JP3704570B2 - Chucking device and sample inspection device provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
【Technical field】
The present invention relates to a chucking device for chucking a desired article, and a sample inspection device configured to handle a desired cylindrical sample storage container using the chucking device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As is well known, there are various sample inspection apparatuses as means for efficiently and semi-automatically analyzing various components of a specimen such as human blood. In such a sample inspection apparatus, the specimen is generally accommodated in a cylindrical container having a shape similar to a test tube, and the container is accommodated in an appropriate rack and is handled upright. On the other hand, the container may need to be removed from the rack. That is, as a means for identifying the specimen contained in the container, for example, a barcode may be displayed on the outer peripheral surface of the container, but in order to properly read the barcode by a reading device, The container may need to be removed from the rack.
[0003]
Therefore, conventionally, a chucking device as shown in FIG. 5, for example, is used as one means for taking out a cylindrical container that is erected and held from the rack. This conventional chucking device is provided with a chucking head 5a having a plurality of downwardly openable / closable chuck claws 55a, and a cam plate is provided below a support rod 90 that supports the chucking head 5a. 91 is provided. A cam follower 94 fixed to a swing arm 93 that can swing in the vertical direction by driving the motor M1 is fitted in the long hole 92 of the cam plate 91, and the swing arm 93 is moved in the vertical direction. The support rod 90 and the chucking head 5a can be arbitrarily moved up and down by swinging them.
[0004]
According to the chucking device configured as described above, the chucking head 5a is lowered so as to approach the upper portion of the cylindrical container 2a, and then the plurality of chuck claws 55a are closed to chuck the upper portion of the container 2a. can do. And if the chucking head 5a is raised after that, the said container 2a can be taken out above the rack 3a.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional chucking device has the following problems.
[0006]
That is, in order to appropriately chuck the container 2a by the chucking device having the above-described configuration, the plurality of chuck claws 55a of the chucking head 5a accurately grip the upper outer peripheral surface of the container 2a. The lowest position of the chucking head 5a is set to the height H of the container 2a. Vs. It is necessary to adjust to the height to meet. On the other hand, the container 2a used in the sample inspection apparatus is not always the same size, and the height H (length) of the container 2a may be variously changed. Therefore, when the height H of the container 2a is changed, it is necessary to change the lowest position of the chucking head 5a accordingly.
[0007]
However, in the conventional chucking device, since the support rod 90 and the swing arm 93 are mechanically coupled, the lifting and lowering dimensions of the support rod 90 and the chucking head 5a and the lifting and lowering dimension of the swinging arm 93 are as follows. Are always in a matching relationship. For this reason, conventionally, when the height H of the container 2a is changed, the support rod 90 and the chucking head are changed by changing the elevation dimension of the swing arm 93, that is, the rotation angle of the drive shaft of the motor M1. The lowest position of 5a must be adjusted. Therefore, conventionally, it is necessary to change the rotation angle of the motor M1 every time the dimensions of the container 2a are changed, so that the control mechanism for that is very complicated and the manufacturing cost becomes very expensive. It was happening.
[0008]
More specifically, conventionally, as a control mechanism for adjusting the lowest position of the chucking head 5a according to the height H of the container 2a, for example, a sensor is used to detect the height H of the container 2a. A control mechanism is employed in which the rotation angle of the motor M1 is controlled with high accuracy in accordance with the height H of the container 2a detected by the sensor, but the configuration of such a control mechanism is considerably complicated. In addition, it is necessary to provide a plurality of sensors so that a plurality of types of containers can be handled, and it is also necessary to set the rotation angle with high accuracy by using an expensive stepping motor as the motor M1. As a result, the cost of the entire control mechanism becomes very expensive.
[0009]
The present invention has been conceived under such circumstances, and a desired chucking object such as a container is height Even if it is changed, various means can be used by means of a simple structure without requiring a complicated control mechanism. height It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to appropriately perform the chucking operation of the chucking object.
[0010]
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.
[0011]
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chucking device including a chucking head having a plurality of downwardly openable / closable chuck claws for gripping an upper portion of a chucking object,
A support member that supports the chucking head and is guided so as to be moved up and down by guide means;
A movable member disposed so as to be able to contact the support member so as to support a weight of the support member and restrict a descending operation due to its own weight;
Drive means for raising and lowering the movable member so that the support member can be moved up and down in conjunction with the movable member when the support member is in contact with the movable member;
Stopper means for contacting the upper part of the chucking object so as to prevent the support member from descending when the support member is lowered and the chucking head approaches the upper part of the chucking object; It is characterized by having.
