CN113023023A

CN113023023A - Pipe dropping device and labeling machine

Info

Publication number: CN113023023A
Application number: CN202110177654.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王淼恒; 吴建福; 王锐浩
Original assignee: Beijing Jiyinshu Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Jiyinshu Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-02-09
Filing date: 2021-02-09
Publication date: 2021-06-25

Abstract

The invention discloses a tube dropping device which comprises a slideway inclined plate, an electromagnet fixing plate, a stop lever supporting plate and a test tube control assembly, wherein the slideway inclined plate is arranged on the top of the electromagnet fixing plate; set up the slide that allows the test tube to glide along predetermined track with vertical mode of hanging on the slide swash plate, electro-magnet fixed plate and shelves pole backup pad are fixed in on the slide swash plate, test tube control assembly includes trilateral lever, first shelves pole, the second shelves pole, electromagnetism iron core axle and electro-magnet, and trilateral lever includes first fulcrum, the second fulcrum, third fulcrum and central through-hole, the one end of first shelves pole is rotationally connected to first fulcrum, the one end of second shelves pole is rotationally connected to the second fulcrum, the one end of electromagnetism iron core axle is rotationally connected to the third fulcrum, trilateral lever is fixed in a shelves pole backup pad through the horizontal axis and the fixed column that pass central through-hole. The tube dropping device has high tube dropping efficiency, diversified tube dropping modes and capability of avoiding falling test tubes from toppling or being clamped.

Description

Pipe dropping device and labeling machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of test tube management, and more particularly to a tube dropping device for dispensing test tubes to a predetermined requirement and a labeling machine including the same.

Background

In a place where blood is collected intensively, such as a hospital or a physical examination center, a large number of test tubes containing blood are generally required. With the improvement of the automation degree, various automatic machines are widely used for effectively managing the test tubes, so that the efficiency is greatly improved, and errors caused by manual operation are avoided.

The labeling machine is an automatic instrument which prints the information and the number of a testee and automatically and orderly pastes the information and the number to the corresponding test tube. In such instruments, it is important to efficiently and orderly manage the test tubes to sequentially enter the labeling assembly for labeling in a prescribed manner.

Various solutions for dispensing test tubes have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, CN101149386A discloses a sample pretreatment/delivery apparatus, which comprises: a test tube transfer passage on which test tubes filled with samples are individually held in the test tube holders, respectively, and transferred in a standing position one by one; a rack conveyance path that extends parallel to the test tube conveyance path, on which each set of at least 5 cuvettes is held in a standing position in a cuvette holder, and which is conveyed; a filled test tube loading section that loads a test tube filled with a sample into the test tube transfer path; a rack loading section that loads the specimen cup rack into the rack conveyance path; an aliquoting/dispensing device, located in the middle of the test tube transport path, configured to simultaneously aliquote samples from each set of at least 5 sample-filled test tubes transported on the test tube transport path and simultaneously dispense them into at least 5 sample cups on the rack transport path; and an analyzer, located on a downstream side of the rack transport path, configured to receive the specimen cup rack storing the specimen and analyze the specimen. However, this solution is structurally complex and involves the transport of the test tubes to a specific location before dispensing them, and is therefore inefficient and unsuitable for applications where the flow of people is large, such as hospitals, medical examination centres, etc.

For another example, CN204038311U discloses a blood collection tube selecting bracket, which includes a bottom plate, a plurality of rail baffles arranged in parallel on the bottom plate, a blanking hole arranged at the front end of the bottom plate, and a material moving mechanism arranged corresponding to the blanking hole, wherein a blood collection tube rail is formed between adjacent rail baffles, and the blood collection tube rail is inclined towards the material moving mechanism; move material mechanism and include the singlechip, shelter from the orbital flitch that moves of heparin tube, set up linear guide on the bottom plate, drive move flitch lateral shifting's step motor, fix the driving gear on the step motor output shaft and set up the heparin tube on moving the flitch and accomodate the groove, the singlechip is connected with step motor's control end, move the flitch and pass through linear guide and set up on the bottom plate, move and be provided with the rack on the flitch, rack and driving gear meshing. Although this support can load multiple different heparin tubes and supply to labeling device after selecting through automatic, this support needs the heparin tube to accomodate opening or closing of groove, and efficiency is still not high, and the mode that the test tube fell is single to be blocked easily when the test tube lateral shifting, even the test tube emptys, the influence is used.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve at least one problem in the prior art, the invention provides a pipe falling device which is high in pipe falling efficiency. The invention also provides a labeling machine comprising the tube dropping device, which avoids the test tube from toppling over or being blocked. Specifically, the present invention includes the following.

