Sample conveying device and method with speed abnormality detection
AssigneeHitachi High-Tech Corporation
InventorsSaori Chida, Shigeru Yano, Takeshi Tamakoshi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sample conveying device and a sample conveyance method capable of determining a cause of an abnormality in a conveyance speed more quickly than in the related art. In a conveying device, a general conveyance speed of a conveying container is obtained from a position of the conveying container detected by a position detection unit to determine whether the general conveyance speed is abnormal, and upon determining that the general conveyance speed is abnormal, an inspection conveying container is conveyed, and the cause of the abnormality in the general conveyance speed is determined based on the conveyance speed of the inspection conveying container.
Claims9
A sample conveying device comprising:
- a conveying surface that conveys a conveying container provided with a magnetic material thereon;
- a position detection unit that obtains a position of the conveying container on the conveying surface;
- a plurality of magnetic poles that are disposed below the conveying surface and provided with cores and coils;
- a driving unit that applies a voltage to the magnetic poles;
- and
- a control unit that controls the driving unit, wherein
- the control unit:
- obtains a general conveyance speed of the conveying container from the position of the conveying container detected by the position detection unit to determine whether the general conveyance speed is abnormal;
- and
- upon determining that the general conveyance speed is abnormal, conveys a reference conveying container and determines a cause of an abnormality in the general conveyance speed based on a conveyance speed of the reference conveying container.
A sample conveyance method for conveying a sample contained in a sample container held in a conveying container provided with a magnetic material, the method comprising:
- when conveying the conveying container by applying a voltage to a plurality of magnetic poles provided with the cores and coils, which are disposed below conveying surfaces that conveys the conveying container thereon,
- executing a position detection step of obtaining a position of the conveying container on the conveying surface;
- executing an abnormality determination step of obtaining a general conveyance speed of the conveying container from the position of the conveying container detected in the position detection step to determine whether the general conveyance speed is abnormal;
- upon determining that there is an abnormality in the abnormality determination step, executing a reference conveyance step of conveying a reference conveying container;
- and
- executing a determination step of determining a cause of the abnormality in the general conveyance speed based on a conveyance speed of the reference conveying container in the reference conveyance step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.