[0012]
In the present invention, in a state where a desired chucking object is disposed below the chucking head, when the driving member is driven to lower the movable member, the support member that is in contact with the movable member Is moved down by its own weight with the movable member But This can lower the chucking head. Next, when the chucking head approaches the upper part of the chucking object, the stopper means comes into contact with the upper part of the chucking object, and the weight of the support member is increased by the contact between the stopper means and the chucking object. As a result, the support member can be prevented from descending due to its own weight. Therefore, after the stopper means comes into contact with the object to be chucked, even if the movable member is further lowered, the support member is not further lowered along with the movable member. Regardless of the lowered position, the chucking head can be stopped at a height suitable for chucking the upper portion of the chucked object.
[0013]
Thus, after all, in the present invention, there is no need to accurately set the descending dimension of the movable member to a predetermined dimension according to the height of the chucking object, and the height of the chucking object has been changed. Even in such a case, the chucking head is brought to the lowest position suitable for chucking the chucking target object simply by lowering the movable member by a large size so that the stopper means abuts on the upper part of the chucking target object. Can be aligned. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, each time the height of the chucking object is changed, the control mechanism with a complicated configuration for changing the lowest position of the chucking head accordingly is Unnecessary Thus, the special effect of simplifying the configuration of the entire chucking apparatus and reducing the manufacturing cost can be obtained.
[0014]
Of course, in the present invention, after the upper part of the chucking target is chucked by the chucking head, if the movable member is raised and the support member is brought into contact with the movable member, the movable member is raised. Thus, the support member and the chucking head can be raised, and an operation of lifting the chucked chucking object can be appropriately performed.
[0015]
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stopper means is disposed at an inner position in the opening / closing direction of the plurality of chuck claws of the chucking head and is provided so as to protrude downward from the lower surface portion of the chucking head. It can be set as the structure which is a member.
[0016]
According to such a configuration, since the stopper means is provided at an inner position in the opening / closing direction of the plurality of chuck claws of the chucking head, the chucking head is lowered from above the object to be chucked. The stopper means can be properly brought into contact with the upper part of the chucking object. Further, if the stopper means is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the upper part of the chucking object, the stopper means is used when chucking the chucking object by closing the chuck claw of the chucking head. At that time Obstacle This is convenient because it can be appropriately avoided.
[0017]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the sample inspection apparatus includes the chucking device having the above-described configuration, and the chucking object contains a desired sample therein and is rack-mounted. It is characterized by being a cylindrical container held upright.
[0018]
In the present invention, when inspecting a desired sample contained in a cylindrical container that is held upright by a rack, the cylindrical container is appropriately chucked by a chucking device from the rack. Of course, as described above, even if the height of the container is changed, the chucking device has a control mechanism for changing the lifting and lowering dimensions of the movable member one by one. Unnecessary What Next The structure is very simple and can be manufactured at low cost. Therefore, it is advantageous in reducing the size of the sample inspection apparatus incorporating the chucking device and reducing the manufacturing cost.
[0019]
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the supporting member of the chucking device may be provided with a rotational force applying means for rotating the chucking head around a vertical axis.
[0020]
According to such a configuration, after the cylindrical container is chucked by the chucking head, the chucking head is rotated around the vertical axis, thereby performing an operation of stirring the sample accommodated in the container, for example. Can be made. When desired data is displayed on the outer peripheral surface of the container using a barcode or the like, when the data display is read by a predetermined reading device, the data is read while rotating the container. It is also possible to read data accurately.
[0021]
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, data is displayed on the outer peripheral surface of the container to identify the sample, and the container is chucked by the chucking device. Can be configured to include a reader for optically reading the data display.
[0022]
According to such a structure, the required information about the sample accommodated in the container can be obtained by reading the data display provided on the outer peripheral surface of the container with the reading device. Therefore, it is convenient to identify each sample when a large number of samples are continuously inspected. Of course, as described above, when the data display is read by the reading device, the chucked container can be read accurately without being rotated.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[0024]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a sample inspection apparatus A according to the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the chucking device B used in the sample inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG.
