Patent Application
20150175316
The present application claims priority from Japanese patent application JP 2013-264575 filed on Dec. 20, 2013, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cover that covers an opening at the top of a sample transport apparatus that is suited to transporting samples between a plurality of sample inspection apparatuses (hereinafter also referred to as a “transport line cover”).
2. Background Art
In recent years, a variety of types of sample inspection apparatuses have been introduced into hospitals and the like to promote automation of sample inspection. Examples of sample inspection apparatuses include sample processing apparatuses, biochemical analyzers, immunoassay apparatuses, and sample accommodating apparatuses. In addition, the sample inspection apparatuses include not only single-module apparatuses but also apparatuses that are obtained by combining a plurality of modules.
Patent Document 1: International Publication No. WO2011/040197A
Patent Document 2: JP 2003-293494 A
By the way, a layout for installing a sample inspection apparatus or a sample transport apparatus may vary depending on the installation place or needs of customers. In particular, as sample transport apparatuses are now often customized in accordance with the installation place or the like, it has become more difficult to use common component parts. For example, it has become more difficult to use common transport line covers for avoiding entry of dust or dirt.
Further, a typical sample transport apparatus has two transport lines that are arranged in parallel in the long-side direction thereof, but a transport line cover that is necessary therefor has a too large horizontal width for an operator to grasp with one hand. Therefore, the operator usually grasps the transport line cover with two hands to perform an operation of attaching or detaching the cover. However, when workability is considered, it would be desirable that the transport line cover be grasped with one hand.
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, structures recited in the claims are adopted, for example. Although this specification includes a plurality of means for solving the aforementioned problem, there is provided, as one example, a transport line cover that includes a (1) cover body adapted to cover an opening at a top of a sample transport apparatus, the sample transport apparatus accommodating a plurality of transport lines that extend in one direction; and (2) a first groove formed on an upper face of the cover body, the first groove extending from one short side to another short side of the cover body. A lower end of a long-side side face of the cover body is located at a level below a bottom face of the first groove.
According to the present invention, a transport line cover that can be grasped by an operator even with one hand is implemented. Other problems, structures, and advantages will become apparent from the following description of embodiments.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described below, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. In addition, in all drawings used for the description, identical members are denoted by identical reference numbers in principle, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.
The sample inspection system shown in
The inspection processing apparatus 100 in this embodiment includes, for example, a loading module for installing a loaded sample onto an inspection rack (hereinafter referred to as a “sample holder”), a storage module for taking out the sample from the sample holder, a processing module (e.g., an centrifugal module, an uncapping module, a dispensing module, a barcode sticking module, or a sample classification module) for executing a predetermined process on the sample and/or the sample holder, a rack stocker for supplying and collecting sample holders, and a control unit (not shown). The sample processing apparatus 100 has extended main transport lines, each of which transports sample holders each holding at least one sample in the long-side direction, such that the main transport line crosses the module.
In this embodiment, main transport lines are arranged in two stages including upper and lower stages. In each stage, two main transport lines that transport samples in opposite directions are arranged in parallel. It should be noted that the main transport lines on the lower stage side are adapted to transport empty sample holders from which samples have been taken out. Needless to say, the main transport lines may also be arranged in a single stage or three or more stages. The specifications, such as the dimensions, mounting positions, and mounting heights of the main transport lines are made common to all apparatuses that constitute the sample inspection system (in the case of
It should be noted that the sample analyzer 110 is a stand-alone biochemical analyzer; the sample analyzer 120 is an apparatus obtained by connecting a biochemical apparatus and an immunoassay apparatus in series in the transport direction; and the sample accommodating apparatus 130 is a large-tower-type accommodating apparatus used for refrigeration storage of samples.
The sample transport apparatus 140 is a specialized transport apparatus for transporting samples and/or sample holders in the long-side direction, and basically has no other functional portions than the transport function. The sample transport apparatus 140 includes in its housing the aforementioned main transport lines, a drive mechanism (which includes a belt conveyor and its driving motor) for moving sample holders along the main transport lines, a power supply unit that supplies power to at least the motor and the like of the drive mechanism, and wires such as power lines and control signal lines.
The sample transport apparatus 140 is based on the premise that it will be connected to another sample transport apparatus or a sample inspection apparatus, and thus has open opposite ends in the long-side direction. That is, the sample transport apparatus 140 has a cylindrical appearance whose cross section is approximately rectangular in shape. In this embodiment, one of two types of units that have common component parts other than the transport line length (that is, the length of the housing in the long-side direction) is used for the sample transport apparatus 140. In this embodiment, the transport line length is supposed to be 600 mm or 900 mm.
The sample transport apparatus 150 for junction is a transport-only apparatus that can connect to the sample transport apparatus 140 and/or the sample inspection apparatus in a plurality of directions. Therefore, as with the sample transport apparatus 140, the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction basically has no other functions than the transport function. Thus, the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction includes main transport lines, a drive mechanism (which includes a belt conveyor and its driving motor) that moves sample holders along the main transport lines, a power supply unit that supplies power to at least the motor and the like of the drive mechanism, and wires such as power lines and control signal lines.
