JP2006347773A - Automatic storing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly refill a sample vessel, by reducing the size, in an automatic storing device of vertically, laterally and movably arranging a carrying part having a means taking in and out a rack between shelves and a picker taking out and refilling the sample vessel in the other rack, by arranging the shelves in two rows for storing a plurality of racks capable of storing a plurality of sample vessels. <P>SOLUTION: The shelves storing the plurality of racks capable of storing the plurality of sample vessels, are arranged in two rows. The carrying part having the means taking in and out the rack between the shelves and the picker taking out and refilling the sample vessel in the other rack, is vertically, laterally and movably arranged. When carrying in and carrying out the rack by a carrying means, a part of the carrying means projects from an opening part of an external facing part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention stores and manages a sample container containing a large amount of useful samples such as blood, enzymes, genes, compounds, and reagents in various fields related to biotechnology such as medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, clinical practice, and biology. The present invention relates to an automatic storage device capable of automatically taking in and out a sample container.

  Along with technological innovation in various fields related to biotechnology such as medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, clinical practice, biology, etc., the work to handle a large number of samples quickly has increased, and it is important to store and manage these samples. It is coming. An apparatus for automating these operations is shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 is a top view of the prior art, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the prior art. This apparatus includes a storage part 12 for storing a sample container 1 containing a sample in a rack 2, a transport part 5 for taking out the rack 2 from the storage part 12, and a refilling part 6 for taking out a necessary sample container 1 from the rack 2. It is configured. Each part is arbitrarily arranged and sometimes extends to the entire room.

  These three parts operate in response to a command from the control unit 10 to move the sample container 1 in the storage unit 12 to the receiving rack 11 or to store the sample container 1 in the storage unit 12 following the reverse process. .

  When the control unit 10 designates the sample container 1 to be taken out, based on the position information of the rack 2 and the sample container 1 in the storage unit 12, the storage unit 12 rotates and moves to a position where the transport unit 5 can take out the necessary rack 2. To do. The transport unit 5 takes the rack 2 from the storage unit 12 and moves the rack 2 to the refill unit 6. The picker 9 of the refill unit 6 takes out only the necessary sample container 1 from the rack 2. Thereafter, the rack 2 is returned to the storage unit 12 by the transport unit 5. This operation is repeated for the required number of samples to complete the work. When the sample container 1 is stored, the reverse process is followed.

  An automatic rotating shelf is used as means for the storage unit 12. An arm robot, a belt conveyor, or the like is used as a means for the transport unit 5. The refill unit 6 mainly uses a mechanism called a picker 9 that picks up the sample container 1 and moves it to the receiving rack 11.

JP-A-8-175622

  Such automatic machines were originally developed from industrial automatic warehouses, and large machines that use the entire room are the mainstream. It is too large in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, clinical practice, biology, etc., and its use is limited to a small part such as compound storage of pharmaceutical companies. Smaller ones have also been developed but are not so small as to be small in the field.

In addition, since the storage unit, the transport unit, and the refilling unit are separated, the rack has to be moved from the storage unit to the refilling unit every time the sample container is taken out, which takes time.
Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is
(1) To provide a compact size automatic machine.
(2) The sample container can be quickly refilled.
It is.

  The above-described problems include an exterior portion, a rack that can store a plurality of samples, a shelf that can store a plurality of the racks, and the shelves arranged in two rows, and a space between the two rows of shelves. In an automatic storage apparatus having a transfer means movably arranged inside, when carrying in and out of the rack by the transfer means, a part of the transfer means protrudes from the opening of the exterior part, It is possible to provide an automatic storage device that is a compact size automatic machine and can quickly refill a sample container.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the storage unit, the transport unit, and the refill unit are integrated, the size can be reduced.
(2) Since the tube unit, transport unit, and refill unit are integrated, the sample container can be refilled at the place where the rack is stored, so the sample container can be transported to the refill unit as in the prior art. Compared to the refilling method, the sample container can be refilled quickly.

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The main body of the apparatus has a box-shaped appearance, and a shelf A3 and a shelf B4 for storing a number of racks 2 for holding the sample container 1 upright on the inner side surface C and side surface D of the main body, respectively. Between the shelf A3 and the shelf B4, a transport unit 5 having a moving device that can move up and down and right and left is provided. The transport section 5 includes a rack drawer mechanism 8 that can take out the rack 2 from both the shelf A3 and the shelf B4, and a sample container 1 that is stored in the rack 2 that is pulled out by the receiving rack storage 7 and the rack drawer mechanism 8. A refill unit 6 is mounted which is composed of a picker 9 which can move back and forth and right and left on the transport unit 5 for refilling the receiving rack 11. The picker 9 is provided with a plurality of members called a hand arm for gripping the sample container 1 so that the sample container 1 can be opened and closed, and the sample container 1 can be gripped using these members.

  Note that the control unit 10 manages all the information input of the sample container 1 to be taken out, the operation control of the transport unit 5, the operation control of the picker hand arm, and the position information in the shelf of the sample container 1 and the rack 2. .