In one aspect of the invention, a tube dropping device is provided, which comprises a slideway inclined plate, an electromagnet fixing plate, a stop lever supporting plate and a test tube control assembly;

the utility model discloses a test tube gliding device, including slide swash plate, electro-magnet fixed plate, shelves pole backup pad, test tube control assembly, first shelves pole, second shelves pole, electromagnet mandrel and electro-magnet, the test tube control assembly includes trilateral lever, first shelves pole, second shelves pole, electromagnet mandrel and electro-magnet, just trilateral lever includes first fulcrum, second fulcrum, third fulcrum and central through-hole, the one end of first shelves pole rotationally is connected to first fulcrum, the one end of second shelves pole rotationally is connected to the second fulcrum, the one end of electromagnet mandrel rotationally is connected to the third fulcrum, trilateral lever is through passing the horizontal axis and the fixed column of central through-hole are fixed in the shelves pole backup pad.

In some embodiments, a first through hole allowing a portion of a first link to freely pass therethrough, a second through hole allowing a portion of a second link to freely pass therethrough are provided on the link support plate; and a third through hole allowing a part of the electromagnet mandrel to freely pass through is arranged on the electromagnet fixing plate. Preferably, the electromagnet is fixed to one side of the third through hole, and further preferably, at least a part of the electromagnet is fixed to the inside of the third through hole.

In some embodiments, the tube dropping device includes a plurality of sets of test tube control assemblies, a plurality of slide ways allowing the test tubes to slide down along a predetermined track in a vertically suspended manner are disposed on the slide way inclined plate, each test tube control assembly is disposed below each slide way in a manner corresponding to one slide way, and the plurality of sets of test tube control assemblies are fixed above the stop lever supporting plate in a parallel manner through the horizontal shafts and the fixing columns.

In some embodiments, the tube dropping device comprises a first operating state in which the electromagnet core moves towards the electromagnet to a first position, the free end of the second lever being in a position to block the second test tube from sliding downwards, while the free end of the first lever is in a position to allow the first test tube to drop, wherein the first position comprises a position in which the electromagnet core shaft is in contact with the electromagnet, or a position in which at least a part of the electromagnet core shaft enters the inside of the electromagnet.

In some embodiments, the tube dropping device comprises a second operating state in which the electromagnet mandrel is moved away from the electromagnet to a second position in which the free end of the first lever is in a position to block the first test tube from falling, while the free end of the second lever is in a position to allow the second test tube to slide downwards, wherein the second position comprises a position in which the electromagnet mandrel is separated from the electromagnet, or a position in which at least a portion of the electromagnet mandrel is moved away from the inside of the electromagnet.

In some embodiments, elastic means are provided between the electromagnet and the electromagnet mandrel, or the electromagnet has an internal cavity and elastic means are provided in the internal cavity, allowing the drop tube device to change from the first operating condition to the second operating condition.

In some embodiments, the electromagnet fixing plate is fixedly connected with the stopper rod support plate, and the stopper rod support plate and the electromagnet fixing plate are fixed to the slide inclined plate through a side plate of the slide inclined plate.

In certain embodiments, the drop tube device further comprises the same number of sensors as the number of ramps, thereby allowing each ramp to individually correspond to one sensor; each sensor is fixed in through the sensor fixed plate respectively the slide for detect the quantity of test tube in the slide.

In certain embodiments, the first through hole is provided with a first channel allowing a portion of the first bar to freely move therein, the second through hole is provided with a second channel allowing a portion of the second bar to freely move therein, and the length of the first channel is less than the length of the first bar, and the length of the second channel is less than the length of the first bar.

In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a labelling machine comprising a drop tube device according to the first aspect of the present invention.

The tube dropping device has high tube dropping efficiency, diversified tube dropping modes and capability of avoiding falling test tubes from toppling or being clamped.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the overall structure of an exemplary pipe dropping device according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the drop tube device shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary assembly of a stop support plate and an electromagnet fixing plate according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram of an exemplary first operating condition of the drop tube device of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of an exemplary second operating condition of the drop tube device of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

The tube dropping device 100, the slide slope plate 110, the electromagnet fixing plate 120, the blocking piece supporting plate 130, the first slide way 1101, the second slide way 1102, the third slide way 1103, the fourth slide way 1104, the fifth slide way 1105, the sixth slide way 1106, the seventh slide way 1107, the eighth slide way 1108, the first side plate 111, the first through hole 131, the second through hole 132, the first fixing column fixing position 133, the third through hole 121, the first channel 1311, the second channel 1321, the three-side lever 141, the first blocking piece 142, the second blocking piece 143, the electromagnet spindle 144, the electromagnet 145, the first fulcrum 1411, the second fulcrum 1412, the third fulcrum 1413, the central through hole 1414, the horizontal shaft 146, the first fixing column 147, the exposed part 1441, the first test tube 150 and the second test tube 160.

