JPH0776330A - Automatic supplying device of blood-collecting tube or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To separately supply feed articles, by interlocking the subsequent means with an arranging means of articles, having a reciprocating work plate and an article feed means equipped at the delivery outlet, through the clearance equivalent to almost the diameter of the feed articles, forming from the delivery outlet side of a hopper to the opposite slanting bottom. CONSTITUTION:A transfer means 2 like a belt conveyor is equipped on a base frame 1 and a hopper 3 provided with slanting bottom races 3A, 3B is arranged along the transfer direction or the transfer means 2. A feed article-arranging means 4 having a working plate 4A parallelly reciprocating through the clearance equivalent to almost the same diameter with the feed articles, from the delivery outlet 3C side to the opposite slanting bottom face 3A and an article feed means 5 provided at the delivery outlet 3C, are arranged in correspondence with the hopper 3. The article feed means 5 is actuated, interlocked with the subsequent means. In this way, the feed articles can be automatically supplied by only feeding then into the hopper 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic supply device for a blood collection tube or the like, which is mainly used for attaching a label to a blood collection tube or a test tube used in blood tests or the like. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of automatic feeder, in order to make the position of attaching a label to a blood collection tube, a test tube or the like to be supplied constant, the upper and lower ends of the blood collection tube or the test tube are checked, The operator manually supplies the supply device one by one, and the labeler automatically attaches the labels. However, such a manual work has a drawback that the work efficiency is low and a dedicated worker is required, resulting in high cost.

[0003]

Therefore, the blood collection tubes and test tubes loaded in the test tube rack and the like are put into the hopper all together, and automatically supplied to the labeler in a predetermined posture. A device is desired. In this case, make sure that the blood collection tubes, test tubes, etc.
It is necessary to maintain the interlocking relationship with the labeler and to reliably supply it, but when the above-mentioned supply target is put into the hopper,
Its attitude is random and often causes a bridge, which can lead to a supply failure.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and has a simple structure and can reliably and individually supply a blood-collecting tube, a test tube, and the like in a hopper to a required means. It is intended to provide an automatic supply device for supplying.

[0005]

Therefore, in the present invention,
In an apparatus for automatically supplying individual cylindrical objects such as a blood collection tube and a test tube, a hopper having an inclined bottom surface in the front and rear or left and right, and one inclined bottom surface from the discharge port side of the hopper. It comprises a supply target arranging means having plate-like operating elements that advance and retreat in parallel through a gap substantially equivalent to the diameter of the supply supply, and a supply target cutting-out means provided at the discharge port. The means is configured to operate in conjunction with the subsequent means.

[0006]

As a result, it is not necessary to have a dedicated worker at all times for labeling and other work. Simply by putting these into the hopper, automatic supply can be achieved, work efficiency is improved, and running costs are reduced. Can be reduced.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. The automatic supply device according to the present invention,
As shown in FIG. 1, a conveyor means 2 such as a belt conveyor is arranged on a gantry 1 with the conveying directions facing left and right. Above the gantry 1, along the conveyor direction of the conveyor means 2,
A plurality of (four in this embodiment) hoppers 3 are arranged. The hoppers 3 respectively have inclined bottom surfaces 3A and 3B at the front and rear (in the present embodiment, the front and rear, but at the left and right when the conveying direction of the conveying means 2 is the front and rear).

Further, the automatic feeder corresponds to each hopper 3 from its discharge port 3C side to the one inclined bottom surface 3A in parallel with a gap corresponding to approximately the diameter of the material to be fed. The supply source arranging means 4 having a plate-like operator 4A for advancing and retreating and the supply source cutting-out means 5 provided at the discharge port 3C are provided, and the cut-out means 5 is a succeeding means (in this embodiment, in this embodiment). , The edge measurement of the supplied material
(Supplying means).

The supply target arranging means 4 is, in this embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, a guide rail 41 arranged parallel to the inclined bottom surface 3A on the outer side of the hopper 3.
A plurality of wheels 42 that roll while holding the guide rail 41 from the left and right, and a pedestal 43 that is axially supported by the wheels 42 and is moved along the guide rail 41.
Slits 43 formed on the frame 43 and extending to the left and right thereof
A crank arm 44 in which a crank shaft 44A is slidably fitted to A, and a synchronous motor 4 in which an output shaft 45A is connected to a base end of the crank arm 44
5 and.

The operator 4A is mounted on the mount 43.
Is connected, and the crankshaft 44A reciprocates in the slit 43A by the drive of the motor 45, thereby reciprocating the pedestal 43 along the guide rail 41, and thereby the neck portion of the discharge port 3C of the hopper 3. The operator 4A is moved into and out of the hopper 3 through the slit 3D formed in the above.

