AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATED CONDUCT OF ANALYSES, NOTABLY MEDICAL ANALYSES

Abstract

Automatic device for the automated conduct of analyses, notably medical analyses, including: 43. a storage zone for bottles, 44. an automated sampling system for selectively sampling the content of a bottle among those present in the storage zone, 45. a loading zone for introducing a new bottle into the automatic device, 46. an unloading zone for collecting a bottle previously present in the storage zone, 47. a bottle conveyor and storage system, configured selectively and individually to transport a bottle from a location in the storage zone to the unloading zone or from the loading zone to a location in the storage zone.

Claims

1.-21. (canceled)

22. A method of managing a set of bottles in an automatic device, the automatic device including: a storage zone for storing a plurality of bottles, an automated sampling system for selectively sampling contents of respective bottles among the plurality of bottles stored in the storage zone, a first access opening to a loading zone, the loading zone being configured to introduce a new bottle that was not already stored in the automatic device into the automatic device, a second access opening to an unloading zone, the unloading zone configured to enable recovery of a respective bottle of the plurality of bottles that are no longer to be used by the automatic device, a bottle conveyor and storage system, configured selectively and individually to transport a respective bottle among those stored in the storage zone from a first location in the storage zone to the unloading zone and the new bottle from the loading zone to a second location in the storage zone, the bottle conveyor and storage system including at least one storage module defining at least a part of the storage zone and a bottle entry/exit zone to the at least one storage module, the at least one storage module being provided with means for driving bottles within the at least one storage module in a loop, to enable selective positioning of a bottle in the entry/exit zone; the method including: transporting a bottle from the loading zone to the storage zone and disposing the bottle at a predefined location thereof, or transporting a bottle from a predefined location of the storage zone to the unloading zone, the conveyor including a rear belt, the rear belt providing at least a part of the transport from the loading zone to the at least one storage module that has to receive the new bottle, the method including the step consisting in combined movement of the bottles of a module by driving the belt in one direction, until the bottle to be removed from the module is moved onto the rear belt, then moving the belt in the opposite direction to move away the separator that has pushed the bottle onto the rear belt and to free the bottle to allow it to continue on its path by being driven by the rear belt.

23. The method according to claim 22, the method including the step consisting in moving the downstream pusher member into the deployed position and the upstream pusher member into the retracted position, moving a bottle coming from the loading zone until it is pressed against the downstream pusher member, stopping the movement of the rear belt, moving the upstream pusher member into the deployed position, then moving the downstream pusher member to the retracted position and restarting movement of the rear belt so as to position the bottle in front of the storage module that has to integrate it.

24. The method according to claim 22, including the storage of a table of correspondences between identifiers of the bottles present in the module or modules and the locations receiving bottles defined by the module or modules, and updating this table on each movement of bottles within a module.

25. The method according to claim 22, the bottle conveyor and storage system including a conveyor configured to transport the new bottle from the loading zone to the at least one storage module in which it must be stored and the bottle among those stored in the storage zone from the at least one storage module in which it was stored to the unloading zone.

26. The method according to claim 22, the automatic device including a spacing control mechanism for controlling a space between the bottles on the rear belt.

27. The method according to claim 26, the spacing control mechanism including an upstream pusher member and a downstream pusher member mobile between retracted positions enabling the passage of bottles driven by the rear belt and deployed positions blocking the passage of the bottles, the distance between the upstream pusher member and the downstream pusher member being chosen to trap no more than a single bottle between the upstream pusher member and the downstream pusher member when the upstream pusher member and the downstream pusher member are in the deployed position.

28. The method according to claim 27, the distance between the upstream pusher member and the downstream pusher member further being chosen such that when the single bottle abuts against the downstream pusher member, the upstream pusher member can be deployed without being blocked by the single bottle and can move away an immediately adjacent bottle on the rear belt such that the single bottle trapped between the upstream and downstream pusher members is separated from the immediately adjacent bottle by a predefined distance, corresponding to a diameter of the upstream pusher member.

29. The method according to claim 22, the at least one storage module including a belt, carrying separators defining between them housings receiving the plurality of bottles of the storage zone.

30. The method according to claim 29, the belt being tensioned between a front wheel and a rear wheel and the belt having between the front wheel and the rear wheel two rectilinear portions, the at least one storage module including a casing having a curved portion guiding the plurality of bottles of the storage zone present between the separators in their movement around the rear wheel.

