JP2000009737A - Holder for test tube conveyance - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a holder for test tube conveyance, capable of holding a test tube having a different diameter in the erected state and without plays with a holder for test tube conveyance of a single kind. SOLUTION: For this holder for a test tube conveyance 10, when a test tube 11 is inserted in a holder body 13, the test tube 11 is held in an erect state by the proper elastic force of a test tube elastically-holding structure 15 between a test tube bracing member 14 and a circumferential side board 17 of the holder body 13 (for the case of one bracing member 14) or between a test tube bracing member 14 and a test tube bracing member 14 (for the case of plural bracing members 14) or the like. In this case, the test tube bracing member 14 is projected inside the holder by the elastic force of a rubber ring 22. Hereby, the degree of shrinkage of the rubber ring 22 is changed according to the diameter of the test tube 11. Consequently, the test tube 11, having different diameters, can be held in the erect state without plays with the holder 10 of a single kind.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a holder for transporting test tubes, and more particularly, to a holder for transporting test tubes which holds test tubes of different diameters transported by a transport conveyor in an upright state without play.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Prior to performing various blood tests, donated blood, which is blood in a blood collection tube (test tube), is separated into serum and a blood clot by centrifugation. After dispensing, a pre-treatment of dispensing into a plurality of test containers is performed. The sample injected into the centrifuged blood collection tube is usually used to clarify the boundary between serum and blood clot.
It is divided into an upper serum and a lower clot with a serum separating agent containing silicone as a main component in the middle. That is, the centrifuged sample has a three-layer structure.

In recent years, an automatic sample preprocessing / transporting system which automates such sample preprocessing has been developed in order to prevent mixing of samples during sample preprocessing and infection of workers due to sample contact. . In the serum dispensing process by this automatic sample pretreatment transport system, when the blood collection tube being transported by the belt conveyor reaches the dispensing position of the dispensing unit, the optical sensor detects the boundary between the serum separating agent and the serum. The height is detected, and then, based on the detection signal from the optical sensor, the pipette-shaped dispensing tip is lowered,
The tip of the tip is inserted into the serum in the blood collection tube, and only the serum is aspirated into the tip. Next, this is a work process of moving the dispensing / dispensing tip to the dispensing position and discharging and dispensing serum into a plurality of set test tubes. During this conveyor transport, each blood collection tube is housed in a cylindrical test tube transport holder and stands upright.

[0004]

The blood collection tube into which the patient's blood is injected has, for example, a 7 mm tube (φ13 × 7).
5-100mm), 10mm tube (φ16 × 75-100)
mm). As a result, a blood collection tube transfer holder for transferring the holder in an upright state is also insufficient with only one type of inner diameter. This is because, for example, when the inner diameter of the blood collection tube transport holder is larger than the diameter of the blood collection tube, a gap is formed between the blood collection tube and the holder. That is,
The blood collection tube may rattle due to the vibration during the conveyor conveyance, and in the worst case, the blood collection tube may fall out of the holder. As a result, several types of test tube transfer holders having different holder inner diameters have been required.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a holder for transferring test tubes which can hold test tubes of different diameters in an upright state with no play by using one kind of holder for transferring test tubes. , Its purpose. It is another object of the present invention to provide a holder for transferring a test tube, which has a simple structure and can urge the test tube holding piece member inward of the holder at relatively low cost. Another object of the present invention is to provide a holder for transporting a test tube which can hold a test tube in a holder with a high uprightness. It is an object of the present invention to provide a test tube transfer holder that can project a plurality of test tube holding members into a holder at a time with substantially uniform urging force. Still further, the present invention provides a test tube transport holder capable of increasing the uprightness of a test tube held in the holder and smoothly guiding test tubes of different diameters into the holder main body. That is its purpose. It is another object of the present invention to provide a test tube transfer holder capable of improving the stability of the holder body during the transfer of the conveyor.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a test tube transport holder for holding a test tube transported by a transport conveyor in an upright state. It has a main body, and one or more test tube pressing members arranged in the holder main body and pressed against the peripheral surface of the test tube, and the test tube pressing member is moved inwardly into the holder main body by elastic force. A test tube transport holder provided with a test tube elastic structure for holding the test tube in an upright state by protruding the test tube.

