JPH07234229A - Specimen conveying system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To arrange a shortcut in the middle of a long conveying line so as to improve operativity concerning a system inside movement of an operator. CONSTITUTION:A main specimen rack 2 storing five blood sampling tubes is conveyed on a conveying line 3 from an input unit 4, while a centrifugal machine 5, a plug opening machine 8, a crosswise conveying line 9a, a supplying unit 10 for a subsidiary container and a nozzle, and pipetting machines 11, 12 are connected to the conveying line 3. A subsidiary container is conveyed on a conveying line 15, while a crosswise conveying line 9b, an analyzer 22, and a recovery unit 23 are connected to the conveying line 15. Following a main specimen, a preservation container is conveyed on the conveying line 3, while a plug closing machine 24, label sticking machine 25, a retention room 26, and a recovery unit 27 are connected to the conveying line 3. The crosswise conveying lines 9a, 9b are supported openably and rotationally by means of hinges and are provided with rack stoppers.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

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

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional sample transport system, various devices related to pretreatment, analysis, and posttreatment of a blood sample are connected by a sample transport line such as a belt conveyor, and since the number of such devices is large, the transport line is long. Tends to be.
On the other hand, the system is not completely automated. For example, when a parent sample is dispensed to make a child sample, supply, collection, and disposal of the parent sample, child sample container, pipette nozzle, etc. require human work. The operator has to move around in the system, but the long transport lines described above impede the movement and necessitate detouring movements. Incidentally, as a device related to this type, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2-64462 and 2-644.
There are 63 publications, Jitsukaihei 4-124458 publications, and the like.

[0003]

That is, the above-mentioned prior art has a problem in that the operation of the system and the operability are not sufficiently taken into consideration and the transfer line hinders the movement of the operator. The object of the present invention is to reduce the above problems.
An object is to provide a sample transport system with good operability.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a means for opening and closing a conveying line for traversing the conveying line, a means for detecting the opened state of the means, and an open state A transport stop control means that operates is provided.

[0005]

First, the original sample transport is performed in the closed state, and when the operator opens the transport line to traverse, the open state is detected and the sample transport is stopped.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A sample transport system which is an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The schematic configuration of this system (see FIG. 1) includes a parent sample transport line that is transported downward and turns right after separation and dispensing, and a slave sample transport line that is transported downward after the dispensing in parallel with the transport line. , A pipette nozzle transport line that is transported downward between the dispensers. Here, the transport line consists of a U-groove guide that holds a gap on the side of the rack and guides it, and a belt conveyor that loads and transports the rack. The transport line is also divided into individual equipment so that it can be transported separately. ， Connected. First, the blood collection tubes 1 containing the blood sample inside are accommodated in the rack 2 in units of five, and are transported through the parent sample transport line 3. The transfer line 3
The main sample introduction section 4, centrifuge 5, buffer for equalizing batch processing of the centrifuge 6, corner unit 7a for changing the transport direction of the rack, uncapping machine 8 for unplugging the blood collection tube, and for the operator to pass. Crossing transfer line 9a, a supply unit 10 for supplying a sub-sample container (hereinafter referred to as a sub-container), a storage container, a disposable pipette nozzle (hereinafter referred to as a nozzle) to a pipetting machine, and a transfer line A known pipette device in which the nozzles are press-fitted and held in five nozzle head elevating and lowering drive mechanisms (not shown) provided in a known XY-driven station and connected to the nozzle heads. Dispenser for dispensing and dispensing the serum part of the parent sample into the online container and the offline container
Then, a dispenser 12 for separating and dispensing the remaining serum into a storage container that is transported subsequently to the parent sample container by the same method is connected. Here, the online sub-containers are accommodated in the rack 13 in units of five, and are erected on the rack tray 14.
It is transported to the collection unit. The off-line container is m rows n
It is accommodated in a rectangular rack 16 having a row of accommodation holes and is installed on the front side of the pipetting machine 11. Further, the storage container is accommodated in a rack 17 in units of five, and is installed on a storage container tray (not shown) provided at the front middle stage of the supply unit 10, and is transferred by a transfer line 3a that can be driven up and down. The sample is lifted to the line 3 and loaded and transported between the parent sample racks 2. Similarly, the nozzles are accommodated in the nozzle rack 18 in units of five, and are installed on a nozzle tray (not shown) provided on the lower front side of the supply unit 10, and the nozzle transfer line 19a is movable by a transfer line 19a that can be moved up and down. It is lifted and transported to the rack, and after being press-fitted and dispensed in the dispenser 11, it is removed by the remover 20 that can be moved back and forth and transported back to the rack, and then the dispenser 12 again press-fits and dispenses it in correspondence with the parent sample After that, it is removed by a fixed remover 21 and dropped, and then stored in a waste box (not shown), while the nozzle rack 18 is moved up and down by a transfer line 19
It is collected in a rack tray (not shown) on the lower front side of the pipetting machine 12 by b. Next, the dispenser 12, the corner unit 7b, the traverse transportation line 9b, the analyzer 22, and the child container collecting section 23 are connected to the online child container carrying line 15. On the other hand, the parent sample transport line 3 is changed in direction by the corner units 7b and 7c, the parent sample racks 2 and the storage racks 17 are alternately transported side by side, and the storage container stopper 24 and the label sticking machine 25 are transferred. , Through the storage box 26 for organizing and storing, and connected to the collection unit 27 of the parent sample container and the storage container, further changed in direction by the corner unit 7d and connected to the corner unit 7a, and used as a reinspection transfer line. It's closed. Here, the traverse transfer lines 9a, 9b (see FIGS. 2 and 3) include a base 29 supported by a hinge 28 with a return spring so as to be openable and closable with respect to an upstream frame, and a belt provided thereon. Conveyor 30
And a display 31 for indicating whether or not the vehicle can pass, on the other hand, a rack stopper 32 is provided on the upstream transport line, and an open / close state detector 33 and an open / close prevention stopper 34 are provided on the downstream transport line. Each of the constituent devices is electrically connected to a central processing unit (neither is shown) that controls the entire device via each drive control device.

