JP2021107265A - Specimen container lowering device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a specimen container lowering device capable of lowering a specimen container in less shock with a large freedom degree in size of the specimen container, which enables speedy lowering thereof.SOLUTION: There are provided a case member 41, a screw 42 and a motor 43. The case member 41 that is cylindrical is arranged in such a manner that one end in a shaft direction thereof is located above the other end. In the case member 41, an input port 41a of a blood collection tube T is formed near the one end, and a discharge port 41b of the blood collection tube T is formed near the other end. The screw 42 disposed inside the case member 41 in such a posture that a shaft direction of the screw is parallel to the shaft direction of the case member 41 comprises a spiral groove 42a. The motor 43 rotates the screw 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to a sample container lowering device for lowering a sample container.

In hospitals and the like, a device for transporting a sample container containing a sample such as blood or urine collected from a patient may be provided. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sample transport device in which a sample container is housed in a holder and is transported by a self-propelled holder transport vehicle on a transport rail. In such a sample transfer device, a part of the transfer rail is raised in a mountain shape in order to secure a flow line of a person, and the sample container is conveyed at a high position.

When the sample container is transported at a high position as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to avoid damaging the sample container due to a strong impact applied to the sample container when lowering the sample container. Further, in order to improve the transport efficiency of the sample container, it is conceivable to continuously transport the sample container by a conveyor instead of the above-mentioned rail transport.

When the sample container is conveyed by the conveyor, it is conceivable to adopt a conveyor with a crosspiece as disclosed in Patent Document 2 as a mechanism for lowering the sample container with a small impact. Further, it is conceivable that the sample container is sandwiched and conveyed by a pair of endless conveyors as disclosed in FIG. 12 of Patent Document 3.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-132785 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-001349 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-288981

When transporting the sample container by a conveyor with a crosspiece, it is necessary to place the sample containers one by one on the crosspiece at the timing when the crosspiece passes, so that the sample container cannot be lowered speedily.

On the other hand, when the sample containers are sandwiched and transported by the pair of endless conveyors, it is necessary to arrange the sample containers in advance so that the sample containers can be sandwiched by the pair of endless conveyors. Further, since the structure is sandwiched by a pair of endless conveyors, there is a limit to the size of the sample container that can be transported.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sample container lowering device capable of speedily lowering, having a large degree of freedom in the size of the sample container, and being able to lower the sample container with a small impact.

The sample container lowering device of the present invention is a case member that has a tubular shape and is arranged so that one end in the axial direction is located above the other end, and a sample container inlet is formed in the vicinity of the one end. A case member having a discharge port for the sample container formed in the vicinity of the other end thereof and a case member whose axial direction is parallel to the axial direction of the case member are arranged in the case member in a spiral shape. A screw having a groove and a drive source for rotating the screw are provided.

According to this configuration, the sample container slides down the spiral groove of the screw by rotating the screw by the drive source. Therefore, the sample container can be lowered with a small impact. Further, since it is not necessary to measure the timing of charging the sample container and a plurality of sample containers can be charged at the same time, the sample container can be lowered speedily. Further, since the sample container may have a size that allows it to slide down the spiral groove of the screw, the degree of freedom in the size of the sample container is large.

Further, in the sample container lowering device of the present invention, the case member is arranged so that the axial direction is parallel to the vertical direction.

According to this configuration, the installation area is smaller than when the axial direction of the case member is not parallel to the vertical direction, so that space saving can be realized.

Further, in the sample container lowering device of the present invention, the upper end and the lower end of the screw are located in the case member, and the inlet is located between the one end of the case member and the upper end of the screw. The discharge port is located between the other end of the case member and the lower end of the screw.

According to this configuration, the sample container can be prevented from being clogged in the spiral groove of the screw, and the sample container can be smoothly lowered.

In addition, in the sample container lowering device of the present invention, the sample container is tubular.

When the sample container is tubular, it is necessary to align the orientation of the sample container in advance in a configuration in which the sample container is transported by a conveyor with a crosspiece or a configuration in which the sample container is sandwiched and transported by a pair of endless conveyors, which is speedy. Achieving a descent can be particularly difficult. On the other hand, in the present invention, by adopting a configuration in which the sample container slides down the spiral groove of the screw, it is not necessary to align the directions of the tubular sample containers, and speedy descent can be realized.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sample container lowering device capable of speedily lowering, having a large degree of freedom in the size of the sample container, and being able to lower the sample container with a small impact.

