Measuring device and removal device for stored object

• US 20050153428A1
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Daisuke
• Application Number:
  US10/503,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153428A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/287.200
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48778 Containers specially adapted therefor, e.g. for dry storage

Abstract

A measuring device (A) includes a cartridge mount portion (6), a take-out device (B) for taking out a sensor (S) from a cartridge (2), and a measurement circuit (31) for performing measurement by utilizing the sensor (S) taken out from the cartridge (2) by the take-out device (B). The take-out device (B) includes a film breaker (70a) for breaking a film of the cartridge (2), and a movable member (70) for moving the sensor (S) to make the sensor (S) in the cartridge (2) pass through the broken portion of the film.

Claims

1. A stored object take-out device for taking out an object from a package in which the object is stored and sealed with a wrapping member, the take-out device comprising:

a breaker for breaking the wrapping member; and

a movable member for moving the stored object to make the stored object pass through a broken portion of the wrapping member.

2. The stored object take-out device according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is reciprocally movable toward and away from the wrapping member and capable of holding the stored object upon contacting or approaching the stored object in the package;

and

wherein the breaker comprises a blade provided at a front end of the movable member and capable of breaking through the wrapping member when the movable member moves toward the wrapping member.

3. The stored object take-out device according to claim 2, wherein the movable member and the blade are integrally made of a metal plate.

4. The stored object take-out device according to claim 2, wherein the movable member is provided with a holding piece in a form of a hook and capable of being flexibly deformed in moving within the package and elastically restoring to an original configuration when moved beyond the object, the restoration causing the holding piece to move to hook the object.

5. The stored object take-out device according to claim 1, wherein the breaker comprises a cutting blade capable of forming an opening elongated in a predetermined direction in the wrapping member;

and

wherein the movable member enters the package through the opening and then pushes the object out of the package through the opening.

6. A measuring device comprising:

a cartridge mount portion for mounting a cartridge which is a package in which a plurality of objects are stored and sealed with a wrapping member;

a take-out device for taking out each of the stored objects from the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted to the cartridge mount portion; and

a measurement circuit for performing measurement by utilizing the stored object taken out by the take-out device;

wherein the take-out device includes a breaker for breaking the wrapping member, and a movable member for moving the stored object to make the stored object pass through a broken portion of the wrapping member.

7. The measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the movable member is reciprocally movable toward and away from the wrapping member and capable of holding the stored object upon contacting or approaching the stored object in the package;

and

wherein the breaker comprises a blade provided at a front end of the movable member and capable of breaking through the wrapping member when the movable member moves toward the wrapping member.

8. The measuring device according to claim 6, further comprising a housing accommodating the take-out device and the measuring circuit, the housing being formed with an opening for exposing each of the stored objects;

wherein the take-out device is capable of performing a first operation for keeping the stored object exposed through the opening after the stored object is taken out from the cartridge, and a second operation for extracting the stored object to an outside of the housing through the opening.

9. The measuring device according to claim 8, further comprising a terminal electrically connected to the measurement circuit and brought into contact with the stored object during the first operation;

wherein the contact between the terminal and the stored object enables a predetermined measurement operation utilizing the measurement circuit.

10. The measuring device according to claim 8, further comprising an operation member for operating the take-out device;

wherein the take-out device performs the second operation when the operation member is operated again after the first operation is performed by operating the operation member.

11. The measuring device according to claim 10, wherein the movable member of the take-out device is capable of holding the stored object after the stored object is taken out from the cartridge;

and

wherein the take-out device is provided with a slider which advances in a predetermined direction by the operation of the operation member to push the stored object held by the movable member toward the opening of the housing to perform the first operation and the second operation.

12. The measuring device according to claim 11, wherein the take-out device is provided with a base member for guiding the slider;

and

wherein the base member is formed with a cam groove for controlling movement of the slider so that the slider advances closer to the opening of the housing in the second operation than in the first operation.

13. The measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the take-out device is capable of taking out the objects stored in the cartridge through a predetermined discharg3 portion provided in the cartridge mount portion;

and

wherein the take-out device includes a cartridge operation mechanism for operating the cartridge in cooperation with the take-out device to successively transfer the stored objects to the discharge portion every time the take-out device extracts one of the stored objects.

14. The measuring device according to claim 13, wherein the cartridge operation mechanism includes a rotor having an outer circumferential surface formed with a plurality of first projections at an upper portion thereof and a lower circumferential edge formed with a plurality of second projections, a cylindrical portion accommodating the rotor and having a circumferential wall and a bottom wall respectively formed with a plurality of third projections and fourth projections, and a resilient member applying a resilient force to the rotor to bias the rotor upward;

wherein each of the first through the fourth projections has a tapered surface; and

wherein, every time the rotor is pushed down against the resilient force, sliding movement occurs between the tapered surface of the first projection and the tapered surface of the third projection and between the tapered surface of the second projection and the tapered surface of the fourth projection to turn the rotor by a constant pitch, the cartridge turning in accordance with the turn of the rotor.

15. The measuring device according to claim 14, wherein the take-out device includes a slider capable of advancing and retreating in a predetermined direction, the slider in advancing causes the movable member to extract the stored object from the cartridge;

and

wherein the rotor is pushed down every time the slider advances.

16. The measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the cartridge mount portion has a structure which allows mounting of a plurality of cartridges at a time and individual detachment of the cartridges.

17. The measuring device according to claim 16, wherein the cartridge mount portion has a structure which allows mounting of a pair of cartridges each having a circumference like a semicircular arc and combined into a form of a ring.

18. The measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the cartridge mount portion has a structure which allows mounting of a cartridge which accommodates stored objects which are sensors each provided with a reagent.