FEEDING APPARATUS

Abstract

The invention relates to a feeding system (10) having a feeding apparatus (30) for conveying laboratory vessels for samples, microorganisms, cell cultures or the like, and a carrier (12) having one or plural holders (16) for storing laboratory vessels, which feeding apparatus (30) has a loading area (36) and an unloading area (46) remote from the loading area (36) in which plural laboratory vessels can be stored in a vertically stacked configuration, with each receiving unit (34) being coupled to an endless conveyor unit (38) which transports the receiving unit (34) from the loading area (36) to the unloading area (46), and in which the carrier (12) can be used to introduce laboratory vessels into one or plural receiving units (34) in the loading area (36), for which purpose the carrier (12) is at least partially slid over the at least one receiving unit (34) which is to be loaded or unloaded, and for this purpose has projections (28, 32) and/or recesses that are associated with the carrier (12) and are provided in the loading area (36) of the feeding apparatus (30), which will result in positive locking of the feeding apparatus (30) and the carrier (12) when the carrier (12) has been inserted in the loading area (36). According to the invention, the carrier (12) has at least two holders (16) and the positive locking of the carrier (12) and the receiving unit (34) in the loading area (36) of the feeding apparatus (30) will allow only a single predefined orientation of the carrier (12) in the loading area (36).

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. Feeding system (10), comprising: a feeding apparatus (30) for conveying laboratory vessels for samples, microorganisms, cell cultures or the like; a carrier (12) includes one or plural holders (16) for storing laboratory vessels; said feeding apparatus (30) has a loading area (36) and an unloading area (46) remote from said loading area (36); plural laboratory vessels are in a vertically stacked configuration in said feeding apparatus (30); a plurality of receiving units (34); each of said receiving units (34) is coupled to an endless conveyor unit (38); said endless conveyor unit transports said receiving units (34) from said loading area (36) to said unloading area (46); said carrier (12) introduces laboratory vessels into said one or plural receiving units (34) in said loading area (36); said carrier (12) is at least partially slid over at least one of said receiving units (34) which is to be loaded or unloaded; said feeding apparatus (30) includes projections (28, 32) and/or recesses in said loading area (36) that are associated with said carrier (12); said projections (28, 32) of said feeding apparatus positively locking said feeding apparatus (30) and said carrier (12) when said carrier (12) is inserted in said loading area (36); said carrier (12) has at least two holders (16) and said positive locking of said carrier (12) and said receiving unit (34) in said loading area (36) of said feeding apparatus (30) allows only a single predefined orientation of said carrier (12) in said loading area (36).

16. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: each of said receiving units (34) are returnable to said loading area (36) by said endless conveyor unit (38).

17. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: each of said receiving units (34) allow stacks (12b) of laboratory vessels (12a) to be inserted only in a defined orientation.

18. Feeding system according to claim 17, further comprising: a mechanical barrier (28, 33) prevents said carrier unit (12) from being oriented improperly.

19. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: a control unit (49) detects and stores the position of said receiving unit (34) in said loading area (36) during loading so that, if necessary, said receiving unit (34) is returned to an original position in said loading area (36) and thus remains associated with a predetermined holder (16) in said carrier (12) introduced into said loading area (36).

20. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: a sensor (28a) in said loading area (36) of said feeding apparatus (30) detects whether said carrier (12) is present in said loading area (36); said sensor (28a) cooperates with said control unit (49) so as to prevent a conveying action of said endless conveyor unit (38) when said carrier (12) is present in said loading area (36).

21. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: an unlocking mechanism (28, 26) for said carrier (12) in said loading area (36); said unlocking mechanism will open said carrier (12) introduced into said loading area (36) if necessary, so that laboratory vessels can be transferred into at least one of said receiving units (34), or said unlocking mechanism will close said carrier so that any laboratory vessels present in at least one of said receiving units (34) can be removed again.

22. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: sensors (54a, 54c) in said loading area (36) detect whether at least one laboratory vessel is present in at least one of said receiving units (34); said sensors (54a, 54c) are optoelectronic sensors such as light barriers.

23. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: protrusions for positive locking of the carrier (12) at the same time also constitute a lateral boundary for the laboratory vessels introduced into at least one of said receiving units (34).

24. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: a single receiving unit (34) only is allocated to a holder of said carrier (12).

25. Feeding system according to claim 22, further comprising: said carrier (12) has a plurality of holders (16) for the laboratory vessels, and that said loading area (36) of said feeding apparatus (30) is constituted by a plurality of receiving units (34); the number of said plurality of said receiving units (34) corresponds to the number of holders (16) of said carrier (12) so that, with said carrier (12) in place, all of said receiving units (34) in said loading area (36) can be loaded or unloaded.

26. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: said endless conveyor unit (38) runs in a path which has linear segments (42a, 42b) and curved segments (44a, 44b).

27. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: at least one entire stack of laboratory vessels can be introduced as a stacked unit from above into said receiving unit (34) by means of said carrier (12).

28. Feeding system according to claim 27, further comprising: four stacked units at a time are introduced into four receiving units (34).

29. Feeding system according to claim 15, further comprising: each laboratory vessel and each stack is marked such that each said laboratory vessel and each said stack can be allocated to a position in said loading area (36) and to a position in said carrier (12).

Description

[0026] Throughout the description, the claims and the drawings, those terms and associated reference signs are used as are listed in the List of Reference Signs which follows below. In the drawings:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective bottom view of the feeding system with a fully loaded carrier in a position before being introduced into the feeding apparatus;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the feeding apparatus with four stacks of Petri dishes loaded into a loading area of the feeding apparatus;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the feeding apparatus with one stack of Petri dishes introduced into an unloading area of the feeding apparatus;

[0030] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the feeding apparatus with a Petri dish held in a transfer area;

[0031] FIG. 5 is an embodiment of the invention with two feeding apparatuses aligned in parallel to one another.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective bottom view of the feeding system 10 comprising a carrier and a feeding apparatus 30. The carrier 12 is filled with Petri dishes 12a that are vertically arranged on top of each other in a stack 12b and is shown in a position before being inserted in the feeding apparatus 30. FIGS. 2 to 4 are views of the feeding apparatus 30 in different loading states thereof.

[0033] A housing 14 of the carrier 12 has four holders 16 arranged in a star-shaped configuration for receiving vertically stacked Petri dishes 12a. The holders 16 are open towards the exterior, but only to such an extent that—while allowing some access from the outside—the Petri dishes 12a can only be removed by vertically sliding them out through an upper loading opening 18a of the holder 16 and no Petri dishes can fall out of the carrier 12. The user can conveniently reach the Petri dishes 12a from the side, but will only be able remove them from above, and the Petri dishes 12a can be safely transported without any danger of them falling out and potentially contaminating the environment. The problem of a Petri dish 12a falling out and cracking open would have serious consequences. It might result in dangerous pathogens being released and contaminating the environment. Moreover, many samples are very precious, e.g. children's bone marrow samples, which need to be handled with the utmost care.

[0034] The loading axes of the holders 16 extend in parallel to each other and to a central axis M of the carrier 12. In the housing 14, at the top 18 of the carrier 12, a loading opening 18a is formed each which is used for loading Petri dishes 12a along the loading axis into the respective holder 16. Similarly, at the bottom 20, an unloading opening 20a is formed in the housing 14 through which the Petri dishes 12a are unloaded.

[0035] For transport and as a protection from accidental unloading of the Petri dishes 12a, a closing mechanism 22 is provided at the bottom 20 of the carrier 12 which closes the unloading openings 20a of the holders 16. The closing mechanism 22 comprises four sliders 24 which cover the Petri dishes 12a inserted in the holders 16 in a closed state of the closing mechanism 22, thus fixing them along the loading axis in a direction toward the bottom 20.

