JP2010048570A - Rack-positioning device for drug discovery - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rack-positioning device for drug, capable of accurately positioning a rack without damaging the rack and capable of corresponding, even when the shape of the rack is distorted. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of the gripping roller 110, on a fixed side coming into contact with the first side surface of the rack R, are pivoted by a base plate 190; a plurality of the gripping rollers 120 on a moving side capable of coming into contact with and separating from the second side surface opposed to the first side surface of the rack R are pivoted by the gripping roller attaching metal fitting 130, connected to the gripping roller driving mechanism 160 fixed to the base plate 190; a plurality of the grippers 140 on the fixed side, coming into contact with the third side surface crossing the first side surface of the rack R at a right angle are fixed to the base plate 190, and two grippers 150, on the moving side capable of coming into contact with and separating from the fourth side surface opposed to the third side surface of the rack R are fixed to the gripper attaching metal fitting provided to the gripper-driving mechanism 170 fixed to the base plate 190. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drug container storage system used in the field of drug discovery research to identify and store a large number of containers such as microtubes and vials enclosing drug discovery samples. The present invention relates to a drug-developing rack positioning device that positions a rack having a rectangular storage surface in which a plurality of containers such as microtubes and vials enclosing a drug-discovering sample are vertically arranged in a lattice shape.

  Conventionally, in the field of drug discovery research or the like, a solution in which a sample is dissolved is sealed in a cylindrical container called a microtube, and a plurality of microtubes, for example, FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the racks are vertically arranged and stored in racks divided into 96 rows and columns of 8 rows and 12 columns (hereinafter referred to as “96 tube racks”).

  In recent years, in order to accommodate more samples with the same outer dimensions as the 96 tube rack conforming to the SBS (Society for Biomolecular Screening) standard, the total number of 384 partitions in 16 rows and 24 columns has been increased. A rack having the same (hereinafter referred to as “384 tube rack”) is also used. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), in order to increase the capacity of the microtube, the microtube is formed into a square tube shape, and a tube member provided on the bottom side wall of the microtube so that it does not fall out even if the rack is inverted. Engaging the stopper recess and the tube locking protrusion provided on the inner side surface of the storage frame at the bottom of the rack is also performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In order to accurately pick a desired microtube with respect to such a rack using a picking apparatus, it is necessary to accurately position the rack prior to the picking operation. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the inventors hold the short side surface and the long side surface of the rack R with the fixed claws 510 and 520 and the movable claws 530 and 540, respectively. A rack positioning device 500 for positioning the rack R has been developed.
JP 2007-33061 A

  However, in the rack positioning device 500 as described above, for example, if the short side is strongly gripped first by the fixed claw 510 and the moving claw 530, the long side will be gripped by the fixed claw 520 and the moving claw 540. However, since the short side of the rack R is already fixed, there is a problem that the rack R cannot move to a predetermined position and cannot be positioned. In addition, when the long side is first gripped by the fixed claw 520 and the moving claw 540 after the short side is first gripped by the fixed claw 510 and the moving claw 530, There is a problem that the fixed claw 510 and the moving claw 530 slide and the rack R is damaged. Furthermore, when the shape of the rack R is distorted, the rack R cannot be reliably gripped by the fixed claws 510 and 520 and the moving claws 530 and 540, and as a result, the rack R cannot be accurately positioned. .

  Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention, that is, the object of the present invention, can be accurately positioned without damaging the rack, and can be dealt with even when the shape of the rack is distorted. It is providing the rack positioning apparatus for drug discovery.

First, the invention according to claim 1 is a drug rack positioning apparatus for positioning a rack having a rectangular storage surface in a predetermined position for accommodating a plurality of containers enclosing a drug discovery sample vertically in a lattice shape. A plurality of fixed-side gripping rollers that abut on the first side surface of the rack are pivotally supported by a base plate, and a plurality of moving-side gripping rollers that can contact and separate from a second side surface that opposes the first side surface of the rack are A plurality of fixed-side grippers that are pivotally supported by gripping roller mounting brackets that are connected to a gripping roller driving mechanism fixed to the base plate and abut on a third side surface orthogonal to the first side surface of the rack are provided on the base plate. A plurality of moving side gripping tools that are fixedly installed and that can come into contact with and separate from the fourth side surface facing the third side surface of the rack are connected to a gripping tool driving mechanism fixed to the base plate. Money By being fixed to, it is obtained by solving the above problems.
Here, in the present invention, the “base plate” means a fixed plate serving as a reference for positioning the rack.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the drug discovery rack positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the moving-side gripping rollers are independently supported so as to be retractable in a direction opposite to the contact direction with the rack. This further solves the above problem.

  Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the drug discovery rack positioning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the retraction detecting mechanism for detecting the retraction of each of the moving side gripping rollers is provided for each of the moving side gripping rollers. The above-mentioned problem is further solved by being provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the drug positioning rack positioning device for positioning a rack in which a container having a rectangular shape containing a plurality of containers for encapsulating a drug discovery sample in a lattice shape is positioned in a predetermined place, A plurality of fixed-side gripping rollers that are in contact with the first side surface are pivotally supported by the base plate, and a plurality of moving-side gripping rollers that are in contact with and away from the second side surface facing the first side surface of the rack are provided on the base plate. A plurality of fixed-side gripping tools that are pivotally supported by gripping roller mounting brackets that are connected to the fixed gripping roller driving mechanism and that are in contact with a third side surface orthogonal to the first side surface of the rack are fixed to the base plate, A plurality of moving-side gripping tools that can come into contact with and separate from the fourth side surface facing the third side surface of the rack are fixed to a gripping tool mounting bracket that is connected to a gripping tool driving mechanism fixed to the base plate. Because , Gripping the pair of side surfaces of the rack is performed by rollers, for grasping after is movable in a direction along the side, it is possible to reliably rack positioning without damaging the rack.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the drug discovery rack positioning device according to the first aspect, the moving-side gripping rollers are independently supported so as to be retractable in the direction opposite to the contact direction with the rack. As a result, even if the degree of contact with the respective moving side gripping rollers is different, the moving side gripping rollers can be independently retracted to absorb the difference in the degree of contact, so that the rack is slightly distorted. Even if it is, it can be positioned reliably.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in the drug discovery rack positioning device according to claim 1 or claim 2, the retraction detection mechanism that detects the retraction of each of the movement-side gripping rollers includes the movement-side gripping roller. By providing each, it is possible to monitor the retraction of each moving-side gripping roller, so that it is possible to detect problems such as defective rack shapes.

  The present invention relates to a drug positioning rack positioning device for positioning a rack having a rectangular shape in a predetermined position, in which a plurality of containers enclosing a drug discovery sample are vertically stored in a lattice shape, and abuts against a first side surface of the rack. A plurality of moving-side gripping rollers that are pivotally supported by the base plate and that can come into contact with and separate from the second side surface facing the first side surface of the rack are gripping roller drives fixed to the base plate. A plurality of fixed-side grips that are pivotally supported by gripping roller mounting brackets that are provided continuously with the mechanism and that abut on a third side surface orthogonal to the first side surface of the rack are fixed to the base plate, and the third side surface of the rack. A plurality of moving side gripping tools that can come into contact with and separate from the fourth side surface facing the base plate are fixed to gripping tool mounting brackets that are connected to a gripping tool driving mechanism fixed to the base plate. Damage Without can accurately position, moreover, if even if the shape of the rack is distorted as it can handle, manner of its specific implementation, may any be any one.

  For example, the rack targeted by the drug discovery rack positioning device of the present invention is a 96 tube rack or a 384 tube rack, and there is no hindrance to the positioning operation. Even if there is a vial, the positioning operation is not hindered.

  In addition, the gripping roller driving mechanism for moving the moving side gripping roller and the gripping tool moving mechanism for moving the moving side gripping tool of the drug discovery rack positioning device of the present invention can reliably move the moving side gripping roller and move in response to a control signal. As long as the side gripper can be moved, the specific drive mechanism may be any, for example, an electric solenoid, a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, etc. When using an electric solenoid, the power supply line for driving is easier to wire than the hose for supplying compressed air or compressed oil in a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, and most of the driving operation is performed even in a low temperature environment. It is more preferable because it has no effect.

  Furthermore, the number of the fixed side holding roller, the moving side holding roller, the fixed side holding tool, and the moving side holding tool may be two or three or more.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Here, FIG. 1 is a front view of a drug positioning rack positioning device that is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the drug searching rack positioning device shown in FIG. 3 is a side view of the drug discovery rack positioning device shown in FIG. 1 when viewed from the direction of arrow III, and FIG. 4 is a moving side of the drug discovery rack positioning device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view of the gripping roller as viewed from the direction of arrow IV, FIG. 5 is a side view of the moving-side gripping roller shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from the direction of arrow V, and FIG. It is a figure explaining the positioning operation of the tray by a medical rack positioning device.

  The drug discovery rack positioning device 100 of this embodiment carries in and out the microtubes between the outside and the warehouse in an automatic rotating warehouse or the like that stores a large number of racks containing microtubes enclosing a drug discovery sample. When a microtube is replaced using a picking device between a loading / unloading rack used for storage and a storage rack used for storing microtubes on a predetermined shelf in a warehouse, It is used for positioning at the position.