[0007] The type of the conveyor is not limited. For example, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, a bucket conveyor and the like can be mentioned. The test tubes referred to here include, for example, blood collection tubes, test tubes for performing various chemical experiments, and the like. Further, the type, size, shape, material, and the like of the test tube are not limited. As long as the holder main body is a cylindrical container capable of holding a test tube, the holder main body may be, for example, circular or elliptical in cross section, or may be triangular, quadrangular or more polygonal. Further, a reflection plate for reflecting a light beam emitted from an optical sensor (position sensor) may be mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the holder body.

The material (for example, metal such as stainless steel or aluminum or various kinds of plastics) and the shape and shape of the test tube holding member can be used as long as they can be placed in the holder body and pressed against the peripheral surface of the test tube. ,size,
The number used is not limited. In addition, the test tube pressing member is disposed in the holder main body when the test tube pressing member is entirely disposed in the internal space of the holder main body, for example, as in claim 4. This includes a case where the test tube holding member is inserted into a slit formed in the peripheral side plate, and only a part thereof is arranged in the internal space of the holder main body. The test tube elastic structure here is a structure that can press the test tube holding member against the peripheral surface of the test tube inserted into the holder body with an appropriate elastic force. For example,
Various types of spring-type structures and sponge-type structures can be used. The test tube holding member itself may be disposed in the holder main body, for example, as a plate spring (test tube elastic structure).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the test tube elastic structure is formed on a peripheral side plate of the holder main body, and guides movement of the test tube holding member in and out of the holder main body. Or a plurality of guide grooves, and one or a plurality of elastic members disposed inside or outside the peripheral side plate to urge the test tube pressing member inward of the holder main body, wherein the test tube pressing member 2. The test tube transfer holder according to claim 1, wherein the holder is movably inserted into the guide groove in and out of the holder body. The guide groove may be, for example, a groove engraved on the peripheral side plate, or a slit formed through the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the peripheral side plate. The length direction of the guide groove may be a direction orthogonal to the axial direction or a direction obliquely intersecting with the axial direction other than the axial direction of the holder body. In addition, it is preferable to provide a stopper for preventing the detachment of the guide groove and / or the test tube holding member so that the test tube holding member that moves in and out of the holder main body does not come off the guide groove. Examples of the elastic member include a rubber ring (such as an O-ring and a rubber band), a coil spring, and a leaf spring.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the holder main body has a cylindrical container shape, and the plurality of guide grooves are formed at substantially equal angles on the peripheral side plate of the holder main body. 3. The test tube transport holder according to claim 2, wherein the holder is aligned with a radial direction of the holder body. The guide groove is
For example, 180 degrees, 120 degrees, 90 degrees on the peripheral side plate of the holder body.
It can be arranged radially every degree, 60 degrees and 45 degrees. Since the groove depth direction of each guide groove coincides with the radial direction of the holder main body, each test tube holding member is moved in and out toward the center of the holder main body.

In the invention described in claim 4, the guide groove is formed as a plurality of slits penetrating the peripheral side plate,
The plurality of test tube holding members inserted into each of the guide grooves has a length in the same width direction longer than the thickness of the peripheral side plate, and the elastic member is attached to the peripheral side plate of the holder body. The test tube transport holder according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the elastic member is an elastic ring that urges each of the test tube holding members toward the inside of the holder body at a time with substantially uniform urging force. The shape, length, width, and the like of the guide groove, which is a slit, are not limited. For example, it may be formed along the entire length of the peripheral side plate in the axial direction. Examples of the elastic ring include the rubber ring described above and an annular coil spring. In addition,
In order to collectively urge the test tube holding members into the holder with substantially uniform urging force, the elastic ring needs to have substantially uniform elastic force over the entire circumference.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the guide groove is formed as a plurality of longitudinal grooves extending in the axial direction of the holder main body having one end reaching the upper edge of the peripheral side plate, and is inserted into each of the guide grooves. The test tube holding member has a length protruding from the upper edge of the peripheral side plate, and the test tube holding member is inclined downward toward the center of the holder main body at the upper end of each of the test tube holding members. The test tube transport holder according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising an inclined guide for guiding the test tube into the test tube. The number of test tube holding members used is not limited as long as it is plural. However, when each test tube holding member is radially arranged around the center of the holder main body, the test tube can be smoothly guided to the center of the holder main body by the inclined guide at the upper end of each member. It is preferable because it is possible. The length of the protruding portion of each test tube pressing member protruding from the upper edge of the peripheral side plate is not limited. Further, the inclination angle of the inclination guide provided at the upper end of each test tube holding member is not limited. However, about 30-60 degrees,
The test tube can be smoothly guided to the center of the holder body.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a slide guide is provided on the peripheral side plate of the holder main body so as to slide along a test tube transport guide rail provided above a side portion of the transport conveyor. A test tube transport holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The test tube transport guide rail may be disposed on only one side of the transport conveyor, or may be disposed on both sides. The slide guide provided on the peripheral side plate of the holder body may be, for example, a flange-shaped one formed on the entire periphery of the peripheral side plate. Further, one or a plurality of projecting pieces formed partially on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral side plate may be used.