[0036] The sliders 24 are arranged in pairs, and in their closed state, are offset by 90° each relative to each other and arranged concentrically relative to the central axis M of the carrier 12. The two pairs of sliders 24 are coupled to a gear, which is not shown here for the sake of clarity, in particular in the form of a planetary gear, and can be connected to a drive. For a more detailed explanation of the closing mechanism 22, reference is made to German patent application DE 10 2015 207 617.2. In this respect, reference is made to the disclosure of this publication.

[0037] At the bottom 20, a recess 26 is furthermore provided in the housing 14 between two holders 16. A pin 28 which is shown in FIG. 3 and which matches the recess 26 is provided in the feeding apparatus 30. When the carrier 12 is properly inserted in the feeding apparatus 30, this pin 28 will engage the recess 26 in a positive locking manner. The carrier 12 can only be inserted fully provided there is a positive fit between the recess 26 and the pin 28.

[0038] At the same time, when the pin 28 engages the recess 26, the above mentioned gear is activated, which results in a rotatory movement of the sliders 24 arranged in pairs, causing the closing mechanism 38 to be opened or closed. Activation is carried out by means of a microswitch 28a which is located next to the pin 28, see FIGS. 3 and 4, which sends a signal to a control unit 49 that causes a movement of the pin 28 which allows the carrier 12 to be opened or closed. In this embodiment, closing or opening is initiated by the user via an external user interface. However, this is only possible at all provided that the carrier 12 has been inserted properly. For this purpose, the pin 28 is non-rotatably connected to a drive motor 29 which is arranged beneath the feeding apparatus 30. The control unit 49, which will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, actuates the drive motor 29 which causes a rotary movement of the pin 28 which in turn activates or deactivates the closing mechanism 22.

[0039] When a loaded carrier 12 having its closing mechanism 22 in the closed position is inserted in the feeding apparatus 30, rotary movement of the pin 28 will cause the closing mechanism 22 to be opened. Similarly, for example in the case of a defect, an empty carrier 12 having its closing mechanism 22 in the open position can be inserted into the feeding apparatus 30 loaded with Petri dishes 12a, the closing mechanism 22 can be closed via a rotary movement of the pin 28, and the carrier 12 can be removed together with the Petri dishes 12a.

[0040] If the carrier 12 is inserted in an orientation other than the intended one which is defined by the design of the recess 26 and the pin 28 and by position detecting means 32, it will not be possible to fully insert the carrier 12 and opening of the closing mechanism 22 will be prevented.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the feeding apparatus 30 with four stacks 12b of Petri dishes 12a introduced into a loading area 36 of the feeding apparatus 30. The stacks 12b of Petri dishes 12a are accommodated in receiving racks 34 which each consist of three vertical rods 34a that extend in parallel to each other and are uniformly spaced from each other relative to the circumference of the Petri dishes 12a.

[0042] The receiving racks 34 are mounted on an endless conveyor unit 38 which has a drive (not shown in this Figure) and an endless conveyor chain 40. The conveyor chain 40 runs in a path that has two parallel linear segments 42a, 42b, of which segment 42b can be better viewed in FIG. 3, and two curved segments 44a, 44b. More specifically, segment 44a adjacent to the loading area 36, and curved segment 44b extends adjacent to the unloading area 46 which adjoins the loading area 36, which curved segment 44b is not visible in the perspective chosen for the Figures. The endless conveyor unit 38 is attached to a base plate 31 of the feeding apparatus 30. Moreover, a home switch is provided for finding the home position of the endless conveyor unit 38. For this purpose, a reflector in the form of a small plate is attached to the conveyor chain 40, which reflector cooperates with a forked light barrier. When the reflector passes through the forked light barrier, the endless conveyor unit 38 is in the home position. The reflector and the forked light barrier are arranged accordingly.

