Adjustable robotic picker for laboratory containers

In a robotic tube handler for automated tube transport and sampling of tubes, the tube handler having a transport system that transports tubes and an electronic control system that robotically controls the transport system, a robotic picker operationally connected to the robotic tube handler, the robotic picker comprising:

• a pick head unit with a housing that houses the pick head unit, the pick head unit including four depending pick prongs, the pick head unit having a drive motor assembly and a pick actuator assembly wherein the pick head unit is mechanically coupled to the transport system and the pick head unit is electronically coupled to the control system, wherein,
• the drive motor assembly has a first drive motor and controller electronics to drive the first drive motor according to commands from the control system of the tube handler, and a second drive motor and controller electronics to drive the second drive motor according to commands from the control system of the tube handler, and
• the pick actuator assembly is coupled to the first drive motor assembly with a selectable rotational displacement with respect to the first drive motor assembly to automatically accommodate various arrangements of tubes, including both orthogonal and diagonal arrangements of tubes, when the first drive motor is activated in the robotic picker under control of the robotic tube handler control system, and, wherein,
• the pick actuator assembly has detent stops limiting the rotation of the drive motor assembly and on activation of the first drive motor the pick actuator assembly is rotated forty-five degrees in rotational displacement, and
• the pick actuator assembly has cam mechanics connected to the depending pick prongs and to the second drive motor that spread the depending pick prongs on activation of the second drive motor.