  In the drug positioning rack positioning device 100 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, two fixed-side gripping rollers 110 that are in contact with the first side surface of the rack R are pivotally supported by the base plate 190. A gripping roller mounting bracket 130 in which two moving side gripping rollers 120 that can come into contact with and separate from the second side surface facing the first side surface of the rack R are connected to a gripping roller driving mechanism 160 fixed to the base plate 190. Are fixed to the base plate 190 and are opposed to the third side surface of the rack R. The two fixed-side grippers 140 that are pivotally supported by the base plate 190 and are in contact with the third side surface orthogonal to the first side surface of the rack R are fixed to the base plate 190. Two moving side gripping tools 150 that can come into contact with and separate from the fourth side surface are fixed to a gripping tool mounting bracket 152 that is connected to a gripping tool driving mechanism 170 fixed to the base plate 190.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the moving side holding roller 120 is pivotally supported by a moving side holding roller base 122, and this moving side holding roller base 122 is attached to a linear guide 132 fixed to the holding roller mounting bracket 130. Guided and slidably supported. The floating spring 124 loosely fitted to the spring guide pin 126 urges the moving side gripping roller base 122. As a result, when the moving side gripping roller 120 comes into contact with the side surface of the rack R by the gripping roller driving mechanism 160, the moving side gripping roller 120 moves backward. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pushing amount detection striker 129 attached to the moving side holding roller base 122 interferes with the pushing amount detection sensor 128 installed in the vicinity of the moving side holding roller 120. Thus, it is detected that the movable gripping roller 120 has moved backward. In other words, in this embodiment, the push-in amount detection striker 129 and the push-in amount detection sensor 128 constitute a reverse detection mechanism that detects the reverse of the movable gripping roller 120. Provided on each of the rollers.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a stroke detection striker 181 is attached to the gripping roller mounting bracket 130, and the stroke detection striker 181 interferes with the stroke detection sensor 180 installed on the fixing member of the apparatus. Then, it is detected whether or not the rack R is reliably gripped by the movable gripping roller 120. That is, if the stroke detection sensor 180 does not output a predetermined signal even when the gripping roller driving mechanism 160 is operated, there is a problem in how to place the rack R, the rack R is not of a predetermined shape, etc. When positioning the rack R, it is possible to warn the operator that there is some problem. Since the positioning of the rack R is often performed in a state where the rack R cannot be seen, the fact that the state of the movable gripping roller 120 can be confirmed by the output signal of the stroke detection sensor 180 contributes to the improvement of the reliability of the apparatus. In particular, when the device is used inside an automatic drug warehouse for drug discovery, the effect is enormous.

  Next, the operation of positioning the rack R by the drug discovery rack positioning device 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the rack R is placed in the rack placement area of the drug discovery rack positioning device 100. At this time, the rack R is not in contact with any of the fixed side holding roller 110, the moving side holding roller 120, the fixed side holding tool 140, and the moving side holding tool 150.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the moving-side gripping roller 120 is brought into contact with one side surface of the long side of the rack R by driving the gripping roller driving mechanism 160. As a result, the rack R slides in the direction of the fixed-side gripping roller 110, and the pair of long side surfaces of the rack R is gripped by the two fixed-side gripping rollers 110 and the two moving-side gripping rollers 120. That is, in FIG. 6B, positioning in the Y-axis direction is performed.

  At this time, each of the two moving-side gripping rollers 120 is supported so as to be retractable by the floating spring 124 as described above, so that the rack R can be securely gripped even if the rack R is slightly distorted. . On the other hand, when the output of the push-in amount detection sensor 128 provided on each of the two moving side gripping rollers 120 is output only on one side, that is, when the retraction amounts of the two moving side gripping rollers 120 are greatly different, the rack R The shape is greatly distorted, and it is determined that accurate positioning cannot be performed, and an abnormality is reported to the operator.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the gripping tool driving mechanism 170 is driven to bring the moving side gripping tool 150 into contact with one side surface of the short side of the rack R. The rack R is pushed by the moving side gripping tool 150 and slides in the direction of the fixed side gripping tool 140, and the pair of short side surfaces of the rack R are moved by the two fixed side gripping tools 140 and the two moving side gripping tools 150. Grasped. That is, in FIG. 6C, positioning in the X-axis direction is performed. As a result, the positioning of the rack R is completed. At this time, since the side surface of the long side of the rack R is gripped by the two fixed-side gripping rollers 110 and the two moving-side gripping rollers 120, the rack R can be smoothly fixed without applying excessive force. Since it can slide in the direction of the gripping tool 140, it can be surely positioned at a predetermined position, and even when the rack R slides, the side surface on the long side of the rack R does not rub and the rack R is not damaged. .

