KR100647560B1 - Handling apparatus having gripper of oblong frame and sample test apparatus using same - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handler device having a rectangular frame gripper and a sample inspection device using the same, comprising a first grip plate and a first grip plate facing the first grip plate. A second grip plate, a first moving rod fixed to the first grip plate to move the first grip plate in contact with one side of the frame, and a first through hole formed in the first grip plate. A gripper including a second moving rod penetrating and fixed to the second grip plate and arranged in parallel with the first moving rod, and driving means for moving the first moving rod and the second moving rod in opposite directions. Wow; A vertical transfer mechanism for transferring the gripper in a vertical direction; A horizontal transport mechanism for transporting the gripper in a horizontal direction; Including, the present invention provides a handler device having a gripper of a rectangular frame that can stably grip a rectangular frame and move it to a desired position even in a narrow space limited in height and width directions.

Grippers, Handlers, Rectangle Frames

Description

Handler device with a gripper of rectangular frame and sample inspection device using the same

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a handler apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the configuration of part 'A' of FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a perspective view as seen from another direction of FIG.

4 is an enlarged perspective view of the configuration of the handler mechanism of FIG.

5 and 6 are plan views showing the internal configuration for explaining the membership of the handler mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a blood test apparatus to which the handler apparatus of FIG. 1 is applied; FIG.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **

10: grip mechanism 11: grip case

12: grip drive motor 13: first moving rod

14: second moving rod 15: first grip plate

16: 2nd grip plate 17: 1st fixing bolt

18: second fixing bolt 19: spring

20: up and down feed mechanism 21: gripper support

22: vertical guide shaft 23: pillar

24: top plate 25: vertical feed motor

26: ball screw 27: support body

30: horizontal feed mechanism 31, 32: side plate

33: horizontal guide shaft 34: feed belt

35: horizontal feed motor 50: inspection frame

51: sample reservoir 100: handler device

200: blood test device 210: liquid handler

211: administration port 212: test frame holder

220: washing machine 221: washing liquid injector

222: cleaning support 230: analyzer

The present invention relates to a handler device having a gripper for holding a rectangular frame and a sample inspection device using the same. More specifically, the rectangular frame can be stably picked up and transported even in a narrow space having a limitation of a range of motion in the height and width directions. It relates to a handler device having a gripper for picking up a rectangular frame and a sample inspection device using the same.

In general, in order to automate a sequential process, a handler device having a gripper for picking up an object, etc., which has been carried out in a predetermined step and carrying it to another step has been used. Such handler devices are used in a variety of types of handler devices ranging from a large capacity for carrying a packaged object in a port to a small capacity for manufacturing a vehicle or a semiconductor.

However, the handler device as described above is mainly designed to grip and transport an object without spatial limitations, so that the handler device is formed to be gripped while occupying too large or three-dimensional space, so that the range of motion in the height and width directions is limited. It was not possible to use it to precisely pick up and transport the rectangular frame used for storing and testing samples such as blood in a space. In addition to this, the conventional handler apparatus has also had a problem that it is very expensive to the user as it is manufactured at a very high cost.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the rectangular frame is much smaller than the width or length are arranged in succession, it is difficult to pick up with a large gripper such as robot hand, especially the range of motion in the height and width direction It is an object of the present invention to provide a handler device including a gripper of a flat shape that can be smoothly and precisely gripped and moved in a confined space.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to implement a handler device as described above with a cheaper and simpler configuration.                         

In addition, the present invention can be moved up and down and horizontal movement, in particular, the width of the horizontal movement mechanism is relatively small so that it can be mounted and used in a narrow space by using a handler device that can be easily applied to a variety of objects and applications For the purpose of providing it.

In addition, the present invention by applying the handler device having a gripper as described above to a sample inspection device such as blood, so as to move the rectangular inspection frame containing a sample more stably and easily, purchase only the necessary module to the handler It is also an object of the present invention to implement various types of sample inspection apparatuses by applying the apparatus so that the desired sample inspection equipment can be manufactured more simply and inexpensively.

