KR102276762B1 - Apparatus for supplying diagnostic strips - Google Patents

Abstract

A diagnostic strip supply device is disclosed. The diagnostic strip supply device includes a cutter including an upper cutting roller and a lower cutting roller provided with a plurality of circular blades for cutting a diagnostic card into a plurality of diagnostic strips, and the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter. and a first strip conveying unit and a second strip conveying unit for supplying to a set location. The second strip transfer unit may include recesses into which some of the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter are inserted, respectively, and vacuum holes provided at the bottom of the recesses for vacuum adsorbing the diagnostic strips. and a transfer boat, wherein the first strip transfer unit moves the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter to an upper portion of the transfer boat and accommodates some of the diagnostic strips in the recesses.

Description

Apparatus for supplying diagnostic strips

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a diagnostic strip supply device. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus for supplying a diagnostic strip in a manufacturing process of diagnostic kits for diagnosing pregnancy or various diseases using a body fluid such as blood or urine.

Recently, diagnostic kits for diagnosing various diseases such as hepatitis, diabetes, anemia, hyperlipidemia, AIDS, etc. or pregnancy using body fluids such as blood or urine are widely used. The diagnostic kits may include a diagnostic strip capable of diagnosing a disease or pregnancy by absorbing the body fluid.

The diagnostic strip may include a plastic base card and functional pads such as a bonding pad, an absorbent pad, a membrane pad, a sample pad, etc. attached to the base card through an adhesive. The diagnostic strip may have a bar shape having a predetermined width, and may be obtained by cutting an approximately rectangular diagnostic card. The diagnostic kit may be manufactured by mounting the diagnostic strip in a housing having an opening.

As an example, Korean Patent No. 10-1859280, filed and registered by the present applicant, discloses a diagnostic card cutting device for cutting a diagnostic card to obtain diagnostic strips. The diagnostic card cutting device may include an upper cutting roller on which upper circular blades are mounted and a lower cutting roller on which lower circular blades corresponding to the upper circular blades are mounted. However, since a separate device for transporting the diagnostic strips obtained by the upper and lower cutting rollers to the diagnostic kit assembly process is not provided, the time required for manufacturing the diagnostic kit may increase.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1859280 (Registration date May 11, 2018)

An object of the present invention is to provide a diagnostic strip supply apparatus capable of reducing the time required for supplying diagnostic strips to a diagnostic kit manufacturing process.

A diagnostic strip supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a cutter including an upper cutting roller and a lower cutting roller provided with a plurality of circular blades for cutting a diagnostic card into a plurality of diagnostic strips; It may include a first strip transfer unit and a second strip transfer unit for supplying the cut diagnostic strips to a preset location. In this case, the second strip transfer unit is provided in recesses into which some of the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter are inserted, respectively, and at the bottom surface of the recesses, respectively, for vacuum adsorbing the diagnostic strips. and a transfer boat having holes, wherein the first strip transfer unit moves the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter to an upper portion of the transfer boat and accommodates some of the diagnostic strips in the recesses.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first strip transfer unit includes grippers for holding the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter and moving the diagnostic strips to the upper part of the transfer boat, and the some diagnostic strips. It may include a push module for pressing some of the diagnostic strips downward to be in close contact with the bottom surface of the recesses.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first strip transfer unit includes a first gripper driving unit that operates first grippers for gripping the some diagnostic strips among the grippers, and a first gripper driving unit that operates the first grippers from among the grippers. The device may further include a second gripper driving unit for operating second grippers for gripping the remaining diagnostic strips, and a third gripper driving unit for moving the first and second grippers in a horizontal direction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the third gripper driving unit advances the grippers toward the cutter to grip the diagnostic strips, and after the grippers grip the diagnostic strips, the diagnostic strips are transferred to the The grippers are primarily retracted to be positioned on the upper part of the boat, and the first gripper driving unit is configured to remove the first grippers after the some diagnostic strips are closely attached to the bottom surfaces of the recesses and are vacuum-sucked by the vacuum holes. releases the gripping state of some of the diagnostic strips, and the third gripper driving unit may secondarily retract the grippers so that the first grippers are spaced apart from the partial diagnostic strips.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the push module includes pushers for pressing down some of the diagnostic strips, a push block to which the pushers are mounted, and a push driving unit for moving the push block in a vertical direction. may include.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the pushers includes a pusher body mounted on the push block, and a push tip protruding downward from the pusher body, and the height of the push tip is greater than the depth of the recesses. It can be configured large.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second strip transfer unit further includes a first boat driving unit for moving the transfer boat in a vertical direction, and a second boat driving unit for moving the transfer boat in a horizontal direction. may include