[0025]
The sample inspection apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 is for analyzing a sample such as human blood and performing the inspection. The sample inspection apparatus A includes a first inspection apparatus 1A, a second inspection apparatus 1B, and two chucking apparatuses B and B (Ba, Bb) provided corresponding to the two inspection apparatuses 1A and 1B, respectively. ), And various transfer means for sequentially transferring the rack 3 containing the container 2 through a predetermined path to be described later with respect to the two inspection apparatuses 1A and 1B and each chucking apparatus B.
[0026]
The container 2 is called a so-called blood collection tube, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having the same fixed dimensions as the test tube. A specimen is accommodated inside the container 2, and the upper opening of the container 2 is sealed with a stopper 20 as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a label displaying a barcode 21 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the container 2. This bar code 21 is for specifying the main of the sample accommodated in each container 2. The rack 3 can hold a plurality of containers 2 upright.
[0027]
In FIG. 1, each of the first inspection apparatus 1A and the second inspection apparatus 1B is configured to analyze a predetermined component of a sample by liquid chromatography, and one first inspection apparatus. 1A is an apparatus for measuring the concentration of glucose in blood, for example. On the other hand, the 2nd test | inspection apparatus 1B is an apparatus for analyzing the kind of hemoglobin in the blood, for example, and measuring the ratio. The two inspection devices 1A and 1B include a reading device 6 (6A and 6B) for optically reading the barcode 21 of the container 2 when the container 2 is lifted above the rack 3 by the chucking device B. Is provided.
[0028]
The two inspection apparatuses 1A and 1B also include sampling apparatuses 10A and 10B for sampling a predetermined amount of the sample in the container 2 when the rack 3 is transferred to a predetermined position. Each of these sampling devices 10A and 10B has a configuration in which a hollow needle 12 having a sharp tip is connected to a liquid feed pump 11 and these are movable in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. When sampling the specimen in the container 2, the needle 12 is pierced into the stopper 20 of the container 2 and the tip thereof is disposed in the container 2. The specimen in 2 is aspirated and taken out into the needle 12 by a certain amount.
[0029]
As a transfer means for transferring the rack 3 along a fixed path, a total of four sets of conveyor devices 4A to 4D and two pushers 41A and 41B are provided. These transfer means are for transferring the rack 3 containing the container 2 in the directions indicated by the arrows N1 to N7 (except for the arrow N4). Each of the conveyor devices 4A to 4D is configured as a pair of two parallel belts 40 and 40 that circulate and drive in the same direction, and both ends of the rack 3 in the longitudinal direction on the two belts 40 and 40. The rack 3 is transferred in a predetermined direction by placing the part. The pushers 41A and 41B push the rack 3 transferred in the direction of the arrow N1 or the arrow N5 by the conveyor devices 4A and 4C so that the rack 3 is intermittently transferred along the longitudinal direction of the guide plates 43A and 43B. It moves. When the plurality of containers 2 accommodated in the rack 3 are intermittently transferred along the guide plates 43A and 43B by the pushers 41A and 41B, the chucks B are moved below the chucking head 5 described later. At this time, the chucking device B is configured to perform a predetermined work. Similarly, in the process in which the rack 3 is intermittently transferred by the pushers 41A and 41B, the sample in the container 2 is sampled by the sampling devices 10A and 10B of the first inspection device 1A and the second inspection device 1B. It is configured as follows.
[0030]
A supply device 42 such as a conveyor is installed on one side of the sample inspection device A, and the sample 3 is supplied from the supply device 42 onto the conveyor device 4A. A large number of racks 3 are sequentially supplied to the inspection apparatus A. However, the means for supplying the rack 3 to the sample inspection apparatus A is not limited to this. For example, a large number of racks 3 may be sequentially placed on the conveyor apparatus 4A by manual work or the like. Also, a transfer device (not shown) for transferring the rack 3 discharged from one conveyor device 4B onto the other conveyor device 4C is installed between the two conveyor devices 4B and 4C as appropriate. The Therefore, in this sample inspection apparatus A, the racks 3 containing the containers 2 are sequentially supplied from the supply apparatus 42 onto one conveyor apparatus 4A, so that these racks 3 are transferred along a fixed path indicated by arrows N1 to N7. Can be made. However, the rack 3 discharged from one conveyor device 4B may be manually placed on the other conveyor device 4C without providing the transfer device between the two conveyor devices 4B and 4C. Absent.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 2, the chucking device B includes a chucking head 5, a stopper member 54 attached to the chucking head 5, a support plate 50 and a support rod 51 for supporting the chucking head 5, and the support. A guide body 52 that guides the rod 51 so as to be movable up and down, a swing arm 53 disposed below the support rod 51, a first motor Ma for swinging the swing arm 53, and a mounting on the support plate 50. The second motor Mb and other members and equipment described later are provided.
