JPH07229904A - Sample transfer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a sample transfer system which shows high processing efficiency, space-saving feature and an excellent cost/performance ratio by simultaneously driving a plurality of pipette devices selectively, simultaneously distributing a plurality of samples, and handling the samples with using a handling robot. CONSTITUTION:A distributing device 11 disperses and distributes a serum part of a parent sample to child on-line vessels and child off-line vessels, and the remaining serum to a preservation vessel following a parent vessel. A separator 12 separates and transfers the off-line child vessels to a separating rack 18 by means of a handling robot. The on-line child vessels are accommodated every five vessels in a rack 13 which is hung on a rack tray of a feeding part and transferred by a transfer line 14 to an analyzer 28 and a collecting part 29 after being distributed by the distributing device 11. The off-line child vessels are accommodated every five vessels in a rack 15, carried by a transfer line 17 via a rack tray 16 and, sent to the separator 12 after being distributed by the distributing device 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a sample transport system for automating a sample test, particularly in the field of clinical tests.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional sample transport system, subdivision of samples (blood, serum, urine, etc.) corresponding to test items is performed for an online analyzer connected downstream of the system and for other offline analysis. For the purpose of measurement, it is carried out by a separate pipetting machine. Here, the sample for offline analyzer is dispensed from the parent sample container (hereinafter referred to as the parent container) by a so-called random access type dispenser having one pipette device capable of XYZ movement, and is used in various analyzers. It is made by dispensing into sub-containers contained in the corresponding sorting rack group. However, in the aforesaid fractionation process, in order to reliably collect a certain amount of sample with a pipette device, a pipette nozzle (hereinafter referred to as a nozzle) synchronized with liquid level detection, clogging detection, and suction for sampling from a certain depth is used. It is necessary to control the descent, and in the dispensing process, in order to reliably dispense a fixed amount of the sample, it is necessary to control the nozzle ascent in synchronization with the ejection to prevent the sample from scattering and sticking to the nozzle. Including the attachment and detachment of the disposable nozzle, it takes longer than simple solid transfer handling, and it is difficult to increase the speed, so the processing capacity is limited to about 300 specimens / h per 1: 1 dispensing. . Also, if you want to increase the processing capacity, you will connect multiple units to the transfer line and perform parallel processing, but in addition to the online dispenser, dispensers with similar functions will be lined up, increasing the installation space and lowering cost performance. Impressions are inevitable. Devices related to this type of device include, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-124458 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-4.
There is a 4666 publication.

[0003]

That is, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, the improvement of the processing capacity of the offline dispensing is not sufficiently taken into consideration, and there is a problem that the installation of a plurality of units increases the space and lowers the cost performance. The purpose of the present invention is to
An object of the present invention is to provide a sample transport system that has few problems described above, high throughput, space saving, and high cost performance.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a multiple dispensing machine for selectively driving a plurality of pipette devices simultaneously to dispense a plurality of specimens simultaneously,
A sorting rack and a sorting handling robot capable of accommodating off-line analysis sub-containers are provided adjacent to the transfer line downstream of the pipetting machine. The robot is a multiple handling robot capable of simultaneously driving a plurality of containers by selectively driving a plurality of hands at the same time.

[0005]