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the diagnostic strip supply apparatus may further include a third strip transfer unit for picking up some of the diagnostic strips stored in the transfer boat and moving them to the preset location.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the diagnostic strip supply device includes an inspection camera for inspecting some of the diagnostic strips accommodated in the transfer boat or the diagnostic strips picked up by the third strip transfer unit, and the inspection camera. It may further include a collection container for recovering the diagnostic strips determined to be defective as a result of the examination.

According to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, the diagnostic strips cut by the upper cutting roller and the lower cutting roller are automatically transferred to the tray or conveyor device by the first, second and third strip transfer units. and, accordingly, the time required for supplying the diagnostic strips can be greatly reduced. In particular, after the diagnostic card is cut into the diagnostic strips by the upper cutting roller and the lower cutting roller, the diagnostic strips may not be completely individually separated by an adhesive, but the some diagnostic strips by the push module may be separated from the rest of the diagnostic strips and accommodated in recesses of the transfer boat. Accordingly, the problem that the diagnostic strips are not separated from each other during transport after cutting can be completely solved. As a result, it is possible to greatly simplify the manufacturing process of diagnostic kits using the diagnostic strips, and also significantly reduce the manufacturing cost and time of the diagnostic kits.

1 is a schematic plan view illustrating an apparatus for supplying a diagnostic strip according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating the diagnostic strip supply device shown in FIG. 1 .
3 is a schematic enlarged front view for explaining the transfer boat shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged plan view for explaining the transfer boat shown in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged plan view for explaining the grippers and first and second gripper driving units shown in FIG. 1 .
6 is a schematic enlarged rear view for explaining the operation of the first and second gripper driving units shown in FIG. 5 .
7 and 8 are schematic enlarged front views for explaining the push module shown in FIG.
9 is a schematic enlarged front view for explaining the third strip conveying unit shown in FIG. 1 .
10 to 18 are schematic enlarged side views for explaining an operation method of the diagnostic strip supply apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
19 is a schematic enlarged plan view for explaining a method of operating the diagnostic strip supply apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below and may be embodied in various other forms. The following examples are provided to sufficiently convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art, rather than to enable the present invention to be fully completed.

In embodiments of the present invention, when an element is described as being disposed or connected to another element, the element may be directly disposed or connected to the other element, and other elements may be interposed therebetween. it might be Alternatively, when one element is described as being directly disposed on or connected to another element, there cannot be another element between them. Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various items such as various elements, compositions, regions, layers and/or portions, the items are not limited by these terms. will not

The terminology used in the embodiments of the present invention is only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise limited, all terms including technical and scientific terms have the same meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of the present invention. The above terms, such as those defined in conventional dictionaries, shall be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant art and description of the present invention, ideally or excessively outwardly intuitive, unless clearly defined. will not be interpreted.

Embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to schematic diagrams of ideal embodiments of the present invention. Accordingly, variations from the shapes of the diagrams, eg, variations in manufacturing methods and/or tolerances, are those that can be fully expected. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention are not to be described as being limited to the specific shapes of the areas described as diagrams, but rather to include deviations in the shapes, and the elements described in the drawings are entirely schematic and their shapes It is not intended to describe the precise shape of the elements, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a diagnostic strip supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating the diagnostic strip supply apparatus shown in FIG. 1 .

