WO2024106654A1 - Simplified production equipment for reagent tubes - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to simplified production equipment for reagent tubes, the equipment quickly dispensing various kinds of reagents in small quantities into tube containers within a clean bench, and then automatically enabling the corresponding containers to be packaged. To this end, the present invention comprises: a main body (100) for controlling the operations of a conveying part (200) and a dispensing/capping module (300); the conveying part (200) for supplying tubes (10) to and withdrawing same from the main body (100) by using a plate jig (210); and the dispensing/capping module (300) for dispensing reagents into the tubes (10) supplied through the plate jig (210), and capping, with caps (20), the tubes (10) into which the reagents have been dispensed.

Description

Reagent tube simple production equipment

The present invention relates to a simple reagent tube production facility that allows quick dispensing of small quantities of various types of reagents into tube containers within a clean bench and then automatic packaging of the containers.

In general, reagent tubes are used for research purposes such as a wide range of blood tests including serum biochemistry tests, serum immune tests, and blood cell tests, molecular diagnosis, various tests, and analysis, as well as for polymerase chain reaction, cell culture, biological reactions, and sample testing. It is a widely used instrument in the fields of medicine and biology, including storage.

These reagent tubes have various sizes and shapes depending on the purpose. Typically, a cylindrical tube with an open top is filled with a liquid or gel-type reagent, and a cap is inserted or covered over the inlet of the tube into which the reagent is dispensed. It has a structure that seals it.

Meanwhile, in the manufacture of reagent tubes, tubes and caps are manufactured, the manufactured tubes are aligned in a predetermined state and put into a dispensing equipment, the dispensing equipment dispenses reagents into the inserted tubes, and caps the tubes on which the reagent has been dispensed. Reagent tubes are produced through a packaging process that assembles.

However, the existing reagent packaging process is optimized for single-type mass production, and even when low-volume production of reagent tubes is required, such as sample production during the development process, the basic infrastructure includes facilities that meet Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Because small quantities of reagent tubes are produced in mass production facilities, there is a problem of requiring a lot of cost to produce and stabilize a certain amount of samples.

In addition, in the past, including the possibility of failure that may occur when developing a small quantity of a large variety of products, there was a problem that the risk of investment could increase due to the cost of development costs in existing mass production facilities.

The present invention is intended to solve the conventional problems by manufacturing an integrated assembly module composed of a dispenser, a pre-assembler, and a capping machine, and each function module has a sensing/communication system that can monitor the operating status independently. The purpose is to provide a simple reagent tube production facility that allows easy production of a variety of reagents in small quantities within a clean bench by making it easy to add/separate/expand modules for each function as needed.

In addition, the purpose of the present invention is to simultaneously proceed with the dispensing, provisional assembly, and capping of the integrated assembly module within the input tube, allowing the process to proceed as many units as the number of units in which one or more modules are installed, thereby enabling the rapid and continuous production of finished products. there is.

In addition, the purpose of the present invention is to develop a pre-assembly machine and a capping machine in the form of an integrated module so that the capping process can be performed efficiently and the structure of the module can be simplified.

To solve this purpose, the present invention;

a main body that controls the operation of the transfer unit and dispensing/capping module;

a transport unit that supplies and delivers tubes to the main body using a plate jig;

A simple reagent tube production facility is provided that includes a dispensing/capping module for dispensing reagents into tubes supplied through the plate jig and capping the tubes into which the reagents are dispensed.

According to the present invention, by providing a simple production facility for reagent tubes, it is possible to eliminate restrictions on producing small quantities of samples or products of various varieties during the development process, reduce development costs, etc., and enable production of small quantities of various varieties at any time. It has the effect of having process flexibility that allows products to be produced easily and conveniently.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a simple reagent tube production facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of a dispensing/capping module in the structure of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of a temporary assembly machine in the structure of Figure 1.

Figures 4 to 7 are diagrams of the capping machine in Figure 1.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram of a pre-assembly machine and a capping machine in the form of an integrated module in the configuration of FIG. 1.

The features of the simple reagent tube production facility according to the present invention can be understood through examples described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

Meanwhile, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various embodiments within the scope of the technical field to which the invention pertains, and are not particularly limited to the embodiments described herein.

In addition, in order to clearly explain the present invention, repetitive descriptions of the same or similar components are omitted throughout the specification, parts that are not related to the description in relation to the drawings are not shown in the drawings, and the general configuration is omitted. When describing elements, the drawing symbols for them are omitted.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be examined in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

1 to 8 are diagrams for explaining a simple reagent tube production facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The simple reagent tube production facility (1) of the present invention includes a main body (100) that controls the operation of the transfer unit (200) and the dispensing/capping module (300); a plate jig 210 for supplying and unloading the tube 10 to the main body 100; It is configured to include a dispensing/capping module 300 that dispenses a reagent into the tube 10 supplied through the plate jig 210 and caps the tube 10 into which the reagent is dispensed with a cap 20.

