Pick and place robot system

• US 6,658,324 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GPC Biotech AG (Agennix AG)
• Original Assignee: GPC Biotech AG (Agennix AG)
• Inventors: Bancroft, David, Kietzmann, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US09/960,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/254, 700/255, 700/250, 700/260, 700/261, 700/249, 318/568.1, 318/568.22, 318/632, 701/23, 701/301, 294/64.1, 294/65, 294/743, 294/100, 294/88, 414/751.1, 414/737, 198/468.2, 198/750.11, 198/476.1, 198/802, 324/158.1, 324/754, 297/40, 297/43, 298/34
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4182 manipulators and conveyor only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32287 Medical, chemical, biological laboratory
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39107 Pick up article, object, measure, test it during motion path, place it
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39178 Compensation inertia arms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45063 Pick and place manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A plant is provided for rapid pick and place operations, enabling automated systems that return to at least one approximately fixed position to run faster than the rate of conventional systems. The plant utilises a novel combination of robotic design, linear motor technology, and control software. A system and method if provided for the rapid production of high-density arrays of biologically active substances.

Claims

1. A system for rapid pick and place operations, comprising:

(a) a multi-axis robot comprising at least two transfer units; and

(b) control means for controlling movement of the multi-axis robot;

wherein the control means controls the movement of the transfer units such that inertial forces generated during acceleration and/or deceleration are substantially eliminated.

3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means effects substantially simultaneous and oppositely directed movement of the transfer units and/or the multi-axis robots so that the overall motion profiles thereof substantially match with one another.

4. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer units and/or the multi-axis robots are controlled to travel substantially the same distances for a given step in a pick and place cycle.

5. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer units are moved by at least two interleaved multi-axis gantry robots or at least two arm-robots.

6. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means effects independent movement of the multi-axis robot(s) with respect to all axis.

7. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one transfer unit is moved by means of at least one linear motor within a multi-axis gantry robot.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the transfer units is moved by at least one separate linear motor running on common bearing means.

9. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one transfer unit is moved by means of linear magnetic motors generating thrust using magnetic flux means and running on bearing means, wherein one or more of the bearing means can be provided in common for the transfer unit or separately.

10. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one transfer unit is moved by two separate linear magnetic motors generating thrust using the same magnetic flux means and running on common bearing means.

11. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer units have access to a work surface.

12. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the system transfers objects and/or substances.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the objects and/or substances are biologically, biochemically, or chemically active.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the biologically, biochemically, or chemically active objects and/or substances are nucleic acids, analogs of nucleic acids, proteins, peptides, analogs of proteins and/or peptides, small-molecules, viruses, prokaryotic cells, or eukaryotic cells.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein each multi-axis robot has access to at least one deposition position for depositing thereon the objects and/or substances, at least one sampling position, and/or at least one cleaning unit.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at the deposition position distinct regions of transferred objects and/or substances are arranged at densities of 1 to 100 regions per square centimeter.

17. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer unit comprises at least one pipette, micropipetting device, pin and/or pipette array, micropipetting device array or pin array.

18. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein each transfer unit comprises at least one grabbing means.

19. The system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one separate sampling position for every transfer unit.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the sampling are arranged physically distinct from the work surface.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one sampling position comprises at least one container.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the sampling positions comprises at least one multiwell container.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the multiwell container is designed to be held in a multiwell container storage means accessible to the multiple axis robot(s).

24. The system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising inertial force and/or kinetic energy absorbing means.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the inertial force and/or kinetic energy absorbing means is at least one free-moving mass connected to the multi-axis robot(s) and/or work surface in such a way, that any force acting on the multi-axis robot(s) and/or work surface also acts on the free-moving mass.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein oscillations of the free-moving mass are dampened to a sub-resonance frequency by a damping unit.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the dampening unit comprises at least one gas, liquid and/or solid shock-absorbing unit.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the free-moving mass is a block of concrete suspended from at least one point and oscillations of the free-moving mass are dampened by at least one damping unit.

29. The system of claim 1 or 2, located in a conditioning chamber and/or room.

2. A system for rapid pick and place operations, comprising:

(a) at least two multi-axis robots, wherein each of the multi-axis robots comprises at least one transfer unit; and

(b) control means for controlling movement of the at least two multi-axis robots;

wherein the control means controls the movement of the multi-axis robots such that inertial forces generated during acceleration and/or deceleration are substantially eliminated.