The present invention provides a handler device for carrying and carrying a rectangular frame, in order to achieve the above object, a first grip plate, a second grip plate disposed to face the first grip plate, and the first grip plate. 1 is fixed to the second grip plate through a first moving rod fixed to the first grip plate and a first through hole formed in the first grip plate to move the grip plate in contact with one side of the frame. And a gripper including a second moving bar arranged in parallel with the first moving bar and driving means for moving the first moving bar and the second moving bar in opposite directions; A vertical transfer mechanism for transferring the gripper in a vertical direction; A horizontal transport mechanism for transporting the gripper in a horizontal direction; It provides a handler device having a gripper of a rectangular frame, characterized in that configured to include.

This allows the rectangular frame to be gripped only by the relative linear movement between the first grip plate and the second grip plate formed in a narrow width without placing any additional device in the width direction of the gripper, and instead of a grasping mechanism, This is to enable stable and smooth gripping in a narrow space by inexpensive and simple configuration by implementing a gripping mechanism according to movement.

Here, the first grip plate and the second grip plate are formed with a length L2 smaller than the side length W2 of the rectangular frame, so that the overall width of the gripper is smaller than the side length W2 of the rectangular frame. As a result, a rectangular frame having a small width W2 can be smoothly gripped.

In addition, the drive means, the rack (rack) which is integrally moved with the first moving rod and the second moving rod is formed in the rod, is configured in a rack and pinion type meshed with the gear at the same time, the gear is driven to rotate As the first moving bar and the second moving bar are moved in different directions, the distance L1 between the first grip plate and the second grip plate is closer or farther from each other.

In addition, between the first grip plate and the second grip plate further comprises a spring installed with a predetermined amount of tension so that the attraction force to pull the first grip plate and the second grip plate to each other, to further secure the gripping object You can catch it.

In addition, a second through hole is formed in the second grip plate, and the first moving bar is configured to move through the second through hole, which is effective to realize a compact configuration.

At this time, in a state where the first grip plate and the second grip plate are farthest apart, the first moving bar is preferably formed long enough to at least cover the second through hole. As the first moving bar is formed to be long, the first moving bar and the second moving bar serve as a guide for preventing the first grip plate and the second grip plate from being unstable.

The first moving bar and the second moving bar may pass through an upper portion of the first grip plate side by side, and the lower side surface of the first grip plate may be in contact with the frame. The second moving bar and the spring are arranged in a horizontal line to reduce the height of the gripper, thereby enabling smooth gripping in a narrower space.

On the other hand, a plate formed of a material having a high coefficient of friction is attached to the surface of the first grip plate in contact with the frame, it is possible to prevent the gripped rectangular frame falling during the movement. At this time, the material may be formed of a urethane material.

The vertical transfer mechanism includes: a gripper supporter for fixing the gripper to move integrally with the gripper; A ball screw extending vertically through the gripper supporter; It comprises a vertical feed motor for rotationally driving the ball screw to move the gripper support up and down. At this time, the guide shaft for penetrating the gripper support in the vertical direction to guide the vertical movement of the gripper support further comprises a gripper to prevent the gripper support including the gripper from moving unstable in the horizontal direction, more precisely The gripper can be moved in the vertical direction.

The horizontal transport mechanism, the support body for supporting the up and down transport mechanism; A transfer belt fixed to the support body and formed in a closed loop; It further comprises a horizontal drive motor for rotationally driving the transfer belt. Similarly, the one or more guide shafts penetrating in the horizontal direction of the support body to guide the horizontal movement of the support body can be prevented from unstable shaking during the movement of the support body including the gripper, thereby realizing more precise control. .

At this time, the two rows of belts passing through the support body and the at least one guide shaft are arranged in a line in the vertical direction, thereby minimizing the space occupied by the width W2 at the place where the handler device according to the present invention is installed. It can be easily applied to the application field.