[0032]
The chucking head 5 includes a plurality of downwardly opening chuck claws 55. An actuator 56 such as an air cylinder is connected to the upper portion of the chucking head 5, and the plurality of chuck claws 55 are configured to open and close by driving the actuator 56. The chuck claw 55 is normally set in an open state. The chucking head 5 is rotatably supported by the support plate 50, and is rotatable about the vertical axis by driving the second motor Mb. As specific means for rotating the chucking head 5, for example, the upper portion of the chucking head 5 is drivingly connected to the drive shaft 70 of the second motor Mb via pulleys P 1 and P 2 and a timing belt V. Means apply. As the second motor Mb, a general-purpose and inexpensive motor can be applied, but a detection device for detecting the rotation angle of the drive shaft 70 is additionally provided in relation to the second motor Mb. Is provided. The rotation angle of the drive shaft 70 of the second motor Mb is detected when setting the rotation speed (rotation angle) to a desired rotation speed when the container 2 chucked by the chucking head 5 is rotated. is necessary. As this detection device, for example, a combination of a disc 71 fixed to the drive shaft 70 and a detector 72 for detecting the rotation angle of the disc 71 is applied.
[0033]
The support rod 51 is made of, for example, a pipe material, and the upper end of the support rod 51 is connected to the support plate 50 to support the support plate 50. The guide body 52 has a guide groove 52a into which a block body 73 fixed to a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the support rod 51 is slidably fitted in the vertical direction. The support rod 51 is provided so as to maintain an upright posture in the vertical direction by fitting the block body 73 into the guide groove 52a. The weight of the support rod 51 is not supported by the guide body 52, and the support rod 51 is lowered by its own weight unless the weight is supported by a specific member such as the swing arm 53. Is provided. In the present invention, the means for guiding the support rod 51 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the support rod 51 can be slidably inserted into a cylindrical member extending in the vertical direction to support the support rod 51. A means for standing and holding the rod 51 may be adopted.
[0034]
The swing arm 53 corresponds to an example of a movable member referred to in the present invention. The swing arm 53 includes a roller 58 at the tip and is swingable in the vertical direction by driving the first motor Ma. The swing arm 53 basically has a horizontal plate portion in which the roller 58 is attached to the lower end portion of the support rod 51 regardless of the swing angle position of the swing arm 53. It is provided so as to maintain the state of contacting the bottom surface of 57. Therefore, in a normal time when the horizontal plate portion 57 is in contact with the roller 58, the swing arm 53 supports the weight of the support rod 51, and the support rod 51 is lowered without restriction by its own weight. Is blocked.
[0035]
The stopper member 54 is a member for contacting the upper surface of the stopper 20 of the container 2 when the chucking head 5 is lowered, and is preferably composed of a member having excellent buffering action such as rubber. Yes. The stopper member 54 is supported by a bracket 59 having a substantially L-shaped cross section fixed to the lower surface portion of the chucking head 5, so that chucking is performed at an inner position in the opening / closing direction of the plurality of chuck claws 55, 55. It is provided so as to protrude downward from the head 5. The stopper member 54 is formed in a size that does not cause interference with the chuck claw 55 when the chuck claw 55 is closed.
[0036]
Next, the operation of the chucking device B and the sample inspection device A configured as described above will be described.
[0037]
First, the rack 3 containing the container 2 is supplied to the sample inspection apparatus A, and the rack 3 is transferred to a position before the guide plate 43A by the conveyor apparatus 4A. Thereafter, the rack 3 is intermittently transferred by the pusher 41A. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, the container 2 can be disposed immediately below the chucking head 5 of the chucking device B (Ba). In this state, when the first motor Ma is driven to rotate the swing arm 53 in the direction of the arrow N8 and descend, the support rod 51 whose weight is supported by the swing arm 53 is also moved. The chucking head 5 can be lowered as the moving arm 53 is lowered.