31. The method according to claim 29, each separator having two opposite faces that are concave on the outside, matching the curvature of a bottle.

32. The method according to claim 22, the automatic device including a plurality of juxtaposed identical storage modules.

33. The method according to claim 22, the at least one storage module being removably mounted in the automatic device.

34. The method according to claim 33, the at least one storage module being received in a housing including a locking lever on which an operator can act to release the at least one storage module for its removal from the automatic device.

35. The method according to claim 22, the at least one storage module including a plurality of pulleys each carrying at least one permanent magnet, the pulleys being disposed so that each generates as it rotates a rotating magnetic field for driving a stirring rod present in a bottle at a corresponding location on the at least one storage module, the pulleys being driven by a same belt circulating between them.

36. The method according to claim 22, the conveyor including a front belt, the front belt providing at least a part of the transport to the unloading zone.

37. The method according to claim 36, the front belt and the rear belt extending substantially parallel to one another, mounted on drive pulleys rotating about shafts and being moved in opposite directions by the same motor, a transmission enabling coupling of the movements of the drive pulleys.

38. The method according to claim 36, the conveyor including a deflector that expels a bottle driven against it by the rear belt toward the front belt.

39. The method according to claim 36, the path of a bottle driven around a front wheel of the at least one storage module passing over the rear belt.

40. The method according to claim 36, the front belt and the rear belt being parallel to one another.

41. The method according to claim 22, the automatic device comprising an adapter, at least one bottle being of a smaller size and received in the adapter having an outside diameter corresponding to that of bottles of a largest size that can be used.

42. The method according to claim 22, the adapter having an inclined and off-center housing such that the opening of the bottle remains centered.

Description

[0043] The invention will be better understood on reading the following detailed description of one nonlimiting embodiment thereof and examining the appended drawings, in which:

[0044] FIG. 1 is a partial diagrammatic representation in perspective of an automatic device conforming to one embodiment of the invention,

[0045] FIG. 2 represents the automatic device from FIG. 1 after opening the top lid and removing a front panel,

[0046] FIG. 3 represents the conveyor and storage system separately, diagrammatically and in perspective,

[0047] FIG. 4 is a top view of the conveyor and storage system from FIG. 3,

[0048] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the conveyor and storage system,

[0049] FIG. 6 represents the conveyor and storage system after removal of the casing of a module and the protecting bottom plate,

[0050] FIG. 7 represents a constructional detail of a module,

[0051] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the conveyor and storage system,

[0052] FIG. 9 illustrates more particularly the fixing of the separators to the belt,

[0053] FIG. 10 represents separately a first bottle adapter,

[0054] FIG. 11 represents the adapter from FIG. 10 with the bottle in place,

[0055] FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic axial section of a variant bottle adapter, and

[0056] FIG. 13 represents the adapter from FIG. 12 equipped with a bottle.

[0057] The automatic device 1 represented in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a casing comprising a lid 2 at the top and a set of panels on the various sides, including a front panel 3 including an access opening 4a to a zone 71 for loading bottles F and an access opening 4b to an unloading zone 40 enabling recovery of empty bottles F or bottles that are no longer to be used by the automatic device.

[0058] The top lid 2 is for example shown hinged to a frame 5 of the automatic device 1, visible in FIG. 2. This frame 5 serves as a support for a system 10 for conveying samples to be analyzed and a conveyor and storage system 20 according to the invention, enabling movement of the bottles F containing reagents used for the analysis into a storage zone 30 in which the bottles F are stored and selective removal of one or more bottles F from this zone 30 in order to transport them to the unloading zone 40.

[0059] The automatic device 1 includes a pipette system 50 mobile on horizontal rails 51 for sampling the reagents in the bottles F and bringing them into contact with the samples in order to effect the analyses, in a manner known in itself.

[0060] The pipette system 50 is known in itself and is not described in more detail hereinafter, including drive means enabling movement on the rails 51 of a gantry 52 enabling up and down movement of the pipette tool.

[0061] The bottles F have in the upper part a neck O which, if necessary, may be restricted by a flow reducer. This neck defines an opening through which the needle of the pipette tool can pass during sampling.