It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the transport system provided with the lowering device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of a pneumatic tube. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. It is the figure which looked at the air feeder from the axial direction. It is a VV line arrow view of FIG. It is a perspective view of the lid opening and closing mechanism, and shows the state before opening the lid of a pneumatic tube. It is a perspective view of the lid opening and closing mechanism, and shows the state which the lid of a air feeder is opened. It is a VIII-VIII line arrow view of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the communication system of a camera. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the transport system shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing procedure performed in a control part.

(Outline configuration of transport system)
Hereinafter, the transport system 1 provided with the lowering device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The transport system 1 is installed in a hospital and transports a blood collection tube T (see FIGS. 3, 5, and 8) containing blood collected from a patient.

More specifically, the transport system 1 transports the blood collection tube T from the station 81 of the air supply tube facility 8 to the blood test device 9. The air supply pipe equipment 8 has stations 81 installed in various places in the hospital, and the air feeder 7 from the source station 81 to the destination station (reception station) 81 via the air supply pipe 82. (See FIGS. 2 to 4) is sent. As will be described in detail later, the air feeder 7 is a substantially tubular container and can accommodate a plurality of blood collection tubes T. In the present embodiment, the blood collection tube T containing the blood collected from the inpatient is housed in the air feeder 7, and the station 81 installed in the ward to the examination room 90 or the station 81 installed near the examination room 90. It is supposed to be sent to.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer system 1 mainly includes a station 81, a transfer mechanism 2, cameras 5a to 5c, and a control unit 6. The station 81 includes a take-out device 10 (see FIG. 5) for taking out the collection tube T from the air carrier 7 received at the station 81. The transport mechanism 2 includes a delivery conveyor 20, a horizontal conveyor 30, and a lowering device 40.

The delivery conveyor 20 is for sending the collection tube T taken out from the air feeder 7 by the take-out device 10 to the horizontal conveyor 30. As shown in FIG. 8, the horizontal conveyor 30 is arranged along the ceiling wall surface C facing the indoor space. The horizontal conveyor 30 moves the blood collection tube T in the horizontal direction and carries it to the lowering device 40. The lowering device 40 is for lowering the blood collection tube T carried by the horizontal conveyor 30 and putting it into the inspection device 9.

(Structure of pneumatic tube)
Here, the configuration of the air feeder 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. The air feeder 7 has a main body 71, a core 76, and a lid 77. The main body 71 has a tubular shape. In the following description, the axial direction of the tubular main body 71 is simply referred to as “axial direction”.

The main body 71 is composed of a tubular body 72, an end member 73, and an annular member 75. The tubular body 72 extends along the axial direction. The end member 73 is fitted to both ends of the tubular body 72, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, the end member 73 includes a first portion 73a that covers the outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the tubular body 72, and a second portion 73b that is located outside the tubular body 72 in the axial direction. The first portion 73a and the second portion 73b are adjacent to each other in the axial direction.

A plurality of streaky protrusions 74 extending in the axial direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first portion 73a. The protrusion 74 has a tapered shape. The height of the protrusion 74 is highest on the second portion 73b side, and gradually decreases as the distance from the second portion 73b increases. The annular member 75 is fitted on the outer circumference of the second portion 73b of the end member 73. The outer diameter R of the air feeder 7 is the largest at the annular member 75 portion of the main body portion 71.

A marker 79 is provided on the tubular body 72. The marker 79 can be detected by the optical sensor 18 (see FIG. 5) included in the extraction device 10 described in detail later. The marker 79 has a strip shape and is wound around a region A (see FIG. 3) axially adjacent to the end member 73 in the tubular body 72. The air feeder 7 handled by the air supply pipe facility 8 installed in the hospital is not limited to the one accommodating the blood collection tube T, and some accommodates the medical record and the drug. The marker 79 is provided only on the air carrier 7 that accommodates the blood collection tube T. That is, the marker 79 holds identification information for identifying the air carrier 7 accommodating the blood collection tube T.

