Test tube labeling apparatus and test tube labeling method

A test tube labeling apparatus for attaching a label to a test tube including a tube and a cap fastened to the tube comprising:

• a body;
• a seating portion where the test tube inserted into the test tube labeling apparatus is seated, and at least a portion of the seating portion is formed to correspond to the outer appearance of the test tube;
• a rotation driving unit for rotating the seating portion with respect to the body in response to the test tube being seated on the seating portion;
• a contact sensor rotatably fixed with respect to the body at a position corresponding to an upper portion of the seating portion and detecting a contact with the test tube seated on the seating portion;
• an angle sensor measuring rotation angle information of the rotation driving unit;
• a label attaching device positioned inside the body and attaching a label to the test tube;
• and
• a processor operatively connected to the rotation driving unit, the contact sensor, the angle sensor, and the label attaching device, wherein
• the contact sensor generates a contact signal when the test tube is contacted with the contact sensor because of rotation of the seating portion,
• the angle sensor generates rotation angle information of the angle at which the rotation driving unit has rotated during a period from the time when the rotation driving unit starts driving the rotation in response to the test tube being seated on the seating portion to the time when the contact sensor generates a contact signal, and
• the processor receives rotation angle information generated from the angle sensor, identifies information on the outer diameter of the test tube based on the received rotation angle information, identifies the test tube by comparing information on the outer diameter of the identified test tube with pre-stored test tube identification information, identifies the labeling information corresponding to the identified test tube, and controls the label attaching device so that the label attaching device may attach a label printed with the identified labeling information to the identified test tube.