First, the multi-dispensing machine performs a time-consuming dispensing / dispensing operation on a plurality of samples in parallel to form a sub-container group, and the sub-container group is conveyed downstream by a conveying line for sorting and handling. The robot sequentially sorts and transfers the sub-containers to a sorting rack corresponding to the offline analyzer, and the multiple handling robot simultaneously grips and raises a plurality of sub-containers and then sequentially sorts and transfers them, resulting in parallel processing. It is possible to provide a sample transport system having a large processing capacity as the plurality of values related to the above are large.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A sample transport system which is an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The schematic configuration of this system is (see Fig. 1): a parent sample transport line that transports a parent sample downward, branches to the right after dispensing, and returns to the upstream; It consists of a sub-sample transport line for analysis, a sub-sample transport line for off-line analysis, and a nozzle transport line used for dispensing.
Here, the transfer line is composed of a U-groove guide for holding and guiding a gap on the side surface of the rack and a belt conveyor for mounting and transferring the rack. The transfer line is also divided for each device so that the device can be separately conveyed. It is connected. First, blood collection tubes (not shown) having blood samples inside are accommodated in units of five in the rack 2 and transported through the parent sample transport line 3. In the transfer line 3, a parent sample introduction part 4, a centrifuge 5, a buffer 6 for leveling the batch processing of the centrifuge 6, a corner unit 7a for changing the transfer direction of the rack, an uncapper 8 for unplugging the blood collection tube, and an operator. On the crossing transfer line 9a for passing through, a dispensing container 11, a sub container, a storage container, a supply unit 10 for supplying a disposable nozzle, and a known XY drive on the transfer line. The nozzles are press-fitted and held in five nozzle head up-and-down drive mechanisms (none of which are shown) provided in the station, and a known pipette device connected to the nozzle heads is used to bring the serum portion of the parent sample online. A dispenser 11 that dispenses a sub-container and an off-line sub-container and separates and dispenses the remaining serum into a storage container that is subsequently conveyed to the parent container, and is also on the above-mentioned conveyance line. hand, Serial Offline Yoko sorter 12 provided with a handling robot (not shown) for the sorting transfer to the sorting rack 18 containers are connected. Here, the online sub-containers are accommodated in a rack 13 in units of five, and are erected on a rack tray (not shown) that is taken in and out from the front side (the left side in the drawing) of the supply unit 10 and can be moved up and down. Are picked up by the transfer line 14, transferred by the transfer line 14, dispensed by the dispenser 11, and then transferred to the analyzer 28 and the recovery unit 29. The off-line child containers are accommodated in units of 5 in a rack 15, laid on a rack tray 16, and transported by a transport line 17,
After being dispensed by the dispenser 11, it is conveyed to the sorting machine 12,
The transfer line 1 is transferred to a sorting rack 18 having storage holes of 10 rows and 5 columns, while the rack 15 can be moved up and down.
It is driven downward by 7a and is collected in a rack tray (not shown) which is put in and taken out from the front side of the sorting machine 12.
Further, the storage container is accommodated in a rack 19 in units of five, and is installed on a rack tray (not shown) that is taken in and out from the front middle stage of the supply unit 10, and is moved to the transfer line 3 by a transfer line 3a that can be moved up and down. It is lifted up and loaded into and transported between the parent sample racks 2. Similarly, the nozzles are accommodated in the nozzle rack 20 in units of five, and are installed on a nozzle tray (not shown) that is taken in and out from the lower front side of the supply unit 10, and a transfer line 21a that can be driven up and down.
The nozzle is lifted up and conveyed by the nozzle conveying line 21, and after press-fitting and using the pipette in the pipetting machine 11, the shoulder of the nozzle is hooked on the remover 22 to be removed and dropped into the waste box 23 to be stored. The rack 20 is driven down by a transfer line 21b that can be moved up and down, and is collected in a rack tray (not shown) that is taken in and out from the front side of the pipetting machine 11. Next, the corner unit 7b, the traverse transportation line 9b, the analyzer 28, and the child container collecting section 29 are connected to the online child container carrying line 14.
On the other hand, the parent sample transport line 3 has a corner unit 7b,
The parent sample rack 2 and the storage rack 19 are alternately lined up and transported upward by the 7c, and pass through the storage container capper 24, the label sticking machine 25, and the storage cabinet 26 for organizing and storing the parent. It is connected to the container / storing container recovery unit 27, is further changed in direction by the corner unit 7d, is connected to the corner unit 7a, and is closed as a reinspection transfer line. Each of the constituent devices is electrically connected to a central processing unit (neither is shown) that controls the entire device via each drive control device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of the supply unit 10. Various consumables such as sub-containers are artificially stored in respective racks in advance, and the tray on which the racks are placed is erected from the left side in the drawing. The tray 31 of the rack 13, the tray 32 of the storage container rack 19, and the tray 33 of the nozzle rack 20 are hierarchically arranged. Each tray is provided with a rack delivery mechanism (not shown) for delivering each rack to the right in the figure, while a transport line is provided at the right end of the tray in the figure, and the rack 15 of the off-line child container is directly transported to the transport line 17. The other three racks are first transferred to the transfer lines 14a, 3a, 21a that can be moved up and down by waiting at the moving surface height of the tray.
It is constructed so that it is moved up to the same height as the transfer line 17 and then transferred to the transfer lines 14, 3, 21.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side sectional view of the pipetting machine 11, and FIG. 4 is an X view thereof. The transfer line penetrates through the center of the device, and the off-line child container rack 1 from the left of FIG.
5, the transfer line 14 for the on-line child container rack 13, the transfer line 3 for the parent container rack 2 and the storage container rack 19, and the nozzle rack 20.
The transfer line 21b can be moved up and down like the above-mentioned supply unit, and it descends after the end of the nozzle supply, and pushes the nozzle rack 20 to the left in FIG. 3 by a rack delivery mechanism (not shown),
The tray 34 is configured to be collected. Further, a remover 22 for removing the nozzle and a waste box 23 for accommodating the dropped nozzle are provided as shown in the figure. Above each transfer line, a known XY drive station 35 for driving the nozzles is provided over the range from the nozzle rack transfer line 21b to the remover 22, and the station has five XY drive stations 35 corresponding to the intervals between the container storage holes of each rack. A known five series of nozzle head elevating and lowering drive mechanisms 36 to which the nozzles of the book are attached are provided, and each nozzle head is connected to the corresponding five known pipette mechanisms (not shown), and the inspection request items of the parent sample are provided. A plurality of specimens are simultaneously dispensed and dispensed simultaneously according to a dispensing command instructed based on the dispensing instruction.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side sectional view of the sorting machine 12, and FIG. 6 is a Y view thereof. Like the dispenser, the transfer line penetrates through the center of the device, and the transfer line 3 for the parent container rack 2 and the storage container rack 19 and the transfer line 14 for the on-line child container rack 13 are arranged from the right of FIG. Transfer line 17a for off-line child container rack 15
Can be moved up and down, descends after transferring the sub-container, and is moved to the left in FIG.
5 is extruded and collected in the tray 37. The leftmost part of FIG. 5 corresponds to an offline analyzer and has a sorting rack 18 having 10-row and 5-column child container storage holes.
6 are arranged. Above each transfer line, a known XY drive station 38 for driving the robot hand from the transfer line 17a to the range of the sorting rack 18 is provided, and the storage hole for the off-line child container rack 15 is provided in the station. A known 5-unit robot hand lifting drive mechanism 39 with five hands attached corresponding to the interval (equal to the row interval of the sorting rack 18) is provided, and offline analysis request information and dispensing result information of the parent sample. Sorting rack 1 according to the sorting instruction instructed based on
The sorting handling robot configured to sort and transfer the off-line child containers is configured in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of the five continuous dispensing operation of the dispensing machine 11. XYZ drive above the transport line 5
Nozzle rack 20 according to dispensing instruction
5 nozzles (A _{n to} E _n ) are simultaneously installed from 5 to 5 and parent samples (recognition numbers A to E) from 5 parent containers of the transported rack 2
At the same time (the amount of dispensing is the sum of the amount dispensed below), the online analytical sub-container of the rack 13 and the rack 15a,
15b offline dispensing sub-containers are sequentially dispensed in rack units at the same time. In this example, sub-samples A _{1 to} E ₁ and A ₂ to
Make E ₂ , A ₃ and C ₃ . Next, the residual serum is again collected from the parent sample and dispensed into the storage container of the rack 19 (separation dispense),
Dispose of used nozzle A _n ~E _n.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of the 5-series sorting operation of the sorting machine 12. The sample off-line analysis for the child was made as the _{A 2 ~E 2, A 3,} C 3 rack 15a, is conveyed by 15b, is sorted handled in the sorting rack by 5 stations of the handling robot which is XYZ drive . In this example, the handling robot first grips and raises the sub-containers A _{2 to} E ₂ from the rack 15a at the same time according to the sorting instruction, and moves to the sorting racks 18a to 18d side.
On instructions hole as child container is positioned A _2, E _2,
Sub-containers B ₂ , C ₂ , and D ₂ are sequentially transferred, and sub-containers A ₃ and C ₃ are similarly transferred from the rack 15b. Here, the sub-containers that have not been dispensed by the dispenser 11 (corresponding to B ₃ , D ₃ , and E ₃ in this example) are not transferred to the sorting rack,
The tray 37 is stored in the rack 15b as it is and is used next time. That is, in this example, the so-called front-loading arrangement is performed during sorting and handling. Further, in order to improve the throughput, it is desirable that the types of sub-containers are integrated and the number of sub-divisions per sample is small by grouping off-line analysis items.

