JP2010223853A - Apparatus for opening plug of specimen tube - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely carry out a plug opening operation while preventing contamination with other specimens from occurring. <P>SOLUTION: An apparatus is provided, which includes a specimen tube gripping chuck 73 for gripping a specimen tube; a movable table 70, at which the specimen tube gripping chuck is disposed and which is moved between a specimen tube giving/receiving position and a specimen tube opening position; a plug gripping chuck 74 for gripping a plug of the specimen tube; a splash suction nozzle 79 for sucking splashes of specimens; and an elevating stage 75 for moving the plug gripping chuck in the vertical directions. The specimen tube being set on a prescribed position is gripped by the specimen tube gripping chuck, in such a state that the movable table is moved to the specimen tube giving/receiving position; then the plug of the specimen tube is gripped by the plug gripping chuck moved down by the elevating stage in such the state that the movable stage is moved to the specimen tube opening position; and the plug opening operation of the specimen tube is carried out, by moving the elevating stage upward, while performing a sucking operation of the splash suction nozzle positioned near the plug of the specimen tube. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sample tube opening device for opening a sample tube containing a sample such as blood, plasma, serum and the like.

  Conventionally, a specimen container that contains specimens such as blood, plasma, and serum is transported to a testing institution that performs specimen testing and the like, and is received and stored in a specimen rack after receiving processing is performed in the testing institution. That is, first, a reception process, for example, a label or the like that describes sample information including a sample number, a reception date, and the like is attached to a sample container that contains a sample transported to a laboratory. Next, the sample subjected to the reception process is stored in the sample rack, and for example, the rack number, the position number of the rack storage unit, and the sample information of the sample stored in the rack are associated (linked). Specimen instruction information is created by this, and the specimen is stored and the specimen is examined based on the specimen instruction information (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-8-285855

  When a specimen is inspected, the operator manually opens the specimen container, which may cause contamination with other specimens.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sample tube opening device that can reliably perform opening while preventing the occurrence of contamination with other samples.

  The specimen tube opening device according to claim 1, wherein a specimen tube gripping chuck for gripping the specimen tube and a moving table in which the specimen tube gripping chuck is arranged and moved between the specimen tube delivery position and the specimen tube opening position are provided. A stopper gripping chuck for gripping the stopper of the sample tube, a droplet suction nozzle for sucking the droplet of the sample, and an elevating stage for moving the stopper gripping chuck up and down, and the moving table is at the sample tube delivery position In the state where the sample tube is moved to the sample tube, the sample tube set at a predetermined position is held by the sample tube holding chuck, and the stopper is lowered by the elevating stage while the moving table is moved to the sample tube opening position. The specimen tube stopper is gripped by a gripping chuck and is positioned in the vicinity of the specimen tube stopper. The splash sucked by raising the elevation stage while performing suction by nozzle, and performs unplugging of the sample tube.

  The specimen tube opening device according to claim 2 is characterized in that the stopper is rotated while the stopper gripping chuck grips the stopper of the specimen tube.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the sample tube opening device includes a splash prevention cover around the stopper gripping chuck, and the tip of the droplet suction nozzle is disposed in the splash prevention cover.

  The specimen tube opening device according to claim 4 is characterized in that the specimen tube gripping chuck grips the specimen tube with a gripping force corresponding to the kind of the specimen tube.

  The sample tube opening device according to claim 5 is characterized in that the sample tube is set at the predetermined position by an inspection robot.

  The sample tube opening device according to claim 6 is characterized in that the sample tube is opened according to the type of the sample tube detected by the inspection robot.

  According to the sample tube opening device of the present invention, it is possible to reliably perform the opening while preventing the occurrence of contamination with other samples.