On the other hand, according to another field of the present invention, the present invention provides a sample inspection device for automatically testing a sample, including a liquid handler for placing a sample in a rectangular test frame, and administering a test drug; An analyzer for testing the reaction of the sample according to the test drug; A washing machine for cleaning the inspection frame completed by the analyzer; It provides a sample inspection device comprising a handler device for holding and transporting the inspection frame to and from the liquid handler, the analyzer, the washing machine.

Such a liquid handler is provided with an administration port for administering a sample or a test drug on the upper side, causing a spatial constraint in the vertical direction defined between the administration port and the liquid handler bottom, despite such spatial constraints in the vertical direction. By applying the handler apparatus according to the present invention it is possible to smoothly grip and transport the inspection frame. In addition, generally, a plurality of inspection frames are densely arranged on the upper surface of the liquid handler in order to be able to inspect more samples. By applying the handler device according to the present invention, any one of the densely arranged inspection frames is easily transported. You can do it.

Hereinafter, a configuration of a handler apparatus 100 having a gripper of a rectangular frame according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 to 5, the handler device 100 having a rectangular frame gripper according to an embodiment of the present invention, grips the rectangular frame 50 having a height much smaller than the width and length. Horizontal transfer mechanism 30 for transferring the gripper 10, the vertical transfer mechanism 20 for transferring the gripper 10 in the vertical direction, and the vertical transfer mechanism 20 including the gripper 10 in the horizontal direction. It is configured to include.

The gripper 10 may include a gripper case 11, a grip driving motor 12 seated on the gripper case 11, and a first moving rod moving in different directions according to rotation of the grip driving motor 12. 14) and the second moving rod 13, the first grip plate 15 fixed to the first moving rod 14 to move integrally, and the second moving rod 13 fixed to the first moving agent A predetermined amount of tension so that an attractive force always pulls between the second grip plate 16 and the first grip plate 15 and the second grip plate 16 so as to more firmly grasp the rectangular frame 50 as the object to be gripped. It is configured to include a coil spring 19 provided with a.

Here, the second moving bar 13 is arranged in parallel with the first moving bar 14 and passes through the through hole 15a of the first grip plate 15. In other words, the second moving bar 13 is slidably moved with respect to the through hole 15a. In addition, the first moving bar 14 penetrates through the first grip plate 15, and the second grip plate 15 may be disposed even when the distance between the first grip plate 15 and the second grip plate 16 is spaced farthest. 16 is formed long enough to be caught in the through hole 16a. That is, the first moving rod 14 is also always caught in the through hole 16a, and slides with respect to the through hole 16a. Accordingly, the moving rods 13 and 14 serve to move the grip plates 15 and 16, respectively, and also serve as guides to move the other grip plates without shaking. At this time, the first moving rod 14 and the second moving rod 13 are fixed to the first grip plate 17 and the second grip plate 18 by fixing bolts 17 and 18, respectively.

5 and 6, the grip drive motor 12 includes a pinion 12a that rotates according to the rotation of the rotary shaft, and a gear 12b that meshes with the pinion 12a to rotate. In addition, the first rack 14a and the second rack 13 are formed with a first rack 14a and a second rack 13a which mesh with the gear 12b at the same time. Accordingly, when the grip drive motor 12 is driven and rotated, as the gear 12b rotates, the racks 14a and 13a engaged with each other move in different directions, thereby moving the moving rods 13 and 14 by reference numeral 10a. The distance between the first grip plate 15 and the second grip plate second grip plate L1 can be adjusted by moving in the direction indicated by.

In addition, when the rectangular frame 50 is placed continuously and one frame 50 is to be gripped, other frames 50 adjacent to each other, unlike the intention of manipulation, are held together in the process of holding only one frame 50. In order to prevent gripping, the length L2 of the first grip plate 15 and the second grip plate 16 is preferably smaller than the width W2 of the mold 50 to be gripped.

The springs 19 provided between the moving rods 13 and 14 and the grip plates 15 and 16 penetrating the upper portions of the grip plates 15 and 16 are parallel to the upper portions of the grip plates 15 and 16. Are arranged in line. This is to reduce the height of the gripper to a geometrical minimum to ensure a flat shape and to secure both a guide function and a grip force.