[0062] The automatic device 1 includes an electronic control circuit enabling automatic control of the functioning of the various motorized mechanism. If necessary, this electronic circuit may communicate with a remote computer, not shown, that enables the display of information relating to the functioning of the automatic device, recovery of the data resulting from the analyses, and action on the functioning of the device.

[0063] The conveyor and storage system 20 is shown more precisely in FIGS. 4 to 9. In the example considered here, this system includes three identical storage modules 60 enabling storage of the bottles F.

[0064] The number of modules 60 may be different, and in a variant in which the number of bottles F is smaller, the system 20 may include only one of them, for example.

[0065] The system 20 also includes a transport mechanism 70 that is coupled to the modules 60 and on the one hand enables a bottle F to be transported from the loading zone 71 to the module 60 concerned and on the other hand enables a bottle ejected by one of the modules 60 to be transported to the unloading zone 40 after use by the automatic device.

[0066] In the example considered here, the transport mechanism 70 includes a front conveyor belt 74 and a rear conveyor belt 73 extending substantially parallel to one another. The belts 73 and 74 are toothed on their interior face, smooth on their exterior face and mounted on pulleys rotating about shafts 75.

[0067] In the example considered here, the belts 73 and 74 are driven by the same motor 77, visible in FIG. 5, a transmission that is not shown enabling coupling of the movements of the drive pulleys. The belts 73 and 74 move in opposite directions.

[0068] A guide rail 78 visible in FIG. 4 is disposed between the belts 73 and 74. This rail 78 has an upper edge 79 directed rearwardly, the distance of which from the rear belt 73 is greater than the height of the body of a bottle F and less than the total height of the bottle, as can be seen in FIG. 4.

[0069] An abutment 80 is disposed at the end of the front belt 74 that is adjacent the loading zone 71, to stop the bottles present thereon.

[0070] The transport mechanism 70 includes a system 90 enabling selective immobilization of a bottle present on the rear belt 73 and control of the spacing between a plurality of bottles F introduced successively into the loading zone 71 and moved by the rear belt 73 toward the modules 60. As shown here, this system 90 may include two upstream and downstream pusher members 91, 93 each actuated by a corresponding electromagnet 92 between a deployed position and a retracted position.

[0071] The front pusher member 93 may remain deployed when the downstream pusher member 91 is retracted, as shown in FIG. 4, until a bottle F comes to bear against the downstream pusher member 93. The rear belt 73 may then be stopped and the upstream pusher member 91 deployed. The separation between the pusher members 91 and 93 is chosen so that the pusher member 91 can be deployed without being blocked by the body of the bottle F abutted against the downstream pusher member 93. The upstream pusher member 91 can move away the immediately next bottle F on the rear belt 73. The bottle F present in the waiting zone 95 situated between the two pusher members 91 and 93 is therefore separated from the next bottle by a predefined distance, corresponding to the diameter of the upstream pusher member 91. To free the bottle F present in the waiting zone 95, the downstream pusher member 93 is retracted, which allows the bottle F to continue its movement, driven by the rear belt 73. The movement of the rear belt 73 is interrupted when the rear bottle F is placed in front of the entry/exit zone of the module 60 that has to recover it. The rear belt portion situated upstream of the upstream pusher member 91 can serve as a buffer zone for accumulating bottles awaiting transfer to the modules 60. The bottles F can slide on the rear belt 73 when the latter tends to driven them against the upstream pusher member 91 and they are not immobilized by the latter.

[0072] The automatic device 1 includes a reader not shown in FIG. 4 enabling reading of an identifier carried by the bottle F present in the loading zone 71, for example a bar code or the like or an RFID chip.

[0073] Each module 60 includes a belt 62 mounted on a front wheel 63a and a rear wheel 63b so as to have between the latter two parallel rectilinear portions 62a and 62b, as can be seen more particularly in FIG. 9. The belt 62 is toothed on its interior surface for driving purposes, and carries externally separators 61, also referred to as cleats, which are for example fixed by gluing or welding to the belt 62. The rear wheel 63b is driven by a motor 64.

[0074] Inside the module 60 the separators 61 along the rectilinear portions of the belt 62 define between them housings 65, also termed compartments, each adapted to receive a bottle F. Each separator 61 has two opposite faces 66a and 66b that are concave on the outside, matching the curvature of the bottle F. The separators 61 have on the side opposite the belt 62 a head 160 the shape of which is adapted to capture a bottle F present on the rear belt 73 in the entry/exit zone of the module 60.