It is a figure which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the robot for an inspection which concerns on embodiment, and each apparatus. It is the schematic which looked at the opening machine which concerns on embodiment from the side surface side of the entrance direction of a sample tube. It is the schematic which looked at the opening machine which concerns on embodiment from the approach direction of the sample tube. It is the schematic which looked at the opening machine which concerns on embodiment from the opposite side with respect to the approach direction of a sample tube. It is the schematic which looked at the vicinity of the splash prevention cover which concerns on embodiment from the side surface side of the approach direction of a sample tube. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an inspection robot according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the parent rack number and sample information which are memorize | stored in the host computer which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the sample information (basic information) acquired from the host computer which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the pre-process of the test | inspection by the inspection robot which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the sample information after the dispensing process with respect to the empty tube for subdivision which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the pre-process of the test | inspection by the inspection robot which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the pre-process of the test | inspection by the inspection robot which concerns on embodiment.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a description will be given of pre-processing for sample testing using the testing robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement state of an inspection robot and each device. The inspection robot 10 is a double-arm robot including a robot body 11 and a first arm 10a and a second arm 10b having a multi-joint structure with 6 degrees of freedom, and the distal ends of the first arm 10a and the second arm 10b. By attaching an attachment according to each work process, it is possible to perform an operation according to each work process. The robot body 11 can be rotated around a rotation center 11a shown in the drawing. Here, a sample tube gripping unit 12 for gripping the sample tube, a sample dispensing unit 14 for dispensing the sample, and a reagent dispensing unit 16 for dispensing the reagent are prepared as attachments. The first arm 10a and the second arm 10b have the same structure, and the sample tube gripping unit 12, the sample dispensing unit 14, and the reagent dispensing unit 16 can be attached thereto, respectively.

  In FIG. 1, a parent sample rack 18, a parent sample transfer rack 20, an NG sample rack 22, a sample property analyzer 24, and a vortex 26 are arranged on the left side of the robot body 11. A parent sample tube containing a parent sample such as blood, plasma, serum, etc. is placed in the parent sample rack 18, and it is determined that the sample is normal in the parent sample transfer rack 20 by measurement with the sample property analyzer 24. The parent sample tube that has been determined to be abnormal by the measurement by the sample property analyzer 24 is placed on the NG sample rack 22. The parent sample rack 18, the parent sample transfer rack 20, and the NG sample rack 22 are provided with 50 (5 × 10) sample holes for placing sample tubes, and the parent sample rack 18, Bar codes 18a, 20a, and 22a indicating sample rack numbers are attached to the side surfaces of the parent sample transfer rack 20 and the NG sample rack 22, respectively.

  In addition, the sample property analyzer 24 determines the properties of the sample in the parent sample tube set in the measurement unit, for example, the presence or absence of fibrin, hemolysis, whether it is milk, and the light transmittance. To determine whether the parent sample is in a normal state or an abnormal state. The vortex 26 stirs the sample in the parent sample tube.

  In FIG. 1, on the front side of the robot body 11, openers (specimen tube openers) 30 </ b> A and 30 </ b> B, subdivided empty tubes 32 and a label printer 34 are arranged. The openers 30A and 30B are devices for opening the parent sample tube set at a predetermined position and have the same configuration. The subdivided empty tube 32 is placed on a rack, and is used when a parent sample is divided into small portions. The label printer 34 prints a barcode label indicating the sample number, and affixes the label to the subdivision sample tube 32 set at a predetermined position.

  In FIG. 1, a sorting rack A 36, a sorting rack B 38, a sorting rack C 40, a sorting rack D 42, a disposable chip 44, and a chip remover 46 are arranged on the right side of the robot body 11. Further, the above-described sample tube gripping unit 12, sample dispensing unit 14, and reagent dispensing unit 16 are also arranged here. The sorting rack A36, the sorting rack B38, the sorting rack C40, and the sorting rack D42 are prepared for each inspection item (inspection equipment). Therefore, the shape of each rack and the number of samples that can be placed may be different. In addition, the sorting rack A36, the sorting rack B38, the sorting rack C40, and the sorting rack D42 are set as they are in the post-process inspection apparatus, and the inspection of the sample in the sample tube is performed in each inspection apparatus. Barcodes 36a, 38a, 40a, 42a indicating rack numbers are respectively attached to the side surfaces of the sorting rack A36, the sorting rack B38, the sorting rack C40, and the sorting rack D42.

