Laboratory cargo distribution system, laboratory automation system and method of operating a laboratory cargo distribution system

• US 10,175,259 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Riether, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, P. Kathryn
• Application Number:
  US15/247,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20170059599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0406 Individual bottles or tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0465 Loading or unloading the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0477 Magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/026 having blocks or racks of reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence

Abstract

A laboratory cargo distribution system is presented. The laboratory cargo distribution system comprises a number of transport carriers, a transport plane, a number of electro-magnetic actuators, a storage device and a control device. The storage device is adapted to store at least one of the number of transport carriers. A laboratory automation system comprising such a laboratory cargo distribution system and a method of operating such a laboratory cargo distribution system are also presented.

Claims

1. A laboratory cargo distribution system, the laboratory cargo distribution system comprising:

a number of transport carriers, wherein the transport carriers comprise a magnetically active device and are configured to carry laboratory cargo;

a transport plane, wherein the transport plane is configured to support the transport carriers;

a number of electro-magnetic actuators, wherein the electro-magnetic actuators are stationary arranged below the transport plane and are configured to move the transport carriers on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic move force to the transport carriers;

at least one storage device, wherein the storage device comprises at least one rack having at least one holder, wherein the holder is configured to receive a transport carrier from the transport plane and to release the transport carrier to the transport plane, wherein the rack comprises a magnetically active device and is configured to be moved at least in part over the transport plane between the transfer position and the storage position, wherein in the transfer position the holder is positioned to receive or to release the transport carrier, wherein in the storage position the transport carrier received by the holder is removed from the transport plane, wherein the storage device comprises a storage device housing, wherein the storage device housing is arranged adjacent to the transport plane, wherein the storage device housing comprises a linear guidance, wherein the linear guidance is configured to linearly guide the movement of the rack between the transfer position and the storage position, wherein the rack in the storage position is arranged inside the storage device housing and the rack in the transfer position is at least partially arranged outside the storage device housing, and wherein the magnetically active device of the rack is arranged at a region of the rack facing towards the transport plane; and

a control device, wherein the control device is configured to activate the electro-magnetic actuators to apply the magnetic move force to the transport carrier such that the transport carrier is moved into or out of the holder of the rack and to apply a magnetic move force to the rack such that the rack is moved over the transport plane between the transfer position and the storage position.

2. The laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the storage device housing comprises an air conditioning.

3. The laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 2, wherein the air conditioning is configured to cool the transport carrier received in the holder of the rack in the storage position.

4. The laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the holder comprises a fixation device and the transport carrier comprises a complementary fixation device.

5. The laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 4, wherein the fixation device and the complementary fixation device are configured to mechanically fix the transport carrier to the holder if the transport carrier is received in the holder.

6. The laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising,

a further transport plane, wherein the further transport plane is arranged vertically different relative to the transport plane;

a further number of electro-magnetic actuators, wherein the further number of electro-magnetic actuators is stationary arranged below the further transport plane; and

at least one vertical conveying device, wherein the vertical conveying device is configured to transport the transport carrier between the transport plane and the further transport plane.

7. The laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the storage device comprises a further rack, wherein the further rack is arranged vertically different relative to the rack, and wherein the control device is configured to control the further number of electro-magnetic actuators, the further rack, and the vertical conveying device such that the transport carrier is transported between the transport plane and the further transport plane.

8. A laboratory automation system, the laboratory automation system comprising:

a number of laboratory stations; and

a laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the laboratory cargo distribution system is configured to distribute laboratory cargo between the laboratory stations.

9. The the laboratory automation system according to claim 8, wherein the laboratory stations comprise pre-analytical stations, analytical stations and/or post-analytical stations.

10. A method of operating a laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 1, the method comprising:

(a) activating the electro-magnetic actuators to apply the magnetic move force to the transport carrier such that the transport carrier is moved into the holder of the rack in the transfer position;

(b) moving the rack from the transfer position to the storage position;

(c) moving the rack from the storage position to the transfer position; and

(d) activating the electro-magnetic actuators to apply the magnetic move force to the transport carrier such that the transport carrier is moved out the holder of the rack in the transfer position.

11. The method of operating a laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 10, wherein the rack comprises a magnetically active device and is configured to be moved at least in part over the transport plane between the transfer position and the storage position and wherein the control device is configured to activate the electro-magnetic actuators to apply a magnetic move force to the rack such that the rack is moved over the transport plane between the transfer position and the storage position, wherein step (b) comprises activating the electro-magnetic actuators to apply the magnetic move force to the rack such that the rack is moved from the transfer position to the storage position and step (c) comprises activating the electro-magnetic actuators to apply the magnetic move force to the rack such that the rack is moved from the storage position to the transfer position.

12. The method of operating a laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 11, wherein step (b) comprises activating the electro-magnetic actuators to apply the magnetic move force to the rack such that the rack is moved from the transfer position to the storage position.

13. The method of operating a laboratory cargo distribution system according to claim 12, wherein step (c) comprises activating the electro-magnetic actuators to apply the magnetic move force to the rack such that the rack is moved from the storage position to the transfer position.