On the other hand, although not explicitly shown in the figure, the grip plate (15) and the lower side of the grip plate (15, 16) in contact with the side of the rectangular frame 50, the grip plate 15 during movement in the state of holding the rectangular frame 50 , 16) It is effective to attach a plate having a high coefficient of friction, for example, a urethane material, in order to prevent it from coming off.

The upper and lower conveying mechanism 20 is a gripper support 21 and a gripper support 21 fixedly connected to the gripper case 11 in order to convey the gripper 10 which is already held in the process of picking up the holding object or in the vertical direction. Two vertical guide shafts 22 extending vertically in parallel through the gripper support 21 to guide the vertical movement of the apparatus without shaking, and columns extending vertically to support the structure in parallel with the vertical guide shaft 22. 23, the upper plate 24 placed on the upper side of the column 23, the upper and lower feed motor 25 provided on the upper plate 24 to drive the gripper support 21 up and down, and the gripper support 21 The ball screw 26 penetrates and rotates in association with the rotary shaft of the up-and-down feed motor 25, and the support body 27 which supports the guide shaft 22, the pillar 23, etc. is comprised. Therefore, the gripper support 21 connected to the ball screw 26 can move up and down as the vertical transfer motor 25 rotates.

The horizontal transport mechanism 30 penetrates the side plates 31 and 32 spaced apart by the length to transfer the gripper 10 in the horizontal direction, and the support body 27 to horizontally transport the support body 27 without shaking. A horizontal guide shaft 33 formed in two rows so as to connect between the side plates 31 and 32, a conveying belt 34 which is integrally coupled with the supporting body 27 to form a closed loop, and a conveying belt ( And a horizontal feed motor 35 which feeds the support body 27 by rotationally driving the feed belt 34 at one end of 34. Accordingly, as the horizontal feed motor 35 is driven to rotate, the support body 27 moves together with the feed belt 34 in the horizontal direction.

Here, the transfer belt 24 and the two horizontal guide shafts 33 in two rows are arranged in a line in the vertical direction, thereby minimizing the width W1 of the side plates 31 and 32. Therefore, since the handler device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention occupies only a space corresponding to a minimum width, the handler device 100 may be advantageously applied to various applications with relatively few constraints.

Hereinafter, the operation principle of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

In the case where the rectangular mold 50 is to be gripped by using the handler device 100 having the gripper according to the present invention, the vertical transfer mechanism 20 and The horizontal transfer mechanism 30 moves the gripper 10 to the top of the rectangular mold 50 to be gripped. Then, as shown in Fig. 5, when viewed from above, when the pinion 12a of the grip drive motor 12 is rotated clockwise d1, the gear 12b meshing with the pinion 12a rotates. It rotates counterclockwise (d2). At this time, the first rack 14a formed at one end of the first moving bar 14 and the second rack 13a formed at one end of the second moving bar 13 are engaged with the gear 12b at the same time, respectively, so as to first The moving rod 14 moves backward d3 and the second moving rod 13 moves forward d4. However, since the first moving rod 14 moves integrally with the first grip plate 15 and the second moving rod 13 moves integrally with the second grip plate 16, between the grip plates 15 and 16. The intervals L1 are spaced apart from each other.

Then, the gripper 10 is moved downward with the up and down conveying mechanism 20, and as shown in FIG. 6, when viewed from above, the pinion 12a of the grip drive motor 12 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction d1. '), The gear 12b, which meshes with the pinion 12a, rotates in the clockwise direction d2'. At this time, the first rack 14a and the second rack 13a are engaged with the gear 12b at the same time so that the first moving rod 14 moves forward d3 'and the second moving rod 13 moves backward. d4 '), the distance L1 between the grip plates 15 and 16 is close to each other, and the rectangular frame 50 is gripped. At this time, the gripping force between the grip plates 15 and 16 and the rectangular frame 50 acts to pull between the urethane plates attached to the grip plates 15 and 16 and the grip plates 15 and 16. The elastic force of the spring 19 keeps it stable enough to move the rectangular frame to a predetermined position.

