Apparatus for handling tubes, in particular an automatic blood analysis apparatus

• US 8,968,655 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C2 Diagnostics
• Original Assignee: C2 Diagnostics
• Inventors: Champseix, Serge, Champseix, Henri, Damonneville, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): KWAK, DEAN P
• Application Number:
  US12/447,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20100064826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,695 Days
• Field of Search: 422/430, 422/62, 422/63, 422 65- 67, 422/501, 422524-526, 422/300, 422/933, 422/554
• US Class Current: 422/65
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00524 Mixing by agitating sample carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1079 with means for piercing stoppers or septums

Abstract

Apparatus (1) includes a device (20) for moving at least one compartment (2) in the apparatus, the compartment forming a support for tubes (3), which apparatus further includes elements (50) for taking a specimen of a product contained in the tubes, the movement device (20) including elements (21) for guiding the compartment during movement of the compartment and further including stirring members (27) for the guiding elements, the movement device being mounted on a chassis (4) of the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus (1), comprising:

a movement device (20) for moving at least one rack (2) containing tubes (3); and

means (50) for taking a specimen of a product contained in said tubes (3), said movement device (20) comprising;

guide rails (21) configured to guide the rack (2) during a movement of said rack along an axis of movement, said guide rails configured to engage with slots (66) in side walls (63) of the rack (2) parallel to a basis (64) of the rack at any position of the rack along said axis of movement,

worm means (22, 23) configured to cooperate with a complementary structure of the rack (2), an external surface of the basis (64) of the rack (2) comprising recesses (65) extending from a back (61) of the rack transversally to the external surface of the basis (64), the recesses (65) engaging directly with the worm means (22, 23) such that an operational rotation of said worm means causes a translation of the rack along said axis of movement, a first rotation of the worm means in a first direction causing the rack to translate in a first direction along the axis of movement, and a second rotation of the worm means in an opposite second direction causing the rack to translate in an opposite second direction along the axis of movement, and

an agitating mechanism (27) configured to agitate said guide rails, said agitating mechanism comprising a gear pinion (28) rigidly affixed to the guide rails (21), and an agitation motor configured to drive the gear pinion (28), said agitating mechanism configured to drive a rotation of the rack about an axis that is parallel to the axis of movement.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is an automatic analyzer for the product.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide rails comprise a rail (21) that cooperates with a complementary shape (66) of the rack.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rail has a C-shaped cross-section, two opposite ends of which extend towards each other, and each forming a rib (211), said ribs being provided to engage with respective grooves (66) on either side of the rack.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the worm means are arranged inside the C-shaped section.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a stepping travel motor (24) that drives the worm means (22, 23) in rotation.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the travel motor (24) is rigidly mounted to the guide rails.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the agitation motor is a stepping agitation motor.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the agitating mechanism operationally rocks the tubes between a position directed downwards and a position directed upwards.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a loading device (10).

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the loading device comprises a storage element (11) sufficient such that a plurality of racks (2) can be stacked therein.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the storage element is capable of movement by gravity of each rack in the storage element.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

removal means (13, 14) for removing the lowest rack from a stack of racks in the storage element.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the removal means comprise a removing worm (14) engageable with the recesses of the rack.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a stepping loading motor (13) for driving the removing worm.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the removing worm includes a truncated zone (141) in which threads of the removing worm end at a plane (P141) parallel to an axis of rotation (X14) of said removing worm, and

wherein said truncated zone permits a rack to be removed to take up a position such that the removing worm, after rotation about said axis (X14), engages with said rack.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an unloading device (30).

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the unloading device comprises a receptacle (31) for unloaded racks.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the movement device (20) is provided to move a rack into a receiving zone (35) of the unloading device (30).

20. The apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein the receptacle (31) extends in a substantially horizontal direction and substantially perpendicular to an axis of movement for a rack in the movement device, and

wherein the apparatus further comprises displacement means (32, 70) for displacing each rack for a distance at least equal to a thickness (E2) of said each rack in a direction of extension of the receptacle (31).

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the displacement means comprise a cam (33) or a pallet (71) moved via a stepping motor.