Abstract:
A tube handling system with a semi-automatic lab tube selection apparatus for enabling a user to pick a select lab tube in a standard lab tube holding rack with open-bottom wells that contain one or more lab tubes that includes a tube selection unit having, a housing with a top deck having a tube rack support, a transport mechanism contained within the housing having a carriage assembly, with the carriage assembly having a carrier with a push-pin, a drive system that moves the carrier and the push-pin under the tube rack support, and an actuator that raises the push-pin on command for removal, and, a control system to locate the carrier and the push-pin at a select location corresponding to a selected position under an open-bottom well of a tube rack positioned on the tube rack support to raise the push-pin for removal.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a semi-automated lab tube selection system for facilitating the removal of select lab tubes from a standard lab tube holding rack. 
     The semi-automated lab tube selection apparatus for rack contained tubes is a tube management system that assists a user such as a lab worker in identifying and selecting individual tubes that are contained in one or more tube racks and enabling the manual removal of the selected tube by an electro-mechanical push assembly. The electro-mechanical push assembly locates a push-pin under the selected tube and pushes the tube upwardly for convenient retrieval of the selected tube by the lab worker. In the preferred embodiment the semi-automated tube selection apparatus includes a visual display system and an associated processor and computer program to visually guide the lab worker in a pre-programmed procedure. In a preferred embodiment, the semi-automated tube selection apparatus is combined with a code scanner that reads a bar code on the bottom of tubes in the rack to identify individual tubes and correlate the tube identification with the tube location in the rack. 
     The semi-automated lab tube selection apparatus of this invention is designed to operate with the type of sample or test tube container as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,836 of Kalmakis et al, issued Dec. 16, 2003. In the system described, tubes are retained in wells in a carrier rack in a uniform arrangement such as an orthogonal matrix having addressable locations. In one embodiment, the bottoms of the tubes are marked with an alphanumeric designation. The wells have open bottoms to expose the bottom of the tube for marking and for subsequent visual identification of the alphanumeric code. With the advent of bar code systems, particularly two-dimensional systems, such as the Data Matrix code system, detailed identity data can be imprinted in the small area available on the bottom of a small diameter tube. This type of tube rack carrier system lends itself to a multiplicity of automated tube selection opportunities incorporating the basic features of the subject invention. 
     For example, the semi-automated lab tube selection apparatus can comprise a simple keypad entry system to identify the location of the tube to be raised for manual retrieval with a simple controller sensing the numeric or alphanumeric input and directing the electro-mechanical assembly to locate the push-pin under the rack at the identified location of the target well. When located the apparatus will automatically raise the pin pushing a tube present in the well at the designated location upwardly for convenient gripping and removal by the user&#39;s fingers. This assist is particularly useful when small tubes are densely packed in a conventional tube rack. 
     With the addition of a display screen and a programmable processor, a variety of procedures can be established for tube management using pick and place protocols. Finally, when combined with a tube reader to identify selected tubes by their individual tube identification, then a complete tube management system can be devised according to the procedures desired by the operator. The tube reader is preferably a scanner that is combined as an accessory in one embodiment and as an integral part of the semi-automated lab tube selection apparatus in another embodiment. In the integrated embodiment, the complete system including the display can be incorporated into a desktop unit for plug and play convenience. In the modular embodiment, the display and programmable processor can comprise a general-purpose personal computer or a simple notebook portable that electronically connect the internal controller of the semi-automatic tube selection apparatus with an electronically connected tube scanner, that is either part of the tube selection apparatus or a separate module. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The semi-automatic tube selection apparatus of this invention is a laboratory device to assist the laboratory worker or technician in managing tubes and vials that are typically contained in tube racks for convenient use and storage. The modern tube racks are of different sizes to accommodate different numbers and sizes of tubes. The various sizes are somewhat standardized allowing laboratory equipment to be designed with these standards in mind. It is to be understood, that while a popular ninety-six-tube rack is being utilized in the preferred embodiment of the tube selection apparatus of this specification for purposes of demonstration, the described features of the disclosed invention are applicable to other standard and custom racks and tubes with appropriate modification of the structure of the described apparatus and modification of the programming coordinating the operation. 