The core 76 is installed in the main body 71. The core 76 is provided with a plurality of (for example, 11) holes that function as a storage space 76a for accommodating the blood collection tube T. The accommodation space 76a extends along the axial direction over substantially the entire length of the main body 71. The openings 71a formed at both ends of the main body 71 in the axial direction communicate with the accommodation space 76a. The accommodation space 76a is a columnar shape having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the blood collection tube T. The accommodation space 76a can accommodate the blood collection tube T in a posture whose axial direction coincides with the axial direction of the main body 71. Each accommodation space 76a can accommodate a plurality of (for example, three) blood collection tubes T.

The cylinder 72 and the core 76 are made of a transparent material. Therefore, the state of the blood collection tube T housed in the storage space 76a can be seen from the outside of the air feeder 7.

The lids 77 are attached to both ends of the main body 71 in the axial direction. More specifically, the lid 77 is attached to the end member 73. As shown in FIG. 4, the lid 77 is circular when viewed from the axial direction. The lid 77 is rotatable about an axis 77a extending in the axial direction in an orthogonal plane (hereinafter, simply referred to as “orthogonal plane”) orthogonal to the axial direction. The shaft 77a is provided near the edge of the lid 77 when viewed from the axial direction. The lid 77 can take a closed position (see FIG. 6) for closing the opening 71a and an open position (see FIG. 7) for opening the opening 71a by rotating around the shaft 77a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lid 77 has a circular hole 77b. The hole 77b is provided near the edge of the lid 77 when viewed from the axial direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the center 78 of the circular lid 77 is used. Then, the line segment connecting the center 78 and the center of the shaft 77a is referred to as a line segment L1, and the line segment connecting the center 78 and the center of the hole 77b is referred to as a line segment L2. In the present embodiment, the angle θ formed by the line segment L1 and the line segment L2 is 90 °. The hole 77b is preferably provided at a position where the angle θ formed by the line segment L1 and the line segment L2 is 90 ° to 160 °.

The hole 77b is for inserting a pin 13 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) included in the lid opening / closing mechanism 11 of the take-out device 10 described in detail later. The pin 13 applies a force to the lid 77 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction and orthogonal to the extension direction of the line segment L1 (the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4), so that the lid 77 is closed (FIG. 6). (See) to the open position (see FIG. 7). Further, the lid 77 has a notch 77c for a person to hook a finger when opening the lid 77 by hand. The notch 77c is provided in the vicinity of the hole 77b.

(Configuration of take-out device)
Next, the configuration of the extraction device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the extraction device 10 is arranged in the station 81 of the air supply pipe facility 8 and is for extracting the blood collection tube T from the air transporter 7 received at the station 81. The take-out device 10 mainly includes a lid opening / closing mechanism 11 and an optical sensor 18.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lid opening / closing mechanism 11 has a base 12 that supports the air feeder 7. The air feeder 7 received at the station 81 is 12th supported in a posture in which the axial direction is parallel to the vertical direction. That is, the air feeder 7 supported by the base 12 has an attitude in which the opening 71a formed at one end (lower end) of the main body 71 faces downward and the opening 71a formed at the other end (upper end) faces upward. Become. Further, the air feeder 7 is placed on the table 12 in a state where the hole 77b formed in the lid 77 and the pin 13 located at the initial position described later are aligned so as to be aligned in a straight line along the vertical direction. Be supported. The base 12 is formed with a hole 12a into which the portion of the annular member 75 having the largest outer diameter R of the air feeder 7 is fitted.

The lid opening / closing mechanism 11 further includes a pin 13 that can be inserted into a hole 77b formed in the lid 77 of the air feeder 7, and a support portion 14 that supports the pin 13. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pin 13 is supported by the support portion 14 in a vertically extending posture below the base 12.

The lid opening / closing mechanism 11 further includes motors 15 and 16 for moving the pins 13. The motor 15 is for moving the pin 13 in a plane parallel to the orthogonal plane. More specifically, the motor 15 rotates the pin 13 by 180 ° about a rotation shaft 15a that extends in a direction parallel to the vertical direction and is arranged at a position different from the pin 13 when viewed from the vertical direction. Let me. The pin 13 can take an initial position (see FIG. 6) and a rotation position (see FIG. 7) by being moved by driving the motor 15. The motor 16 is for moving the pin 13 along the vertical direction. By being moved by the drive of the motor 16, the pin 13 can have an advance position inserted into the hole 77b of the air feeder 7 supported by the base 12 and a retracted position located outside the hole 77b. ..