  The disposable chip 44 is attached to the tip of a dispensing nozzle when performing sample dispensing and reagent dispensing by the sample dispensing unit 14 and the reagent dispensing unit 16, and performs processing on different samples. Every exchange. Further, the tip remover 46 removes the disposable tip 44 from the tip of the dispensing nozzle when replacing the disposable tip 44. Note that the sample tube gripping unit 12, the sample dispensing unit 14, the reagent dispensing unit 16, the sample property analyzer 24, the vortex 26, the openers 30, 30B, the label printer 34, and the chip remover 46 are included in the inspection robot 10. Part of

  2 is a schematic view of the opener 30A shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the side in the sample tube entry direction, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the opener 30A shown in FIG. 3 as seen from the sample tube entry direction. With reference to the schematic view of the opener 30A viewed from the opposite side to the sample tube entry direction and the schematic view of the vicinity of the splash prevention cover 76 shown in FIG. 5 seen from the side of the sample tube entry direction, The configuration of the opening machine 30A will be described. In addition, since the structure of the opening machine 30B is the same as the structure of the opening machine 30A, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The opener 30A includes a moving table 70 that moves between a sample tube delivery position and a sample tube open position at the bottom of the main body. On the moving table 70, a sample tube insertion guide 72 provided with a pair of sample tube presence / absence sensors 71 and a sample tube gripping chuck 73 are provided. A stopper gripping chuck 74 for gripping the stopper of the sample tube and an elevating stage 75 for lifting and lowering the stopper gripping chuck 74 are provided at the upper part of the main body of the stopper opening machine 30A. Is provided with a scattering prevention cover 76 for preventing the scattering of the specimen. As shown in FIG. 5, a splash suction nozzle 79 that sucks the splash of the specimen is provided below the splash prevention cover 76, and the tip of the splash suction nozzle 79 is a stopper gripping chuck 74 in the splash prevention cover 76. It is arranged at a slightly lower position. A pair of plug detection sensors 77 are provided on both sides of the plug gripping chuck 74.

  FIG. 6 is a system configuration diagram of the inspection robot. The inspection robot 10 includes a control unit 50 that controls each part of the inspection robot 10. A communication control unit 52 is connected to the control unit 50 and controls data transmission / reception with the host computer 100. In addition, a storage unit 54 is connected to the control unit 50 and stores sample information received from the host computer 100.

  The control unit 50 includes a first arm driving unit 56 for driving the first arm 10a, a first barcode reader 58 provided in the vicinity of the tip of the first arm 10a, and a second arm driving for driving the second arm 10b. The second bar code reader 62 provided in the vicinity of the tip portion of the portion 60 and the second arm 10b is connected. The control unit 50 controls the first arm driving unit 56 to drive the first arm 10a, and controls the second arm driving unit 60 to drive the second arm 10b. The barcode data read by the first barcode reader 58 and the second barcode reader 62 is input to the control unit 50.

  In addition, the specimen property analyzer 24, the openers 30A and 30B, and the label printer 34 are connected to the control unit 50, and operate according to control by the control unit 50. Further, the sample tube gripping unit 12, the sample dispensing unit 14, and the reagent dispensing unit 16 are also connected to the control unit 50 and operate according to control by the control unit 50.

  A sample tube containing a sample collected at a medical institution or the like is sent to a sample laboratory together with an inspection request form. At the sample laboratory, a barcode label indicating the sample number is attached to the sample tube (parent sample tube) and placed on the parent sample rack 18. The sample information (basic information, patient information) described in the examination request and the parent rack number of the parent sample rack 18 on which the parent sample tube is placed are input from an input unit (not shown) and stored in the host computer 100. Is done. The parent sample rack 18 on which the placement of the parent sample tube has been completed is stored in a storage place, and is arranged at the position shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows the parent rack number and sample information (basic information, patient information) stored in the host computer 100. Basic information includes information such as specimen number, test item, and test material, and patient information includes information such as patient name, sex, and age.