     The preferred embodiment adopts the middle ground combination of the semi-automated tube selection apparatus with an integral tube scanner for coordinated operation by an auxiliary general purpose computer programmed with an application program for the desired routines for a tube management system. It is to be understood that the combined unit includes an internal controller having a dedicated processor that is electronically connected to the computer by wire or wirelessly. The cost of a computer, such as a notebook computer, is sufficiently low that incorporating the computer into the unit is frequently not cost justified. However, if the semi-automated tube selector were incorporated into a more sophisticated fully automated tube handling system, then integration of the general purpose programmable computer into the unit would likely be justified for the convenience of a plug and play unit. 
     The semi-automated tube selection apparatus of the preferred embodiment includes a housing with a substantially flat top deck with a fixed number of recesses for placement of standard tube racks. The tube racks are of the type that have tube wells with open bottoms with a rim sufficient to retain the tube but with an open area sufficient to view a 2D code marking on the bottom of the tube when seated in the well. The recesses in the deck provide for fixed placement of the tube rack on the deck in order that the mechanism for lifting a select tube can be accurately positioned under the target tube. Similarly, a recess is provided for scanning the tubes in a rack by fixing the positioning of the rack so that the scanned image can be registered with the rack for deciphering the identity of individual tubes in the matrix according to the address of the well in which a particular tube is situated. Other retainer means may be utilized to position the racks, such as elevated rails that frame the rack to maintain its location for accurate registration of the scanner and push mechanism. 
     It is to be understood that the preferred embodiment described in the detailed description may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims. Other features may be added and certain features that are not essential to the basic invention may be deleted for reasons of economy or when user options are desired to be limited or restricted. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a semi-automatic lab tube handling system with a tube selection unit carrying tube racks and a connected programmable computer. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the tube selection unit of  FIG. 1  with a casing cover removed to reveal internal components. 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged broken-away view partially in cross section of the push-pin on the electromechanical carriage assembly of the tube selection unit of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged broken-away side view of the push-pin apparatus of the electromechanical carriage assembly of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of the electromechanical carriage assembly of  FIG. 2  removed from the other components of the tube selection unit. 
         FIG. 6  is a typical screen display of the accessory computer or input device of the tube selection unit. 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevational view of the electromechanical carriage assembly of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The semi-automatic lab tube selection apparatus of this invention is designated generally by the reference numeral  10  and set forth in  FIG. 1  of the drawings as a counter-top tube handling system  12  that includes a programmable computer  14  as a system component. 
     The primary component of the tube handling system  12  is the semi-automatic tube selection unit  16 . The tube selection unit  16  is preferably coupled to the programmable computer  14 , which includes an application program that is preferably modifiable by the system operator to vary the protocol desired for a particular tube handling operation. The tube selection unit  16  has a housing  18  with a removable casing cover  20  that frames a top deck  22  and with a base  24  that supports the internal components. The tube selection unit  16  includes at least one internal controller  26  to control the electromechanical operations of the tube handling system  12  as shown in the perspective view of  FIG. 2 . 
     The preferred embodiment of the semi-automatic tube selector apparatus  10  combines a tube selector module  28  with a tube scanner module  30  in the single housing  18 . The tube scanner module  30  preferably includes a separate controller  32  for serial or parallel control of the scanning operations. It is to be understood that the semi-automatic tube selection unit  16  can be a standalone unit with an input device such as a small touch-screen keypad  34  on the housing  18 . It is recognized that for the rich environment of a programmable tube handling application, a computer  14 , even a small notebook computer is preferred. 
     The housing  18  is generally a rectangular, box-like, low-profile, structure with the casing cover  20  providing a protective enclosure for the contained electromechanical components that perform the tube selection and scanning functions. The top deck  22  supports a platen  36  with rectangular stepped cutouts  38  as shown in  FIG. 2  to support and position tube holding racks  40  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The cutouts  38  have opposed finger notches  42  to enable a user to easily remove a rack from the recess formed by the cutouts  38  that frame the rectangular racks  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the racks  40  have wells  44  for receiving tubes  46  which are uniformly organized in standardized rows and columns of a matrix. The racks  40  are of a conventional type that have openings in the bottom of each well to enable markings on the bottom of the tubes to be visible. Typically, the markings are a type of 2D barcode that is machine-readable and is unique for each tube. 