Detailed Description

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following explanation of the preferred embodiments of the present application.

The tube dropping device is a device for managing test tubes to be taken out or entered into a subsequent mechanism individually and sequentially or simultaneously according to the specified requirements. Preferably, the drop tube device refers to a device for labelling machines. More preferably, the tube dropping device of the present invention refers to a device for managing test tubes for orderly application of desired labels.

In a first aspect of the present invention, a tube dropping device is provided, which comprises a slide inclined plate, an electromagnet fixing plate, a stop lever supporting plate and a test tube control assembly. Optionally, a sensor is further included. The components are described in detail below.

[ inclined plate of slide track ]

The slide way sloping plate is of a plate-shaped structure which is obliquely arranged at a certain angle. A slide allowing the test tube to slide down along a predetermined track, for example, in a vertically suspended manner is provided on the slide inclination plate. The width of the slide is not particularly limited as long as it allows a portion (e.g., a body) of the test tube to freely pass through and slide down. Preferably, the width of the slide is 1.01 to 1.5 times, more preferably 1.05 to 1.2 times the diameter of the test tube. In addition, the length of the slide is not particularly limited, and is generally sufficient to ensure that 4 to 30 test tubes are arranged simultaneously, preferably 6 to 15 test tubes are arranged simultaneously, and more preferably 8 to 10 test tubes are arranged simultaneously. The number of the ramps in the ramp plate of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be arbitrarily set as required, for example, 1 ramp, but usually the number of the ramps is plural, for example, 2 to 40, preferably 4 to 20, and more preferably 6 to 10. The number of slides in this range is advantageous to ensure efficient dispensing of the test tubes, and does not make the device bulky.

In the present invention, the vertical suspension comprises the provision of specific members on the test tube for suspending the test tube on the slide. Preferably, the test tube is suspended by means of a cap structure, such as a test tube, in contact with the slide, which is a simple design, which is advantageous for cost reduction.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the test tube slides down the slide way only by gravity without external force. Therefore, the slide inclination plate needs to maintain an inclination angle sufficient to allow the test tube to slide down by gravity. Preferably, the ramp does not have a bottom plate that can contact the bottom of the test tube, facilitating the free sliding down of the test tube. In certain embodiments, the lower portion of the slide has an opening to allow the sliding test tube to freely fall into the prescribed mechanism in a vertical manner. In some embodiments, the lower portion of the slide is provided with a blocking member to prevent the test tube from being excessively far away from the tube dropping device after sliding down.

[ test tube control Assembly ]

The test tube control assembly is used for controlling the distribution of test tubes in a single slide way and comprises a three-edge lever, a first stop lever, a second stop lever, an electromagnet mandrel and an electromagnet.

The three-sided lever of the present invention includes a first fulcrum, a second fulcrum, a third fulcrum, and a central through hole. The three-sided lever may have a shape of "T" or "Y", which is not particularly limited as long as it has three fulcrums by rotating around a central through hole. The "center" in the present invention is a relative concept and does not refer to the absolute center position of the three-sided lever. In certain embodiments, the three-sided lever includes a first "T" shaped tab, a second "T" shaped tab, a first fulcrum shaft, a second fulcrum shaft, a third fulcrum shaft, and a central through-hole shaft, and the first fulcrum shaft, the second fulcrum shaft, the third fulcrum shaft, and the central through-hole shaft are located between the first "T" shaped tab and the second "T" shaped tab, respectively. In certain embodiments, the three-sided lever is integrally formed and a central through hole is provided in the integrally formed three-sided lever. The design can be conveniently used for a plurality of three-edge levers to parallelly share the same horizontal shaft.

The shape of the first stopper and the second stopper of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be a cylindrical rod (i.e., a stopper), a flat plate (i.e., a stopper), or an irregular shape. The material of the first stopper and the second stopper is not particularly limited, and may be a hard plastic or a metal material. The blocking of the first blocking element and the second blocking element may be performed in the same manner or in different manners. In some embodiments, the first stop blocks the sliding down of the test tube by being located in front of the test tube. In certain embodiments, the second stop blocks the tube from sliding down by inserting its end into a groove, for example, inside the tube or on the top of the cap.