[0043] A drive motor 48, part of which can be viewed in FIG. 1 beneath the feeding apparatus 30, is provided for driving the endless conveyor unit 38 and is connected to the control unit 49 in a conventional manner. The drive motor 48 is located on the base plate, see FIG. 3, on the bottom side the transmission gear 48a can be viewed which uses gears and a toothed belt. The drive motor 48 can be used to move the conveyor chain 40 together with the receiving racks 34 mounted on it both in a clockwise and a counterclockwise direction. In the loading area 36 of the feeding apparatus 30, the position detection means 32 is mounted on the endless conveyor unit 38. Inserting a carrier 12 in the loading area 36 will activate the microswitch 28a which will send a signal to the control unit 49, which will then block the drive motor 48, thus preventing movement of the endless conveyor unit 38 with the carrier 12 in place. The pin 28 as well as the position detection means will prevent full insertion of the carrier in a direction other than the specified one. The microswitch 28a, see FIG. 3, both prevents movement of the conveyor unit and also only allows loading and/or unloading of the carrier in the active state.

[0044] After removal of the carrier 12, with the Petri dishes 12a remaining in the feeding apparatus 30, there will no longer be a signal from the microswitch 28a, and the control unit 49 will release the drive motor 48. Moreover, photoelectric sensors 56c are provided on the base plate 31 in the loading area 36 and are connected to the control unit 49, which sensors 56c will detect whether there is at least one Petri dish 12a each in the receiving racks 34 present in the loading area 36.

[0045] Receiving racks 34 filled with stacks 12b of Petri dishes 12a will be conveyed from the loading area 36 to the unloading area 46 in a clockwise direction so that another four empty receiving racks 34 for receiving stacks 12b of Petri dishes 12a from another carrier 12 will be available. The feeding apparatus 30 can thus be loaded with up to eight stacks 12b of Petri dishes 12a at a time. The endless conveyor unit 38 which can be moved both in a clockwise and a counterclockwise direction thus ensures that the stacks 12b of Petri dishes 12a can be processed in the desired order. Moreover, in the case of a defect, it will be possible, depending on the current conveying position, to return the receiving racks 34 faster counterclockwise to the position they had when the carrier 12 was inserted, and to remove the stacks 12b of Petri dishes 12a again in their original orientation relative to each other.

[0046] For the sake of clarity, only one stack 12b of Petri dishes 12a introduced into the unloading area 46 of the feeding apparatus 30 is shown in FIG. 3. A transfer plate 60 which is spaced from the base plate 31 via a linear connecting rail 58 is mounted above the unloading area 46, in parallel to the base plate 31 of the feeding apparatus 30. The transfer plate 60 serves to transfer Petri dishes 12a to another system connected to the feeding apparatus 30, for example an analysis unit, as described below.

[0047] For transporting the Petri dishes 12a from the stack 12b of Petri dishes 12a to the transfer plate 60, a receiving rack 34 loaded with a stack 12b of Petri dishes 12a is moved to the curved segment 44b of the endless conveyor unit 38. At the end associated with the unloading area 46 of the feeding apparatus 30, an elevator fork 50 is provided which in the standby condition is arranged beneath the curved segment 44b of the endless conveyor unit 38. The elevator fork 50 can be best seen in the view of FIG. 1. The elevator fork 50 can be moved vertically along an elevator axis L via an elevator rail 52 mounted on the linear connecting rail 58. The elevator is driven by a conventional electric motor 54 connected to the control unit 49 which is arranged on the side of the elevator rail 52 facing away from the elevator fork 50 and drives the movement of the elevator fork via a toothed belt.

[0048] A photoelectric sensor 56a provided on the connecting rail 58 is likewise connected to the control unit 49. As soon as the photoelectric sensor 56a and the fork light barrier integrated in the base plate 31 detect the presence of a receiving rack 34 loaded with at least one Petri dish 12a in the curved segment 44b of the endless conveyor unit 38 and a corresponding signal is transmitted to the control unit 49, the control unit 49 will control the electric motor 54 to cause it to move the elevator fork 50. The elevator fork 50 then travels along the elevator rail 52 to underneath the stack 12b of Petri dishes 12a and continues with the stack 12b of Petri dishes 12a in the direction of the transfer plate 60.

