure and has the advantage of reliably feeding and collecting trays, and is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of the lower part of the tray stack holding frame of a feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a right side view thereof. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example of a claw, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of an example of a push-up member.
FIG. 5 shows various types of trays when the stack is stopped and when the push-up member is activated to remove the trays. Moreover, FIG. 6 is a front view of one embodiment of the push-up device, and FIG. 7 is a right side view thereof. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an example of the tray. FIG. 9 is a front view showing an outline of an automatic mixing and diluting device using the tray supply device and recovery device of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a right side view. 1... Holding frame, 17, 18... Claw plate, 23a,
23b, 24a, 24b...stopper pin, 2
9... Push-up plate, 32... Motor, 33... Crank plate, 35... Connecting rod, 37... Push-up shaft.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 It is rotatably supported by the holding frame of the tray stack, is biased to rotate inward of the holding frame by its own weight, and locks and holds the lowest tray of the stack. a member that limits the lower end of the swinging and rotating claw, and a member that is wider than the tray stack in the direction of the claw and that pushes the tray stack up from the lower surface thereof, and at the same time pushes the claw and rotates the tray stack. It is characterized by having a push-up member that positions the tip of the claw above the engagement portion of the tray after the claw is released from engagement with the tray, and a mechanism that transfers the tray that has separated from the stack. A feeding device for trays.