The electromagnet mandrel of the present invention is made of a magnetically attractable material such as metallic iron or the like. The electromagnet mandrel may be cylindrical in shape. Preferably, the electromagnet core shaft includes an exposed portion for connecting the end of the electromagnet core shaft connected to the third fulcrum with the contact portion, and the contact portion is movable inside the electromagnet.

The electromagnet of the invention is non-permanent magnetism, and has magnetism when being electrified and loses magnetism when being electrified. The shape of the electromagnet is not particularly limited, and it is preferable that an internal cavity matching the contact portion of the electromagnet spindle is provided inside the electromagnet. More preferably, the length of the internal cavity is greater than the length of the contact portion.

In the case that the tube dropping device comprises a plurality of groups of test tube control assemblies, preferably, the tube dropping device comprises an equal number of electromagnets, and the electromagnet mandrel in each group of test tube control assemblies is arranged corresponding to a single electromagnet. In certain embodiments, in the initial state, the exposed portion of the electromagnet mandrel is spaced from the electromagnet and a portion (e.g., the free end) of the electromagnet mandrel is free to move within the internal cavity of the electromagnet. When energized, the electromagnet mandrel moves the exposed portion closer to the electromagnet due to magnetic attraction. When the power is lost, the magnetism of the electromagnet disappears, and the electromagnet mandrel returns to the original position. The electromagnet mandrel may restore its original position by its own weight or by elastic means (e.g., a spring, a pressing piece, a rubber band, etc.). In certain embodiments, the resilient means is disposed between the electromagnet and the electromagnet mandrel. In certain embodiments, the resilient means is a spring and is located in the internal cavity of the electromagnet.

In the invention, one end of the first blocking piece is rotatably connected to the first fulcrum, one end of the second blocking piece is rotatably connected to the second fulcrum, one end of the electromagnet mandrel is rotatably connected to the third fulcrum, and the three-edge lever is fixed above the blocking piece supporting plate through a horizontal shaft penetrating through the central through hole and a fixed column. In certain embodiments, the plurality of three-sided levers share a common horizontal axis and are secured to the stop support plate by a horizontal axis passing through the central through hole and two fixing posts located at both ends of the horizontal axis. In certain embodiments, each three-sided lever is secured to the step support plate by a horizontal shaft and a fixed post.

In the case where the tube dropping device of the present invention includes a plurality of sets of test tube control assemblies, the number of the test tube control assemblies is the same as the number of the slide ways, so that each set of test tube control assemblies is disposed below each slide way in a manner corresponding to one slide way, respectively. For example, in the condition that the slide swash plate includes first slide, the second slide, the third slide, the fourth slide, the fifth slide, the sixth slide, seventh slide and eighth slide, and the tube falling device includes first test tube control assembly, second test tube control assembly, third test tube control assembly, fourth test tube control assembly, fifth test tube control assembly, sixth test tube control assembly, seventh test tube control assembly and eighth test tube control assembly, first test tube control assembly corresponds to first slide setting, second test tube control assembly corresponds to second slide setting, third test tube control assembly corresponds to third slide setting, analogize in proper order. In certain embodiments, multiple sets of tube control assemblies share the same horizontal axis and share a pair of fixed posts, thereby securing the multiple sets of tube control assemblies above the stop support plate. Namely, a plurality of trilateral levers of the multi-group test tube control assembly are arranged side by side, the horizontal shaft penetrates through central through holes of the trilateral levers, and two ends of the horizontal shaft are fixed on the blocking piece supporting plate through two fixing columns. The fixing post has a height sufficient to enable the three-sided lever to rotate at least 5 degrees, preferably 10 degrees, more preferably 20 degrees.

[ electromagnet fixing plate ]

The electromagnet fixing plate is used for fixing the electromagnet. The electromagnet fixing plate is fixed above the slide way sloping plate, preferably above the slide way sloping plate in a mode of being perpendicular to the blocking piece supporting plate. The length of the electromagnet fixing plate preferably spans the width of the slide ramp. The height of the electromagnet fixing plate is preferably larger than the diameter of the third through hole. The electromagnet fixing plate can also be provided with a third through hole which is used for supporting one end of the electromagnet mandrel and enabling the electromagnet mandrel to move along the direction of the third through hole. The number of third through holes is preferably the same as the number of slides or the number of cuvette control assemblies. Preferably, the third through hole is provided in such a manner that the electromagnet passes through the third through hole. It is also preferable that an electromagnet is fixed on the other side of the third through hole. The electromagnet may be arranged so that the two sides of the electromagnet fixing plate in the thickness direction are not communicated. Therefore, in a specific case, the third through hole may be a groove that allows the end of the electromagnet core shaft to be inserted into a portion in the thickness direction of the electromagnet fixing plate, rather than a hole that actually penetrates therethrough.