As described above, the gripper 10 not only has a very small height (H2), but also completely excludes the vertical movement and grips the rectangular frame 50 only by the movement in the lateral direction, one of the present invention The handler apparatus 100 according to the embodiment can smoothly grip the rectangular frame 50 and move it to a desired position even in a very narrow space in the vertical direction H2 and the width direction.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the blood test apparatus to which the handler apparatus of FIG. 1 is applied. In the sample test apparatus 200 having the handler apparatus according to the present invention, blood is stored in the rectangular test frame 50 in each tank 51. And a liquid handler 210 for administering a drug or the like to each blood in order to test the blood, and an analyzer 230 for checking the reaction of blood according to the drug administered in the liquid handler 210, and an analyzer. A washing machine 220 for washing the test frame 50 after the test is completed while passing through the 230 and picking up the test frame 50 while moving between the liquid handler 210, the analyzer 230, and the washing machine 220. It is configured to include a handler device 100 for carrying.

 The liquid handler 210 is a test frame holder 212 which mounts an injector 221 formed on the upper side to administer blood or a test drug to the test frame 50, and each test frame 50 waiting to be tested. ). At this time, there is only a space having a very limited height (H2) between the dispenser 221 and the test frame holder 212, the gripper 10 of the above-described handler device 100 has such a limited height Even within the space, the inspection frame 50 can be smoothly and stably gripped and transported to the analyzer 230 or the washer 220.

On the other hand, the washing machine 220 is connected to the cleaning support 222 is placed on the test frame 50 containing the completed blood and the cleaning support 222, the cleaning solution supply unit 221 is connected to the hinge 221a to spray the cleaning liquid ).

The operating principle of the blood test apparatus 200 configured as described above is as follows.

That is, when the user executes an automatic blood test in a state in which a plurality of blood test frames 50 containing blood to be tested in each reservoir 51 are placed in the holder 212 of the liquid handler 210, the handler 100 is executed. The gripper 10 of the pick-up blood test frame 50 in a predetermined order to transport the drug dispenser 221. The drug injector 221 then administers a predetermined amount of drug to each blood. Then, the handler 100 moves horizontally to the analyzer 230 to take it and release it. Then, the analyzer 230 automatically transfers the blood test frame 50 therein to test the reaction state of blood according to the test drug. Test completed blood test frame 50 is discharged back to the position where the handler 100 was originally placed, it is gripped again and placed on the washing support 222 of the washing machine 220, the blood test frame 50 is automatically To be cleaned.

In the above, the blood test apparatus to which the handler with the gripper according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied was described. However, the scope of application of the present invention is applicable not only to blood test apparatuses, but also to various fields of carrying a rectangular frame in a narrow space. That is, according to the present invention, by purchasing only some modules necessary for the inspection according to the purpose of the inspection, the handler apparatus may be applied to implement various types of sample inspection apparatuses, thereby making it easier and cheaper to manufacture the desired sample inspection equipment.

In the above description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention by way of example, the scope of the present invention is not limited only to this specific embodiment, it can be appropriately changed within the scope described in the claims.

As described above, the present invention provides a handler including a gripper that can grip a rectangular frame by flat movement of a flat and mainly plate-shaped grip plate, thereby smoothly forming a rectangular frame even in a narrow space limited in height and width directions. Provided is a handler device having a gripper of a rectangular frame that can be gripped and moved to a desired position.

In addition, the present invention provides a handler device having a very small width W1 by forming a transfer belt for conveying the gripper and a guide for eliminating the shaking during the transfer in a vertical direction in a horizontal moving mechanism, thereby providing a spatial device with a very small width W1. It can be applied to various fields that are not restricted.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage that it can be manufactured at a lower cost by securing a stable gripping capacity in a very simple structure. In addition, by attaching a material having a high coefficient of friction to the surface of the grip plate in contact with the rectangular frame, which is a gripping object, between the grip plates to secure a more stable and high gripping force by installing a spring acting on each other pulling force.