When the air feeder 7 is supported by the base 12, the lid opening / closing mechanism 11 drives the motor 16 to move the pin 13 from the retracted position to the advanced position, and inserts the pin 13 into the hole 77b of the air feeder 7. do. Further, the motor 15 is driven to rotate the pin 13 from the initial position to the rotation position, and the lid 77 is moved from the closed position (see FIG. 6) to the open position (see FIG. 7). At this time, the blood collection tube T accommodated in the accommodation space 76a falls due to its own weight.

When the pin 13 is rotated, a force is applied to the lid 77 of the air feeder 7 in a direction parallel to the orthogonal plane. More specifically, a force is applied to the lid 77 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction and orthogonal to the extension direction of the line segment L1 (see FIG. 4). Further, as described above, the hole 77b is provided at a position where the angle θ formed by the line segment L1 and the line segment L2 is 90 °. Therefore, when a force is applied to the lid 77 by the pin 13, the annular member 75 of the main body 71 is pressed perpendicularly to the peripheral surface defining the hole 12a of the base 12. Therefore, the lid 77 can be reliably moved with a small force without the air feeder 7 slipping and rotating.

As shown in FIG. 5, the optical sensor 18 is provided in the receiving unit 83 of the station 81. The optical sensor 18 is provided at a position facing the region A (see FIG. 3) around which the marker 79 is wound in the tubular body 72 of the air transmitter 7 received by the receiving unit 83 of the station 81. The optical sensor 18 can detect the marker 79 when the air carrier 7 received by the receiving unit 83 is the air carrier 7 accommodating the collection tube T. The optical sensor 18 is, for example, a reflection type optical sensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element. In the reflection type optical sensor, the light receiving element receives the light emitted from the light emitting element and reflected on the object. That is, the optical sensor 18 can detect the presence or absence of the marker 79 according to the amount of received light.

(Construction of transport mechanism)
Subsequently, the configuration of the transport mechanism 2 will be described. As described above, the transport mechanism 2 includes a delivery conveyor 20, a horizontal conveyor 30, and a lowering device 40.

As shown in FIG. 5, the delivery conveyor 20 is for delivering the collection tube T taken out from the air feeder 7 by the take-out device 10 to the horizontal conveyor 30 arranged along the ceiling wall surface C. The delivery conveyor 20 includes an endless belt with a crosspiece 26 spanning a plurality of rollers 25. The roller 25 and the belt with a crosspiece 26 are covered with a housing 29. The housing 29 is made of a transparent material, and the transport path by the delivery conveyor 20 can be seen from the outside of the housing 29.

The delivery conveyor 20 includes a first portion 21, a second portion 22, and a third portion. The first portion 21 is located below the lid opening / closing mechanism 11. The second portion 22 extends from the first portion 21 upward along the vertical direction to the vicinity of the ceiling wall surface C. The third portion 23 extends along the horizontal direction from the upper end portion of the second portion 22.

When the lid 77 of the air feeder 7 is moved from the closed position to the open position by the lid opening / closing mechanism 11, the blood collection tube T that has fallen is transferred to the transport surface (upper side) of the crosspiece belt 26 in the first portion 21 of the delivery conveyor 20. Ride on the facing side). Then, the blood collection tube T is conveyed by the second portion 22 of the delivery conveyor 20 and moves upward along the vertical direction. Further, the blood collection tube T is conveyed by the third portion 23 of the delivery conveyor 20 and moves along the horizontal direction. The blood collection tube T conveyed by the third portion 23 of the delivery conveyor 20 is directed toward the horizontal conveyor 30 located below the delivery conveyor 20 at the end of the third portion 23 opposite to the second portion 22 side. Fall.

As shown in FIG. 8, the horizontal conveyor 30 is arranged along the ceiling wall surface C. The horizontal conveyor 30 is for moving the collection tube T along the horizontal direction and carrying it to the lowering device 40. The horizontal conveyor 30 includes an endless belt 36 spanning a plurality of rollers 35. The rollers 35 and the belt 36 are covered with a housing 39. The housing 39 is made of a transparent material.

As shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal conveyor 30 includes a first portion 31 and a second portion 32. The first portion 31 extends along a first direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) parallel to the horizontal plane. The second portion 32 extends along a second direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) that is parallel to the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the first direction.

