Self-realigning vacuum pickup arrangement

A vacuum pickup arrangement for engaging a specimen having a top surface and located at a pickup location and for holding the specimen upon the application of a reduced pressure to the top surface of the specimen during transportation of the specimen to a first deposit location, and during return of the specimen to the pickup location, the arrangement comprising:

• angular alignment means having a communication surface for communicating with the specimen and ensuring that the specimen is held by the vacuum pickup arrangement in a predetermined plane of alignment, said communication surface defining said predetermined plane of alignment and being arranged to permit the specimen to be translated along said communication surface in a direction parallel thereto;
• axially retractable vacuum engagement means having a laterally stationary vacuum input for receiving a reduced air pressure and an axially retractable portion for communicating with and engaging the specimen, said axially retractable portion having a collapsible bellows portion coupled to said vacuum input and formed of a resilient material with a resilient communication portion for forming an air-tight engagement with the top surface of the specimen, said resilient communication portion being resiliently deformable with respect to said angular alignment means and extendable axially beyond said communication surface of said angular alignment means for a predetermined distance so as to communicate with and engage said top surface of said specimen, and being retractable by at least the predetermined distance, until the top of the specimen communicates with said communication surface of said angular alignment means;
• and
• lateral alignment means having engaged and unengaged states, said lateral alignment means entering said engaged state for communicating laterally with the specimen and translating same from an untranslated position to a laterally translated position with respect to said communication surface in the plane of alignment while said axially retractable vacuum engagement means is retracted and said communication surface is engaged with the specimen, said collapsible bellows portion being resiliently deformed in response to said translation, and retaining the specimen in said translated position during transportation of the specimen to the first deposit location, said lateral alignment means entering said unengaged state during return of the specimen to said pick-up location for releasing the specimen, whereby the specimen is returned to said untranslated position in response to a lateral restoration force responsive to said resilient deformation of said collapsible bellows portion.