[0075] In particular, the separator 61 can be asymmetric relative to a median plane M intersecting the base 162 of the separator at half-width. As shown here, the head 160 may include an extension 161 that is deeper in the direction D of advance of the belt 62.

[0076] Each separator 61 may be fixed to the belt 62 by a median zone 163 at the level of a tooth 62c of the latter. The base 162 can have at its ends returns 166 toward the belt 62 which limit the clearance from the latter and enable orientation of the separator 61 substantially perpendicularly to the belt 62.

[0077] As can be seen in FIG. 4 in particular, each module 60 includes a casing 68 that is open at the front and curved at the rear so as to guide the movement of the bottles around the rear wheel 63b. The casing 68 has plane vertical walls along rectilinear portions of the belt 62.

[0078] The bottles F may contain a magnetic rod serving as a stirrer. To cause this rod to rotate inside the corresponding bottle, each module 60 may include, as seen in FIG. 6 in particular, a set of pulleys 100 each mounted to rotate about a shaft 102 under a plate 101 constituting the bottom of the housings 65 receiving the bottles. Each pulley 100 carries one or more permanent magnets that are driven in rotation with it so as to create under the plate 101 rotating magnetic fields for driving the magnetized rods in rotation.

[0079] The pulleys 100 are driven by a belt 103 that is driven by a motor 104.

[0080] The plates 101 are preferably aluminum plates.

[0081] Each of the modules 60 may be retained fixedly in place with the aid of a locking system 110 including a lever 111 provided with a locking tooth 112 coming to bear on the top of the plate 101 at the rear of the casing 68. The lever 111 may include, as shown in FIG. 4, a button 113 at its free end, provided for example with an indication reminding the operator that it is necessary to push on it to proceed to unlock the module.

[0082] Each module 60 is attached at the front by pins 170, visible in FIG. 7, which engage in corresponding housings formed in a plate 172 of the transport mechanism 70, visible in FIG. 6 in particular.

[0083] To remove a module 60, for example in order to clean it, the user presses the button 113 of the corresponding locking system 110, which releases the rear edge of the module 60 and enables it to be moved rearwardly to disengage the pins 170 from their corresponding housings. The operator then unplugs the connectors that connect the motors 64 and 104 to the control circuit of the automatic device.

[0084] One of the separators 61 of a module 60 carries a permanent magnet and this module includes a sensor that enables detection of the passage of that separator in the vicinity. This enables a reference to be provided as to the position of the belt 62 on each turn thereof. The motor 64 driving the rear wheel 63b is provided with a coder that also enables the movement of the belt 62 to be known.

[0085] As can be seen in FIG. 4 in particular, the belt 62 is sized so that the separators 61 are disposed in opposed pairs in a pipette configuration, defining two rows of eight housings 65 in the example considered here. A bottle can equally be contained in the rearmost space formed between the rearmost separators 61 of the left and right rows and on the rear belt 73 between the two most forward separators 61 of the left and right rows of the module 60, which increases the total loading capacity per module 60 to 18 bottles in the example considered here. The movement of the belt 62 by a distance corresponding to the spacing w between two median planes M causes the separator 61 present at the front end of the left row to take the place of the one present at the front end of the right row, and that present at the rear end of the right row to take the place of that present at the rear end of the left row, with the direction D of advance shown.

[0086] The conveyor and storage system 20 operates as follows.

[0087] Successive bottles F containing reagents are disposed manually in the loading zone 71 and then transported by the rear belt 73 to the modules 60 intended to receive them. The system 90 described above regulates the spacing between them.

[0088] It is assumed that the module 60 that has to receive this bottle no longer contains any bottle between the separators 61 situated at the front ends of the left and right rows and that the most forward housing 65 of the left row is empty.

[0089] Once a bottle has arrived in front of this module 60, the belt 62 thereof is actuated so that the separator 61 situated at the front end of the left row captures the bottle and drives it into the module 60. The bottle is then contained inside this module in the housing 65 formed between this separator 61, which has just moved over the rear belt 73, and the adjacent separator 61, namely the separator 61 that was previously that at the front end of the right row. During this operation, any bottles F present in the other housings 65 of this module have moved along the straight portions of the belt 62 by a distance w that substantially corresponds to the pitch at which the separators 61 are fixed to the belt. The automatic device takes account of this combined movement of the bottles F present in the module 60 to update a table of correspondences between each of the housings 65 of the various modules 60 at all times and the identity of the corresponding bottles.

