IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0184025
(2008-07-31)
|
등록번호 |
US-8176747
(2012-05-15)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Howard, Raymond T.
- Warhurst, Julian
- Zandi, Behrouz
- Carman, Michael A.
- O'Toole, James
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Hamilton Storage Technologies, Inc.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall, LLP
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
10 인용 특허 :
24 |
초록
▼
A tube picking mechanism is designed for use in an automated, ultra-low temperature (e.g., −80° C.) storage and retrieval systems which stores biological or chemical samples. The samples are contained in storage tubes held in SBS footprint storage racks that are loaded into trays located within an u
A tube picking mechanism is designed for use in an automated, ultra-low temperature (e.g., −80° C.) storage and retrieval systems which stores biological or chemical samples. The samples are contained in storage tubes held in SBS footprint storage racks that are loaded into trays located within an ultra-low temperature freezer compartment (−80° C.). A tube picking mechanism resides in a tube picking chamber that is located adjacent the freezer compartment. The tube picking chamber is maintained at about −20° C. when the tube picking mechanism is in operation. The tube picking mechanism includes a cache within the tube picking chamber to facilitate fast paced shuttling of the tube racks from the freezer compartment into the tube picking chamber. The shuttle has a clamping mechanism to secure a tube rack in place when a gripper head picks a tube from the rack. The system also includes a push pin that pushes on the bottom of the respective tube as it is being picked from the tube rack. A one-dimensional bar code reader is included within the tube picking chamber. The gripper head is able to move vertically and rotate within the field of view of the one-dimensional bar code reader in order to facilitate identification and reading of one-dimensional bar codes located on the sidewall of picked storage tubes. The system also uses fans to facilitate efficient cooling of the tube picking chamber.
대표청구항
▼
1. An automated, ultra-low temperature sample storage and retrieval system comprising: a freezer body having an ultra-low temperature, insulated compartment that is maintained at an ultra-low temperature from about −50° C. to −90° C. under normal operating conditions when biological or chemical samp
1. An automated, ultra-low temperature sample storage and retrieval system comprising: a freezer body having an ultra-low temperature, insulated compartment that is maintained at an ultra-low temperature from about −50° C. to −90° C. under normal operating conditions when biological or chemical samples are being stored in the ultra-low temperature compartment;at least one freezer rack having trays for storing sample storage containers holding biological or chemical samples, wherein at least some of the sample storage containers are tube racks which hold sealed tubes containing biological or chemical samples;a robot located within the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment for transporting storage sample containers within the freezer compartment;an access module for introducing sample storage containers into the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment and for retrieving storage containers from the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment; anda tube picking mechanism located within a tube picking chamber, there being a shuttle door which provides access when open between the tube picking chamber and the ultra-low temperature storage compartment within the freezer, the tube picking mechanism comprising: a shuttle for moving tube storage racks through the shuttle door from the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment into the tube picking chamber and vice versa;a tube gripper head having a pair of fingers that is able to grip and lift a single tube from a receptacle in a tube rack located on the shuttle; anda cache having storage tube receptacles located within the tube picking chamber for temporarily holding a plurality of storage tubes within the tube picking chamber. 2. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein the shuttle includes: a shuttle tray having a clamping mechanism for holding an SBS footprint tube rack; anda presenter push pin which can be moved in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, the presenter push pin being located below the shuttle tray and aligned with the gripper head along a vertical axis so that sufficient upward vertical movement of the presenter push pin can push on a bottom of a storage tube held in a tube receptacle in a tube rack clamped in the shuttle tray to slightly raise the storage tube above the height of the other tubes in the rack and facilitate lifting of the storage tube from the receptacle in the tube rack by the gripper head. 3. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein the shuttle moves in a first horizontal direction and the shuttle tray comprises: a pair of arms extending generally in the direction that the shuttle moves with an opening between the arms, wherein each arm has a base for supporting a tube rack in the shuttle tray and vertical wall extending up from the base;a backstop;a y-axis referencing wall and a z-axis clamp located at a distal end of a first one of the arms; anda clamping mechanism located at a proximal end of the other arm, the clamping mechanism pushing a tube rack into engagement with the y-axis referencing wall and the z-axis clamp and the adjacent vertical wall which serves as an x-axis on the first arm when the shuttle is located within the tube picking chamber. 