     In the scanner module  30 , the cutout  38  positions the rack  40  over a glass scanner plate  48 , shown in  FIG. 2  and as tubes are placed in the rack, the underlying scanner bar (not visible) scans the underside of the rack, and, with the software of the applications program identifies the tubes and their location in the rack  40 . For one scheme of pick and place operations, the tube filled racks  40 , as shown in the selector module  28  of the tube selection unit in  FIG. 1 , are first scanned in the scanner module  30  before being seated in an ordered manner in the cutouts  38  of the selector module  28 . 
     In this manner, the tubes  46  in the racks  40  are first identified, such that the application program can identify which tube from which rack is to be picked and removed, or placed at which location in a receiving rack. The receiving rack is advantageously placed in the cutout  38  of the scanner module  30 , to verify that a picked tube  46  is correctly placed in the proper well  44  in the receiving rack  40 . 
     In the selector module  28 , the cutouts  38  position the racks  40  over a screen  50  that is fastened to the underside of the platen  36  as shown in the enlarged fragmented cross-sectional view of  FIG. 3 . The screen  50  is a plate with a series of holes  52  arranged in four arrays that match the location of the bottoms of the wells  44  when a rack  40  is positioned in the recess of a cutout  38 . In this manner a push-pin  54  that is inserted up through a particular hole  52  will contact the underside of a tube  46  in the corresponding well  44  and raise the tube  46  for easy visual identification and manual removal. The picked tube  46  can then be placed in the desired location in the receiving rack  40  and the placement verified by a scan. 
     Location and operation of the push-pin  54  is accomplished by an electromechanical carriage assembly  56 . The carriage assembly has an X-Y random access drive system  58  to access any tube well in any order. The drive system  58  includes the controller  26  that executes commands from the input device  59 , for example, the touch screen  34  or the programmed computer  14 , and moves a push-pin carrier  60  to the desired location. In the preferred embodiment the input device  28  comprises the programmed computer  14  with an application program having a user interface  62 , for example, as shown in part by the screen shot  64  of  FIG. 6 , to guide a user through a devised protocol. 
     The push-pin carrier  60  is shown in part in  FIG. 2  seated on the near side of a support carriage  66  that spans the majority of the width of the base  24  of the housing  18 . The support carriage  66  is an elongated tray-like structure  68  supported at its distal end  70  by a pair of bearing wheels  72 . 
     The distal end  70  has an end plate  74  that supports the ends of two guide rods  76  and  78 , which are shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The push-pin carrier  60  rides on the two guide rods  76  and  78  when traversing the span of the support carriage  66  between distal end plate  74  and an opposite end plate  80 . One of the guide rods  78  passes through the end plate  74  on a bearing  82  as shown in  FIG. 4  and is rotatable. The rotatable guide rod  78  is connected to a smaller diameter actuator rod  84  by spaced strut pins  86  located next to the end plates  74  and  80  that span and interconnect the two rods  78  and  80 . 
     The actuator rod  84  passes through an arcuate aperture  88  in the casing  90  of the push-pin carrier  60  and, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional, perspective view of  FIG. 4 , engages a cam block  92  that is fixed to the push-pin  54 . The cam block  92  has a side slot  94  in which the actuator rod  84  is seated that forms a cam surface to accommodate the arcuate travel of the actuator rod  84  when the rotatable guide rod  78  is rotated. The cam block  92  translates the arcuate displacement as linear motion to the attached push-pin  54  which is constrained by bearings  96  in the top and bottom of the casing  90 . In this manner as the guide rod  78  is rotated or pivoted a fraction of a rotation the push-phi  54  is lifted as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . When actuation ceases, the push-pin  54  drops until the cam block  92  rests on the inside bottom of the casing  90 . 
     Actuation of the push-pin  54  at any position of the support carriage  66  in its travel back and forth across a part of the base  24  is accomplished by a shuttle assembly  100  located along part of the edge of the base  24  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The shuttle assembly  100  has a guide casement  102  that contains a shuttle  104 . The shuttle  104  has a guide channel  106  for a tracking wheel  108  on an axle  110  on the end of an arm  112  that is fixed to the pivotal guide rod  78 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . When the shuttle  104  is retracted, the guide channel rises and the tracking wheel  108  translates the elevated shuttle as a pivotal motion to the guide rod  78  and attached actuator rod  84 . Pivot of the actuator rod  84  raises the push-pin  54 . 