  A method for inputting position information of the sample container 1 and the rack 2 according to the present embodiment will be described. A barcode is attached to the container bottom of the sample container 1 in advance, and the information of each sample container 1 is stored by a barcode reader (not shown) while being held on the rack 2, and each sample container 1 is located at which position of the rack 2. Whether it is stored is read and stored in a storage device (not shown) in the control unit 10. After the information of the sample container 1 for each rack 2 is stored, the rack 2 is placed on the rack pulling mechanism 8 on the transport unit 5 and stored in the shelf A3 and the shelf B4. At this time, the position of the rack 2 in the shelf A3 and the shelf B4 is stored in a storage device (not shown) of the control unit 10 so that all the position information in the shelf of the sample container 1 and the rack 2 is controlled. It can be managed by the unit 10.

Next, a method for taking out the sample container 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 7. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport unit 5 stands by at a position called a home position. At the position of this home position, a part of the transport unit 5 is partly projected to the outside from the outlet 13 provided in the exterior part 14, so that the receiving rack can be opened without opening the exterior part 14. 11 can be placed on the receiving rack storage 7 provided on the transport unit 5.
In this state, an empty receiving rack 11 that can hold the sample container 1 upright is placed in the receiving rack place 7, and information on the sample container 1 to be taken out is input to the control unit 10 (S1).
When the input of information is completed, it is started (S2).
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the transport unit 5 moves in front of the rack 2 containing the sample container 1 designated by the moving device (S3).
When the movement to the target rack 2 is completed, the rack drawing mechanism 8 provided in the transport unit 5 pulls the rack 2 to the transport unit 5 (S4).
The picker 9 grasps the sample container 1 designated by the instruction of the control unit 10, takes it out from the rack 2, and transfers it to the receiving rack 11 (S5).
When the transfer is completed, the rack 2 from which the rack drawing mechanism 8 has been drawn is returned to the original shelf. (S6)
When there are a plurality of sample containers 1 to be taken out, the operation from (S3) is repeated (S7).
When all the instructed sample containers 1 have been prepared, the transport unit 5 returns to the home position (S8).

Further, by configuring as in the present embodiment, the sample container 1 can be refilled from the rack 2 to another rack 2 as shown in FIG.
The transport unit 5 carrying the receiving rack 11 moves to the place of the rack 2 where the sample container 1 to be refilled is located, and the rack 2 is pulled out by the rack pulling mechanism 8. All the sample containers 1 drawn out and stored in the rack 2 are transferred to the receiving rack 11. The empty rack 2 is returned to its original position. (The emptied rack 2 may be recovered in a rack recovery box (not shown)).
Next, the transport unit 5 moves to the position of the rack 2 to be placed on and is pulled out by the rack drawing mechanism 8. The sample container 1 previously transferred to the receiving rack 11 is placed on the drawn-out rack 2.
Moreover, as described in FIG. 9, what has been stored in a single rack 2 in a tooth-missed state can be organized, and the space in the apparatus can be used effectively. It is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus.

In addition, a small amount of the sample container 1 can be stored in this apparatus. After putting the sample container 1 to be stored in the rack 11 and reading the information of the sample container 1 with a bar code reader (not shown), the rack 2 is placed on the receiving rack place 7 provided on the transport unit 5. Next, it is input to the control unit 10 to store a small amount of the sample container 1. Since the control unit 10 grasps the storage state of each rack 2, the transport unit 5 moves to the rack 2 having a space for storing the sample container 1, and the rack 2 stored in the shelf A3 or the shelf B4. Is pulled out onto the conveying section 5 by using the rack drawing mechanism 8. When the rack 2 is pulled out, the sample container 1 is transferred from the receiving rack 11 to the rack 2 by the picker 9.
Such an operation can effectively use the space in the apparatus, and can be made smaller than the conventional apparatus.

  With the above-described configuration, the size of the conventional rotary storage unit as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained. Further, since the refilling unit 6 moves between the shelves and the sample container 1 can be refilled to the receiving rack 11 at the necessary rack 2 position, the rack 2 is moved to the refilling unit 6 each time the sample container 1 is taken out. The sample container can be refilled in a shorter time than the prior art that must be performed. In the case of a sample that requires temperature control, temperature control can be performed by installing a temperature adjusting means in the apparatus.

  Moreover, if the exterior part 14 is made of a breathable material such as punch metal, the temperature of the sample container 1 can be controlled by placing it in a temperature-adjustable room (for example, a temperature-controlled room), and an existing temperature-adjustable room. It is not necessary to secure a new space for the automatic storage device.

  Moreover, by attaching the caster 15 which is a movable means, it can move as needed and is highly convenient.

These are front sectional views of the home position of the present invention. These are the upper surface sectional views of the home position of the present invention. These are front sectional drawings at the time of sample container movement of the present invention. These are top surface sectional views at the time of the sample container movement of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a top view of the prior art. These are front views of a prior art. Is a step diagram of this embodiment Is a model diagram that combines two scattered sample containers into one Is a model diagram to organize scattered sample containers

Explanation of symbols

1 is a sample container, 2 is a rack, 3 is a shelf A, 4 is a shelf B, 5 is a transport unit, 6 is a refilling unit,
7 is a receiving rack place, 8 is a rack drawing mechanism, 9 is a picker, 10 is a control unit, 1
1 is a receiving rack, 12 is a storage unit, 13 is an outlet, 14 is an exterior unit, and 15 is a caster.

Claims (1)

The exterior part, a rack that can store a plurality of samples, a shelf that can store a plurality of racks, and the shelves are arranged in two rows, and can be moved within the space between the two rows of shelves. In an automatic storage device having a conveying means arranged in
An automatic storage device, wherein when the carrying means carries in and out the rack, a part of the carrying means protrudes from the opening of the exterior part.

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