In some embodiments, the electromagnet fixing plate is fixed above the slide swash plate by a first side plate on one side of the slide swash plate and optionally a second side plate on the other side of the slide swash plate. The minimum distance between the electromagnet fixing plate and the inclined plate of the slide way is required to allow the test tube to pass through, and the minimum distance is not particularly limited.

[ blocking piece supporting plate ]

The shelves piece backup pad is fixed in the top of slide swash plate, and it is used for supporting first shelves piece, second shelves piece and supports test tube control assembly. The minimum distance between the baffle support plate and the inclined plate of the slide way is enough to allow the test tube to pass through. Preferably, the stop support plate is disposed above the ramp plate in a horizontal direction, and a minimum distance from the ramp plate is about 0.5 to 5cm, preferably 1 to 3cm, above the stop support plate.

The blocking piece supporting plate comprises a first through hole and a second through hole, the first through hole allows a part of the first blocking piece to freely pass through, and the second through hole allows a part of the second blocking piece to freely pass through. In a preferred arrangement, the first through hole is provided with a first channel to allow a portion of the first stop to move freely therein, and the second through hole is provided with a second channel to allow a portion of the second stop to move freely therein. The length of the first and second channels is greater than the thickness of the stop support, preferably 2-20 times, more preferably 3-10 times the thickness of the stop support. In another aspect, the length of the first channel is less than the length of the first stop, and the length of the second channel is less than the length of the second stop. The arrangement of the first and second channels facilitates guiding the first and second stop members to move freely in a prescribed direction.

The stop support plate of the present invention preferably further comprises a fixing post fixing location for fixedly attaching the fixing post to the stop support plate. The number of the fixing posts can be multiple. In some embodiments, the two fixing posts are respectively located at two sides of the stopper supporting plate. In some embodiments, the number of the fixing column fixing positions is the same as the number of the test tube control assemblies or the number of the slide ways. Preferably, the fixing column fixing position is arranged between the first through hole and the second through hole. Under the condition of multiunit test tube control assembly, the quantity of first through-hole and second through-hole need be the same with test tube control assembly's quantity respectively, and a plurality of first through-holes arrange in the first through-hole row along the width direction linear arrangement of slide swash plate, and likewise, a plurality of second through-holes arrange in the second through-hole row along the width direction linear arrangement of slide swash plate. Still preferably, the fixed column fixed position is the recess, and a plurality of fixed column fixed positions are arranged to fixed column fixed position row along the width direction linear of slide swash plate, and fixed column fixed position row is located between first through-hole row and the second through-hole row.

In some embodiments, the stop support plate is fixedly connected with the electromagnet fixing plate into a whole. Preferably, both are integrally formed. The baffle supporting plate can be fixedly connected with the electromagnet fixing plate in a mutually perpendicular mode.

[ sensor ]

In certain embodiments, the drop tube device of the present invention further comprises a plurality of sensors equal in number to the number of slides, for example, a sensor for detecting the number of test tubes in each slide. Such design can indicate the condition that the test tube is not enough in each slide. The sensor may be of any type known in the art. The sensor can be fixed above the inclined plate of the slideway through the sensor fixing plate.

[ working modes ]

In operation, the pipe dropping device of the invention comprises a first working state and a second working state. In the present invention, the first operating state and the second operating state are described with respect to a structural unit consisting of one slide, one set of cuvette control assemblies and one sensor. The following description will be given by taking only one structural unit as an example.

In the first working state, the electromagnet is electrified to have magnetism, so that the electromagnet core moves towards the electromagnet, the second gear moves downwards along the second through hole for a distance enough to enable the second test tube to be blocked, and the first gear moves upwards along the first through hole for a distance enough to enable the first test tube to be changed from the blocked state to the passing state. Wherein, first test tube is the test tube that is located the slide bottommost, and the second test tube is the test tube that is located first test tube top that is faced closely. In the first operating condition, the second test tube is blocked first, while the first test tube falls freely as it is no longer blocked, thus allowing to control the fall of only one test tube at a time in each slide.