1 and 2 , the diagnostic strip supply apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention uses a diagnostic card 10 in a process for manufacturing diagnostic kits for diagnosing various diseases or pregnancy. It can be cut to obtain diagnostic strips 20 (refer to FIG. 19 ) and used to supply the diagnostic strips 20 to a diagnostic kit assembly process.

Although not shown, functional pads such as bonding pads, absorbent pads, membrane pads, and sample pads may be attached to the diagnosis card 10 with an adhesive. ) may include a cutter 110 for cutting the diagnostic strips 20 having a predetermined width. The cutter 110 includes an upper cutting roller 112 in which a plurality of upper circular blades 114 are mounted at predetermined intervals, and a lower circular blade 118 mounted to correspond to the upper circular blades 114, respectively. It may include a lower cutting roller 116 . The upper circular blades 114 and the lower circular blades 118 may be arranged to engage with each other, and the diagnostic card 10 may be supplied between the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 116 . have.

The diagnostic strip supply device 100 may include a roller driving unit (not shown) for rotating the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 114 . Although not shown in detail, as an example, the roller driving unit may be composed of a motor and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the lower cutting roller 116 , and the upper cutting roller 112 and The lower cutting rollers 116 may be connected to each other in a gear coupling manner. In addition, the diagnostic strip supply device 100 may include a diagnostic card supply unit 102 for supplying the diagnostic card 10 between the upper circular blades 114 and the lower circular blades 118 at a constant speed. can Although not shown, as an example, the diagnosis card supply unit 102 includes a card pushing unit (not shown) for pushing the diagnosis card 10 between the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 116 . can be provided

The diagnostic strips 20 cut by the cutter 110 may be supplied to a preset location by the first strip transfer unit 120 and the second strip transfer unit 150 . The second strip transfer unit 150 may include a transfer boat 152 for transferring the diagnostic strips 20 , and the first strip transfer unit 120 is cut by the cutter 110 . Diagnostic strips 20 may be delivered to the transfer boat 152 . The diagnostic strips 20 transferred by the transfer boat 152 may be transferred to the preset location by the third strip transfer unit 170 . As an example, an unloading port 104 is provided at the preset location, on which a tray 30 for accommodating the diagnostic strips 20 and supplying the diagnostic strips 20 to the diagnostic kit assembly process is placed. can be As another example, a conveyor device (not shown) for transferring the diagnostic strips 20 to the diagnostic kit assembly process may be disposed at the preset location.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second strip transfer unit 150 may first transfer some of the diagnostic strips 22 among the diagnostic strips 20 , and then transfer the remaining diagnostic strips 24 . have. For example, the transfer boat 152 first transfers the first diagnostic strips 22 corresponding to odd or even numbers among the diagnostic strips 20 cut by the cutter 110 , and then The remaining second diagnostic strips 24 may be transferred.

3 is a schematic enlarged front view for explaining the transfer boat shown in FIG. 1 , and FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged plan view for explaining the transfer boat shown in FIG. 3 .

3 and 4 , the transfer boat 152 includes some diagnostic strips 22 among the diagnostic strips 20 cut by the cutter 110 , for example, odd-numbered or even-numbered ones. The recesses 154 into which the first diagnostic strips 22 corresponding to are respectively inserted and the lower surfaces of the recesses 154 are provided, respectively, and a vacuum for vacuum adsorbing the first diagnostic strips 22 is provided. It may have holes 156 .

The first strip transfer unit 120 may move the diagnostic strips 20 cut by the cutter 110 onto the transfer boat 152 . For example, the diagnostic strips 20 may be transferred onto the transfer boat by the first strip transfer unit 120 . In particular, as an example, the odd-numbered diagnostic strips 24 may be transferred to the transfer boat. may be moved onto the upper surface of 152 , and even-numbered diagnostic strips 22 may be moved to the top of the recesses 154 . At this time, although the diagnostic strips 20 are cut by the cutter 110 , the side parts may be maintained in a state of being attached to each other by the adhesive, thereby preventing them from being completely separated from each other. As a result, the even-numbered diagnostic strips 22 may not be accommodated in the recesses 154 , and thus the even-numbered diagnostic strips 22 may not be accommodated in the recesses 154 . A separate device may be required.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first strip transfer unit 120 moves the diagnostic strips 20 cut by the cutter 110 to the upper portion of the transfer boat 152 and then the part Diagnostic strips 22 , eg even-numbered diagnostic strips 22 , are configured to be received in the recesses 154 . For example, the first strip transfer unit 120 holds the diagnostic strips 20 cut by the cutter 110 and transfers the diagnostic strips 20 to the upper part of the transfer boat 152 . Grippers 122 for moving, and a push module 136 for pressing some diagnostic strips 22 downward so that the diagnostic strips 22 are in close contact with the bottom surface of the recesses 154 . may include

FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged plan view for explaining the grippers and first and second gripper driving units shown in FIG. 1 , and FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged plan view for explaining the operation of the first and second gripper driving units shown in FIG. 5 . It is a schematic enlarged rear view for

5 and 6 , the first strip transfer unit 120 is configured to grip some of the diagnostic strips 22 among the grippers 122 , for example, even-numbered diagnostic strips 22 . The first gripper driving unit 130 for operating the first grippers 124 for The second gripper driving unit 132 operates the second grippers 126 for gripping the odd-numbered diagnostic strips 24 , and the first and second grippers 124 and 126 move in the horizontal direction. and a third gripper driving unit 134 (refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 ) for activating the device.

As an example, the first and second gripper driving units 130 and 132 may be configured using a pneumatic cylinder. Each of the grippers 122 may include an upper gripper and a lower gripper, and although not shown in detail, the first and second gripper driving units 130 and 132 use a pneumatic cylinder to connect the grippers ( 122) may be configured to move the upper grippers in a vertical direction. In this case, as shown, the lower grippers 128 of the grippers 122 may be integrally formed. Alternatively, the upper grippers of the grippers 22 may be integrally configured. In this case, the first and second gripper driving units 130 and 132 hold the lower grippers of the grippers 122 in a vertical direction. It may be configured to move to

The third gripper driving unit 134 may be configured using a motor and a ball screw, and advance the grippers 122 toward the cutter 110 and move the grippers 122 away from the cutter 110 . 122) can be reversed. Specifically, the grippers 122 may be horizontally moved to be adjacent to the cutter 110 by the third gripper driving unit 134 , and then the diagnostic strips ( 20) can be gripped at one end. Subsequently, the third gripper driving unit 134 horizontally moves the grippers 122 so that the diagnostic strips 20 gripped by the grippers 122 are positioned on the upper part of the transfer boat 152 . can be moved As described above, after the diagnostic strips 20 are moved onto the transfer boat 152 , the push module 136 sends some of the diagnostic strips 22 , for example, the even-numbered diagnostic strips 22 . Some of the diagnostic strips 22 may be pressed downward to be accommodated in the recesses 154 of the transfer boat 152 .

7 and 8 are schematic enlarged front views for explaining the push module shown in FIG.

7 and 8 , the push module 136 is arranged to correspond to the recesses 154 of the transfer boat 152 for pressing the some diagnostic strips 22 downward, respectively. To include a pusher 138, a push block 144 to which the pushers 138 are mounted, and a push drive unit 146 (refer to FIG. 2) for moving the push block 144 in a vertical direction. can For example, each of the pushers 138 may include a pusher body 140 mounted on the push block 144 , and a push tip 142 protruding downward from the pusher body 140 . In particular, each of the pusher bodies 140 may be provided with two push tips 142 as shown in FIG. 10 . The push tips 142 may be respectively provided on both sides of the lower portion of the pusher body 140 , which means that the central portion of the diagnostic strip 20 that comes into contact with body fluid during a subsequent diagnosis is the push tips 142 . ) to avoid being pressurized by

