JPH0558696U - Automatic opening device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] The rubber stoppers of the blood collection tubes were automatically pulled out without touching them while the blood collection tubes were held in multiple rows on the rack. Collect and discard the rubber stoppers without shaking your hand. [Structure] An automatic opening device is provided with a rack for vertically holding and holding a plurality of containers in a plurality of rows, a through hole for a push-up body opened at the bottom of each container holding hole of the rack, and an opening position at an opening position. A push-up body that lifts each container inserted in the through hole and held in one row of the rack to the opening height position, and a rubber cap that removes the rubber stopper of each container that has been lifted to the opening height position at the opening position And means.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial application]

 The present invention relates to an automatic opening device capable of continuously pulling out a rubber stopper fitted in an opening of a container such as a blood collection tube without touching the rubber stopper, and in particular, to a rack for a plurality of containers each having a rack. The present invention relates to an automatic cap opening device suitable for a case where a plurality of rows are held.

[0002]

[Prior art and its problems]

 As is well known, a rubber container such as a vacuum blood collection tube is fitted with a rubber stopper in its opening for the purpose of preventing the outflow of a blood sample.

By the way, the rubber stopper is removed, for example, when the blood collection tube is set in the automatic analyzer, but the removal of the rubber stopper is conventionally performed manually.

However, when the rubber stopper is manually removed, there is a risk that the blood sample collected may come into contact with various diseases, and the rubber stopper removal operation may be performed on many blood collection tubes. This is a very complicated task because it is carried out against other people, and there is also the problem that blood contact infection may occur when collecting the removed rubber stoppers. In many cases, such as in a center, where the above blood collection tubes are held in multiple rows in racks, the work of removing the rubber stoppers is very complicated, and the frequency of blood contact infections is high. I had the problem of becoming.

The present invention has been made in view of the present situation, and an object thereof is to provide a rack with a plurality of blood collection tubes in a plurality of rows. To provide a highly safe automatic opening device that can automatically pull out the rubber stoppers of blood collection tubes without touching them and collect and discard the pulled rubber stoppers without shaking hands. To do.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, an automatic opening device is provided in a rack for vertically holding and holding a plurality of containers in a plurality of rows and at the bottom of each container holding hole of this rack. A through hole for the push-up body, a push-up body for lifting each container inserted in the through-hole at the opening position and held in one row of the rack to the opening height position, and an opening height for the opening position And a cap opening means for removing the rubber plug of each container lifted to the position.

[0007]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic cap opening device according to this embodiment includes a rack 15 for vertically holding and holding every five blood-collected containers 14 in which rubber plugs 16 are tightly mounted, in groups of five. A container stocker A in which a plurality of the racks 15 are set, a rack transfer means (not shown) for transferring each of the racks 15 to a rack stocker C that has been worked through the successive opening positions, and the rack transfer means. And a cap opening device 1 which is provided in the middle part of the rack transfer line B disposed between the container stocker A and the completed rack stocker C, and the cap opening device 1. A push-up device D that lifts the containers 14 held in the rack 15 in a row at the location where the rubber plugs 1 are installed, and a rubber plug collection container 8 (see FIG. 2) that collects the rubber plugs 16 pulled out by the opening device 1. Consists of, .

Therefore, the rack 15 that holds a plurality of rows of the containers 14 is moved from the container stocker A to the rack transfer line B, and then the rack transfer line B is moved to a distance corresponding to each row. The rubber stoppers 16 are intermittently transferred, and the rubber stoppers 16 are pulled out one by one by the stopper opening device 1 in the middle thereof, and then transferred to the rack stocker C which has been worked. As the transfer mechanism from the container stocker A to the rack transfer line B of the rack 15 and from the rack transfer line B to the completed rack stocker C, a known mechanism such as a pushing mechanism using an actuator is used. Therefore, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

As is clear from FIGS. 2 and 3, the rack 15 has a container holding hole 20 having a substantially U-shaped cross section for holding a total of 25 five containers 14 in five rows, and each container holding hole 20. It is composed of a small-diameter through hole 21 formed at the bottom of the hole 20. The depth of the container holding hole 20 is such that the upper end of each container 14 slightly projects from the upper surface of the rack 15 when the container is stored, and the height of the container holding hole 20 is set by the lifting device D at the opening position. Each container 14 is formed so as to have a depth dimension such that each container 14 does not fall out of each of the holding holes 17 when pushed up.

The rack transfer line B is composed of a well-known endless belt conveyor, and the through holes 2 that are opened so as to be coaxial with the through holes 21 of the rack 15 are arranged in a row. The units are set at predetermined intervals along the length of the line.

The uncapping device 1 arranged in the middle of the rack transfer line B thus configured is arranged at a position more than 5 rows before the end of the rack transfer line B. , A pair of supports 4 and 5 provided upright on both sides of the rack transfer line B, and a rotation formed by rotatably supporting the upper part of each of the supports 4 and 5 via a shaft 6. The member 7 and.

Therefore, the rack 15 is intermittently transferred between the pair of supports 4 and 5 by the rack transfer line B.