30. A method for rapid pick and place operations, comprising

(a) providing a multi-axis robot comprising at least two transfer units, and

(b) controlling movement of the transfer units of the multi-axis robot such that inertial forces generated during acceleration and/or deceleration are substantially eliminated.

32. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the controlling step further comprises the step of effecting substantially simultaneous and oppositely directed movement of the transfer units and/or the multi-axis robots so that the overall motion profiles thereof substantially match with one another.

33. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the transfer units and/or the multi-axis robots are controlled to travel substantially the same distances for a given step in a pick and place cycle.

35. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the controlling step further comprises effecting independent movement of the multi-axis robot(s) with respect to all axes.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the at least one transfer unit is moved by two separate linear magnetic motors generating thrust using the same magnetic flux means and running on a common bearing means.

37. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the at least one transfer unit is moved by at least one linear motor within a multi-axis gantry robot.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein each of the transfer units is moved by at least one separate linear motor running on a common bearing means.

39. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the at least one transfer unit is moved by means of linear magnetic motors generating thrust using magnetic flux means and running on bearing means, wherein one or more of the bearing means can be provided in common for the transfer unit or separately.

40. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the transfer units have access to a work surface.

41. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the system transfers objects and/or substances.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the objects and/or substances are biologically, biochemically, or chemically active.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the biologically, biochemically, or chemically active objects and/or substances are nucleic acids, analogs of nucleic acids, proteins, peptides, analogs of proteins and/or peptides, small-molecules, viruses, prokaryotic cells, or eukaryotic cells.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the work surface comprises at least one deposition position for depositing thereon the objects and/or substances, at least one sampling position, and/or at least one cleaning unit.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein at the deposition position distinct regions of transferred objects and/or substances are arranged at densities of 1 to 100 regions per square centimeter.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein each deposition position is visited multiple times during the production of the arrangement, each time carrying a further sample of objects and/or substances.

47. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein the transfer unit provides at least one pipette, micropipetting device, pin and/or pipette array, micropipetting device array or pin array.

48. The method of claim 30 or 31, wherein each transfer unit comprises at least one grabbing means.

49. The method of claim 30 or 31, further comprising providing at least one separate sampling position for every transfer unit.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the sampling positions are arranged physically distinct from the work surface.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein at least one of the sampling positions comprises at least one container.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein at least one of the sampling positions comprises at least one multiwell container.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the multiwell container is designed to be held in a multiwell container storage means accessible to the multi-axis robot.

54. The method of claim 30 or 31, further comprising the step of providing inertial forces and/or kinetic energy absorbing means.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the inertial force and/or kinetic energy absorbing means provides at least one free-moving mass connected to the multi-axis robot(s) and/or work surface in such a way, that any force acting on the multi-axis robot(s) and/or work surface also acts on the free-moving mass.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein oscillations of the free-moving mass are dampened to a sub-resonance frequency by at least one damping unit.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the dampening unit is at least one gas, liquid, and/or solid shock-absorbing unit.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the free-moving mass is at least one block of concrete suspended from at least one point and oscillations of the free-moving mass are dampened by at least one damping unit.

59. The method of claim 30 or 31, carried out in a conditioning chamber and/or room.

60. A computer program product directly loadable with the internal memory of the a digital computer, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of a method according to claim 30 or 31, when the product is run on a computer.

62. Electronic distribution of a computer program product according to claim 60.

31. A method for rapid pick and place operations, comprising

(a) providing at least two multi-axis robots, wherein each of the multi-axis robots comprises at least one transfer unit, and

(b) controlling movement of the multi-axis robot and/or transfer units of the multi-axis robot such that inertial forces generated during acceleration and/or deceleration are substantially eliminated.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the transfer units are carried by at least two interleaved multi-axis gantry robots or at least two arm-robots.

61. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium, comprising

computer readable program means for causing a computer to control movement of a multi-axis robot comprising at least one transfer unit, and

computer readable program means for causing the computer to control the substantially eliminating inertial forces generated during acceleration and/or deceleration.