     Raising the guide channel  106  by the shuttle  104  is accomplished by horizontal displacement of the shuttle  104  by an actuator motor  114  on the base  24  at one end of the shuttle  104 , as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 7 . The guide channel  106  is suspended at each end by cross pins  116 , which engage slots  118  in the raised ends of the shuttle  104 . The slots  118  are sloped at about a forty-five degree angle such that the shuttle  104  when actuated by the motor displaces horizontally as restrained by the pins  120 , which engage horizontal slots  122  in the guide casement  102 . Horizontal displacement of the guide channel  106  is restrained by the cross pins  116  of the guide channel  106  which extend into vertical slots  124  in the guide casement  102 . 
     The actuator motor  114  has a crankshaft  126  that has an off-center cam wheel  128  that engages parallel plates  130  and  132  at the end of the shuttle  104  such that a half turn displaces the shuttle  104  one direction or the other. Sensors  134  determine the position of the crankshaft  126  and hence the push-pin position by the location of a flag  136  on the crankshaft  126  as shown in the bottom view of  FIG. 5  with the base  24  removed. 
     The actuator motor  114  is in a motor compartment  138  with a pair of bi-directional drive motors  140  and  142  in the drive system  58  for movement of the push-pin carrier  60  by a pair of fixed length drive belts  144  and  146 . The belt path of each of the drive belts  144  and  146  is shown most clearly in  FIG. 5 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the support carriage  66  of the carriage assembly  56  is displaced by the drive belt  144  in a simple loop path around the drive motor drive capstan or wheel  148  and a distal idler wheel  150 . The support carriage  66  is attached at one point on the drive belt  144  by a bracket  152 . The support carriage  66  travels along a guide rail  154  by guide blocks  156 . A sensor  158  tracks the movement of the drive belt  144  by counting traction grooves or markers on the inside of the belt  144 . The sensor data allows the precise position of the support carriage  66  in its back and forth movement along the guide rail  154 . 
     Fore and aft movement of the push-pin carrier  60  on the support carriage  66  is accomplished by a more complicated path of the drive belt  146 . The drive belt loops around the capstan or drive wheel  160  of the drive motor  142 , around a distal first idler wheel  162 , around a second idler wheel  164  on the underside of the support carriage  66 , around a third idler wheel  166  at the distal end of the underside of the support carriage  66  and around a fourth idler wheel  168  next to the second idler wheel  164  before returning to the drive wheel  160  of the drive motor  142 . 
     The push-pin carrier  60  is connected at one point to the drive belt  146  through a slot  170  in the underside of the support carriage by a bracket  172 . A sensor  174  tracks the movement of the drive belt  146 , which is analyzed by a microprocessor in the internal controller  26 . In the case of the positioning of the push-pin carrier  60  and hence the location of the push-pin  54 , the analysis includes an adjustment for the displacement of the support carriage  66 , which otherwise would cause a dislocation of the push-pin carrier  60 . Essentially, the displacement of the drive belt  146  matches the displacement of the drive belt  144  simply to keep the push-pin carrier  60  in one place when the support carriage  66  is displaced. Movement of the push-pin carrier  60  is added to or subtracted from the movement of the support carriage  66  to obtain the desired fore or aft displacement of the push-pin carrier  60 . It is to be understood that commands from the computer  14  are interpreted and executed by the internal controller as control signals to the drive motors  140  and  142  and actuator motor  114  for displacement and actuation of the push-pin  54  up through the screen  50 . 
     The screen shot  64  of  FIG. 6  is illustrative of a visual sequence for moving designated tubes, for example, virtual tube  180  from a designated virtual tube rack  182  in the representation of the tube selector module to a designated virtual tube well  184  in the virtual tube rack  186  in the scanner module. The path line  188  illustrates the location of the actual tube that is to be automatically lifted by the push-pin  54  and retrieved by the user for placement into the actual well in accordance with the programmed protocol. The receiving rack on the scanner module can be easily scanned during the procedure to check that the instructed placement has been successfully accomplished. 
     These and other procedures and features of the lab tube selection apparatus  10  described in the preferred embodiment of this specification can be changed within the limits of the claims without departing from the scope of the invention to which applicant is entitled.