The rotating member 7 includes a horizontal plate portion 10, a locking body 11 extending downward from a front edge portion of the horizontal plate portion 10, and both end portions on the depth side of the horizontal plate portion 10. A support piece portion 12 extending downward from the portion, an operating portion 13 fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 10, a drive device for reciprocally rotating the operating portion 13 within a predetermined range, and the horizontal portion. And a rubber plug sliding body 19 disposed on the lower surface side of the plate portion 10, and the shaft 6 is axially supported below the support piece portions 12.

On the other hand, the rotating member 7 is regulated by a stopper body (not shown) so that the horizontal plate portion 10 stops in a horizontal state and does not rotate further in the counterclockwise direction from the horizontal state. ing. Of course, clockwise rotation in FIG. 3 is not restricted.

The stopper body is formed by processing the shaft 6, and a protrusion (not shown) is formed on the shaft insertion hole side of the support bodies 4 and 5 so that the rotating member 7 is in a horizontal state. In this case, the processed portion of the shaft 6 can be configured to engage with the projection formed on the shaft insertion hole side of the supports 4 and 5 to maintain the horizontal state, or the above-mentioned support Protrusions or step portions (not shown) are formed on the opposing surface portions of the bodies 4 and 5, and when the rotating member 7 is in the horizontal state, the lower surface of the horizontal plate portion 10 is the support member 4 or 5. It can also be configured so as to maintain a horizontal state by colliding with a protrusion or a step formed on the 5 side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the rotating member 7 is set in the horizontal state, the engaging end 11a of the engaging body 11 is located at the opening of the container 14 or the like. The rubber stopper 16 that is fitted in a liquid-tight manner is configured in a sawtooth shape so as to surely bite into and lock the peripheral surface of the head portion, and the locking body 11 is formed in a serrated shape. The end portion 11a does not come into contact with the upper end portion of the container 14 pushed up to the opening height position when the horizontal flat plate portion 10 is set in the horizontal state, and is attached to the container 14. It is set at a height position where it bites into the head of the rubber stopper 16. Of course, although not shown, a known pressure sensor is provided at the locking end 11a of the locking body 11, and the pressure sensor makes contact with the locking end 11a of the locking body 11. By configuring the member to be able to select the container 14 or the rubber plug 16, the opening operation of the rotating member 7 can be controlled and the container 14 can be surely prevented from being damaged.

On the other hand, the rubber plug sliding body 19 arranged on the lower surface side of the horizontal plate portion 10 is formed in a substantially J-shaped cross section and is flat as shown in FIG. The portion 19a is formed so as to be slanted so that the extracted rubber plug 16 slides and is automatically stored in the collection container 8. Of course, at least the lowermost surface of the rubber plug sliding body 19 is pulled out of the rubber plug 16 and the container 14 is lowered and stored in the container holding hole 20. It is formed in such a size that it does not come into contact with the upper end portion and does not collide with the containers 14 and the rubber stoppers 16 even when the stopper is opened.

The rubber plug collection container 8 is disposed on one side of the rack transfer line B, and the pulled rubber plug 16 slides on the inclined flat surface portion 19 a of the rubber plug slide body 19. It is configured to be automatically stored in the recovery container 8 when dropped. As a matter of course, the rubber plug collection container 8 is not limited to the shape of the illustrated embodiment, but may be any shape as long as the rubber plug 16 pulled out by the locking body 11 is securely stored. The shape of can be used.

On the other hand, the push-up device D that pushes up the containers 14 held on the rack 15 row by row at the opening position includes five push-up rods that are inserted into and removed from the through holes 2 and 21. 22, a support body 23 that connects the lower end of the push-up bar 22, and a mechanism (not shown) that is connected to the support body 23 and moves the support body 23 up and down at a predetermined timing. The push-up rods 22 are raised in synchronization with the intermittent transfer of the rack 15 and the push-up rods 22 are inserted into the through holes 2 and 21 so that the containers 14 are lined up to the opening height position. After the rubber stopper 16 is removed by the cap opening device 1, the push-up rod 22 is lowered to retract from the inside of the through holes 2 and 21, thereby obstructing the transfer of the rack 15. The drive is controlled so that

The drive device for reciprocally rotating the operating portion 13 has a link 18 whose one end is pivotally supported by the operating portion 13 and the other end of the link 18 is rotatable. The rotary body 19 is rotatably supported by the rotary body 19, and a motor (not shown) for rotating the rotary body 19 is provided. Of course, this drive device is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and any known mechanism can be applied as long as it is a mechanism for reciprocally rotating the operating portion 13 within a predetermined range.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 5, in the operating portion 13, first, the locking end portion 11 a of the locking body 11 bites into the head portion of the rubber stopper 16, and then from this state, the stopper is opened. Direction, the rubber stopper 16 is once pulled up from the opening of the container 14 as shown in FIG. 6, and then the locking body 11 is moved to the horizontal position as shown in FIG. After returning, after the locking body 11 is rotated again in the opening direction to securely engage the locking end portion 11a of the locking body 11 with the stepped portion 16a of the rubber plug 16, As shown in FIG. 8, the drive control is performed so that the rubber stopper 16 is completely pulled out from the opening of the container 14. This is because when the rubber plug 16 is formed of, for example, raw rubber having high elasticity, the rubber plug 16 and the container 14 have a large adhesive force, and a single rotation operation of the locking body 11 causes Since the rubber plug 16 may be left unplugged, in order to completely prevent this, the operation of the locking body 11 is controlled as described above.