Under second operating condition, the electro-magnet loses the electricity, and the electro-magnet is demagnetization in the twinkling of an eye, and the electro-magnet mandrel is kept away from the electro-magnet and is removed to make first shelves piece move down along first through-hole and be enough to make first test tube become by the distance of the state of being blockked by passing through, make second shelves piece move up along the second through-hole simultaneously and be enough to make the distance that the second test tube passes through, make the second test tube move down to the primary position before first test tube falls.

The conversion or restoration from the first working state to the second working state forms a working cycle. The invention can repeat the working cycle, thereby controlling a plurality of test tubes in a single slide track to fall into a subsequent mechanism, such as a labeling mechanism.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned working cycles may be performed sequentially or simultaneously. When going on in proper order, above-mentioned duty cycle can be carried out repeatedly in a single slide until the test tube in this slide all falls, then carry out same duty cycle again and again in other slides and all fall to the test tube in this slide, analogize in proper order until the test tube in the tube dropping device all falls. It is also possible to carry out one or more work cycles on a single slide and, in the event that not all the test tubes in the slide have fallen, to switch to another slide for a similar procedure. When going on simultaneously, can make a plurality of test tubes of falling pipe device simultaneously to raise the efficiency.

For example, include first slide, second slide and third slide at the tube dropping device, and first slide has first test tube, second test tube, third test tube from upwards having in proper order down, and the second slide has fourth test tube, fifth test tube, sixth test tube from upwards having in proper order down, and under the circumstances that seventh test tube, eighth test tube, ninth test tube were upwards had down to the third slide, the working method of tube dropping device includes:

(A) carry out 3 duty cycles in succession in first slide to make first test tube, second test tube, third test tube fall in proper order, then carry out 3 duty cycles in succession in the second slide, thereby make fourth test tube, fifth test tube, sixth test tube fall in proper order, carry out 3 duty cycles in succession at last in the third slide, thereby make seventh test tube, eighth test tube, ninth test tube fall in proper order. That is, the test tubes are dropped in the order of the first to ninth.

(B) Carry out 1 duty cycle in first slide and make first test tube fall, then carry out 1 duty cycle in the second slide and make the fourth test tube fall, then carry out 1 duty cycle in the third slide and make the seventh test tube fall. And then repeating the above procedure in the first slide way, the second slide way and the third slide way to enable other test tubes to respectively fall into the first slide way, the second slide way and the third slide way. That is, the test tubes are dropped in order of the first test tube, the fourth test tube, the seventh test tube, the second test tube, the fifth test tube, the eighth test tube, the third test tube, the sixth test tube, and the ninth test tube.

(C) Carry out 1 duty cycle simultaneously in first slide, second slide and third slide, make the first test tube of first test tube, the fourth test tube, the seventh test tube once only falls down simultaneously, then carry out 2 nd duty cycle simultaneously again in these three slides, make the second test tube, the fifth test tube, the eighth test tube once only falls down simultaneously, carry out 3 rd duty cycle simultaneously in these three slides at last, make the third test tube, the sixth test tube, the ninth test tube fall down simultaneously.

The three operation modes (a), (B) and (C) are not only exemplary, but those skilled in the art can fully combine or modify the above operation modes to obtain other operation modes. Therefore, the tube dropping device can perform more types of test tube distribution schemes, is particularly suitable for the management and distribution of different types of test tubes or test tubes with different labels, and realizes the diversity of distribution modes.

In a second aspect of the invention, a labelling machine is provided, which comprises the tube dropping device of the invention. Preferably, the tube dropping device of the present invention further comprises a plurality of test tubes. The pipe dropping device has been described in detail as above, and will not be described in detail. Only the test tube will be described below.

The test tube of the present invention may be any test tube known in the art, as long as it can be suspended from the slide and freely slide down the slide. The tube dropping device of the invention can also be matched with a special test tube. For example, a test tube having a cap structure with a groove at the top of the cap structure may be used. The test tube of the present invention may be an unused or ready-to-use test tube, i.e. an empty test tube not filled with any ingredients. Or a test tube pre-filled with the desired reagent. Preferably, the test tube of the present invention is a plurality of different test tubes. The different test tubes include test tubes with different appearances, test tubes with different purposes, test tubes with different labels or test tubes filled with different substances, etc.

Example 1

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the overall structure of an exemplary drop tube device. Fig. 2 is a front view of the drop tube device shown in fig. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary electromagnet fixing plate and stop support plate combination. As described in detail below.