In addition, the pushers 138 may be elastically mounted to the push block 144 through an elastic member 148 such as a coil spring. For example, the pushers 138 may be mounted on the push block 144 to be movable in the vertical direction through a guide mechanism such as a linear ball guide, and the pushers 138 and the push block 144 ) between each elastic member 148 such as a coil spring may be disposed. The elastic members 148 absorb shock generated when the diagnostic strips 22 are in close contact with the bottom surfaces of the recesses 154 to prevent damage to the diagnostic strips 22 . can be used

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4 , two vacuum holes 156 may be provided in each of the recesses 154 , and the vacuum holes 156 may be disposed in a direction perpendicular to the push tips 142 . may be positioned to correspond to each other. As a result, some of the diagnostic strips 22 may be in close contact with the lower surfaces of the recesses 154 in which the vacuum holes 156 are formed by the push tips 142 , thereby Some of the diagnostic strips 22 may be more stably vacuum-adsorbed by the vacuum holes 156 .

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the second strip transfer unit 150 includes a first boat driving unit 158 for moving the transfer boat 152 in a vertical direction, and the transfer boat 152 . It may include a second boat driving unit 160 for moving in the horizontal direction. The second boat driving unit 160 may horizontally move the transfer boat 152 between a position adjacent to the cutter 110 and a position adjacent to the tray 30 or the conveyor device. For example, after the transfer boat 152 is moved to a position adjacent to the cutter 110 by the second boat driving unit 160 , the first boat driving unit 158 is moved to the transfer boat 152 . can raise In this case, the diagnostic strips 20 may be positioned on the transfer boat 152 by the first strip transfer unit 120 , and the first boat driving unit 158 may be configured to operate the diagnostic strips 20 . ) may raise the transfer boat 152 so that it is located on the upper surface of the transfer boat 152 .

In addition, after the some diagnostic strips 22 are accommodated in the recesses 154 of the transfer boat 152 , the first boat driving unit 158 may lower the transfer boat 152 , Subsequently, the second boat driving unit 160 may horizontally move the transfer boat 152 to a position adjacent to the tray 30 or the conveyor device.

9 is a schematic enlarged front view for explaining the third strip conveying unit shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 9 , the third strip transfer unit 170 may pick up some of the diagnostic strips 22 stored in the transfer boat 152 and move them to the preset location. For example, the third strip transfer unit 170 includes vacuum pickers 172 for picking up some of the diagnostic strips 22 , and a first picker for vertically moving the vacuum pickers 172 . It may include a driving unit 174 and a second picker driving unit 176 for moving the vacuum pickers 172 in a horizontal direction.

Meanwhile, although not shown, the diagnostic strip supply device 100 is an inspection camera for imaging some diagnostic strips 22 accommodated in the transfer boat 152 and inspecting the diagnostic strips 22 . (not shown) and a collection container (not shown) for collecting the diagnostic strips determined to be defective as a result of the inspection by the inspection camera.

For example, the inspection camera may be disposed above the movement path of the transfer boat 152 , and capture images of some of the diagnostic strips 22 accommodated in the transfer boat 152 . 22) can be inspected. Also, the inspection camera may inspect whether a defect mark exists on some of the diagnostic strips 22 . The recovery container may be disposed below the movement path of the vacuum pickers 172, and the vacuum pickers 172 may pick up a diagnostic strip determined to be defective by the inspection camera and store it in the recovery container. have.

Unlike the above, the diagnostic strip supply device 100 includes an inspection camera (not shown) for imaging and examining the diagnostic strips picked up by the vacuum pickers 172 of the third strip transfer unit 170 . You may. In this case, the inspection camera may be disposed below the movement path of the vacuum pickers 172 .

10 to 18 are schematic enlarged side views for explaining an operation method of the diagnostic strip supply apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 19 is an operation method of the diagnostic strip supply apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 It is a schematic enlarged plan view for explanation.

10 and 11 , the third gripper driving unit 134 may advance the grippers 122 toward the cutter 110 . After the grippers 122 are moved to a position adjacent to the cutter 110 , the diagnosis card supply unit 102 moves the diagnosis card 10 between the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 116 . may be supplied, and the diagnostic card 10 may be cut into diagnostic strips 20 having a predetermined width by rotation of the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 116 .

