Coordinated conveyers in an automated system
AssigneeTeam Conveyer Intellectual Properties, LLC
InventorJohn G. Gorman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Coordinated conveyors in an automated system. A system comprises a plurality of conveyors, which each comprise a plurality of segments, and one or more stations. An instruction is received to perform an operation that requires at least one station to process at least a first item held by a first segment of a first conveyor and a second item held by a second segment of a second conveyor. In response to the instruction, one or both of the first and second conveyors are moved, such that the first segment and the second segment are aligned at the station. After alignment, one or more instruments of the station process the first item and the second item.
Claims23
A transport system for use in a diagnostic testing system comprising:
- a plurality of conveyors, wherein each of the plurality of conveyors comprises a plurality of segments that are each configured to separately hold at least one item, wherein the plurality of segments are on a top surface of each of the plurality of conveyors, and wherein the top surface of each of the plurality of conveyors is within a same plane as the top surface of each of the other plurality of conveyors;
- one or more stations, wherein each of the one or more stations comprises one or more instruments;
- at least one hardware processor;
- and
- one or more software modules configured to, when executed by the at least one hardware processor,
- receive an instruction to perform an operation that requires at least one of the one or more stations to process at least a first item held by a first segment of a first one of the plurality of conveyors and a second item held by a second segment of a second one of the plurality of conveyors,
- in response to receiving the instruction, control one or both of the first conveyor and the second conveyor to move, such that the first segment and the second segment are aligned at the at least one station, and after the first segment and the second segment have been aligned at the at least one station, control the one or more instruments of the at least one station to process the first item and the second item,
- wherein the at least one hardware processor is configured to independently control each of the plurality of conveyors to move each of the plurality of conveyors independently from any of the other plurality of conveyors, to radially align any combination of one of the plurality of segments of the first conveyor with one of the plurality of segments of the second conveyor, so as to be adjacent and flush with each other across the first and second conveyors, at each of the one or more stations,
- wherein the plurality of conveyors comprises a plurality of concentric circular carousel conveyors that rotate around a common point,
- wherein at least one of the one or more stations comprises a bridge extending, along a radial line of the plurality of concentric circular carousel conveyors, over each of the plurality of concentric circular carousel conveyors,
- wherein the bridge comprises a pipettor configured to move along an underside of the bridge above the plurality of concentric circular carousel conveyors, and
- wherein the one or more software modules are configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, control the pipettor to
- move to any one of a plurality of positions above the plurality of concentric circular carousel conveyors,
- move over a wash buffer containing wash fluid,
- aspirate wash fluid from the wash buffer to clean the pipettor, and,
- after cleaning the pipettor, dispense the wash fluid into a disposal buffer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.