  Next, detailed description will be given of pretreatments for examinations such as specimen property measurement, specimen agitation, specimen tube opening, dispensing empty tube preparation, parent specimen dispensing, and reagent dispensing. First, the control unit 50 drives the first arm 10a by the first arm driving unit 56, and moves the parent sample rack 18 and the parent sample transfer by the first bar code reader 58 provided in the vicinity of the tip of the first arm 10a. The barcodes 18a, 20a and 22a of the mounting rack 20 and the NG sample rack 22 are read.

  Based on the parent rack number indicated by the bar code 18 a of the parent sample rack 18, the control unit 50 obtains the sample information (basic information) of the parent sample placed in the parent sample rack 18 from the host computer 100. get. FIG. 8 shows sample information (basic information) of the parent sample placed in the parent sample rack 18 that is obtained from the host computer 100 and stored in the storage unit 54.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 50 drives the first arm 10a by the first arm driving unit 56, attaches the sample tube gripping unit 12 to the tip of the first arm 10a, The second arm 10b is driven by the arm driving unit 60, and the sample tube gripping unit 12 is attached to the tip of the second arm 10b. Then, one parent sample tube is acquired from the parent sample rack 18 by the sample tube gripping unit 12 of the first arm 10 a and set in the measurement unit of the sample property analyzer 24. In this case, the barcode of the barcode label attached to the parent sample tube is read by the first barcode reader 58, and the examination number of the parent sample is acquired.

  When it is determined that the sample is normal based on the measurement result of the sample property analyzer 24, the parent sample tube is placed on the parent sample transfer rack 20 so as to correspond to the sample number as shown in FIG. Thus, the fact that the sample properties are normal, the rack number of the parent sample transfer rack 20 as the rack number, and the hole number of the parent sample transfer rack 20 on which the parent sample tube is placed are stored. On the other hand, if it is determined that the sample is abnormal based on the measurement result of the sample property analyzer 24, the parent sample tube is placed on the NG sample rack 22 and corresponds to the sample number as shown in FIG. In addition, the fact that the sample property is abnormal (content of abnormality) and the rack number of the NG sample rack 22 and the hole number of the NG sample rack 22 on which the parent sample tube is placed are stored as the rack number.

  At the same time as the processing by the first arm 10a, the control unit 50 drives the second arm 10b to prepare an empty tube for subdivision. That is, one subdivision empty tube 32 is acquired by the sample tube gripping unit 12 of the second arm 10 b and set in a predetermined place of the label printer 34. The label printer 34 is placed on the parent sample transfer rack 20 by the sample tube gripping unit 12 of the first arm 10a, and displays a barcode label that displays the same sample number as the parent sample number to be dispensed. Is printed, and this barcode label is affixed to the empty tube 32 for subdivision. The control unit 50 drives the second arm 10b based on the inspection item of the sample information and places it on the sorting rack corresponding to the inspection item among the sorting rack A36, the sorting rack B38, the sorting rack C40, and the sorting rack D42. . Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the rack number of the sorting rack and the hole number of the sorting rack 22 on which the subdivided empty tubes 32 are placed are stored in association with the sample number. In addition, when there are a plurality of examination items of the sample information, the control unit 50 prepares a plurality (necessary number—one) of subdivided empty tubes 32 according to the number of items.

  Next, the control unit 50 controls the first arm driving unit 56 to acquire the parent sample tube for dispensing the sample from the parent sample transfer rack 20 by the sample tube gripping unit 12, and the first bar The barcode reader 58 reads the barcode on the barcode label attached to the parent sample tube. Here, when the sample information corresponding to the sample number displayed on the barcode label includes an instruction to agitate the sample, the first arm driving unit 56 is controlled so that the parent sample tube is placed in the vortex 26. Set at a predetermined position and stir the sample in the parent sample tube.