In addition, the present invention provides a blood test apparatus that can be manufactured at low cost by applying a handler that can be gripped and transported in a narrow space as described above.

Claims (17)

A handler device used to pick up and carry a rectangular frame, A first grip plate, a second grip plate disposed to face the first grip plate, and a first movement fixed to the first grip plate to move the first grip plate in contact with one side of the frame A second moving rod arranged in parallel with the first moving rod and fixed to the second grip plate through the first through hole formed in the first grip plate, the first moving rod and the second A gripper including drive means for moving the moving rods in opposite directions to each other; A vertical transfer mechanism for transferring the gripper in a vertical direction; A horizontal transport mechanism for transporting the gripper in a horizontal direction; Handler device having a rectangular frame gripper, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 1, The drive means, A first rack formed to move integrally with the first moving rod; A second rack formed to move integrally with the second moving bar; A drive motor; It includes a gear that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive motor, And the first rack and the second rack are configured to mesh with the gear, respectively. The method of claim 1, The length of the first grip plate and the second grip plate (L2) is formed to be smaller than the side length (W2) of the frame handler device with a gripper of the rectangular frame. The method of claim 1, If the rectangular frame is placed in a continuous phase, And a gripper having a rectangular frame, wherein a thickness X of the first grip plate and the second grip plate is smaller than a gap between the rectangular frames. The method of claim 1, And a spring disposed between the first grip plate and the second grip plate, the spring installed to apply an attraction force to pull the first grip plate and the second grip plate from each other. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A second through hole is formed in the second grip plate, The first moving rod is a handler device having a gripper, characterized in that moving through the second through hole. The method of claim 6, The first grip plate and the second grip plate in a state that is farthest away, the first moving rod is a handler device having a gripper, characterized in that formed long enough to be caught in the second through hole. The method of claim 7, wherein And the first moving rod and the second moving rod pass through the upper side of the first grip plate side by side, and the lower side of the first grip plate is configured to grip the contact with the frame. Device. The method of claim 8, And the first moving rod, the second moving rod, and the spring are arranged in a line in a horizontal direction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A handler device having a gripper, characterized in that a plate formed of a material having a high coefficient of friction is attached to one surface of the first grip plate in contact with the mold. The method of claim 10, The handler device having a gripper, characterized in that the plate is formed of a urethane material. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The vertical transfer mechanism A gripper support for fixing the gripper to move integrally with the gripper; A ball screw extending vertically through the gripper supporter; An up and down feed motor for rotating the ball screw to move the gripper support up and down; Handler device having a gripper, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 12, And a guide shaft penetrating the gripper support in a vertical direction to guide the vertical movement of the gripper support. The method of claim 12, The horizontal feed mechanism, A support body for supporting the vertical conveying mechanism; A transfer belt fixed to the support body and formed in a closed loop; And a horizontal drive motor for rotationally driving the transfer belt. The method of claim 14, And at least one guide shaft penetrating in the horizontal direction of the support body to guide the horizontal movement of the support body. The method of claim 15, And a two rows of belts passing through said support body and said at least one guide shaft are arranged in a row in a vertical direction. A sample inspection device for inspecting a sample, A handler device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; A liquid handler for placing a sample in the rectangular mold and administering a test drug; When the handler device is transported by the horizontal transfer mechanism and the vertical transfer mechanism of the handler device while the rectangular mold is held between the first grip plate and the second grip plate of the gripper, An analyzer for inspecting whether the sample of the rectangular frame is reacted; The handler device is transported by the horizontal transfer mechanism and the vertical transfer mechanism of the handler apparatus in a state in which the rectangular frame, which has been inspected by the analyzer, is gripped between the first grip plate and the second grip plate of the gripper. When, the washing machine for washing the rectangular frame; Sample inspection device, characterized in that configured to include.

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