4. A system as recited in claim 3 further comprising a cam follower that drives a pivotable cam mechanism to open and close the clamping mechanism, the cam follower engaging and being driven by a groove located within the tube picking chamber. 5. A system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a y-axis linear drive mechanism located within the tube picking chamber which is mounted to the frame of the tube picking mechanism and moves the shuttle horizontally along a y-axis such that the shuttle resides within the freezer compartment when the y-axis linear drive mechanism is fully extended and resides within the tube picking chamber when the y-axis linear drive mechanism is fully retracted. 6. A tube picking mechanism comprising: a shuttle for moving tube racks through an opened shuttle doorway into and out of a tube picking chamber;a tube gripper head having a pair of gripper head fingers that are able to grip and lift a single tube from a receptacle in a tube rack and a shucker for transferring the picked tube from the gripper fingers when the gripper fingers release, wherein the gripper head is movable vertically along a z-axis and is also rotatable about the z-axis; anda one-dimensional bar code reader for identifying and reading a bar code on a sidewall of a storage tube picked and lifted by the gripper fingers. 7. A tube picking mechanism as recited in claim 6 further comprising: a bearing mechanism for rotatably mounting the gripper head to a carriage head; anda gripper head motor for rotating the gripper head about the z-axis with respect to the carriage head. 8. A tube picking mechanism as recited in claim 7 further comprising a z-axis linear drive mechanism that moves the carriage head vertically along the z-axis. 9. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein movement of the gripper head fingers and the shucker on the gripper head assembly are pneumatically powered, and air supply tubing wraps or unwraps around the gripper head as the gripper head is rotated by the gripper head motor depending on the direction of rotation. 10. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein the z-axis linear drive mechanism is mounted to a z-axis plate and the system further comprises: a frame;an x-axis linear drive mechanism mounted to the frame that moves the z-axis plate horizontally along an x-axis which is substantially perpendicular to the z-axis; anda y-axis linear drive mechanism mounted to the frame that moves the shuttle horizontally along the y-axis which is substantially perpendicular to both the x-axis and the y-axis. 11. In an automated, ultra-low temperature sample storage and retrieval system having a freezer body with an insulated compartment that is maintained at an ultra-low temperature from about −50° C. to −90° C. under normal operating conditions, at least one storage rack having trays for storing storage containers holding biological or chemical samples in the freezer compartment, a robot located within the freezer compartment for transporting storage sample containers within the freezer compartment, an access module for introducing sample storage containers into the ultra-low temperature freezer chamber and for retrieving containers from the freezer compartment, and a tube picking mechanism located within a tube picking compartment that is adjacent to and separate from the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment, a method of cooling and maintaining an appropriate temperature in the tube picking compartment comprising the steps of: receiving a signal to prepare the tube picking chamber prior to using the tube picking mechanism;opening a door between the tube picking chamber and the freezer compartment in order to allow ultra-low temperature air from the freezer compartment into the tube picking chamber for initial cool down;blowing air from the tube picking chamber through the open door into the freezer compartment with a cool down fan;closing the door when the temperature within the tube picking chamber reaches a first predetermined temperature, and terminating operation of the cool down fan until it is necessary to prepare the tube picking chamber for another initial cool down;opening the door when the temperature within the tube picking chamber rises to a second predetermined temperature in order to cool the chamber without blowing air from the tube picking chamber through the open door into the freezer compartment with the cool down fan; andcontinuing to close and open the door in order to maintain the temperature within the tube picking chamber within the predetermined temperature range. 12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein minimum and maximum values for the predetermined temperature range are selected to be no less than −20° and no greater than −15° C. 13. In an automated, ultra-low temperature sample storage and retrieval system having a freezer body with an insulated compartment that is maintained at an ultra-low temperature from about −50° C. to −90° C. under normal operating conditions, at least one storage rack having trays for storing storage containers holding biological or chemical samples in the freezer compartment, a robot located within the freezer compartment for transporting storage sample containers within the freezer compartment, an access module for introducing sample storage containers into the ultra-low temperature freezer chamber and for retrieving containers from the freezer compartment, and a tube picking mechanism located within a tube picking compartment that is adjacent to and separate from the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment, a method of cooling and maintaining an appropriate temperature in the tube picking