Automated system for collecting tissue samples, and corresponding method and computer-readable medium
AssigneeIdentigen Limited
InventorsDavid Robert THOMAS, Ciaran MEGHEN, Gregory Alan PETERS, Amy Johanna DOUGLAS, Robert GALBRAITH, Ryan Michael WATSON
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for collecting tissue samples, such as meat tissues on carcasses, for example in the food industry. Also provided are methods for collecting tissue samples, and to a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions to execute at least one step of the method for collecting tissue samples.
Claims13
A system configured for collecting tissue samples, comprising:
- a robotic system, comprising:
- a robotic arm, and
- at least one camera, configured to detect a sampling location on an animal,
- at least one sample handling assembly, comprising:
- at least one magazine mounting assembly, configured to support at least one supply magazine and at least one return magazine,
- said at least one supply magazine being configured to receive at least one multi-well tray comprising a plurality of sampling devices detachably mounted in the wells of said at least one multi-well tray, and
- said at least one return magazine being configured to receive said at least one multi-well tray, comprising said plurality of sampling devices with collected tissue samples,
- at least one supply line, configured to convey the at least one multi-well tray between said at least one supply magazine and at least one sampling station, and
- said at least one sampling station, located at a position accessible by said robotic arm, and,
- at least one processor, operably coupled to said robotic system and to said at least one sample handling assembly, configured to:
- drive said at least one sample handling assembly to convey said at least one multi-well tray from said at least one supply magazine to said at least one sampling station,
- drive said robotic arm to grab a sampling device from a well of said at least one multi-well tray,
- drive said robotic arm to scrape a scraping portion of said sampling device against the animal,
- obtain and store an identifier associated with said animal and the location of the well within said at least one multi-well tray,
- drive said robotic arm to replace said sampling device with said collected sample within the same well of said at least one multi-well tray, and
- drive said at least one sample handling assembly to convey said at least one multi-well tray from said at least one sampling station to said at least one return magazine.
A method for collecting tissue samples, implemented by at least one processor of a system comprising at least one first multi-well tray and at least one sampling device detachably mounted in a well of said at least one first multi-well tray, said method comprising:
- driving a first sample handling assembly to convey said at least one first multi-well tray from a first supply magazine to a first sampling station, located at a position accessible by a robotic arm,
- driving said robotic arm to grab the at least one sampling device from the well of said at least one first multi-well tray,
- driving said robotic arm to scrape a scraping portion of said at least one sampling device against an animal to collect a tissue sample,
- obtaining and storing an identifier associated with said animal and the location of the well within said at least one first multi-well tray,
- driving said robotic arm to replace said at least one sampling device with said collected tissue sample within the same well of said at least one first multi-well tray, and
- driving said first sample handling assembly to convey said at least one first multi-well tray from said first sampling station to a first return magazine.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored therein for collecting tissue samples, when the instructions are executed by at least one processor of a system for collecting tissue samples, wherein, for at least one first multi-well tray and at least one sampling device detachably mounted in a well of said at least one first multi-well tray, the instructions configure the system to:
- drive a first sample handling assembly to convey said at least one first multi-well tray from a first supply magazine to a first sampling station, located at a position accessible by a robotic arm,
- drive said robotic arm to grab the at least one sampling device from said well of said at least one first multi-well tray,
- drive said robotic arm to scrape a scraping portion of said at least one sampling device against an animal to collect a tissue sample,
- obtain and store an identifier associated with said animal and the location of the well within said at least one first multi-well tray,
- drive said robotic arm to replace said at least one sampling device with a collected sample within the same well of said at least one first multi-well tray,
- drive said first sample handling assembly to convey said at least one first multi-well tray from said first sampling station to a first return magazine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.