The cutting means 5 is provided with respect to the discharge port 3C which constitutes a passage having a width substantially corresponding to its length direction and a width substantially corresponding to its maximum diameter, which are necessary for passing the material to be supplied. It is provided with a pair of upper and lower receiving gates 51 and leading-out gates 52 that come in and go out in the front-rear direction. These gates 51 and 52 have guide rails 53 and 5
4 is connected to racks 55 and 56 that are slidable in the front-rear direction. These racks 55 and 56 are attached to a pinion gear 58 driven by a synchronous motor 57 provided on the gantry 1 from above and below. It is meshed.

In such a configuration, the supply target such as the blood collection tube and the test tube randomly placed in the hopper 3 is tilted by the tip of the operator 4A that reciprocates by the drive of the synchronous motor 45. In the process of reciprocating along the surface, along the edge of the tip, in other words, the discharge port 3C.
The attitude is controlled in the width direction. For this reason, for example, even if the supply target material forms a bridge in the hopper 3 due to its random input, the operator 4A can push it down and reliably guide it to the discharge port 3C. it can.

In response to a command from a control system (not shown) including a computer, when the operator 4A retracts and guides one supply target to the discharge port 3C, the gate 51 is closed in the cutting means 5. Gate 52 is open (Fig. 2
Of the solid line). Then, in response to a command from the control system, when the operator 4A moves forward to control the attitude of the next supplied object along the inclined surface, the gate 51 is opened and the gate 52 is closed in the cutting means 5. To be Therefore, gate 5
The supply target staying on 1 descends, is placed on the gate 52, and stands by on the transport means 2 such as a transport conveyor.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the end of the conveying means 2 from the conveying means 2, the end measuring means 6 such as an optical sensor, the label sticking means 7, and the end measuring means 6 are transferred to the label sticking means 7. Is provided. The materials to be supplied such as blood collection tubes and test tubes used here are capped with rubber caps, laminate seals, etc., so whether the capping side is facing forward or the bottom side is facing. The direction of the light can be determined based on the light blocking / transmitting state of the optical sensor. The result of this determination is given to a control system including the above-mentioned computer, and the control system sets the carry amount of the carrying means 8 on the basis of the result, and the carrying means 8 is supplied based on the set value. Carry goods. In this embodiment, the conveying means 8 is a guide rail 8A extending in the lateral direction of the gantry 1 in the extension direction of the conveying means 2 and at a high level.
An endless chain conveyor 8B arranged in parallel with the guide rail 8A, a carriage 8C guided in a reciprocating direction along the guide rail 8A by forward / reverse driving of the conveyor 8B, and a synchronous carriage on the carriage 8C. An eccentric circular cam 8E that is rotationally driven by a motor 8D, a clamp base 8F that is held upward by a proper holding mechanism with respect to the carriage 8C and that moves up and down by the cam 8E, and a pair of pivotally supported on the clamp base 8F. Clamp arm 8G, 8G
And a solenoid mechanism 8H for opening and closing the clamp arms 8G, 8G.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the carriage 8C includes a roller type cam follower 8 as shown in FIGS.
J is pivotally supported, and this is rollingly contacted with the peripheral surface of the cam 8E. Further, the clamp arms 8G, 8G have an interconnecting member 8M that is pushed by the pusher 8L of the solenoid mechanism 8H, and also have pivot pins 8N, 8N in the middle. In addition, they can be swung in opposite directions.

The label attaching means 7 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a labeling mechanism 7 having an appropriate print head.
Corresponding to A and this labeling mechanism 7A, the conveying means 8
Pair of support rollers 7 for receiving the supply target dropped from the
B, 7B, a supporting base 7C for supporting these supporting rollers 7B, 7B so as to be swingable around one of the supporting shafts, a swinging arm 7D for swinging the supporting base 7C back and forth, and Solenoid mechanism 7F swings against tension spring 7E
And a pressing roller 7H pivotally supported by an arm 7G pivotally supported by the gantry 1. In the figure, reference numeral 9 is an appropriate pressing means for pressing and rotating the arm 7G, reference numeral 1
Reference numeral 0 is a chute for discharging the supply target after labeling is completed.

In such a structure, the front and rear ends of the material to be supplied which has hit the appropriate stopper 11 at the terminal end of the conveying means 2 are judged by the end measuring means 6, and based on the result. In the control system, the amount of transportation by the transportation means 8 to the label sticking means 7 is set. Therefore, the label can be attached at a fixed position in the length direction of the supply target at a later labeling stage regardless of which direction the front and rear ends of the supply target are in the conveying direction. Of. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, if the label S is attached to the supply target T at a position displaced by the length LA from the stopper side, the stopper side is on the conveying direction 2 and the stopper side is on the front side in the conveying direction. Compared with the case (A) of facing, the case (B) of facing the rear side is set by the control system, and the carry amount by the carrying means 8 later is the label from the bottom end of the supply target T. The length L up to S is subtracted from the length LB to increase the length L = LB-LA. Further, the labeling mechanism 7A receives a change such as reversing the printing direction according to a command from the control system from the above determination result.