The tube dropping device 100 of the present embodiment includes a slide slope plate 110, an electromagnet fixing plate 120, a stopper supporting plate 130, eight sets of test tube control assemblies, and eight sensors. Eight slideways allowing the test tube locking cap structure to slide downwards along a predetermined track in a vertical hanging manner are arranged on the slideway sloping plate 110, and are a first slideway 1101, a second slideway 1102, a third slideway 1103, a fourth slideway 1104, a fifth slideway 1105, a sixth slideway 1106, a seventh slideway 1107 and an eighth slideway 1108 in sequence. The eight sensors are respectively a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor, a fourth sensor, a fifth sensor, a sixth sensor, a seventh sensor and an eighth sensor. The eight sensors are fixed on the slide inclined plate 110 through sensor fixing plates, a first sensor is arranged above the first slide 1101, a second sensor is arranged above the second slide 1102, a third sensor is arranged above the third slide 1103, a fourth sensor is arranged above the fourth slide 1104, a fifth sensor is arranged above the fifth slide 1105, a sixth sensor is arranged above the sixth slide 1106, a seventh sensor is arranged above the seventh slide 1107, and an eighth sensor is arranged above the eighth slide 1108.

The electromagnet fixing plate 120 is vertically and fixedly connected with the stopper supporting plate 130 as a whole to form a combined body. The combined body is fixed above the slide inclined plate 110 in a manner of crossing the width direction of the slide inclined plate 110 by a first side plate 111 and a second side plate (not shown) located at both sides of the slide inclined plate 110, wherein a stopper support plate 130 is horizontally arranged, located at the lower end of the slide inclined plate 110, and the minimum distance between the stopper support plate and the slide inclined plate 110 allows the test tube caps to freely pass through. The stopper supporting plate 130 is provided with a first through hole 131, a second through hole 132 and a first fixing column fixing position 133, the electromagnet fixing plate 120 is provided with a third through hole 121, the first through hole 131 is provided with a first passage 1311 for allowing a part of the first stopper 142 to freely move therein, and the second through hole 132 is provided with a second passage 1321 for allowing a part of the second stopper 143 to freely move therein. The first through hole 131, the second through hole 132, the third through hole 121, the first channel 1311, the second channel 1321 and the first fixing column fixing position 133 form a first through hole group matched with the first test tube control assembly. Similarly, the combination of the electromagnet fixing plate 120 and the stopper support plate 130 is further provided with a second through hole group, a third through hole group, a fourth through hole group, a fifth through hole group, a sixth through hole group, a seventh through hole group, and an eighth through hole group similar to the first through hole group.

The tube falling device of this embodiment includes first test tube control assembly, second test tube control assembly, third test tube control assembly, fourth test tube control assembly, fifth test tube control assembly, sixth test tube control assembly, seventh test tube control assembly and eighth test tube control assembly. The first to eighth test tube control assemblies have the same structure. The first cuvette control unit will be described as an example.

The first cuvette control assembly includes a three-sided lever 141, a first stopper 142, a second stopper 143, an electromagnet spindle 144, and an electromagnet 145, and the three-sided lever 141 includes a first fulcrum 1411, a second fulcrum 1412, a third fulcrum 1413, and a central through hole 1414. One end of the first blocking member 142 is rotatably connected to the first fulcrum 1411, one end of the second blocking member 143 is rotatably connected to the second fulcrum 1412, and one end of the electromagnet core shaft 144 is rotatably connected to the third fulcrum 1413. The three-sided lever 141 is secured above the ramp plate 110 by a horizontal shaft 146 passing through a central through hole 1414 and a first fixed post 147. The electromagnet 145 is disposed at the third through hole 121 side of the electromagnet fixing plate 120.

Second test tube control assembly to eighth test tube control assembly have the same structure with first test tube control assembly, and no longer repeated here.

Example 2

The tube dropping device of this embodiment is the same as embodiment 1 except that the sensor and the sensor fixing plate are not included.

Example 3

The structure is the same as that of embodiment 1 except that eight sets of test tube control assemblies share the same horizontal shaft and that first and second fixing column fixing positions are provided on both sides of the stopper support plate 130, and the horizontal shaft is fixed by the first and second fixing columns fixedly connected to the two fixing positions.

Example 4

The operation of the pipe dropping device of example 1 will be described below as an example. Fig. 4 is a diagram of a first operating state. Fig. 5 is a diagram of a second operating state. Wherein the following first and second operating states are described for the structural unit consisting of the first slide, the first cuvette control assembly, the first set of through-holes and the first sensor.