[0038]
When the chucking head 5 is lowered as described above, the chucking head 5 approaches the upper part of the container 2 and the chuck pawl 55 chucks the upper part of the container 2 as shown in FIG. When the height is convenient, the stopper member 54 comes into contact with the upper surface of the stopper 20 of the container 2. Then, the weights of the chucking head 5 and the support rod 51 are supported by the container 2 in contact with the stopper member 54, and the chucking head 5 and the support rod 51 are prevented from further falling due to their own weight. The Rukoto. That is, at a time after the stopper member 54 and the plug body 20 are in contact with each other, even if the swing arm 53 is further lowered, the roller 58 of the swing arm 53 is stopped horizontally. The lowering position of the chucking head 5 is lowered by merely bringing the stopper member 54 into contact with the plug body 20 regardless of the lowering dimension of the swing arm 53, and the lowering position of the chucking head 5 is lowered. 2 can be maintained at an optimum height for chucking.
[0039]
Therefore, as means for setting the lowest descending position of the chucking head 5, it is necessary to adopt means for precisely setting the descending dimension of the swing arm 53 by strictly controlling the rotation angle of the first motor Ma. Disappear. The swing arm 53 may be anything as long as the swinging arm 53 descends with a stroke equal to or higher than the descending stroke until the stopper member 54 located above the container 2 comes into contact with the plug body 20. Even if the height is slightly changed, it is not necessary to change the descending stroke of the swing arm 53 accordingly, and the rotation angle of the first motor Ma can be set very easily. As the first motor Ma, a general-purpose and inexpensive motor can be used as in the second motor Mb. Furthermore, it is not necessary to use a sensor or the like for detecting the height of the container 2.
[0040]
Next, after the stopper member 54 is brought into contact with the stopper 20 of the container 2, the actuator 56 is driven to close the chuck claw 55, thereby chucking the upper outer periphery of the container 2. And after performing this chucking, the 1st motor Ma should be reversed and the rocking | fluctuating arm 53 should just be raised. When the swing arm 53 is raised, the roller 58 comes into contact with the bottom surface portion of the horizontal plate portion 57 of the support rod 51 again and the weight thereof is supported by the swing arm 53. Ascending with the ascending action of 53. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the container 2 can be lifted above the rack 3 by the chucking device B.
[0041]
If the container 2 is lifted in this way, the barcode 21 of the container 2 can be set to a height that faces the reading device 6. For example, when the chucking head 5 is disposed at the highest position, the barcode 21 and the reading device 6 are read so that the barcode 21 and the reading device 6 have substantially the same height. It can be easily performed by adjusting the height of the apparatus 6 in advance or by adjusting the height at which the barcode 21 is provided to the container 2 in advance. In the state where the container 2 is lifted, the chucking head 5 and the container 2 are rotated by driving the second motor Mb. If the container 2 is rotated, when the barcode 21 is read by the reading device 6, the entire periphery of the outer peripheral surface of the container 2 can be made to face the reading device 6. Therefore, the reading device 6 is fixed at a fixed position. Even if it is provided, the bar code 21 can be surely read.
[0042]
When the reading of the barcode 21 is completed, the swinging arm 53 is then lowered to lower the chucking head 5 and return the container 2 into the rack 3. When returning the container 2 into the rack 3, the bottom of the container 2 abuts against the bottom of the rack 3, thereby preventing the container 2, chucking head 5, support rod 51, and the like from descending further. Even if the swing arm 53 is still lowered, the support rod 51 will not be lowered accordingly. Therefore, even in this case, it is not necessary to set the descending stroke of the swing arm 53 in detail, and the container 2 can be lowered so that it can be properly accommodated in the rack 3 simply by keeping the descending stroke large. Can do.
[0043]
After returning the container 2 into the rack 3, the chuck claw 55 is opened to release the container 2 from the chucking head 5, and the next container 2 separately stored in the rack 3 is chucked by the chucking device B. In order to king, the rack 3 may be transferred by a pusher 41A in a predetermined direction by a fixed pitch. The sample stored in the container 2 whose barcode 21 has been read is sampled using the sampling device 10A, and the glucose concentration is measured by the first testing device 1A. With respect to the specimen whose glucose concentration is measured, since the predetermined data is input to the first inspection apparatus 1A in advance by reading the barcode 21 of the container 2, the glucose concentration is correlated with this data. Concentration measurement data can be processed, which is advantageous.