However, the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction has, in addition to the transport mechanism for taking in and out sample holders to/from the sample transport apparatus 140 or a sample inspection apparatus, which is connected in series with the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction in the long-side direction, a transport mechanism for taking in and out sample holders to/from the sample transport apparatus 140 connected at a predetermined mounting angle, sub-transport lines for transferring sample holders from one of the pair of main transport lines arranged in parallel to the other main transport line, a stopper used to individually switch the transport directions of sample holders at a plurality of branch points in the transport direction, and a direction changing mechanism.
The sample transport apparatus 150 for junction comes in various shapes, for example, those for T-shape connection, L-shape connection, and Y-shape connection. The sample transport apparatus 150 for junction shown in
The sample transport apparatus 150 for junction includes a rectangular housing 151 for accommodating main-transport lines that extend in the long-side direction and sub-transport lines that extend in the short-side direction, and a transport line cover 152 that covers an opening at the top of the housing. In
Herein, a specific structure of the transport line cover 152 that is suitable for a use in which the transport line cover 152 covers an opening at the top of the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction for T-shape connection is shown. In this embodiment, the transport line cover 152 is assumed to be detachably mounted on the opening at the top. With the detachable transport line cover 152, it is possible to directly perform maintenance of the transport lines only by removing the transport line cover 152. Needless to say, the transport line cover 152 may also be integrally fixed to the opening at the top of the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction. Hereinafter, description will be made of a case where the transport line cover 152 is detachably mountable on the opening at the top.
The sample transport apparatus 150 for junction for T-shape connection is connected to other sample transport apparatuses 140 only on the two long-side side faces and one short-side side face as described with reference to
The upper face of each of the cover body 161 and the end cap 162 has formed thereon a linear groove 163 that extends from one short side to the other short side of the transport line cover 152. Such groove 163 has a shape and position that allow an operator to easily grasp the transport line cover 152 with one hand. Specifically, the groove 163 is formed at a position where both the groove 163 and one long-side side face of the cover body 161 can be grasped with one hand. In this embodiment, the groove 163 is formed such that it passes through the center position of the transport line cover 152 in the short-side direction. Therefore, an operator is able to grasp the long-side side face on either the right side or the left side with respect to the groove 163. It should be noted that as the groove 163 is integrally formed such that it penetrates up to the opposite ends of the transport line cover 152 (i.e., across the entire region of from the cover body 161 up to an end of the end cap 162), it is possible to easily sweep dust and dirt, which have accumulated in the groove 163, away from both ends of the transport line cover 152. In addition, the groove 163 also has the effect of increasing the rigidity of the transport line cover 152.
The groove 163 in this embodiment is formed in a shape that allows at least the first joint of a finger to be inserted into the groove 163 from above the transport line cover 152. In the case of
In this embodiment, each upper inner wall portion of the groove 163 is formed at right angles to the upper faces of the cover body 161 and the end cap 162. Herein, a connection portion between the upper face and the long-side side face of each of the cover body 161 and the end cap 162 can also be formed in a similar shape. However, in this embodiment, the connection portion between the upper face and the long-side side face is formed such that the cross-sectional shape thereof is along a curved surface with a radius of 30 mm. Needless to say, such cross-sectional shape is only exemplary. Further, the radius that defines the connection portion is not limited to a constant value, and the radius of the curved face may continuously change along the direction from the side of the groove 163 toward the long-side side face.
In any case, a tilt angle that is formed between each upper inner wall of the groove 163 and the upper face is formed to be greater than a tilt angle that is formed at the connection portion between the upper face and the long-side side face of the cover body 161. The reason therefor will be described with reference to
When such a relationship is established, it will be easier for an operator to, when grasping the transport line cover 152 with one hand, apply a downward force to the point P2 with the point P1 as a support. Consequently, it will be easier for the operator to remove the transport line cover 152 by tilting the transport line cover 152 such that it becomes away from the opening at the top of the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction. Thus, it is possible to reduce the risk that the transport line cover 152 may fall in the opening at the top. Although
At least the cover body 161 of the transport line cover 152 in this embodiment is formed with a resin material (i.e., transparent resin). When the cover body 161 is formed with transparent resin, it is possible to observe or check the transport state of a sample or the state of the transport line portions from the outside. In addition, in this embodiment, two cutouts 164 are formed on a side face of the cover body 161. Such cutouts 164 are provided corresponding to the mounting positions of transport lines in the sample transport apparatus 140 connected from the lateral side. Thus, the transport line cover 152 for T-shape connection has two cutouts 164 on each of the two long-side side faces. Meanwhile, the transport line cover 152 for L-shape connection has two cutouts 164 only on one of the two long-side side faces to which another apparatus is connected.
The cutouts 164 herein are formed in order to avoid collision between samples, which are transported along transport lines, and the lower ends of the long-side side faces of the transport line cover 152. Thus, when there is no need to take such collision into consideration (i.e., when the upper face portions of samples travel at a height that is below the lower end of the transport line cover 152), the cutouts 164 need not be provided. It should be noted that in this embodiment, each cutout 164 has dimensions: a length of 50 mm and a height of 12 mm.