[0014]

According to the present invention, by inserting a test tube into the holder main body, the test tube is connected to the test tube holding member and the peripheral side plate of the holder main body by an appropriate elastic force of the test tube elastic structure. In an upright state, for example, when there is one test tube holding member, or between a test tube holding member protruding into the holder body and the test tube holding member (when there are a plurality of test tube holding members). Will be retained. At this time, the test tube holding member is protruded inward of the holder main body by the elastic force of the elastic member. Thus, the degree of expansion and contraction of the elastic member changes according to the diameter of the test tube. As a result, the test tubes having different diameters can be held upright without any backlash by using one type of test tube transport holder.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the test tube elastic structure is urged toward the inside of the holder main body by the guide groove formed in the peripheral side plate of the holder main body and the test tube pressing member. Since the structure includes the elastic member and the test tube holding member, the structure is simple and the test tube can be held upright at low cost.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the holder main body has a cylindrical container shape and the plurality of guide grooves are radially arranged in the circumferential direction of the holder, the plurality of guide grooves inserted into each guide groove are provided. The test tube holding member always moves only in the radial direction around the center of the holder main body at all times. Thereby, the test tube inserted into the holder main body is held in the holder main body with a high uprightness.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4,
When the test tube is inserted into the holder main body, the plurality of test tube pressing members hold the test tube in an upright state with substantially uniform pressing force by the elastic force of the elastic ring.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the test tube is inserted into the holder main body, even if there is a slight displacement from the center of the holder, the lower part of the test tube being lowered is It comes into contact with the inclined guides provided at the upper ends of the plurality of test tube holding members, and is thereafter guided along the inclined surfaces to the center of the holder main body. As a result, the uprightness of the test tube held in the holder main body can be increased, and the test tubes of different diameters can be smoothly guided into the holder main body.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention,
The test tube transport holder transported by the transport conveyor is
The sliding guide of the peripheral side plate is transported along a test tube transport guide rail provided above the side of the conveyor. Thereby, the stability of the holder body during the conveyor conveyance can be improved.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a test tube transport holder according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here,
Take an automatic sample preprocessing line as an example. However, it is not limited to this. First, a first embodiment will be described. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the blood collection tube transport holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blood collection tube transport holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment of the present invention.
It is a front view of the holder for blood collection tube conveyance which concerns on an Example. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a small-diameter blood collection tube is held by the blood collection tube transport holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state where a large-diameter blood collection tube is held by the blood collection tube transport holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a blood tube collection holder (test tube transfer holder) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a holder that transports the blood vessels (test tubes) 11 upright by belt conveyors (transport conveyors) 12 to the respective working steps of the automatic sample pretreatment line (not shown). Here, as the blood collection tube 11, a 7 mm tube 11A having a diameter of 13 mm and a length of 100 mm (see FIG. 4),
10 mm tube 11B of 100 mm in length and 100 mm in length (see Fig. 5)
And Hereinafter, the blood collection tube transport holder 10 will be described in detail. The blood collection tube transport holder 10 has a cylindrical container-shaped holder body 13 into which the blood collection tube 11 is inserted. The holder main body 13 is provided with four blood collection tube holding members 14 that support the blood collection tube 11 from the side. Further, the holder main body 13 is provided with a blood collection tube elastic structure 15 for holding the blood collection tube 11 in an upright state by projecting each blood collection tube holding member 14 into the holder.

