Abstract:
In the prior art, in transport lines equipped with multiple stages of transport lines driven in different directions, it was necessary that drive power sources for driving the belts of the transport lines be provided in a number equal to the number of transport lines. This led to an increased number of drive power sources and to an unavoidable increase in the power consumed by the device as a whole. In the present invention, there is adopted a mechanism for the parallel driving of a plurality of transport lines by a single drive power source, whereby the number of drive power sources needed to drive the transport lines can be reduced, as can the power consumed by the system.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a technique for transporting specimen containers by driving a plurality of transport lines in parallel. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    One background art in this technical field is WO2011/040197 (PTL 1). PTL 1 discloses as follows: “In the case where specimen racks are moved in a loop and are repeatedly used in a system in order to prevent an increase in size of a device and complication thereof, a processing speed decreases due to intersection of transport lines, and, in order to prevent such intersection, a complicated mechanism such as an elevator mechanism or a robot hand mechanism has been needed. Empty rack transport lines are disposed at lower positions so as to be independent from a main transport line, an emergency passing line, and a return line, and a rack stocker provided between a storing module and a feeding module is connected to the empty rack transport lines by transport lines inclined in the rack stocker. With this, the intersection of the transport lines is avoided, and therefore empty racks can be continuously supplied and collected. As a result, the intersection of the transport lines can be prevented with a simple configuration without increasing the size of the device or complicating the device, and the empty racks can be continuously supplied and collected without reducing a processing capacity. In addition, it is possible to provide a specimen testing automation system that is highly expandable in accordance with a scale of facilities”. 
       CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     PTL 1: WO2011/040197 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
       [0003]    In the above technique disclosed in PTL 1, the number of power sources (motors) for driving transport lines are increased in accordance with diversification/multiplication of the transport lines. Therefore, increase in power consumption caused by driving a large number of motors cannot be avoided. 
       Solution to Problem 
       [0004]    The invention of the present application which has been made in view of the above problem is as follows. Specifically, the invention drives a plurality of transport lines for driving belts to transport specimen racks on which a specimen container is disposed, a single driving motor having a rotating shaft, a shaft for transmitting power of the driving motor, a plurality of pulleys for transmitting rotation of the shaft to the belts to drive the belts, and the belts of the plurality of transport lines by rotatably driving the pulleys. 
       Advantageous Effects of Invention 
       [0005]    Because a mechanism for driving transport lines in the invention is a mechanism for driving a plurality of transport lines in parallel by using a single power source, the number of power sources needed to drive the transport lines is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to achieve low power consumption in a system. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a system layout diagram including a specimen testing automation system and an analysis system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of transport lines of a transport line unit in a specimen testing automation system according to this embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a transport line driving mechanism. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a gearbox cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of a gearbox. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  illustrates a driving principle of transport lines using a transport line driving mechanism. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0011]    Hereinafter, an example of the invention will be described with reference to drawings. 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a layout diagram of a specimen testing automation system including a specimen preprocessing system and an analysis system according to this embodiment. Note that a system configuration is different depending on a scale of facilities, and therefore various combinations exist. Thus, one configuration will be described in this embodiment. 
         [0013]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a specimen testing automation system  100  is configured such that preprocessing systems  110  and  120  for performing necessary processing on a specimen prior to analysis thereof and a plurality of (two in this example) analysis systems  200  and  210  for performing analysis processing of the specimen that has been preprocessed are connected by transport line units  7 ,  8 ,  9 , and  10 . Note that, in the invention, a device including the above specimen preprocessing systems  110  and  120 , the analysis systems  200  and  210 , and the transport line units  7  to  10 , the device having a function of transporting a specimen, is defined as a specimen transport device. 
         [0014]    The preprocessing units  110  and  120  in the specimen testing automation system  100  include: transport lines  1  and  2  for transporting a specimen rack on which one or a plurality of specimen containers containing a specimen are mountable; and specimen feeding modules  111  and  121 , specimen storage modules  112  and  122 , and processing modules  113 ,  114 ,  115 ,  123 ,  124 , and  125  placed along the transport lines  1  and  2 . Herein, the processing modules are, for example, a centrifugation module for performing centrifugation processing on a specimen, an opening module for opening a cap of an opening portion of a specimen container, a dispensing module for dispensing a specimen in a specimen container to a plurality of child specimen containers, and a closing module for closing a cap of an opening portion of a container. In addition, any other publicly-known processing module may be provided. 
