Laboratory system for handling sample tube racks, an alignment element for sample tube racks and a rack tray receiver assembly
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
G01N-035/02
G01N-035/00
G01N-035/04
출원번호
US-0048338
(2013-10-08)
등록번호
US-9297822
(2016-03-29)
우선권정보
EP-08013459 (2008-07-25)
발명자
/ 주소
Frey, Rolf
Goedl, Fritz
Koch, Bruno
Lackner, Joachim
Stettler, Ueli
Widmer, Beat
출원인 / 주소
ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS OPERATIONS, INC.
대리인 / 주소
McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
17
초록▼
A laboratory system for handling sample tube racks, an alignment element for sample tube racks and a rack tray receiver assembly are disclosed. The laboratory system to handle laboratory sample tube racks includes a robotic arm (220) with a gripper (222) for gripping primary racks (PR), the primary
A laboratory system for handling sample tube racks, an alignment element for sample tube racks and a rack tray receiver assembly are disclosed. The laboratory system to handle laboratory sample tube racks includes a robotic arm (220) with a gripper (222) for gripping primary racks (PR), the primary racks (PR) to be handled include a first end surface (76) and a second end surface (78), the first end surface (76) having a first surface geometry and the second end surface (78) having a second surface geometry, and the gripper (222) includes a first gripping arm (226) and a second gripping arm (228), with the first gripping arm (226) having a gripping surface being complementary to the first surface geometry, and the second gripping arm (228) having a gripping surface being complementary to the second surface geometry.
대표청구항▼
1. An alignment element (230) for aligning one or more primary racks (PR) on a primary rack positioning area (212) of a laboratory system, comprising: one or more primary racks (PR), wherein the one or more primary racks (PR) comprise a first end surface (76) and a second end surface (78), the first
1. An alignment element (230) for aligning one or more primary racks (PR) on a primary rack positioning area (212) of a laboratory system, comprising: one or more primary racks (PR), wherein the one or more primary racks (PR) comprise a first end surface (76) and a second end surface (78), the first end surface (76) having a first surface geometry and the second end surface (78) having a second surface geometry wherein said first and second surface geometries are shaped differently;wherein the alignment element (230) comprises a top surface (232), first and second end sides (236), a bottom side (233), a first longitudinal side (234) and a second longitudinal side (235) opposed to the first longitudinal side (234), wherein the first longitudinal side (234) is complementary to the first surface geometry and the second longitudinal side (235) is complementary to the second surface geometry, and wherein the bottom side (233) comprises a positioning element (240) for positioning the alignment element (230) on the primary rack positioning area (212) in uniform orientation with other alignment elements (230); andeach of the first and second longitudinal sides (234, 235) include two vertical partition extensions (237, 239) dividing each longitudinal side (234, 235) into a main center section (234.1, 235.1) and two smaller adjacent outer sections (234.2, 235.2), respectively, such that an according end surface (76, 78) of the one or more a primary racks (PR) can be received in between the two vertical partition extensions (237, 239) of adjacent alignment elements (230). 2. The alignment element (230) according to claim 1, wherein the main center sections (234.1, 235.1) include breadths (B1, B2) equal to a distance between the respective two vertical partition extensions (237, 239), and the respective two smaller adjacent outer sections (234.2, 235.2) include breadths (B3, B4) equal to a distance between the respective two vertical partition extensions (237, 239) and each of the first and second end sides (236), wherein the breadths (B1, B2) of the main center sections (234.1, 235.1) are substantially equal to breadths of the respective end surfaces (76, 78) of the one or more primary racks (PR), and wherein the breadths (B3, B4) of the respective two smaller adjacent outer sections (234.2, 235.2) are substantially equal to (B1−Δ)/2 or (B2−Δ)/2, respectively, wherein Δ is the width of a gap or distance between two adjacent alignment elements (230) when positioned on the rack positioning area (212). 3. The alignment element according to claim 1, wherein the first surface geometry is a flat surface and the second surface geometry has two beveled edges (78.1, 78.2). 4. A laboratory system to handle one or more primary racks (PR) comprising: one or more primary racks (PR);a robotic arm (220) with a gripper (222) for gripping the one or more primary racks (PR), wherein each of the one or more primary racks (PR) comprises a first end surface (76) and a second end surface (78), the first end surface (76) having a first surface geometry and the second end surface (78) having a second surface geometry; anda rack positioning area (212) with a plurality of alignment elements (230), wherein the alignment elements (230) comprise a top surface (232), first and second end sides (236), a bottom side (233), a first longitudinal side (234) and a second longitudinal side (235) opposed to the first longitudinal side (234), wherein the first longitudinal side (234) is complementary to the first surface geometry and the second longitudinal side (235) is complementary to the second surface geometry, and wherein the bottom side (233) comprises a positioning element (240) for positioning the alignment element (230) on the primary rack positioning area (212) in uniform orientation with other alignment elements (230), and wherein each of the first and second longitudinal sides (234, 235) is provided with two vertical partition extensions (237, 239) dividing each longitudinal side (234, 235) into a main center section (234.1, 235.1) and two smaller adjacent outer sections (234.2, 235.2), respectively, such that an according end surface (76, 78) of the one or more primary racks (PR) can be received in between the two vertical partition extensions (237, 239) of adjacent alignment elements (230), and wherein the alignment elements (230) are placed on the rack positioning area (212) in a manner to hold in place the one or more primary racks (PR) in an alignment or orientation which corresponds to an orientation of the gripper (222) of the robotic arm (220). 5. A method for handling a plurality of primary racks (PR) with a robotic arm (220) comprising a gripper (222) for gripping the primary racks (PR), wherein: the gripper (222) comprises a first gripping arm (226) and a second gripping arm (228) which are formed as horizontal tongs;the primary racks (PR) are placed in parallel next to each other;the primary racks (PR) to be aligned comprise a first end surface (76) and a second end surface (78), the first end surface (76) having a first surface geometry and the second end surface (78) having a second surface geometry;the primary racks (PR) are placed between a plurality of alignment elements (230), wherein the alignment elements (230) comprise a top surface (232), first and second end sides (236), a bottom side (233), a first longitudinal side (234) and a second longitudinal side (235) opposed to the first longitudinal side (234), wherein the first longitudinal side (234) is complementary to the first surface geometry and the second longitudinal side (235) is complementary to the second surface geometry, and wherein the bottom side (233) comprises a positioning element (240) for positioning the alignment element (230) on the primary rack positioning area (212) in uniform orientation with other alignment elements (230), and wherein each of the first and second longitudinal sides (234, 235) is provided with two vertical partition extensions (237, 239) dividing each longitudinal side (234, 235) into a main center section (234.1, 235.1) and two smaller adjacent outer sections (234.2, 235.2), respectively, such that an according end surface (76, 78) of the primary rack (PR) can be received in between the two vertical partition extensions (237, 239) of adjacent alignment elements (230), and wherein the alignment elements (230) are placed on the rack positioning area (212) in a manner to hold in place the primary racks (PR) in an alignment or orientation which corresponds to an orientation of the gripper (222) of the robotic arm (220), the method comprising the sequential steps of:(a) the robotic arm (220) gripping a first area of a primary rack (PR), wherein the robotic arm picks up the primary rack vertically from above by means of extensions (227, 229) extending downwardly from the first and second gripping arms (226, 228),(b) moving the primary rack (PR) in an intermediate parking position (260),(c) lowering the gripper (222) relative to the first area of the primary rack (PR), and(d) closing the first and second gripping arms (226, 228) about a second area of the primary rack (PR), thereby fully gripping the primary rack (PR) with the first and second gripping arms.
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