  Next, the control unit 50 determines the type of the sample tube from the sample number displayed on the barcode label, controls the first arm driving unit 56 according to the type, and controls the parent sample by the first arm 10a. The tube is set at a predetermined position of the opening machine 30A or 30B. For example, when it is determined from the sample number that the sample tube is a resin tube, it is opened by the opener 30A, and when it is determined that it is a glass tube, it is opened by the opener 30B. Do. Note that the gripping force by the sample tube gripping chuck 73 is set to a value corresponding to the type of the sample tube in the opener 30A and the opener 30B in order to reliably open the sample tube. In the following, the operation for opening the parent sample tube 80 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the moving table 70 is moved to the sample tube delivery position, and the parent sample tube 80 is inserted into the sample tube insertion guide 72 by the first arm 10a. When it is detected by the sample tube presence / absence sensor 71 that the parent sample tube 80 has been inserted into the sample tube insertion guide 72, the sample tube holding chuck 73 holds the parent sample tube 80. Then, the moving table 70 is moved to the specimen tube opening position.

  When the moving table 70 moves to the specimen tube opening position, the stopper gripping chuck 74 is lowered to the position of the stopper 80a of the parent specimen tube 80 by the elevating stage 75, and the stopper 80a of the parent specimen tube 80 is gripped by the stopper gripping chuck 74. . In this case, as the stopper gripping chuck 74 is lowered, the splash prevention cover 76 and the splash suction nozzle 79 are also lowered, and the tip of the splash suction nozzle 79 is in the vicinity of the stopper 80a of the parent sample tube 80, that is, slightly lower than the stopper 80a. Located in position. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, while sucking with the droplet suction nozzle 79, the stopper gripping chuck 74 is raised with the elevating stage 75 to open the stopper 80 a of the parent sample tube 80. Note that when the stopper gripping chuck 74 is raised by the elevating stage 75, the stopper gripping chuck 74 may be rotated to open the stopper while the stopper 80a of the parent sample tube 80 is rotated. Further, when the stopper gripping chuck 74 is raised, the stopper detection sensor 77 detects the presence or absence of the stopper 80a of the parent sample tube 80 to confirm the completion of opening.

  When the opening of the parent sample tube 80 is completed, the moving table 70 is moved to the sample tube delivery position, the sample tube gripping chuck 73 is opened, the first arm driving unit 56 is controlled, and the first arm 10a is used. The parent sample tube 80 is held. Then, it is detected by the sample tube presence / absence sensor 71 that the parent sample tube has been removed, and the next parent sample tube 80 is opened. The stopper 80a held by the stopper gripping chuck 74 is dropped into a collection box (not shown) from the stopper dropping hole 78 provided at the lower part of the main body by opening the stopper gripping chuck 74.

  While opening the parent sample tube, the control unit 50 controls the second arm driving unit 60 to remove the sample tube gripping unit 12 from the second arm 10b, and to the sample at the tip of the second arm 10b. A dispensing unit 14 is mounted (see FIG. 11).

  Then, the disposable tip 44 is set in the dispensing nozzle of the sample dispensing unit 14. Based on the sample information, the control unit 50 controls the sample from the parent sample tube held by the sample tube gripping unit 12 attached to the first arm 10a by the dispensing unit 14 attached to the second arm 10b. Aspirate a predetermined amount. Thereafter, according to the sample information, the dispensing unit 14 dispenses a sample by discharging a predetermined amount of the sample into the small empty tube 32 placed on the sorting rack. After the sample is dispensed to the subdivided empty tube 32 in this way, it is handled as a child sample (child sample tube 32). When n pieces of dispensing are instructed by the specimen information, the specimens are sequentially dispensed into (n-1) subdivided empty tubes. Then, by controlling the first arm driving unit 56, the parent sample tube held by the first arm 10a is placed on a predetermined sorting rack based on the sample information, and this parent sample is associated with the sample number. The rack number of the sorting rack on which the tube is placed and the hall number of the sorting rack on which the parent sample tube is placed are stored. Thereafter, the disposable chip 44 is removed by the chip remover 46 and the disposable chip 44 is discarded.

  When there are a plurality of parent sample tubes placed on the parent sample rack 18, the above-described examination pretreatment is performed on each parent sample. Then, after the processing for all the parent samples placed in the parent sample rack 18 is completed, information that associates the sample number with the sorting rack number and the hall number of the sorting rack is transmitted to the host computer 100. To do. Thereby, the host computer stores the sorting rack number and the sorting rack hole number in correspondence with the sample number.