Next, the operation of the present system, which is sequentially executed according to the program registered in the central processing unit, will be described. First, the operator installs the parent sample rack 2 in the sample loading unit 4, and consumables (online container, storage container, nozzle, offline container,
Install the stopper cap, label) on the specified part and execute the system startup operation. The parent sample blood collection tube is conveyed through the conveyance line 3, and is centrifuged, opened, online dispensed, offline dispensed, separated dispensed, and delivered to the collection unit 27. The on-line dispensed sub-container is conveyed through the transfer line 15 and is dispensed to the analyzer 22 to start the analysis, while the sub-container is unloaded to the collection unit 23. The storage container dispensed for storage is capped, attached with the same bar code label as the parent sample, arranged and stored in the storage cabinet 26, and then carried out to the collection unit 27 after it is no longer needed. As described above, the analysis of the sample and the pre-processing and post-processing are sequentially executed, but when the parent sample and consumables are exhausted, the collection unit is full, or the assist request buzzer sounds due to equipment failure, The operator needs to go straight to the work department for the recovery work. In that case, the operator acts by looking at the display unit 31, but the central processing unit monitors the rack passing state by the rack presence / absence detectors and internal counters before and after the crossing transportation lines 9a and 9b, and Stopper 34 when it can be opened
The indicator 31 is driven to the open side, and when the operator artificially opens and closes the line or passes the line, the detector 33 detects the open state, and at the same time, the rack stopper 32 is inserted to prevent passage of the rack and the line is closed. When the detector 33 detects the closed state by the operator, the rack stopper 32 is withdrawn and the rack transport is continued.

In the present invention, the supply and removal of the on-line child container and the nozzle are done manually. However, by utilizing the linear arrangement of the transfer lines, the transfer can be carried up and down and reciprocated at both ends of the line. By providing a line, a return line for the rack at the bottom, a known automatic feeder in the supply section, and a disposal handling robot in the recovery section, further automation can be easily developed. Regarding the serum separation part, as in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-55806, a method in which a sub-container into which serum is separated and dispensed is transferred onto a parent sample blood collection tube, or serum that has been temporarily separated and retained is used. If a method is used in which a partition plug is placed in the middle of a blood collection tube and then dispensed, a labeling machine is not required, and the system can be provided at low cost.

The effects peculiar to these embodiments are: saving by sharing nozzles, saving space by hierarchical arrangement of consumables erection parts and sharing of dispenser on / off line, and equipment required for analysis and pre-processing and post-processing. There is labor saving by connecting with.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention, since a short cut can be provided in the middle of a long conveyance line, there is an effect that the operability relating to the movement of the operator in the system is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a traverse transportation line.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

2, 13 ... Rack, 3 ... Parent sample transport line, 4 ... Parent sample loading section, 5 ... Centrifuge, 8 ... Opening machine, 9a, 9b ... Crossing transport line, 10 ... Supply section, 11, 12 ... Minutes Injection machine, 15
… Sub-container transfer line, 17… Storage container rack, 18…
Nozzle rack, 19 ... Nozzle transfer line, 22 ... Analyzer, 23 ... Child container collecting section, 24 ... Capper, 25 ... Labeling machine, 26 ... Storage box, 27 ... Parent sample collecting section, 28 ... Hinge, 29 ... Base, 30 ... Belt conveyor, 31 ... Indicator, 32 ... Rack stopper, 33 ... Open / close state detector, 3
4 Opening / closing prevention stopper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sample transport system for transporting a sample container containing a blood sample in a transport line provided between an analyzer and a pre / post-treatment device, wherein the transport line can be opened so that an operator can cross the transport line. And a means for detecting the open state of the open / close means, and a transport stop control means that operates in the open state.