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US 12,521,767 B2Granted
Sorting apparatus and sorting method
AssigneeAoi Seiki Co., Ltd.
InventorTeruaki Itoh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to an aspect of the invention, a sorting apparatus comprises; a holder station in which a plurality of holders each configured to hold a specimen container in an upright state are disposed; a sort conveyance unit including a plurality of sort conveyance paths configured to convey the holders; a transfer unit including a plurality of transfer arms, each configured to hold one of the holders and transfer the holder to any one of the sort conveyance paths; and a control unit configured to control a transfer destination of the holder in the transfer unit.
Claims11
A sorting apparatus comprising:
- a holder station including a plurality of holders, each holder including a corresponding holding cylinder configured to hold a specimen container in an upright state;
- a sort conveyance unit including a plurality of conveyor mechanisms including a plurality of respective sort conveyance paths configured to convey the holders in a first direction,
- each conveyor mechanism including a corresponding pair of guide rails, a corresponding conveyor belt between the pair of guide rails, and a belt feed mechanism to move the conveyor belt in a feed direction, and
- a height of the guide rails being lower than a height of the holding cylinder;
- a feed conveyance unit including a feed conveyance path arranged on one side of and in the holder station and configured to convey the holders,
- each of the sort conveyance paths and the feed conveyance path extending in the first direction, and one of the sort conveyance paths and the feed conveyance path being in parallel with the other of the sort conveyance paths and the feed conveyance path along a second direction intersecting the first direction;
- a transfer unit including a plurality of transfer arms, each transfer arm being configured to hold one of the holders and transfer the holder to any one of the sort conveyance paths;
- and
- a processor configured to control a transfer destination of the holder in the transfer unit.
6 more elements
A sorting method comprising:
- detecting specimen information on a plurality of holders respectively disposed in a plurality of holder stages provided in a holder station to hold specimen containers in an upright state;
- and
- holding the holders on the holder stages using a plurality of transfer arms, and loading the holders on one sort conveyance path among a plurality of sort conveyance paths that is a transfer destination based on the specimen information, the sort conveyance paths being arranged in a plurality of rows beside the holder station,
- each holder among the plurality of holders including a corresponding holding cylinder to hold a specimen container in the upright state,
- a plurality of conveyor mechanisms including the plurality of respective sort conveyance paths being disposed to convey the holders in a first direction, each conveyor mechanism including a corresponding pair of guide rails, a corresponding conveyor belt between the pair of guide rails, and a belt feed mechanism to move the conveyor belt in a feed direction,
- a height of the guide rails being lower than a height of the holding cylinder,
- a feed conveyance path being disposed on one side of and in the holder station to convey the holders,
- each of the sort conveyance paths and the feed conveyance path extending in the first direction, and one of the feed conveyance path or the sort conveyance paths being in parallel with the other of the feed conveyance path or the sort conveyance paths, along a second direction intersecting the first direction.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.