[0090] When the belt 62 turns, the bottle present in the rearmost compartment 65 of the right row is driven by a separator 61 at the beginning of the curved portion of the casing 68 and is no longer held between two separators 61. There is therefore an uncertainty as to its precise position and the automatic device is advantageously such that no sampling is effected in this bottle, in order not to risk the pipette tool not being positioned precisely above the opening of this bottle. Sampling is also prohibited from the bottle F that is situated between the two most forward separators 61 of the left and right rows on the rear belt 73. Sampling is therefore preferably effected only in the bottles F that are held between two separators 61.

[0091] To extract a bottle F present at a given location of a module 60, the belt 62 is started and moved a sufficient distance to bring the bottle on the rear belt 73 into the entry/exit zone of the module. The rear belt 73 is advantageously moving during the rotation of the belt 72 in order to generate an opposite force on the bottle F, enabling it to be held against the face 66a of the corresponding separator 61. A plurality of bottles F can be made to move on this rear belt 73 to accompany the movement of the separators 61 around the front wheel 63a.

[0092] When the bottle F to be ejected reaches the end of the rectilinear portion of the belt 62, the separator 61 that has pushed it that far effects only a quarter-turn and the bottle F stops on the rear belt 73. The belt 62 is then driven by a quarter-turn in the opposite direction so that the separator 61 releases the bottle F. The latter can then be driven by the rear belt 73 as far as the end 124 thereof opposite the loading zone 71.

[0093] A deflector 125 is disposed at this end so as to expel the bottle reaching it toward the front belt 74, which is turning in the opposite direction.

[0094] To facilitate transfer from one belt to the other, the rear belt 73 can be raised slightly relative to the front belt 74 and the rear belt 73 can be inclined slightly toward the front belt 74.

[0095] Once the bottle F has arrived on the front belt 74, it may be driven as far as the unloading zone 72 where it may be recovered either manually by the operator responsible for monitoring the functioning of the automatic device or taken up by an auxiliary conveyor system that enables it to be driven to another recovery zone.

[0096] During the sampling of the content of a bottle by the pipette tool, the latter may proceed to a capacitive measurement of the level of the reagent in the bottle by detecting a change of capacitance caused by the immersion of the needle in the liquid. The presence of the aluminum plate 101 tends to facilitate reading this off.

[0097] The automatic device includes means for regulating the temperature of the storage zone 30 by blowing cold air onto the bottom of the modules 60. The fact that the latter are made of aluminum tends to homogenize the temperature. Instead of this or in addition to this the temperature is regulated by conduction, for example using one or more Peltier-effect modules.

[0098] The housings 65 of the storage modules are designed to receive bottles F of the same size. If it is necessary to use bottles of smaller capacity, it may be useful to dispose these bottles in adapters the outside diameter of which corresponds to that of the bottles F intended to be received as such in the housings 65. Examples of such adapters are represented by way of example in FIGS. 10 to 13.

[0099] In the example from FIGS. 10 and 11, the adapter 200 includes a body that defines a housing 201 to receive a bottle F of intermediate size, smaller than those intended to be received directly in the housings 65. This adapter 200 may have an opening 202 that enables the optical reading of an identifier I present on the bottle, for example a bar code. The groove 203 present opposite the opening 202 can receive a spring (not shown) that immobilize the bottle inside the adapter and prevents any rotation of the bottle relative to the adapter when reading the bar code.

[0100] In the example from FIGS. 12 and 13, the bottle is of even smaller size. The adapter 210 is such that the longitudinal axis of the bottle is oriented obliquely with its opening centered, as seen from above, relative to the outside diameter of the adapter.

[0101] The invention is not limited to the example that has just been described. For example, the automatic device is provided with an additional conveyor system on which the bottles to be loaded into the automatic device are deposited one after the other, and this conveyor system feeds the loading zone 71 with bottles.

[0102] A mechanism may be provided to drive rotation of the bottles on themselves during their transportation or in the loading zone so as to facilitate optical reading of an identifier present thereon.

[0103] The transport mechanism 70 may be produced differently, for example with two motors each for driving a corresponding belt, or with a single belt twisted on itself.