Referring to FIG. 12 , one end of the diagnostic strips 20 may be gripped by the grippers 122 while a part of the diagnostic card 10 is cut. In this case, rotation of the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 116 may be temporarily stopped to grip the diagnostic strips 20 by the grippers 122 .

13 and 14 , the diagnosis card 10 may be completely cut by rotation of the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 116 , and the third gripper driving unit 134 . may move the grippers 122 primarily backward so that the diagnostic strips 20 are positioned on the upper part of the transfer boat 152 in association with the cutting speed of the diagnostic card 10 . Then, the first boat driving unit 158 may raise the transfer boat 152 so that the diagnostic strips 20 are positioned on the upper surface of the transfer boat 152 .

Referring to FIG. 15 , the push driving unit 146 may be configured such that some of the diagnostic strips 22 among the diagnostic strips 20 , for example, even-numbered diagnostic strips 22 , are transferred to the transfer boat 152 . The pushers 138 may be lowered to be received within the recesses 154 . As shown in FIG. 8 , the pushers 138 may adhere some of the diagnostic strips 22 to the bottom surface of the recesses 154 , and then the some diagnostic strips 22 may Vacuum adsorption may be performed on the bottom surfaces of the recesses 154 by the vacuum holes 156 .

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17 , the first gripper driving unit 130 may perform vacuum suction on the lower surfaces of the recesses 154 after the some diagnostic strips 22 are vacuum-adsorbed onto the first grippers ( The holding state of some of the diagnostic strips 22 by 124 may be released. Specifically, the first gripper driving unit 130 may release the gripping state of some of the diagnostic strips 22 by raising the upper grippers of the first grippers 124 .

Subsequently, the third gripper driving unit 134 may secondly move the grippers 122 so that the first grippers 124 are spaced apart from the partial diagnostic strips 22 . This is to prevent one end of the diagnostic strips 22 from interfering with the first grippers 124 during the subsequent lowering of the transfer boat 152 . At this time, the remaining diagnostic strips 24 , that is, the odd-numbered diagnostic strips 24 may be moved backward together with the grippers 122 , and for this purpose, as shown in FIG. 8 , the push tip 142 It is preferable that the height of is larger than the depth of the recesses 154 . That is, when some of the diagnostic strips 22 are in close contact with the bottom surfaces of the recesses 154 by the push tips 142 , the remaining diagnostic strips 24 and the pusher bodies 140 are interposed between the diagnostic strips 24 and the pusher bodies 140 . A predetermined gap may be formed.

Referring to FIG. 18 , after the grippers 122 are reversing the second time as described above, the transfer boat 152 may be lowered by the first boat driving unit 158 , and the pushers 138 may It can be lifted by the push drive unit 146 .

Referring to FIG. 19 , the second boat driving unit 160 may move the transfer boat 152 to be adjacent to the preset location, and the third gripper driving unit 134 may be connected to the grippers 122 . ) may advance the grippers 122 to return to the first retracted position.

Subsequently, the some diagnostic strips 22 may be transferred from the transfer boat 152 to the tray 30 or a conveyor device by the third strip transfer unit 170 , and the some diagnostic strips 22 may be transferred to the conveyor device. After the transfer is completed, the transfer boat 152 may be moved to the lower part of the remaining diagnostic strips 24 . Subsequently, the transfer boat 152 may be raised so that the remaining diagnostic strips 24 are accommodated in the recesses 154 , and thereafter, a process similar to the transfer steps of some diagnostic strips 22 . The remaining diagnostic strips 24 may be transferred to the tray 30 or the conveyor device through the .

According to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, the diagnostic strips 20 cut by the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 116 are the first, second and third strip conveying units. It can be automatically transferred to the tray 30 or the conveyor device by 120 , 150 , and 170 , and accordingly, the time required for supplying the diagnostic strips 20 can be greatly reduced. In particular, even after the diagnostic card 10 is cut into the diagnostic strips 20 by the upper cutting roller 112 and the lower cutting roller 116, the diagnostic strips 20 are completely separated by an adhesive. may not be separated, but some of the diagnostic strips 22 are separated from the remaining diagnostic strips 24 by the push module 136 to be accommodated in the recesses 154 of the transfer boat 152 . can Accordingly, the problem that the diagnostic strips 20 are not separated from each other during the transport process after cutting can be completely solved. As a result, the manufacturing process of the diagnostic kits using the diagnostic strips 20 can be greatly simplified, and the manufacturing cost and time of the diagnostic kits can be greatly reduced.