As shown in fig. 4, in the first working state, the electromagnet 145 is magnetic after being energized, and the exposed part 1441 of the electromagnet core shaft 144 is attracted by the electromagnet 145, so that the second stopper 143 is driven to move downwards along the second passage 1321 until the end of the second stopper is inserted into the groove of the cap top of the second test tube 160, thereby blocking the second test tube from sliding downwards, and the first stopper 142 is driven to move upwards along the first passage 1311 to a position higher than the first test tube 150, thereby allowing the first test tube 150 to fall freely while the second test tube 160 is kept still. The first test tube can thus be controlled to fall from the first slide to the subsequent mechanism.

As shown in fig. 5, in the second working state, the electromagnet 145 is de-energized, the electromagnet 145 is demagnetized instantaneously, the exposed portion 1441 of the electromagnet core 144 is far away from the electromagnet 145, the horizontal movement of the electromagnet core 144 drives the three-sided lever 141 to rotate, so that the free end of the first block 142 moves downward along the first passage 1311 to a height lower than that of the test tube, thereby blocking the second test tube which is about to slide down, and simultaneously the free end of the second block 143 moves upward along the second passage 1321 away from the second test tube 160, thereby moving the second test tube 160 downward to the original position before the first test tube 150 falls down.

The first working state and the second working state form a working cycle. One work cycle may drop one test tube. The tube dropping device 100 drops a plurality of test tubes as required into a subsequent mechanism through a plurality of work cycles.

The apparatus of the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, however, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make modifications, alterations and adaptations based on the above disclosure without departing from the spirit of the present application. The present application includes the specific embodiments described above and any equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A tube dropping device is characterized by comprising a slideway inclined plate, an electromagnet fixing plate, a stop lever supporting plate and a test tube control assembly;

2. The drop tube device according to claim 1, wherein a first through hole allowing a portion of a first stopper rod to freely pass therethrough, a second through hole allowing a portion of a second stopper rod to freely pass therethrough are provided on the stopper rod support plate; and a third through hole allowing a part of the electromagnet mandrel to freely pass through is arranged on the electromagnet fixing plate.

3. The tube dropping device according to claim 2, wherein the tube dropping device comprises a plurality of sets of test tube control assemblies, a plurality of slide ways allowing the test tubes to slide down along a predetermined track in a vertically suspended manner are arranged on the slide way sloping plate, each test tube control assembly is arranged below each slide way in a manner corresponding to one slide way, and the plurality of sets of test tube control assemblies are fixed above the stop lever supporting plate in a juxtaposed manner through the horizontal shafts and the fixing columns.

4. A tube dropping device according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a first operating condition in which the plunger moves towards the electromagnet to a first position in which the free end of the second bar is in a position to block the second test tube from sliding downwards, while the free end of the first bar is in a position to allow the first test tube to fall, wherein the first position comprises a position in which the plunger spindle is in contact with the electromagnet, or a position in which at least a part of the plunger spindle enters inside the electromagnet.

5. A tube dropping device according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a second operating condition in which the electromagnet mandrel is moved away from the electromagnet to a second position in which the free end of the first bar is in a position to block the fall of a first test tube, while the free end of the second bar is in a position to allow the slide of a second test tube, wherein the second position comprises a position in which the electromagnet mandrel is separated from the electromagnet, or a position in which at least a part of the electromagnet mandrel is moved away from the inside of the electromagnet.

6. A drop tube device according to claim 5, wherein resilient means are provided between the electromagnet and the electromagnet mandrel, or wherein the electromagnet has an internal cavity and resilient means are provided in the internal cavity to allow the drop tube device to change from the first operating condition to the second operating condition.

7. The drop tube device of claim 6, wherein the electromagnet fixing plate is fixedly connected to the stopper rod support plate, and the stopper rod support plate and the electromagnet fixing plate are fixed to the slide swash plate by a side plate of the slide swash plate.

8. A drop tube device according to claim 7, further comprising the same number of sensors as the number of ramps, thereby allowing a single sensor per ramp; each sensor is fixed in through the sensor fixed plate respectively the slide for detect the quantity of test tube in the slide.

9. The drop tube device of claim 8, wherein the first through hole provides a first channel that allows a portion of the first rail to freely move therein, the second through hole provides a second channel that allows a portion of the second rail to freely move therein, and the first channel has a length that is less than a length of the first rail, and the second channel has a length that is less than a length of the first rail.

10. A labelling machine comprising a drop tube device according to any of claims 1-9.