System and method including laboratory product transport element

• US 9,248,982 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2012
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beckman Coulter Incorporated (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Beckman Coulter Incorporated (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Mueller, Martin, Wiessner, Sebastian, Eberhardt, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Deuble, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US14/117,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20140202829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 422 63- 67, 198/339.1, 198/349, 198/465.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/18 Transport of container or devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/023 Sending and receiving of information, e.g. using bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5082 Test tubes per se
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/06 Test-tube stands; Test-tube holders
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 35/00 Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/00 Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/74 Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0401 Sample carriers, cuvettes or reaction vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0467 Switching points ("aiguillages")
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0475 electric, e.g. stepper motor, solenoid
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0489 Self-propelled units
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence

Abstract

The invention concerns a laboratory product transport element for a laboratory transport system with an energy receiver and/or energy accumulator to provide drive power, at least one signal receiver to receive control signals, a control unit to generate drive signals as a function of at least one control signal obtained from the at least one signal receiver, movement devices for independent movement of the laboratory product transport element on a transfer path as a function of the drive signals of the control unit, in which the drive devices are driven by the drive power and at least one holder to hold a laboratory product being transported. The invention also concerns a laboratory transport system with at least one laboratory product transport element according to an embodiment of the invention and a transfer path arrangement. The invention also concerns methods for operation of laboratory transport systems according to an embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A laboratory product transport element for a laboratory transport system, the laboratory product transport element comprising:

an energy source configured to furnish drive power, wherein the energy source comprises an energy receiver, and wherein the energy receiver comprises at least one induction coil capable of absorbing an alternating electromagnetic field;

at least one signal receiver configured to receive control signals;

a control unit configured to generate drive signals as a function of at least one control signal obtained from the at least one receiver;

at least one movement device, with which the laboratory product transport element can move independently on a transfer path;

at least one drive device configured to drive the at least one movement device as a function of the drive signals of the control unit, the at least one drive device being driven by the drive power;

at least one holder configured to hold a laboratory product to be transported; and

a memory configured to store a geometry of a transfer path,

wherein the control unit is further configured to generate drive signals from a control signal obtained from the at least one signal receiver, which represents an objective and, by means of the stored transfer path geometry, which leads the laboratory product transport element to the objective, corresponding to the control signal received from the at least one signal receiver.

2. The laboratory product transport element of claim 1, wherein the at least one signal receiver includes a coil.

3. The laboratory product transport element of claim 1, wherein the at least one holder comprises a cylindrical recess, which is at a top of the laboratory product transport element and is open and wherein the at least one recess has at least one side opening, wherein the at least one side opening is in the form of a side slit.

4. The laboratory product transport element of claim 1 further comprising a permanent data memory protected from current failure.

5. The laboratory product transport element of claim 1, further comprising a position detector, wherein the position detector determines a location from a covered path.

6. A transfer path arrangement for a laboratory product transport element, the transfer path arrangement comprising:

at least one essentially smooth transfer path for movement of a laboratory product transport element or several laboratory product transport elements;

at least one electrical conductor configured to generate an electromagnetic alternating field, integrated in, beneath or adjacent to at least one transfer path, so that an electromagnetic field generated with it induces an alternating voltage in an induction coil of the laboratory product transport element situated on the transfer path;

at least one processing station, adapted for treating and/or investigating samples or sample containers;

an alternating voltage source for coupling of the alternating voltage into the at least one electrical conductor; and

a random access buffer structure, wherein the random access buffer structure comprises a first parking lane and a second parking lane, and a transport lane between the first parking lane and the second parking lane.

7. The transfer path arrangement of claim 6, wherein the transfer path comprises connectable transfer path segments and at least one elastic connector disposed between adjacent connectable transfer path segments.

8. The transfer path arrangement of claim 6 wherein the transfer path comprises transfer path segments, which comprise curved transfer path segments and straight transfer path segments.

9. The transfer path arrangement according to claim 6 wherein the transfer path comprises transfer path segments, which comprise deck plates, which are configured to be supported by one or more substructures.

10. A laboratory transport system comprising a transfer path arrangement according to claim 6 and at least one laboratory product transport element for a laboratory transport system, the laboratory product transport element comprising:

an energy source configured to furnish drive power, wherein the energy source comprises an energy receiver, and wherein the energy receiver comprises the induction coil;

at least one signal receiver configured to receive control signals;

a control unit configured to generate drive signals as a function of at least one control signal obtained from the at least one receiver;

at least one movement device, with which the laboratory product transport element can move independently on the at least one essentially smooth transfer path;

at least one drive device configured to drive the at least one movement device as a function of the drive signals of the control unit, the at least one drive device being driven by the drive power; and

at least one holder configured to hold a laboratory product to be transported.

11. The laboratory transport system according to claim 10, in which the at least one processing station is equipped with a charging station for an energy accumulator in the laboratory product transport element.

12. A method for operation of a laboratory transport system according to claim 10, comprising:

taking, by the at least one induction coil of the laboratory product transport element, energy from an electromagnetic alternating field, generated by said at least one electrical conductor of the transfer path arrangement.

13. A method for operation of a laboratory transport system according to claim 10, comprising:

entering an objective into a memory in the laboratory product transport element, the memory being coupled to the control unit;

taking, by the at least one induction coil of the laboratory product transport element, energy from an electromagnetic alternating field, generated by said at least one electrical conductor of the transfer path arrangement;

generating, by the control unit of the laboratory product transport element, drive signals for the at least one drive device by using a transfer path geometry stored in a memory of the laboratory product transport element and the entered objective; and

driving, by the at least one drive device, the at least one movement device of the laboratory product transport element as a function of the drive signals so generated, in order to move the laboratory product transport element to the objective,

wherein the laboratory product transport element can automatically navigate to the objective by means of the stored transfer path geometry.