The holder body 13 has a disc-shaped bottom plate 16 made of plastic as a substrate, and a cylindrical peripheral plate 17 having an inner diameter of 18 mm, a thickness of 3 mm and a height of 50 mm is integrally formed on a central portion thereof. Has been established. This peripheral side plate 17
A sliding guide plate 18 having a flange shape is integrally provided around the lower part of the slide guide plate 18. The slide guide plate 18 slides along a pair of blood collection tube transfer guide rails 19 disposed above both sides of the belt conveyor 12 during the conveyor transfer. As a result, rattling of the blood collection tube transport holder 10 due to vibration during the transport of the conveyor can be suppressed.

On the upper surface of the sliding guide plate 18, a guide groove 18a extending in the radial direction of the holder is formed at every 90 degrees. The peripheral side plate 17 of the holder body 13 extends in the holder axial direction at a position facing each guide groove 18a,
In addition, any one of the guide grooves 18a communicates with the lower end thereof, and the upper end reaches the upper edge of the peripheral side plate 17.
Are formed. Each slit 20 is a radial cutout groove having a width of 4 mm whose depth direction matches the radial direction of the holder body 13. In each slit 20,
A total of four of the blood collection tube holding members 14 are inserted. The length of each blood collection tube holding member 14 is longer than the slit 20 and the width thereof is longer than the thickness of the peripheral side plate 17. The specific dimensions of the blood collection tube holding member 14 are 10 mm in width and 3 mm in thickness.
mm and a height of 80 mm. Note that all blood collection tube holding members 14 have the same dimensions.

At the end of each blood collection tube holding member 14, there is provided an inclined guide 14a which is inclined downward (inclination angle 60 degrees) toward the center of the holder. This inclined guide 14
a guides the blood collection tube 11 into the holder. Further, two pairs of stopper projections 21 are provided on the outer end surfaces of the upper and lower portions of each blood collection tube holding member 14. Two rubber rings (an example of an elastic member) are provided on the upper and lower portions of the peripheral side plate 17 so as to collectively push the blood collection tube holding members 14 from behind to the center of the holder with substantially uniform urging force. Elastic ring) 2
2 is outerwear. Each rubber ring 22 has a constant thickness over its entire length. This is to eliminate the partial bias of the elastic force in the rubber ring 22. By doing so, the four blood collection tube holding members 14 can be pressed together with substantially uniform urging force.

The distance between the opposed blood collection tube holding members 14 after the pushing is designed to be 13 mm. By setting this value, there are many types of blood collection tubes 1 from small to large diameter.
Among them, a 7 mm tube with a relatively small diameter (φ13 × 75
11A can be erected without play. Further, each blood collection tube holding member 14 has the stopper projection 21 as described above. This allows
Even when the blood collection tube holding member 14 is pushed in, the respective stopper projections 21 are hooked on the slit forming portions of the peripheral side plate 17, and the blood collection tube holding member 14 is prevented from coming off from within the slit 20. In addition, the said blood collection tube elastic structure 15 is
The guide groove 18a, the slit 20, the stopper projection 21, and the rubber ring 22 are provided.

Next, a method of using the blood collection tube transport holder 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, blood collection tube 1
The insertion into the holder body 13 is automatically performed by a blood collection tube transfer device (not shown). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a 7 mm tube 11A, which is a blood collection tube having a relatively small diameter, is inserted into the holder body 13. In this case, the 7 mm tube 11
A is held upright by the four blood collection tube holding members 14 arranged at 90 degrees. That is, a 7 mm tube 11A
Has a diameter of 13 mm. On the other hand, the distance between the blood collection tube holding members 14 arranged opposite to each other is also 13 mm. As a result, when the 7 mm tube 11 </ b> A is inserted into the holder main body 13, the end surfaces of the four blood collection tube holding members 14 inside the holders just come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the 7 mm tube 11. Thus, the 7 mm tube 11A is securely held from all directions by the radially arranged blood collection tube holding members 14 during the conveyor conveyance. Thereby, rattling of the 7 mm tube 11A during transportation is suppressed. During this conveyor conveyance, the blood collection tube transport holder 10 is transported with both sides of the sliding guide plate 18 being guided by the guide grooves 19a of the pair of blood collection tube transport guide rails 19 (FIGS. 2 and 3). reference). As a result, rattling of the blood collection tube transfer holder 10 due to vibration during the transfer of the conveyor can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to prevent the 7 mm tube 11A from rattling in the holder body 13.