The first portion 31 extends to the lowering device 40. The second portion 32 is connected to an end portion of the first portion 31 opposite to the lowering device 40 side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the second portion 32 passes below the end of the delivery conveyor 20 on the side opposite to the second portion 22 side of the third portion 23. The blood collection tube T taken out from the air feeder 7 is sent to the horizontal conveyor 30 by the delivery conveyor 20, and is carried to the lowering device 40 by the horizontal conveyor 30.

The blood collection tube T carried to the lowering device 40 by the horizontal conveyor 30 is not limited to the blood collection tube T taken out from the air feeder 7 and sent by the delivery conveyor 20. For example, the horizontal conveyor 30 may extend to an outpatient blood collection room, and a blood collection tube T containing blood collected from a patient in the blood collection room may be sent to the horizontal conveyor 30.

As shown in FIG. 8, a mirror 3 is attached to a portion of the ceiling wall surface C facing the horizontal conveyor 30. As described above, since the housing 39 is made of a transparent material, the state of the transport path of the horizontal conveyor 30 is projected on the mirror 3.

The lowering device 40 is for lowering the blood collection tube T carried by the horizontal conveyor 30 and putting it into the inspection device 9. As shown in FIG. 8, the lowering device 40 includes a case member 41, a screw 42, and a motor 43.

The case member 41 has a tubular shape and is arranged so that its axial direction is parallel to the vertical direction. In the case member 41, the inlet 41a for the blood collection tube T is formed near the upper end (corresponding to "near one end" of the present invention), and the blood collection tube T is formed near the lower end (corresponding to "near the other end" of the present invention). Discharge port 41b is formed. The case member 41 is made of a transparent material.

The screw 42 has a spiral groove 42a. The screw 42 is arranged in the case member 41 in a posture in which the axial direction thereof is parallel to the axial direction of the case member 41. That is, the axial direction of the screw 42 is parallel to the vertical direction. The upper end 42b and the lower end 42c of the screw 42 are located in the case member 41.

The insertion port 41a of the case member 41 is located between the upper end of the case member 41 and the upper end 42b of the screw 42. The discharge port 41b of the case member 41 is located between the lower end of the case member 41 and the lower end 42c of the screw 42.

The motor 43 is for rotating the screw 42. The motor 43 is arranged above the case member 41.

A slider 45 is arranged at the slot 41a. The slider 45 extends from the vicinity of the end of the horizontal conveyor 30 on the lowering device 40 side to the inside of the case member 41. The slider 45 is inclined so that the portion located outside the case member 41 is higher than the portion located inside the case member 41.

A slider 46 is arranged below the screw 42. The slider 46 extends to the outside of the case member 41 via the discharge port 41b. The slider 46 is inclined so that the portion located inside the case member 41 is higher than the portion located outside the case member 41. The insertion port 9a of the inspection device 9 is located below the outer end of the case member 41 in the inclination direction of the slider 46.

The blood collection tube T carried to the end of the horizontal conveyor 30 on the lowering device 40 side slides on the slider 45 and is charged into the case member 41 via the input port 41a. The blood collection tube T inserted into the case member 41 slides down the spiral groove 42a of the screw 42 rotated by the motor 43. The blood collection tube T that has slid down to the lower end of the screw 42 slides on the slider 46, is discharged to the outside of the case member 41 through the discharge port 41b, and is charged into the input port 9a of the inspection device 9. It is also possible to manually insert the blood collection tube T directly into the inlet 9a of the inspection device 9.

As described above, the case member 41 is made of a transparent material. Therefore, the transport path (spiral groove 42a of the screw 42) by the lowering device 40 can be seen from the outside of the case member 41.

(camera)
The cameras 5a to 5c are for photographing the transport path by the transport mechanism 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the camera 5a is provided above the first portion 21 of the delivery conveyor 20. The camera 5a can take a picture of the transport surface (the surface facing upward) of the belt 26 with a crosspiece in the first portion 21. As shown in FIG. 1, the cameras 5b and 5c are provided at the connecting portion between the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 of the horizontal conveyor 30. The camera 5b can photograph the transport surface (the surface facing upward) of the belt 36 in the first portion 31 of the horizontal conveyor 30. The camera 5c can photograph the transport surface (the surface facing upward) of the belt 36 in the second portion 32 of the horizontal conveyor 30.

