SHUTTLE TYPE CONVEYING DEVICE, MICROPLATE FEEDING AND COLLECTING DEVICE, PICKUP DEVICE FOR MICROPLATE, CASSETTE FOR MICROPLATE, AND SHELF FOR RECEIVING MICROPLATE

• US 20090287345A1
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RORZE Lifescience, Inc. (Rorze Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rorze Corporation
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Yukito, Yamashita, Seishi, Munakata, Teruyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,954,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/230
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/042 moved independently, e.g. by fork manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0425 Stacks, magazines or elevators for plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/028 having reaction cells in the form of microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence

Abstract

A shuttle-type conveying system to convey an article. The system includes a feeding and collecting device capable of setting a cassette in which articles to be conveyed are stacked as they are on a rotating and feeding table, a pickup device taking out the article and placing it on a receiving/delivery table, and a conveying device feeding the article on the receiving/delivery table to another receiving/delivery table by a shuttle conveying portion traveling on conveying paths below the receiving/delivery table. After the article is lifted up by the shuttle conveying portion and moved to outside the receiving/delivery table, the article is lowered below the receiving/delivery table and made to travel under the receiving/delivery table to another receiving/delivery table.

Claims

1. A shuttle-type conveying device comprising:

at least one conveying path;

a shuttle conveying portion provided with a conveying table portion that can be elevated up and down for reciprocating or circulating on the conveying path with an article to be conveyed on the conveying table portion;

a receiving/delivery table arranged above the conveying path and provided with a bottom-face opening portion larger than the conveying table portion and smaller than the article to be conveyed; and

a control portion for controlling the shuttle conveying portion so that the article to be conveyed which is placed on the receiving/delivery table is taken out, conveyed and placed on the receiving/delivery table at a conveying destination by movement on the conveying path of the shuttle conveying portion and an elevating operation of the conveying table portion.

2. The shuttle-type conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the control portion is provided with

a take-out control portion that moves the shuttle conveying portion to below the receiving/delivery table with the conveying table portion lowered and raises the conveying table portion from below the receiving/delivery table and has it passed through the bottom-face opening portion, thereby to lift up the article to be conveyed placed on the receiving/delivery table;

a conveying control portion for moving the conveying table portion with the article to be conveyed to the receiving/delivery table to be a conveying destination; and

a receiving/delivery control portion that moves the shuttle conveying portion with the article to be conveyed to above the bottom-face opening portion of the receiving/delivery table to be the conveying destination and then, lowers the conveying table portion so that the article to be conveyed is placed on the receiving/delivery table of the conveying destination.

3. The shuttle-type conveying device according to claim 2, wherein after the article to be conveyed is lifted up by the receiving/delivery control portion, the conveying control portion moves the shuttle conveying portion to outside the receiving/delivery table and then, lowers the conveying table portion at a position lower than the receiving/delivery table, has the shuttle conveying portion with the article to be conveyed passed and moved below the receiving/delivery table and raises the receiving/delivery table in front of the receiving/delivery table to be a conveying destination.

4. The shuttle-type conveying device according to claim 3, wherein a work table is provided over the conveying path so as to bridge over the conveying path, and when the shuttle conveying portion passes and moves below the work table, the article to be conveyed is conveyed to the receiving/delivery tables provided on upstream and downstream sides of the conveying path with the work table between them.

5. A pickup device for microplate provided with a main body portion and a lid portion and for sandwiching and taking up a rectangular microplate whose main body portion and lid portion can be sandwiched, respectively, from the side faces, comprising:

a pair of sandwiching arms for bringing one sandwiching arm into contact with the main body portion and the other sandwiching arm with the lid portion so as to sandwich the microplate from right and left when the side face of the microplate is sandwiched and held;

an opening/closing driving portion for opening/closing driving the pair of sandwiching arms;

an elevation driving portion for elevating the pair of sandwiching arms vertically; and

a pickup control portion for controlling operations of the opening/closing driving portion and the elevation driving portion.

6. The pickup device for microplate according to claim 5, wherein the pair of sandwiching arms diagonally sandwich the main body portion and the lid portion at heights different between right and left.

7. The pickup device for microplate according to claim 5, further comprising a detection sensor for detecting a height position of the microplate to be sandwiched.

8. The pickup device for microplate according to claim 5, further comprising a pair of holding members for holding the bottom face of the microplate from side faces perpendicular to the pair of sandwiching members.

9. The pickup device for microplate according to claim 8, wherein the pickup control portion controls so that after the microplate is slightly lifted up by the pair of sandwiching portion, the bottom face of the microplate is held by the pair of holding members.

10. A microplate feeding and collecting device comprising:

a single elevation portion provided with a lift member for lifting stacked microplates from a bottom portion; and

a cassette containing table provided with an opening portion at a bottom face through which the lift member can pass and an opening portion at an upper face through which the microplate can pass and capable of attaching a cassette for stacking and containing the microplates.

11. The microplate feeding and collecting device according to claim 10, wherein the cassette containing table can have a plurality of the cassettes placed.

12. The microplate feeding and collecting device according to claim 11, wherein the elevation portion is configured to be arranged at a position inscribing the inside of the cassette containing table and by rotation of the cassette containing table, each of the attached cassettes is brought into contact with a front face of the elevation portion.

13. The microplate feeding and collecting device according to claim 12, wherein the elevation member is provided at the center part of the cassette containing table.

14. A cassette for microplate comprising:

a side-face support frame for supporting the side faces of the microplate from three directions;

a bottom-face support frame portion provided with an opening portion smaller than the microplate;

an upper-face support frame portion provided with an opening larger than the microplate; and

a short door portion for supporting the microplate from the opened remaining one direction of the side-face support frame.

15. The cassette for microplate according to claim 14, wherein the bottom-face support frame portion is provided with a door lock pin that is lowered by gravity and is projected from the lower side when being lifted up for locking the door portion in a closed state and that releases the door lock by being lifted upward and an elastic member for urging the door in a closing direction.

16. The cassette for microplate according to claim 15, wherein the side-face support frame is made of a plurality of support rods connecting the upper-face support frame portion and the bottom-face support frame portion.

17. A shelf for containing microplate provided with a top board and a bottom board with a given interval between the top board and the bottom board, wherein a shelf stage is formed in which support columns having at least one projection at an intermediate portion and for connecting the top board and the bottom board are arranged with a predetermined interval so that the microplate is supported by the projection.

18. The shelf for containing microplate according to claim 17, wherein the top board and the bottom board are in a fan shape made of an arc with a small radius inside and an arc with a large radius outside.

19. The shelf for containing microplate according to claim 18, wherein a section of the support column and the projection both have a circular section.

20. The shelf for containing microplate according to claim 19, wherein the top board and the bottom board are supported by the support column with a small diameter on the small arc side on the inside and by the support column with a large diameter on the large arc side on the outside.

21. The shelf for containing microplate according to claim 19, wherein the projection portion has its radius of the sectional shape gradually enlarged as it goes downward.

22. The shelf for containing microplate according to claim 20, wherein the projection portion has its radius of the sectional shape gradually enlarged as it goes downward.