[0049] The transfer plate 60 has an essentially circular hole 62 whose diameter at 9.4 cm is large enough for Petri dishes 12a of all common sizes to pass through it. The elevator fork 50 travels toward the transfer plate 60 to such an extent that the topmost Petri dish 12a passes through the hole 62 and enters a transfer position TP as illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0050] In the transfer position TP, the topmost Petri dish 12a has completely passed through from the hole 62 at the top of the transfer plate 60 and can thus be moved horizontally on the transfer plate 60. Once the transfer position TP has been reached, this is detected by a photoelectric sensor 56b mounted on the transfer plate 60 which signals it to the control unit 49 that then controls the electric motor 54 so as to stop the vertical movement of the elevator fork 50.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a view of the feeding apparatus 30 having a Petri dish 12a in the transfer position TP. A pusher 64 is mounted on the transfer plate 60 which can be moved along the transfer plate 60 via two rails 66 that extend in parallel. In a starting position SP illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the pusher 64 is above the elevator fork 52, in which it does not cover the area above the hole 62, so that a Petri dish 12a can be moved into the transfer position TP in the above described manner. The pusher 64 will push the Petri dish 12a resting on the elevator fork 50 in the transfer position TP into a transfer direction TD on the transfer plate 60.

[0052] In a state of the feeding apparatus 10 in which it is connected to another system, for example an analysis unit, a conveyor means is arranged at the end of the transfer plate 60 which is remote from the hole 62, which conveyor means takes over the Petri dishes 12a and transports them to a camera chamber, for example.

[0053] As soon as the pusher 64 has moved the Petri dish 12a out of the transfer position TP and the pusher 64 has resumed its starting position SP, the elevator fork 50 continues further along the linear elevator rail 52 in the direction of the transfer plate 60 until the next Petri dish 12a reaches the transfer position TP.

[0054] After the bottommost Petri dish 12a of a stack 12b has been moved onto the transfer plate 60, the elevator fork 50 moves into the above mentioned position underneath the curved segment 44b of the endless conveyor unit 38. Another receiving rack 34 loaded with a stack 12b of Petri dishes 12a is moved to the curved segment 44b of the endless conveyor unit 38. Then the Petri dishes 12a of the next stack 12b of Petri dishes 12a can be transported to the system connected to the feeding apparatus 30.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a view of an embodiment of the invention which has two feeding apparatuses 30 arranged in parallel. Providing plural feeding apparatuses 30 next to each other will allow the receiving capacity of the feeding system 10 to be increased several times over.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0056] 10 feeding system [0057] 12 carrier [0058] 12a Petri dish [0059] 12b stacks of Petri dishes 12a [0060] 14 housing [0061] 16 holder [0062] 18 top [0063] 18a loading opening [0064] 20 bottom [0065] 20a unloading opening [0066] 22 closing mechanism [0067] 24 slider [0068] 26 recess [0069] 28 pin [0070] 28a microswitch [0071] 29 drive motor [0072] 30 feeding apparatus [0073] 31 base plate [0074] 32 position detection means [0075] 34 receiving rack [0076] 36 loading area [0077] 38 endless conveyor unit [0078] 40 conveyor chain [0079] 42a, b linear segments [0080] 44a, b curved segments [0081] 46 unloading area [0082] 47 gearwheel [0083] 48 drive motor [0084] 48a transmission gear [0085] 49 control unit [0086] 50 elevator fork [0087] 52 elevator rail [0088] 54 electric motor [0089] 56a, b, c photoelectric sensors [0090] 58 connecting rail [0091] 60 transfer plate [0092] 62 hole [0093] 64 pusher [0094] 66 rails [0095] L elevator axis [0096] M central axis [0097] SP starting position [0098] TP transfer position [0099] TD transfer direction