As described above, the cover body 161 has the end cap 162 attached to an opening at one end of the cover body 161. In this embodiment, the end cap 162 is attached such that it is embedded into the opening at one end of the body cap 161. The end cap 162 may be either removable from the cover body 161 or be unremovabley secured to the cover body 161.
Next, a specific structure of the transport line cover 142 that is suitable for a use in which the transport line cover 142 covers an opening at the top of the sample transport apparatus 140 is shown. In this embodiment, the transport line cover 142 is also assumed to be detachably mounted on the opening at the top. Needless to say, the transport line cover 142 may also be integrally fixed to the opening at the top of the sample transport apparatus 140. Hereinafter, description will be made of a case where the transport line cover 142 is detachably mountable on the opening at the top.
The transport line cover 142 also has a linear groove 173, which extends from one short side to the other short side of the transport line cover 142, formed on the upper faces of the cover body 171 and the end cap 172. The purpose of forming the groove 173, the dimensions thereof, and the like are similar to those of the aforementioned transport line cover 152. Thus, detailed description thereof is omitted herein. Hereinafter, the structure of the end cap 172 that is specific to the transport line cover 142 will be described.
The end cap 172 has formed therein an upper-stage portion 175 with a length of 20 mm in the long-side direction of the transport line cover 142, and a lower-stage portion 176 that further protrudes beyond the upper-stage portion 175 in the long-side direction by 10 mm. It should be noted that the amount of protrusion of the lower-stage portion 176 is determined so as to provide sufficient dimensions to allow a fingertip to be inserted to grasp the transport line cover 152 that is attached to the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction.
When the end cap 172 is used, it is possible to, as shown in the upper view of
The height of the lower-stage portion 176 in this embodiment is 20 mm. It should be noted that the height of the lower-stage portion 176 is not limited to 20 mm as long as it is lower than the height of the bottom of the groove 173. In this embodiment, the height of the bottom of the groove 173 is 30 mm in the upward direction from the lower face of the end cap 172 (or 20 mm in the downward direction from the upper face). Thus, it is acceptable as long as the height of the lower-stage portion 176 is less than 30 mm. Needless to say, as the height of the lower-stage portion 176 is greater, the space for inserting a finger becomes narrower, with the result that the transport line cover 152 becomes difficult to grasp. Thus, the height of the lower-stage portion 176 is desirably as low as possible.
It should be noted that when the two cutouts 174 for transporting samples are formed in the lower-stage portion 176 of the end cap 172 as shown in
As described above, in this embodiment, two common lengths of transport lines that are 600 mm and 900 mm are prepared. Therefore, the types of the transport line covers 142 and 152 that should be prepared to cover an opening at the top of a sample transport apparatus can be significantly reduced, whereby it also becomes possible to reduce the production cost in comparison with a case where a dedicated cover should be produced each time.
Further, in this embodiment, the grooves 163 and 173 are formed on the upper faces of the transport line covers 152 and 142, respectively, such that the grooves extend from one short sides to the other short sides of the respective covers. Thus, it is possible to allow one inner wall of each groove and one long-side side face of each cover body to be grasped with one hand, and thus allow each of the transport line covers 142 and 152 to be attached to and detached from the opening at the top of the sample transport apparatus with one hand.
In addition, as a tilt angle that is an angle between the upper face of the transport line cover 142 or 152 and the groove 173 or 163 is formed to be greater than a tilt angle that is an angle between the upper face and the long-side side face of the transport line cover 142 or 152, it becomes possible to more easily remove each of the transport line covers 142 and 152 outwardly from the sample transport space. Consequently, the risk that the transport line cover 142 or 152 may fall in the transport space during an operation of removing the cover can be reduced. In addition, as the grooves 163 and 173 are formed such that they include the center positions of the transport line covers 152 and 142 in the short-side directions, respectively, it is possible to allow the transport line covers 142 and 152 to be grasped either on the right side or the left side with respect to the grooves 173 and 163, respectively.
In this embodiment, the end cap 172 of the transport line cover 142, which is used at least at a portion where the sample transport apparatus 140 is connected to the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction, is provided with the lower-stage portion 176, and the amount of protrusion of the lower-stage portion 176 is made greater than at least the length that allows a fingertip to be inserted. Thus, it is possible to allow the transport line cover 152 to be grasped with one hand even at a portion where the sample transport apparatus 140 is connected to the sample transport apparatus 150 for junction.
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the structures of the aforementioned embodiments, and includes a variety of variations. For example, the aforementioned embodiments are only some of embodiments described in detail to clearly illustrate the present invention, and thus can be similarly applied to other embodiments. For example, although the aforementioned embodiments illustrated examples of transport line covers for a case where the transport line length is 600 mm, a similar structure can also be adopted for a case where the transport line length is 900 mm.
In addition, the present invention need not include all of the structures described in the aforementioned embodiments. It is also possible to replace a part of a structure of any of the aforementioned embodiments with another structure. In addition, it is also possible to add, to a structure of any of the aforementioned embodiments, a structure of another embodiment. Further, it is also possible to remove a part of a structure of any of the aforementioned embodiments.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-264575 | Dec 2013 | JP | national |