Next, a case where a 10 mm tube 11B, which is a blood collection tube having a relatively large diameter, is inserted into the holder body 13 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the diameter of the 10 mm tube 11B is 16 mm. On the other hand, the distance between the opposing blood collection tube holding members 14 is 13 as described above.
mm. However, each blood collection tube holding member 14
Project inward of the holder by an elastically deformable rubber ring 22. Therefore, a thick one in a narrow holder
When the 0 mm tube 11B is forcibly pushed, each blood collection tube holding member 14 is pressed against the elastic force of the rubber ring 22 by a difference between the lengths thereof ((16−13) ÷ 2 = 1.5 mm). It is pushed out. As a result, a 10 mm tube 1
The inner end surface of each blood collection tube holding member 14 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of 1B, and is held upright.

The blood collection tube 11 is inserted into the holder body 13.
When inserting the (7 mm tube 11A, 10 mm tube 11B), the blood collection tube 11 may be displaced from the center of the holder. At this time, the bottom of the descending blood collection tube 11
It comes into contact with one of the inclined guides 14 a of the blood collection tube holding member 14. Thereafter, the blood collection tube 11 descends to the center of the holder while being guided by the inclined guide 14a. Then, finally, this displacement is eliminated, and the blood collection tube 11 is completely inserted into the holder. in this way,
Since the inclined guide 14a is provided at the upper end of each blood collection tube holding member 14, the blood collection tubes 11 having different diameters can be smoothly moved to the holder body 1.
3 can be guided.

In the first embodiment, each blood collection tube holding member 14 is moved in and out of the holder via the rubber ring 22 in accordance with the diameter of the blood collection tube 11, so that one blood collection tube is transported. By using the holder 10, the blood collection tubes 11 (here, the 7 mm tube 11 </ b> A and the 10 mm tube 11 </ b> B) having different diameters can be held upright without rattling. In addition, since the blood collection tube elastic structure 15 is a structure including the slit 20 formed in the peripheral side plate 17, the rubber ring 22, and the blood collection tube holding member 14, the structure is simple and low cost. Become. Further, since the holder main body 13 has a cylindrical container shape and the four slits 20 are radially arranged in the circumferential direction of the holder, the moving direction of the plurality of blood collection tube holding members 14 inserted into each slit 20 is always the holder. As a result, the blood collection tube 11 inserted into the holder main body 13 can be held in the holder with a high degree of uprightness. Furthermore, the blood collection tube transport holder 10 transported by the belt conveyor 12
Is designed such that the sliding guide plate 18 of the peripheral side plate 17 is guided and transported by the blood collection tube transport guide rail 19 provided above the conveyor side, so that the stability of the holder body 13 during the transport of the conveyor is improved. Can be improved.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a blood collection tube transport holder according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the blood collection tube transport holder according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the blood collection tube transporting holder 30 of the second embodiment is an example in which the design of the blood collection tube elastic structure 15 that pushes each blood collection tube holding member 14 into the holder is changed. That is, the blood collection tube holding member 14A is inserted into each of the four vertical grooves 20A formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side plate 17A, and this is attached to the holder radial direction by using the rubber ring 22A internally attached to the holder main body 13. To be moved. Hereinafter, this will be described in detail. In the second embodiment, the peripheral side plate 17A of the holder body 13 is made thick. On the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side plate 17A, four deep vertical grooves 20A that are not penetrated by the inner and outer peripheral surfaces are formed at intervals of 90 degrees. A blood collection tube holding member 14A is loosely inserted into each longitudinal groove 20A, and annular grooves 31 parallel to each other are engraved on the upper and lower inner peripheral surfaces of the peripheral side plate 17A. Each annular groove 31 is provided with the rubber ring 22.
A is inserted.