[0044]
In addition, the container 2 for storing the sample for which the glucose concentration measurement has been completed using the first testing apparatus 1A as described above is placed below the chucking device B (Bb) of the second testing apparatus 1B. The barcode 21 is read by the reader 6 by the operation of the chucking device B similar to the series of operations described above. Then, the sample is sampled by the sampling device 10B, and the type of hemoglobin is analyzed and the ratio thereof is measured. This measurement data is also processed in association with the data read by the barcode 21.
[0045]
In the processing by the second inspection apparatus 1B, a method different from that used when sampling the sample by the first inspection apparatus 1A is employed when the sample is sampled. That is, in the case of the glucose concentration measurement performed by the first test apparatus 1A, the sample in the container 2 is not stirred as much as possible, and the plasma collected in the upper layer portion of the sample is sampled. On the other hand, in the case of hemoglobin measurement performed by the second inspection apparatus 1B, it is necessary to perform sampling under conditions in which the specimen is set to a normal blood state. For this reason, in the second inspection apparatus 1B, when the barcode 21 of the container 2 is lifted above the rack 3 by using the chucking apparatus B, the container 2 is rotated twice at high speed, for example. The sample inside is agitated. Then, the sample is sampled after the stirring is completed. As described above, according to the chucking device B, not only the container 2 can be rotated in order to appropriately read the barcode 21, but also a rotation operation for stirring the sample in the container 2 is possible. It is more convenient to perform various analyzes.
[0046]
In the above embodiment, as an example of the sample inspection apparatus including the chucking apparatus, a sample inspection apparatus that combines two inspection apparatuses for measuring the concentration of a specific component of blood has been described as a specific example. The present invention is not limited to this. In the sample inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the specific type of the sample to be inspected, the contents of the inspection, the specific configuration of the parts other than the chucking apparatus, and the like are by no means limited to the above embodiment.
[0047]
In the above embodiment, a specific example of the chucking device according to the present invention has been described using the chucking device incorporated in the sample inspection apparatus as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The chucking device according to the present invention can be applied to uses for chucking various articles.
[0048]
In addition, the specific configuration of each part of the chucking apparatus according to the present invention and the sample inspection apparatus including the chucking apparatus can be varied in design in various ways. The movable member is not necessarily configured as a swing arm that swings in the vertical direction, and may be a member that performs a linear motion in the vertical direction. Further, the drive means for raising and lowering the movable member is not limited to the motor, and other drive means such as an air cylinder may be used as a matter of course. Further, when the support member is lowered by its own weight, the spring's elastic force may be applied in addition thereto. According to such a means, it is possible to appropriately avoid an unstable rise of the support member, which is preferable.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a sample inspection apparatus A according to the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a chucking device used in the sample inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state during operation of the chucking device shown in FIG. 2;
4 is a cross-sectional view showing another state during the operation of the chucking device shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional chucking device.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Container (chucking object)
3 racks
5 Chucking head
6 Reader
20 Plug body
21 Barcode
50 Support plate (support member)
51 Support rod (support member)
52 Guide body (guide means)
53 Swing arm (movable member)
54 Stopper member (stopper means)
55 Chuck claw
A Sample inspection equipment
B Chucking device
P1, P2 pulley (rotation force applying means)
V Timing belt (Turning force applying means)
Ma first motor (drive means)
Mb second motor (rotational force applying means)

Claims (5)

A chucking device including a chucking head having a plurality of downwardly openable / closable chuck claws for gripping an upper portion of a chucking object,
A support member that supports the chucking head and is guided so as to be moved up and down by guide means;
A movable member disposed so as to be able to contact the support member so as to support a weight of the support member and restrict a descending operation due to its own weight;
Drive means for raising and lowering the movable member so that the support member can be moved up and down in conjunction with the movable member when the support member is in contact with the movable member;
Stopper means for contacting the upper part of the chucking object so as to prevent the support member from descending when the support member is lowered and the chucking head approaches the upper part of the chucking object; A chucking device comprising: The said stopper means is a member that is disposed at an inner position in the opening / closing direction of the plurality of chuck claws of the chucking head and that projects downward from the lower surface of the chucking head. Chucking device. The chucking device according to claim 1 or 2 is provided, and the chucking object is a cylindrical container that contains a desired sample therein and is held upright by a rack. Sample inspection equipment. The sample inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the chucking device is provided with a rotational force applying means for rotating the chucking head around a vertical axis. A data display for identifying the sample is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the container, and the data display is optically read to the side of the position where the container is chucked by the chucking device. The sample inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the reading apparatus is provided.

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