Although the above has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art can variously modify and change the present invention within the scope without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. You will understand that there is

10: diagnostic card 20: diagnostic strip
22: some diagnostic strips 24: other diagnostic strips
100: diagnostic strip supply unit 102: diagnostic card supply unit
110: cutter 112: upper cutting roller
116: lower cutting roller 120: first strip transfer unit
122: gripper 124: first gripper
126: second gripper 130: first gripper driving unit
132: second gripper driving unit 134: third gripper driving unit
136: push module 138: pusher
140: pusher body 142: push tip
144: push block 146: push drive unit
150: second strip transfer unit 152: transfer boat
154: recess 156: vacuum hole
158: first boat driving unit 160: second boat driving unit
170: third strip transfer unit 172: vacuum picker
174: first picker driving unit 176: second picker driving unit

Claims (9)

a cutter including an upper cutting roller and a lower cutting roller provided with a plurality of circular blades for cutting the diagnostic card into a plurality of diagnostic strips; and
A first strip transfer unit and a second strip transfer unit for supplying the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter to a preset location,
The second strip transfer unit may include recesses into which some of the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter are inserted, respectively, and vacuum holes provided on the bottom surface of the recesses for vacuum adsorbing the diagnostic strips. including a transfer boat having
and the first strip transfer unit moves the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter to an upper portion of the transfer boat and accommodates some of the diagnostic strips in the recesses. According to claim 1, wherein the first strip conveying unit,
grippers for holding the diagnostic strips cut by the cutter and moving the diagnostic strips to the upper part of the transfer boat;
and a push module for pressing the diagnostic strips downward so that the diagnostic strips adhere to the bottom surfaces of the recesses. According to claim 2, wherein the first strip conveying unit,
a first gripper driving unit operating first grippers for gripping the diagnostic strips among the grippers;
a second gripper driving unit operating second grippers for gripping the remaining diagnostic strips excluding the diagnostic strips from among the grippers;
and a third gripper driving unit for horizontally moving the first and second grippers. The method of claim 3, wherein the third gripper driving unit comprises:
advancing the grippers toward the cutter to grip the diagnostic strips, and first retracting the grippers so that the diagnostic strips are positioned on top of the transfer boat after the grippers grip the diagnostic strip;
The first gripper driving unit comprises:
After the some diagnostic strips are in close contact with the bottom surfaces of the recesses and are vacuum-adsorbed by the vacuum holes, the holding state of the some diagnostic strips by the first grippers is released;
The third gripper driving unit comprises:
and the second grippers are retracted so that the first grippers are spaced apart from the partial diagnostic strips. The method of claim 2, wherein the push module,
pushers for pressing the some diagnostic strips downward;
a push block to which the pushers are mounted;
and a push drive unit for moving the push block in a vertical direction. According to claim 5, wherein each of the pushers,
a pusher body mounted on the push block;
It includes a push tip protruding downward from the pusher body,
The diagnostic strip supply device, characterized in that the height of the push tip is greater than the depth of the recesses. According to claim 1, wherein the second strip conveying unit,
a first boat driving unit for moving the transfer boat in a vertical direction;
The diagnostic strip supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second boat driving unit for moving the transfer boat in a horizontal direction. The diagnostic strip supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third strip transfer unit for picking up some of the diagnostic strips stored in the transfer boat and moving them to the preset location. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: an inspection camera for inspecting the partial diagnostic strips accommodated in the transfer boat or the diagnostic strips picked up by the third strip transfer unit;
and a collection container for collecting the diagnostic strips determined to be defective as a result of the inspection by the inspection camera.

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