In the base of the blood collection tube holding member 14A, a ridge 32 having a small raised width is provided. On the other hand, on the peripheral side plate 17A, a stopper strip 33 for preventing the blood collection tube holding member 14A from coming off is formed at the outer edge of the formation portion of each vertical groove 20A. The blood collection tube holding member 14A inserted into each longitudinal groove 20A is moved from the back thereof by the elastic force of the rubber ring 22A fitted inside the holder body 13.
It is extruded toward the center of the holder. At this time, since the protruding ridge portion 32 is hooked on the stopper ridge portion 33, the groove of the corresponding blood collection tube holding member 14A is prevented from coming off. When the blood collection tube 11 is inserted into the holder body 13 when the holder is used, the first
As in the embodiment, the blood collection tube holding member 14A moves radially outward from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 6 and 7 to the position indicated by the solid line by an amount corresponding to the diameter of the blood collection tube 11. As described above, the blood collection tube holding member 14A is attached to the holder main body 13.
(FIG. 6 and FIG. 7), the rubber ring 22A is biased toward the center of the holder by the elastic force of the rubber ring 22A.
The holder is more compact than in the embodiment. Further, since the rubber ring 22A is not exposed to the outside, deterioration of the rubber is relatively suppressed, and the life of the holder is prolonged. Note that other configurations, operations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of the blood collection tube transport holder according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the blood collection tube transfer holder 40 of the third embodiment includes an inner narrow slit 2 whose opening area gradually decreases toward the inside in the radial direction on the peripheral side plate 17B of the holder body 13.
OB is formed. In addition, the blood collection tube holding member 14B
The shape corresponds to the inner narrow slit 20B. Accordingly, the stopper projection 21 which is relatively easily damaged in the first embodiment, the protrusion 32 and the stopper strip which make it difficult to insert the blood collection tube holding member 14A into the vertical groove 20A when assembling the holder as in the second embodiment. The unit 33 becomes unnecessary. Other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a front view including a partial cross-sectional view of a blood collection tube transport holder according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a blood collection tube transport holder according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the blood collection tube transfer holder 50 of the fourth embodiment reflects light rays from an optical sensor (position sensor) (not shown) on the upper outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral plate 17C of the holder main body 13A. Light reflection ring 5
1 is fitted outside. The light reflecting ring 51 is connected to the blood collection tube 11.
(7 mm tube 11A, 10 mm tube 11B) is a ring for detecting that each work step of the sample pretreatment line has been reached.

The blood collection tube elastic structure 15A is fitted inside the outer peripheral plate 17C. The blood collection tube elastic structure 15A is
At the lower edge of the base ring X, two portions, that is, the bottom portion and the vicinity of the intermediate portion of the blood collection tube 11, are held by four long leaf springs X1 in which each spring is arranged at 90 degrees and four short leaf springs X2. Is what you do. In addition, each long leaf spring X1 arranged on the upper side
It is at a phase position of 45 degrees with respect to the short leaf spring X2 arranged below. Note that these leaf springs X1 and X2 also serve as a test tube even member and an elastic member. In addition, the peripheral side plate 1
A ring stopper 52 that fixes the base ring X and simultaneously guides the blood collection tube 11 to the center of the holder with the upper end surface inclined downward inward is fixed to the upper inner peripheral surface of 7C.
Thus, in the fourth embodiment, the long and short leaf springs X1, X2
, The two positions of the blood collection tube 11 at different heights are elastically held from four directions, respectively, so that
Both the tube 11A and the 10 mm tube 11B can be firmly held upright regardless of the tube diameter.

[0035]

According to the present invention, the holder for the test tube is provided with the holder main body into which the test tube is inserted and the test tube elastic structure including the test tube holding member. Different test tubes can be held upright without rattling.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the test tube elastic holding structure is configured to have the guide groove of the holder main body and the elastic member. It is simple and relatively inexpensive to urge the test tube retainer inward of the holder body.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, the holder main body has a cylindrical container shape,
A plurality of guide grooves are arranged at substantially equal angles on the peripheral side plate, and the depth direction of these grooves matches the radial direction of the holder main body, so that the test tube can be held in the holder main body with a high uprightness. .