In this invention, in order to determine whether the rubber plug is left unplugged, although not shown, for example, a rubber plug detection device such as a limit switch is installed at the outlet end of the rack transfer path of the cap opening device. If a rubber stopper is left unplugged, the remaining rubber stopper comes into contact with the limit switch to turn off each drive device and automatically transfer the container holding the remaining rubber stopper. The rotation member may be stopped at the upper limit position of rotation of the locking body, and this state may be notified by an alarm or a lamp. Of course, the presence / absence of the remaining rubber plug may be detected by a detection unit such as an optical sensor.

Next, the operation of the automatic cap opening device according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

First, when a start switch (not shown) is turned on, the rack transfer means operates, and the rack 15 is transferred from the container stocker A to the rack transfer line B, and then the rack transfer line. In B, the containers 14 are intermittently transferred over a distance corresponding to one row, and each container 14 is transferred to the opening position of the opening device 1.

At the cap opening position of the cap opening device 1, the rotating member 7 is set in a horizontal state in advance, and five containers 14 in a row are locked by the pushing device D of the stopper body 11 of the cap opening device 1. It can be lifted to the height position where it meshes with.

When each container 14 is set at the predetermined opening position in this manner, the set state is confirmed by a detection means such as a sensor (not shown), and then the rotating body 19 is rotated. Then, the link 18 is actuated by this, and first, the rotating member 7 is rotated to an intermediate position shown in FIG.

In this way, by rotating the rotating member 7 by a required angle, the locking end portion 11a of the locking body 11 bites into the head of each rubber plug 16 and is pulled up diagonally upward. The rubber stopper 16 is slightly pulled out from the opening of each container 14. From this state, the rotating member 7 rotates in the opposite direction to return the locking body 11 to the original position, and then rotates again in the opening direction, which causes the locking body 11 to move. The locking end portion 11a of the locking member 11 is securely engaged with the step portion 16a of each rubber plug 16, and the locking end portion 11a of the locking member 11 can completely pull out each rubber plug 16 from each container 14. it can. The rubber stoppers 16 thus pulled out from the respective containers 14 are received by the rubber stopper slides 19 and then slide to be automatically stored in the rubber stopper recovery container 8.

The uncapping work is continuously performed for each subsequent container 14, and after the uncapping work of all the containers 14 held in the rack 15 is completed, the rack 15 is completed with the adjacent work. Transferred to the rack stocker C.

In the above embodiment, the case where the number of the containers 14 held in the rack 15 is set to 5 rows × 5 rows is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, it can be arbitrarily set as needed, and, for example, one row may be 10 rows × 10 rows, and it is needless to say that the design of each mechanism may be appropriately changed and applied.

[0031]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the automatic cap opening device of the present invention, when a plurality of containers such as a plurality of blood collection tubes in a row are held in a plurality of rows, the rubber stoppers attached to the respective containers are completely touched. Since each line can be pulled out automatically and reliably without any worry, there is no risk of blood contact infection for this type of laboratory worker, and the rubber stopper is completely hand-held even after cleaning. It has an excellent effect that it can be done without touching it and it is hygienic.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view showing a schematic configuration of an automatic opening device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of a main part of the automatic opening device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the same automatic opening device.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a locking body of the automatic opening device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the locking end of the locking body is digging into the head of the rubber stopper in the step of pulling out the rubber stopper of the blood collection tube by the same automatic opening device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the rubber stopper is pulled out partway by the locking body in the step of pulling out the rubber stopper of the blood collection tube by the same automatic opening device.

FIG. 7: In the process of pulling out the rubber stopper of the blood collection tube by the automatic opening device, the locking body is returned to the original position, and the locking end of the locking body is engaged with the stepped portion of the rubber plug. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the rubber stopper is pulled out from the container in the step of pulling out the rubber stopper of the blood collection tube by the same automatic opening device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Container stocker B Rack transfer line C Worked rack stocker D Push-up device 1 Opening device 2,21 Through hole 7 Rotating member 11 Locking body 11a Sawtooth-shaped locking end of locking body 13 Working part 14 Container 15 Rack 16 rubber stopper 18 link 19 rotating body 20 container holding hole 22 push-up rod

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A rack for vertically holding a plurality of containers in a plurality of rows, a through hole for a push-up body opened at the bottom of each container holding hole of the rack, and a rack inserted into the through hole at an opening position. And a push-up body that lifts each container held in one row of the rack to the opening height position, and an opening means that removes the rubber stopper of each container lifted to the opening height position at the opening position. An automatic cap opening device configured as described above.