The cameras 5a to 5c are so-called web cameras. As shown in FIG. 9, the cameras 5a to 5c can communicate with the terminal 50 via a communication network N such as the Internet. The terminal 50 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a general-purpose personal computer, or the like. Images (still images and moving images) taken by the cameras 5a to 5c are sent to the terminal 50 via the communication network N and displayed on the display 51 of the terminal 50.

(Control unit)
As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 6 is for controlling the operation of each unit of the transport system 1. The control unit 6 controls the drive of the motors 15 and 16 of the extraction device 10 based on the output signal from the optical sensor 18. Further, the control unit 6 controls the drive of the motor 43 of the lowering device 40. Further, the control unit 6 controls the drive of the motor for driving the delivery conveyor 20 and the motor for driving the horizontal conveyor 30 (neither of them is shown).

Here, an example of the processing procedure of the operation control of the station 81 performed by the control unit 6 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the control unit 6 determines whether or not the air transmitter 7 has been received by the reception unit 83 (see FIG. 5) (step S1). Whether or not the receiving unit 83 has received the air transmitter 7 is determined based on an output signal from a sensor (not shown) provided in the receiving unit 83. The determination in step S1 is repeated until it is determined that the air transporter 7 has been received.

When the control unit 6 determines that the air transmitter 7 has been received by the reception unit 83 (step S1: YES), the control unit 6 determines whether or not the extraction device 10 needs to be taken out based on the output signal from the optical sensor 18. (Step S2). Specifically, the control unit 6 determines whether or not the marker 79 of the air feeder 7 is detected by the optical sensor 18.

At this time, when the air carrier 7 received by the receiving unit 83 accommodates the collecting tube T, the marker 79 is detected by the optical sensor 18. When the air carrier 7 received by the receiving unit 83 accommodates something other than the blood collection tube T, the marker 79 is not detected by the optical sensor 18. When the air transmitter 7 received at the station 81 installed in the examination room 90 accommodates something other than the blood collection tube T, it is considered that manual removal is necessary. Therefore, when the air feeder 7 received by the receiving unit 83 accommodates something other than the collecting tube T, it is determined that it is not necessary to take out the collecting tube T by the taking-out device 10.

If it is determined in step S2 that extraction by the extraction device 10 is unnecessary (step S2: NO), the control unit 6 sends the air feeder 7 to the manual outlet 85 (see FIG. 5) of the station 81. (Step S3). That is, the air feeder 7 accommodating anything other than the blood collection tube T is sent to the manual outlet 85. The air feeder 7 sent to the manual outlet 85 is manually taken out from the station 81, and the contents (other than the collection tube T) contained in the air feeder 7 are manually taken out from the air feeder 7. Is done.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that the take-out device 10 needs to take out (step S2: YES), the control unit 6 sends the air feeder 7 to the base 12 of the lid opening / closing mechanism 11 (step S4). ). Subsequently, the control unit 6 controls the drive of the motors 15 and 16 of the lid opening / closing mechanism 11 and takes out the blood collection tube T from the air feeder 7 (step S5). That is, a force is applied to the lid 77 of the air feeder 7 in a direction parallel to the orthogonal plane by the pin 13 of the lid opening / closing mechanism 11, and the lid 77 of the air feeder 7 is opened from the closed position (see FIG. 6) to the open position (FIG. 7). See). As a result, the blood collection tube T accommodated in the accommodation space 76a of the air feeder 7 falls due to its own weight.

Subsequently, the control unit 6 sends the empty air feeder 7 from which the blood collection tube T has been taken out to the transmission unit 84 (see FIG. 5) of the station (that is, the reception station) 81 (step S6). Finally, the control unit 6 transmits the empty air feeder 7 sent to the transmission unit 84 to the transmission source station 81 via the air supply pipe 82 (step S7). In this way, not only the collection tube T can be taken out from the air feeder 7, but also the empty air feeder 7 can be returned without human intervention.