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4,
In addition to the effects of claim 2 or claim 3, in addition to the plurality of slits in the guide groove, the length in the width direction of each test tube holding member is made longer than the thickness of the peripheral side plate, and the elastic member is made of an elastic ring. With this elastic ring, each test tube holding member can be collectively protruded into the holder main body with substantially uniform urging force.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the second to fourth aspects, each of the inclined guide portions of the plurality of test tube holding members is arranged above the holder main body. Therefore, the uprightness of the test tube held in the holder main body can be increased, and the test tubes having different diameters can be smoothly guided into the holder main body.

According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effects of claims 1 to 5, the peripheral side plate of the holder body has
Since the slide guide that slides along the test tube transfer guide rail of the transfer conveyor is provided, the stability of the holder body during the transfer of the conveyor can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blood collection tube transport holder according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blood collection tube transport holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the blood collection tube transport holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which a small-diameter blood collection tube is held by the blood collection tube transport holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which a large-diameter blood collection tube is held by the blood collection tube transport holder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a blood collection tube transport holder according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a holder for transferring blood collection tubes according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of a blood collection tube transport holder according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view including a partial cross-sectional view of a blood collection tube transport holder according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a blood collection tube transport holder according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 30, 40, 50 Blood collection tube transport holder (test tube transport holder), 11 blood collection tube (test tube), 11A 7mm tube (test tube), 11B 10mm tube (test tube), 12 belt conveyor (transport conveyor) ), 13, 13A holder body, 14, 14A Blood collection tube holding member (test tube holding member), 14a Inclined guide, 15, 15A Blood collection tube holding structure (test tube holding structure), 17, 17A, 17B, 17C peripheral plate, 18 sliding guide, 19 test tube transport guide rail, 20 slit (guide groove) 20A vertical groove (guide groove) 22, 22A rubber ring (elastic member), X1, X2 leaf spring (test tube pressing member) And elastic members).

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A test tube transport holder for holding a test tube transported by a transport conveyor in an upright state, comprising: a cylindrical container-shaped holder main body into which a test tube is inserted; One or more test tube holding members pressed against the peripheral surface of the tube, and the test tube holding member is held in an upright state by projecting the test tube holding member into the holder body by elastic force. Test tube transport holder provided with a test tube elastic structure. 2. The test tube elastic structure is formed on a peripheral side plate of the holder main body, and guides one or a plurality of guide grooves for guiding movement of the test tube holding member in and out of the holder main body. One or more elastic members arranged inside or outside the peripheral side plate to urge the test tube holding member inward of the holder main body, wherein the test tube holding member has a holder in the guide groove. 2. The test tube transport holder according to claim 1, wherein the holder is movably inserted into and out of the body. 3. The holder main body has a cylindrical container shape, and a plurality of the guide grooves are formed on the peripheral side plate of the holder main body at substantially equal angles, and each groove depth direction matches the radial direction of the holder main body. The test tube transport holder according to claim 2, wherein 4. A plurality of the guide grooves are formed as slits penetrating the peripheral side plate, and a plurality of test tube pressing members inserted into the respective guide grooves are longer than the thickness of the peripheral side plate and are in the same width direction. An elastic ring which is externally attached to the peripheral side plate of the holder main body and urges each of the test tube holding members to the inside of the holder main body collectively with substantially uniform urging force. Claim 2
Or the test tube transport holder according to claim 3. 5. The guide groove is formed as a plurality of longitudinal grooves extending in the axial direction of the holder main body, one end of which extends to the upper edge of the peripheral side plate, and the test tube holding member inserted into each of the guide grooves includes: An inclined guide that has a length protruding from the upper edge of the peripheral side plate, and that is inclined downward toward the center of the holder main body at the upper end of each of the test tube pressing members to guide the test tube into the holder main body. Claim 2 to Claim 4 provided with
The test tube transport holder according to any one of the above. 6. A slide guide which slides along a test tube transfer guide rail provided above a side portion of the transfer conveyor is provided on a peripheral side plate of the holder main body. The test tube transport holder according to any one of the preceding claims.