compartment comprising the steps of: receiving a signal to prepare the tube picking chamber prior to using the tube picking mechanism;circulating air throughout the tube picking chamber with a circulation fan;opening a door between the tube picking chamber and the freezer compartment in order to allow ultra low temperature air from the freezer compartment into the tube picking chamber while the circulation fan is circulating air throughout the tube picking chamber;closing the door when the temperature within the tube picking chamber reaches a first predetermined temperature, and continuing to circulate air throughout the tube picking chamber with the circulation fan;opening the door when the temperature within the tube picking chamber rises to a second predetermined temperature and continuing to circulate air throughout the tube picking chamber with the circulation fan; andcontinuing to close and open the door in order to maintain the temperature within the tube picking chamber within a predetermined temperature range. 14. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein during initial cool down, a cool down fan blows air from the tube picking chamber through the open door into the freezer compartment. 15. A method as recited in claim 14 further comprising the step of: receiving a signal to cease operation of the tube picking mechanism;closing the door when the operation of the tube picking mechanism has ceased; andterminating operation of the first fan once the operation of the tube picking mechanism has ceased. 16. A method of identifying one or more sample storage tubes containing a biological or chemical sample in an automated storage and retrieval system, the method comprising the steps of: shuttling tube racks into a tube picking chamber one at a time, wherein the tube racks hold sealed tubes containing biological or chemical samples and at least some of the sealed tubes have a one-dimensional bar code on a sidewall of the tube for identifying the contents within the respective tube;using a tube picking mechanism to pick individual storage tubes from each respective tube rack when it is located within the tube picking chamber;presenting the picked tube within the field of view of a one-dimensional bar code reader located within the tube picking chamber;using the tube picking mechanism to move and rotate the picked tube to facilitate identification and reading of a one-dimensional bar code located on a sidewall of the picked tube. 17. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of: replacing the picked tube in the same receptacle in the same tube rack from which the respective tube was picked. 18. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of: placing the picked tube within a receptacle in a cache located within the tube picking chamber once the tube has been identified. 19. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of: scanning the bottom of storage tubes in tube racks for two-dimensional bar codes when introducing the tube racks through an access module into the freezer compartment; andfurther wherein selected tubes are scanned for one-dimensional bar codes on a sidewall of the tubes only when a two-dimensional bar code is not present on the tube. 20. In an automated, ultra-low temperature sample storage and retrieval system having a freezer body with an insulated compartment that is maintained at an ultra-low temperature from about −50° C. to −90° C. under normal operating conditions, at least one storage rack in the freezer compartment having trays for tube racks holding biological or chemical samples in sample storage tubes, a robot located within the freezer compartment for transporting tube racks within the freezer compartment, an access module for introducing sample storage containers into the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment and for retrieving containers from the freezer compartment, and a tube picking mechanism located within the tube picking chamber that is adjacent to and separate from the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment, a method of retrieving one or more sample storage tubes for retrieval from the system, the method comprising the steps of: shuttling one or more source racks one at a time from the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment into the tube picking chamber;picking at least one selected storage tube from each source rack shuttled into the tube picking chamber;placing the pick storage tubes in one of a plurality of receptacles of a cache located within the tube picking chamber;returning each respective source rack to the ultra-low temperature freezer compartment when the selected tubes have been picked from the source rack and placed in the cache;providing an destination rack intended to be removed from the system through the access module;shuttling the destination rack into the tube picking chamber and loading tubes from the cache into the destination rack;returning the destination rack into the freezer compartment; andremoving the destination rack from the freezer compartment through the access module. 21. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein a shuttle door is located between the tube picking chamber and the freezer compartment and the method further comprises the steps of: closing the shuttle door whenever a tube rack is located in the tube picking chamber, unless it is necessary to cool the tube picking chamber. 22. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the destination rack is shuttled into the tube picking chamber to load selected storage tubes from the cache several times prior to removing the destination rack from the system through the access module.
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