         [0015]    In each of the specimen feeding modules  111  and  121 , a specimen container is fed by a feeding tray in which specimen containers are arrayed. The fed specimen container is held and lifted by a specimen chuck mechanism (not illustrated), is mounted on an empty specimen rack, and is then transported to another processing module via the preprocessing unit transport line  1  or  2 . Also in each of the specimen storage modules  112  and  122 , a storage tray in which specimen containers that have been processed or analyzed can be arrayed is provided, and the specimen container is held and lifted by a specimen chuck mechanism (not illustrated) from the specimen rack transported via the preprocessing unit transport lines  1  or  2  and is stored in the storage tray. At this time, the specimen rack from which the specimen container has been removed is transported again to the specimen feeding module  111  or  121 , and the next specimen container that is newly fed is mounted thereon. 
         [0016]    Specimen racks taken out by the preprocessing units  110  and  120  are transported to the analysis systems  200  and  210  placed downstream via divergence transport line units  11 ,  12 ,  13 , and  14  and the transport line units  7 ,  8 ,  9 , and  10 . Note that, in the case where a delay is caused in the transport line units or the analysis systems or in the case where a part of analysis units cannot perform analysis, the specimen racks are temporarily evacuated to any of buffer units  3 ,  4 ,  5 , and  6 . 
         [0017]    In the case where the specimen rack is brought in the analysis system, the specimen rack is brought in any of analysis modules  201 ,  202 ,  211 , and  212  that can measure a requested analysis item via transport line  15  or  16 , and analysis is performed. The specimen rack that has been analyzed is caused to return to the preprocessing systems  110  or  120  again via the transport lines  7 ,  8 ,  9 , and  10  and is then stored in the specimen storage module  112 . 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of transport lines forming the transport line units  7  to  10  in the specimen testing automation system  100  according to this embodiment. Each transport line unit may be configured by connecting a plurality of transport lines in accordance with a length thereof. The preprocessing unit transport lines  1  and  2  for transporting specimen containers in the preprocessing units  110  and  120  and the transport lines  15  and  16  for transporting specimen containers in the analysis systems  200  and  210  may also have a similar configuration. 
         [0019]    The transport lines forming the transport line units  7  to  10  include a main transport line  21  for transporting a specimen rack to be brought in the analysis system from the preprocessing unit, a return line  22  for transporting a specimen rack to return to the preprocessing unit from the analysis system, an empty rack transport line  23  for transporting an empty specimen rack on which no specimen container is mounted, the empty rack transport lines being placed at a stage lower than the main transport line  21  and the return transport line  22 , and a transport line driving mechanism  24  for driving those lines. Each line includes a side wall for stably transporting a specimen rack and an endless belt that is rotatably driven, and, when the belt is driven in directions, a specimen rack mounted thereon is also driven. 
         [0020]    Herein, for example, an empty specimen rack  25  from which a specimen container  26  has been removed by the specimen storage module is transported to the empty rack transport line  23  by a connection transport line (not illustrated) connecting the main transport line  21  and the empty rack transport line. The connection transport line is inclined to connect upper and lower transport lines. 
         [0021]    The empty rack transport lines  23  are disposed to be in parallel with the main transport line  21  and the return line  22  and have the same length as that of the main transport line  21  and the return line  22  and are placed at a stage lower than the main transport line  21  and the return line  22 . The empty rack transport lines  23  have the same line length as that of the main transport line  21  and the return line  22  to easily achieve expandability of a system (for example, to add or remove a processing module later) . Note that the empty rack transport lines  23  are empty rack transport lines  23   a  and  23   b  herein, and the empty rack transport line  23   a  is provided immediately below the main transport line  21  and transports an empty specimen rack in a direction opposite to a direction of the main transport line  21 . Similarly, the empty rack transport line  23   b  is provided immediately below the return line  22  and transports an empty specimen rack in a direction opposite to a direction of the return line  22 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the transport line driving mechanism  24  in the invention. 
         [0023]    The transport line driving mechanism  24  causes a gearbox  32  including worm gears to change a power direction of power of a driving motor  31  having a vertical direction as a rotation axis center, thereby transmitting the power to one or more (two in this example) shafts  33   a  and  33   b.  When the shafts  33   a  and  33   b  are rotated, timing pulleys  34  are rotated, and therefore belts are driven. 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a gearbox  32  cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of the gearbox. The cross-sectional view illustrates a state of the perspective view of  FIG. 3  seen from the above. A worm  36  attached to a rotating shaft of the driving motor  31  and worm wheels  37  attached to the shafts  33  are engaged with each other to transmit power of the driving motor  31  to the shafts  33   a  and  33   b.  Note that the shafts  33   a  and  33   b  are adjusted to be rotated in opposite directions. Rotation of the shafts  33   a  and  33   b  is transmitted to timing pulleys  34   a,    34   b,    34   c,  and  34   d.    