Next, the operation of the present system, which is sequentially executed according to the program registered in the central processing unit, will be described. First, the operator installs the parent sample rack 2 on the sample loading unit 4, and consumables (online container, offline container, storage container, nozzle, nozzle,
Install the stopper cap, label) on the specified part and execute the system startup operation. The parent sample blood collection tube is conveyed through the conveyance line 3, and is centrifuged, opened, online dispensed, offline dispensed, separated dispensed, and delivered to the collection unit 27. The online container dispensed above is transported through the transport line 14,
The analysis is started by being dispensed to the analyzer 28, and the sub-container is carried out to the collection unit 29. The off-line dispensed sub-containers are transported through the transport line 17, transferred to the sorting rack 18, transported by the operator, installed on the offline analyzer, and analyzed. In addition, the storage container dispensed for storage is transported alternately in parallel with the parent container, and the same barcode label as that of the parent sample is affixed to it, which is then stored and stored in the storage box 26 and is no longer needed. It is carried out to the collection unit 27. As described above, the analysis of the sample and the pre-processing and post-processing are sequentially executed, but when the parent sample and consumables are exhausted or the collection unit is full, the assist request buzzer sounds and the operator performs the recovery work. The analysis process will be continued. As described above, the analysis processing of the sample is sequentially executed according to the program registered in the central processing unit, and the processing result is output and used for diagnosis.