Further, after the end portion of the supplied material is measured,
The solenoid mechanism 8H works, and the clamp arm 8G,
Operate 8G to clamp the transported object. Next, before the conveyor 8B is driven, the motor 8D is driven and the cam 8
E is rotated to raise the clamp base 8F with respect to the carriage 8C. When the conveyor 8B is driven, the carriage 8C has a predetermined transport amount (amount determined by the front-back direction of the transported object).
After that, the clamp base 8F is lowered by the drive of the motor 8D, and then the clamp arms 8G and 8G are operated by the action of the solenoid mechanism 8H to lower the transported object onto the support rollers 7B and 7B.

In this state, the arm 7 is pressed by the pressing means 9.
G is rotated about 90 degrees, and the supply roller on the support rollers 7B and 7B is suppressed by the pressing roller 7H, and the supply object is rotated by, for example, forcibly rotating one of the support rollers. The label supplied from the labeling mechanism 7A is attached to the peripheral surface of the supply target. After the attachment, the pressing means 9 is returned, and the arm 7G is rotated in the opposite direction by an appropriate elastic holding means to raise the restraining roller 7H. At this stage, the swing base 7C is moved.
Is tilted and the supply target is carried out from the chute 10.

In the above embodiment, the carrying means 2 is a carrying conveyor, but other carrying structures such as gripping and carrying an object to be fed may be adopted. Also,
In this embodiment, the hopper 3, the supplied material arranging means 4, and the cutting means 5 are arranged corresponding to a plurality of sets of the common conveying means 2, and the cutting means 5 of each of the above groups is set by the control system.
The operation and the timing of are configured to be selectively controlled. In this case, for example, when a material to be supplied having a different length is put in each hopper, the subsequent information is selected based on the selection information. It is advisable to perform a calculation in consideration of the feed amount of the transporting means 8.

[0021]

As described above, the present invention is an apparatus for automatically automatically supplying a cylindrical supply target such as a blood collection tube or a test tube, and a hopper having an inclined bottom surface in front, rear, left or right, From the discharge port side of the hopper to the one inclined bottom surface, a supply target arranging means having a plate-like operator that advances and retracts in parallel through a gap having a diameter substantially equivalent to that of the supply target, and the discharge port. Since the cutout means is configured to operate in conjunction with the subsequent means, a dedicated worker is always arranged for the work such as labeling. There is no need to do so, and by simply putting these into the hopper, automatic supply can be achieved, work efficiency can be increased, running costs can be reduced, and so on.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially longitudinal front view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of a main part of the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the supply target arrangement means in the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is likewise a partially longitudinal end view.

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical cross-sectional side view of a main part of a subsequent conveying unit.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a subsequent labeling means.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a label attachment position with respect to an object to be supplied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Platform 2 Conveying means 3 Hoppers 3A, 3B Inclined bottom surface 3C Discharge port 3D Slit 4 Supply target arrangement means 4A Operator 41 Guide rail 42 Wheel 43 Frame 43A Slit 44 Crank arm 45 Synchronous motor 45A Output shaft 5 Cutting means 51, 52 Gates 53, 54 Guide rails 55, 56 Racks 57 Synchronous motors 58 Pinion gears 6 End measuring means 7 Label sticking means 7A Labeling mechanism 7B Supporting roller 7C Swing base 7D Swing arm 7E Tension spring 7F Solenoid mechanism 7G Arm 7H Roller 8 Conveyor 8A Guide rail 8B Conveyor 8C Carriage 8D Synchronous motor 8E Cam 8F Clamp stand 8G Clamp arm 8H Solenoid mechanism 8J Cam follow 8L Pusher 8M Interconnection member 8N Pivot pin 9 Pushing means 10 Chute 11 Stopper

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A device for automatically individually supplying a cylindrical supply target such as a blood collection tube, wherein a hopper having an inclined bottom surface in front and rear or left and right, and a discharge port side of the hopper,
The supply target arranging means having a plate-like manipulator that advances and retreats in parallel to one of the inclined bottom surfaces with a gap substantially corresponding to the diameter of the supply target, and the supply target cutout means provided at the discharge port. An automatic supply device for a blood collection tube or the like, characterized in that the cutting means is configured to operate in conjunction with a subsequent means. 2. The cutting means comprises a receiving gate and a discharging gate located at the hopper-discharge port, and both gates are operated alternately so as to cut out the supply target. The automatic supply device for a blood collection tube according to claim 1, wherein the automatic supply device is provided. 3. The hopper, the supply target arranging means, and the cutout means are arranged corresponding to a plurality of sets of common conveying means, and the operation and timing of the cutout means of each set are selectively controlled. The automatic supply device for a blood collection tube or the like according to claim 1, wherein the automatic supply device is provided.