         [0025]      FIG. 5  illustrates a driving principle of transport lines using the transport line driving mechanism  24 , which exemplifies the main transport line  21  and the empty rack transport line  23   a  in the transport line units  7  to  10 . A similar structure is also provided on the side of the return line  22  and the empty rack transport line  23   b.    
         [0026]    Herein, in each transport line, a belt  44  disposed along a driving pulley  41 , driven pulleys  42 , and tail pulleys  43  is rotated, and the specimen rack  26  is mounted on an upper surface of the belt  44  and is moved. The driving pulley  41  is connected to the timing pulley  34  attached to the shaft  33  of the driving mechanism  24  by a timing belt  45 , and power from the driving motor  31  is transmitted to the belt  44 . In this example, the timing pulleys  34   a  and  34   b  are rotated in opposite directions, and therefore the driving pulleys  41   a  and  41   b  are also rotated in opposite directions. Thus, driving directions of the belts can also be opposite to each other. A belt tension of the timing belt  45  can be adjusted by adjusting a position of a tension adjustment roller  35   a.    
         [0027]    Although  FIG. 5  only illustrates one side, a similar configuration is provided on the other side. Therefore, the main transport line  21  is driven by the timing pulley  34   a  connected to the shaft  33   a  and the empty rack transport line  23   b  is driven by the timing pulley  34   c,  and the empty rack transport line  23   a  is driven by the timing pulley  34   b  connected to the shaft  33   b  and the return line  22  is driven by the timing pulley  34   d.    
         [0028]    With the above operation principle, two shafts  32   a  and  32   b  can be driven by the single driving motor  31 , and therefore four transport lines can be simultaneously driven. Further, a transport direction of each transport line can be appropriately adjusted as necessary. That is, in this example, the main transport line  21  and the empty rack transport line  23   b  can be driven by power transmitted from the shaft  33   a,  and the return line  22  and the transport line  23   a  can be driven by power transmitted from the shaft  33   b.  Therefore, even in the case where the number of transport lines is increased, the number of motors for driving those transport lines can be reduced, which results in preventing increase in power consumption. Note that ideas of the invention are not limited to the above combination, and it is possible to arbitrarily change transport directions by changing connection between the driving pulleys  41  and the timing belts  45 . In addition, when the number of worm wheels  37  to be attached to the driving motor  31  is adjusted, it is possible to change the number of transport lines to be driven. In the case of a structure including only a worm wheel  37   a,  two transport lines can be driven by the single driving motor  31 . When three or more worm wheels  37  are attached to the driving motor  31 , six or more transport lines can be driven by the single driving motor. 
         [0029]    In the above example, the transport lines of the transport line units  7  to  10  which are the simplest forms have been described. However, in the case where a plurality of transport lines disposed in parallel exist in the preprocessing units  110  and  120 , the buffer units  3  to  6 , the divergence transport line units, and the analysis systems  200  and  210 , the invention can be implemented. In this case, the main transport line  21  serves as a line for transporting the specimen  26  to a processing device in each preprocessing unit or to an analysis module in each analysis system, and the return line  22  serves as a transport line for moving the specimen  26  in a loop in the system. 
       REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       [0000]    
       
           1 ,  2  preprocessing unit transport line 
           3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6  buffer unit 
           7 ,  8 ,  9 ,  10  transport line unit 
           11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14  divergence transport line unit 
           21  main transport line 
           22  return line 
           23  empty rack transport line 
           24  transport line driving mechanism 
           25  specimen rack 
           26  specimen 
           31  driving motor 
           32  gearbox 
           33  shaft 
           34  timing pulley 
           35  tension adjustment roller 
           36  worm 
           37  worm wheel 
           41  driving pulley 
           42  driven pulley 
           43  tail pulley 
           44  belt 
           45  timing belt 
       
     
         [0052]      100  specimen testing automation system 
         [0053]      110 ,  120  preprocessing unit 
         [0054]      111 ,  121  specimen feeding module 
         [0055]      112 ,  122  specimen storage module 
         [0056]      113 ,  114 ,  115 ,  123 ,  124 ,  125  processing module 
         [0057]      200 ,  210  analysis system 
         [0058]      201 ,  202 ,  211 ,  212  analysis module