In the present invention, the supply and removal of the on-line child container and the nozzle are manually performed. However, by utilizing the linear arrangement of the transfer lines, the transfer can be carried up and down and reciprocated at both ends of the line. A line is provided, a return line for the rack is provided at the bottom, a known automatic feeder is provided at the supply section, and a disposal handling robot is provided at the recovery section, which facilitates further labor saving. Regarding the separation and dispensing of serum, as in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-55806, a separated container is placed on the parent sample blood collection tube, or serum is temporarily collected and collected. If a method is used in which a partition plug is placed in the middle of a blood vessel and then dispensed on it, a labeling machine is not required and the system can be provided at low cost.

As the effects peculiar to the above-described embodiments, it is necessary to save nozzles by sharing the dispenser on / off line, save space in combination with the hierarchical arrangement of the expendables installation section, and perform analysis and pre-processing and post-processing. One example is the labor saving by connecting the equipment with a transfer line.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, when subdividing a sample for off-line analysis from a parent sample, the time required can be shortened by performing a preparative dispensing operation and a sorting handling operation on a plurality of samples in parallel. It has the advantages of high processing capacity, space saving and high cost performance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a sample transport system that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of the supply unit 10.

3 is a schematic side sectional view of the pipetting machine 11. FIG.

FIG. 4 is an X view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side sectional view of the sorting machine 12.

6 is a Y view of FIG. 5. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a dispensing operation.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a sorting operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Parent sample rack, 3 ... Parent sample transport line, 4 ... Parent sample loading section, 5 ... Centrifuge, 8 ... Opening machine, 10 ... Supply section, 11
... Dispenser, 12 ... Sorting machine, 13 ... Online child container rack, 14 ... Online child container transport line, 15 ...
Off-line child container rack, 17 ... Off-line child container transfer line, 18 ... Sorting rack, 19 ... Storage container rack, 20 ... Nozzle rack, 21 ... Nozzle transfer line,
24 ... Capper, 25 ... Labeling machine, 26 ... Storage, 2
7 ... Collection part, 28 ... Analyzer, 29 ... Sub-container collection part, 35
... XY drive station, 36 ... Nozzle head elevation drive mechanism, 38 ... XY drive station, 39 ... Robot hand elevation drive mechanism.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A transporting device for a sample container containing a liquid sample, a sample loading device for loading at least the sample container into the transporting device, and a sorting of the sample in another container (hereinafter referred to as a sub-container). In a sample transport system to which a pipetting device for pouring is connected, the pipetting device is a multiple pipetting device that simultaneously drives a plurality of pipette devices to simultaneously dispense and dispense a plurality of samples. A sorting rack capable of accommodating offline analysis sub-containers and a sorting handling robot are provided adjacent to the transport device downstream of the dispensing device, and the sub-containers dispensed by the dispensing device are sorted and handled by the sorting rack. A sample transport system characterized by being configured. 2. The sample transport system according to claim 1, wherein the sorting and handling robot is a multiple handling robot capable of simultaneously driving a plurality of hands and simultaneously handling a plurality of containers.