  Reagent dispensing can be performed using this inspection robot. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 50 controls the second arm driving unit 60 to remove the sample dispensing unit 14 from the second arm 10b, and to dispense the reagent at the tip of the second arm 10b. Note Unit 16 is installed.

  Then, the disposable tip 44 is set in the dispensing nozzle of the reagent dispensing unit 16. Based on the sample information, the control unit 50 dispenses the reagent to the child sample tube 32 placed on the sorting rack by the reagent dispensing unit 16 attached to the second arm 10b. When the reagent dispensing is completed, the disposable chip 44 is removed by the chip remover 46, and the disposable chip 44 is discarded.

  According to the inspection robot according to this embodiment, since the first arm and the second arm are attached to the attachment according to the work process and the process in each work process is performed, the process before the inspection is accurately and efficiently performed. be able to. In addition, according to the opening device for the inspection robot according to this embodiment, since the stopper of the parent sample tube is opened while the suction is performed by the droplet suction nozzle, the occurrence of contamination with other samples is prevented. can do. In addition, any kind of sample tube can be reliably opened. In addition, since the gripping force by the sample tube gripping chuck is set to a value corresponding to the type of the sample tube, the sample tube can be reliably opened regardless of the type of the sample tube.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sample tube gripping unit 12, the sample dispensing unit 14, the reagent dispensing unit 16, the sample property analyzer 24, the vortex 26, the opener 30, the label printer 34, and the chip remover 46 are used for inspection. However, the sample tube gripping unit 12, the sample dispensing unit 14, the reagent dispensing unit 16, the sample property analyzer 24, the vortex 26, the openers 30A and 30B, and the label printer are described. 34 and the chip remover 46 may be configured separately from the inspection robot 10, and a control signal may be transmitted from the control unit 50 of the inspection robot 10 and operated based on the control signal.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Robot for an inspection, 11 ... Robot main body, 12 ... Sample tube grasping unit, 14 ... Sample dispensing unit, 16 ... Reagent dispensing unit, 24 ... Sample property analyzer, 26 ... Vortex, 30A, 30B ... Opening device, 34 ... label printer, 50 ... control unit, 52 ... communication control unit, 54 ... storage unit, 56 ... first arm drive unit, 58 ... first bar code reader, 60 ... second arm drive unit, 62 ... second bar Code reader, 70 ... moving table, 73 ... specimen tube gripping chuck, 74 ... stopper gripping chuck, 75 ... elevating stage, 79 ... splash suction nozzle, 100 ... host computer

Claims (6)

A specimen tube gripping chuck for gripping the specimen tube;
A moving table in which the sample tube gripping chuck is disposed and moves between a sample tube delivery position and a sample tube opening position;
A stopper gripping chuck for gripping the stopper of the sample tube;
A droplet suction nozzle for aspirating a sample droplet;
A lifting stage for moving the stopper gripping chuck up and down;
With
With the moving table moved to the sample tube delivery position, the sample tube gripped chuck holds the sample tube set at a predetermined position,
While the moving table is moved to the specimen tube opening position, the stopper of the specimen tube is gripped by the stopper gripping chuck lowered by the elevating stage, and the splash placed near the stopper of the specimen tube A specimen tube opening device for opening the specimen tube by raising the elevating stage while performing suction by a suction nozzle.   2. The specimen tube opening device according to claim 1, wherein the stopper gripping chuck rotates the stopper in a state where the stopper of the specimen tube is gripped.   3. The sample tube opening device according to claim 1, further comprising a scattering prevention cover around the stopper gripping chuck, and a tip end portion of the droplet suction nozzle disposed in the scattering prevention cover.   The sample tube opening device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sample tube gripping chuck grips the sample tube with a gripping force corresponding to a type of the sample tube.   The sample tube opening device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sample tube is set at the predetermined position by an inspection robot.   6. The sample tube opening device according to claim 5, wherein the sample tube is opened according to a type of the sample tube detected by the inspection robot.

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