  As described above, in the drug discovery rack positioning device 100 of the present embodiment, the two fixed-side gripping rollers 110 that are in contact with the first side surface of the rack R are pivotally supported by the base plate 190 and the first side surface of the rack R is thus supported. Two moving-side gripping rollers 120 that can be brought into contact with and separated from the second side surface facing the base plate 190 are pivotally supported by a gripping roller mounting bracket 130 that is connected to a gripping roller driving mechanism 160 fixed to the base plate 190, and the rack R Two fixed-side grippers 140 that are in contact with the third side surface orthogonal to the first side surface of the rack R are fixed to the base plate 190, and can be brought into contact with and separated from the fourth side surface that faces the third side surface of the rack R. The two moving side gripping tools 150 are fixedly mounted on the gripping tool mounting bracket 152 connected to the gripping tool driving mechanism 170 fixed to the base plate 190, so that a pair of long side sides of the rack R are provided. Conducted gripping sides with rollers, for grasping after movable in the longitudinal direction, it can be reliably positioned in the rack R without damaging the rack R.

  In addition, the drug positioning rack positioning device 100 according to the present embodiment is configured so that the two moving-side gripping rollers 120 are independently supported so as to be retractable in the direction opposite to the contact direction with the rack R. Even if the degree of contact with the two moving side gripping rollers 120 is different, the moving side gripping rollers 120 can move backward independently to absorb the difference in the degree of contact, so that the rack R can be reliably even slightly distorted. The effect is enormous, such as achieving an accurate positioning operation.

  In the above-described embodiment, the side surface on the long side of the rack R is gripped by the gripping roller, and the side surface on the short side is gripped by the gripping tool, but the long side of the rack R is gripped by the gripping tool. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the side surface on the short side is gripped by a gripping roller.

The front view of the rack positioning apparatus for drug discovery of this invention. The side view when the rack positioning apparatus for drug discovery shown in FIG. 1 is seen from the direction of arrow II. The side view when the rack positioning apparatus for drug discovery shown in FIG. 1 is seen from the direction of arrow III. The front view when the movement side holding | grip roller of the rack positioning apparatus for drug discovery shown in FIG. 3 is seen from arrow IV direction. The side view when the moving side holding | grip roller shown in FIG. 4 is seen from arrow V direction. The figure explaining the positioning operation | movement of the tray by the rack positioning apparatus for drug discovery. The front view of the conventional rack positioning device. The perspective view of a microtube and a rack.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Drug discovery rack positioning device 110 ... Fixed side holding roller 120 ... Moving side holding roller 122 ... Moving side holding roller base 124 ... Floating spring 126 ... Spring guide pin 128・ Pushing amount detection sensor 129 ・ ・ ・ Pushing amount detection striker 130 ・ ・ ・ Gripping roller mounting bracket 132 ・ ・ ・ Linear guide 140 ・ ・ ・ Fixed side gripping tool 150 ・ ・ ・ Moving side gripping tool 152 ・ ・ ・ Gripping tool mounting Metal fitting 160 ... Grip roller drive mechanism 170 ... Grip tool drive mechanism 180 ... Stroke detection sensor 181 ... Stroke detection striker 190 ... Base plate R ... Rack

Claims (3)

In the drug discovery rack positioning device for positioning a rack in which a container having a rectangular shape containing a plurality of containers enclosing a drug discovery sample in a lattice shape is positioned at a predetermined position,
A plurality of fixed-side gripping rollers in contact with the first side surface of the rack are pivotally supported by the base plate,
A plurality of moving-side gripping rollers that can come into contact with and separate from the second side surface facing the first side surface of the rack are pivotally supported by gripping roller mounting brackets that are connected to a gripping roller driving mechanism fixed to the base plate. ,
A plurality of fixed-side grips that are in contact with a third side surface orthogonal to the first side surface of the rack are fixed to the base plate,
A plurality of moving side gripping tools that can come into contact with and separate from the fourth side surface facing the third side surface of the rack are fixed to a gripping tool mounting bracket that is connected to a gripping tool driving mechanism fixed to the base plate. A rack positioning device for drug discovery characterized by comprising:   2. The drug discovery rack positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the moving-side gripping rollers are independently supported so as to be retractable in a direction opposite to a contact direction with the rack. The drug discovery rack positioning device according to claim 2, wherein a retraction detecting mechanism for detecting retraction of each of the moving side gripping rollers is provided in each of the moving side gripping rollers.

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