(effect)
As described above, the lowering device 40 of the present embodiment includes the case member 41, the screw 42, and the motor 43. The case member 41 has a tubular shape, and is arranged so that one end in the axial direction thereof is located above the other end. In the case member 41, an inlet 41a for the blood collection tube T is formed in the vicinity of one end, and a discharge port 41b for the blood collection tube T is formed in the vicinity of the other end. The screw 42 is arranged in the case member 41 in a posture in which the axial direction thereof is parallel to the axial direction of the case member 41, and has a spiral groove 42a. The motor 43 is for rotating the screw 42. Therefore, by rotating the screw 42 by the motor 43, the blood collection tube T slides down the spiral groove 42a of the screw 42. Therefore, the blood collection tube T can be lowered with a small impact. Further, since it is not necessary to measure the timing of inserting the blood collection tube T and a plurality of blood collection tubes T can be inserted at the same time, the blood collection tube T can be lowered speedily. Further, since the blood collection tube T may have a size that allows it to slide down the spiral groove 42a of the screw 42, the degree of freedom in the size of the blood collection tube T is large.

In the lowering device 40 of the present embodiment, the case member 41 is arranged so that the axial direction is parallel to the vertical direction. Therefore, since the installation area is smaller than when the axial direction of the case member 41 is not parallel to the vertical direction, space saving can be realized.

In the lowering device 40 of the present embodiment, the upper end 42b and the lower end 42c of the screw 42 are located in the case member 41, and the insertion port 41a is located between the upper end of the case member 41 and the upper end 42b of the screw 42. The discharge port 41b is located between the lower end of the case member 41 and the lower end 42c of the screw 42. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the blood collection tube T from being clogged in the spiral groove 42a of the screw 42, and to smoothly lower the blood collection tube T.

In the lowering device 40 of the present embodiment, the collecting tube T, which is a tubular sample container, is lowered. When the sample container is tubular, it is necessary to align the orientation of the sample container in advance in a configuration in which the sample container is transported by a conveyor with a crosspiece or a configuration in which the sample container is sandwiched and transported by a pair of endless conveyors, which is speedy. Achieving a descent can be particularly difficult. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by adopting a configuration in which the blood collection tube T slides down the spiral groove 42a of the screw 42, it is not necessary to align the directions of the blood collection tube T, and speedy descent can be realized.

(Modification example)
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, it should be considered that the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the description of the above-described embodiment, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the case member 41 is arranged so that the axial direction is parallel to the vertical direction has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The case member 41 may be arranged so that one end in the axial direction is located above the other end. That is, the case member 41 may be arranged diagonally so that its axial direction intersects the vertical direction.

In the above-described embodiment, the input port 41a of the case member 41 is located between the upper end of the case member 41 and the upper end 42b of the screw 42, and the discharge port 41b of the case member 41 is the lower end of the case member 41. The case where the screw 42 is located between the screw 42 and the lower end 42c of the screw 42 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the inlet 41a may be located below the upper end 42b of the screw 42, and the outlet 41b may be located above the lower end 42c of the screw 42.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the collection tube T, which is a tubular sample container, is lowered has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The shape of the sample container is not limited to a tubular shape, and may be a box shape or a bag shape. Further, the sample container is not limited to that containing blood, and may be, for example, one that contains urine. That is, the sample container may be a urine test tube, a blood transfusion pack, a urine pack, or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the case member 41 is made of a transparent material has been described, but the case member 41 may be made of an opaque material.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the slider 45 is arranged in the input port 41a and the slider 46 is arranged in the discharge port 41b has been described, but only one of these sliders 45 and 46 is arranged. It may or may not be arranged in both.

40 Lowering device (sample container lowering device)
41 Case member 41a Input port 41b Discharge port 42 Screw 42a Groove 42b Upper end 42c Lower end 43 Motor (drive source)
T blood collection tube (sample container)

Claims (4)

A case member that has a tubular shape and is arranged so that one end in the axial direction is located above the other end. A sample container inlet is formed near the one end, and the sample is located near the other end. A case member with a container outlet and
A screw having a spiral groove and arranged in the case member in a posture in which the axial direction is parallel to the axial direction of the case member.
A sample container lowering device including a drive source for rotating the screw. The sample container lowering device according to claim 1, wherein the case member is arranged so that the axial direction is parallel to the vertical direction. The upper and lower ends of the screw are located in the case member.
The insertion port is located between the one end of the case member and the upper end of the screw.
The sample container lowering device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the discharge port is located between the other end of the case member and the lower end of the screw. The sample container lowering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sample container is tubular.

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