First, the main body 100 is manufactured to a size sufficient to produce a small quantity of various types of reagent tubes 10 in a clean bench, thereby eliminating spatial constraints required for production.

Referring to FIG. 1, the main body 100 has a base 110 on which a transfer unit 200 and a dispensing/capping module 300 are installed.

The base 110 has a space for moving the plate jig 210 of the transfer unit 200 in the X-axis direction and a space for moving the dispensing/capping module 300 in the Y-axis direction.

Meanwhile, the main body 100 is equipped with a control unit and a power unit to control the operation of the transfer unit 200 and the dispensing/capping module 300, and is provided with an LCD display window for displaying drive-related information and convenience of operation, and an emergency button, etc. This can be provided.

In addition, the transfer unit 200 is provided with a plate jig 210 on one upper side of the base 110 of the main body 100 so that it can be moved to the position of the dispensing/capping module 300, and is seated on the plate jig 210. It supplies a plurality of tubes 10 and carries out the tubes 10 on which the work of the dispensing/capping module 300 has been completed.

Referring to FIG. 1, the transport unit 200 is equipped with a rectangular plate jig 210, and the plate jig 210 provides a space in which a number of tubes 10 are arranged at regular intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions.

At this time, the tube 10 placed on the plate jig 210 can be replaced with a microplate (microplate, microtiter plates, microwell plate, or multiwell plate), and can be any type of container that can dispense small quantities of various types of reagents. It can be applied, and the seating structure of the plate jig 210 and the tube 10 is not particularly limited.

In addition, the transport unit 200 further includes a first rail unit 220 that reciprocates the plate jig 210 in the X-axis direction of the main body 100.

The first rail part 220 can be equipped with a device that provides a linear movement force, such as an actuator or a rack, and the first rail part 220 is installed to provide a movement force in the X-axis direction of the main body 100. , As the plate jig 210 is coupled to the upper part of the first rail portion 220, the plate jig 210 can be reciprocated in the X-axis direction of the main body 100.

At this time, the reciprocating movement of the first rail portion 220 corresponds to the supply and unloading process of the tube 10 mounted on the plate jig 210.

And the dispensing/capping module 300 dispenses a reagent into the tube 10 when the tube 10 mounted on the plate jig 210 is supplied through the transfer unit 200, and the tube 10 into which the reagent is dispensed is supplied. It functions to automatically perform the capping process of coupling the cap 20 to the inlet.

In addition, the dispensing/capping module 300 includes a second rail unit 310 and a Z rail unit that reciprocates the dispenser 330, the pre-assembler 340, and the capper 400 in the Y-axis direction of the main body 100. A third rail portion 320 is provided to allow reciprocating movement in the axial direction.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the second rail part 310 is provided at a position where the plate jig 210 is supplied to the upper center side of the base 110, and a divider ( 330), the temporary assembly machine 340, and the capping machine 400 are installed and are moved back and forth in the Y-axis direction of the main body 100.

The third rail part 320 is provided vertically on both sides of the second rail part 310 and horizontally supports the second rail part 310 at the top, and the third rail part 320 is The second rail portion 310, on which the dispenser 330, the temporary assembly machine 340, and the capping machine 400 are installed, is moved back and forth in the Z direction.

At this time, the second rail unit 310 and the third rail unit 320 may be equipped with a device that provides linear movement force, such as an actuator or rack.

In addition, the dispensing/capping module 300 has an independent sensing and communication system so that the dispenser 330, pre-assembler 340, and capper 400 can monitor the operating status of each function, The method further includes simultaneously performing a dispensing process, a provisional assembly process, and a capping process on a plurality of tubes 10 while the dispenser 330, the provisional assembly device 340, and the capping device 400 are arranged in a row.

Referring to FIG. 2, the dispenser 330, the pre-assembler 340, and the capping machine 400 are capable of horizontal movement and vertical movement through the second rail part 310 and the third rail part 320, thereby forming the plate. A plurality of tubes 10 mounted on the jig 210 may be simultaneously positioned at each process position.

At this time, the dispenser 330, the provisional assembly device 340, and the capping device 400 each have independent sensing and communication systems, so that the dispensing process, provisional assembly process, and capping process can be performed simultaneously for a plurality of tubes 10. This allows productivity to improve as finished products are produced continuously for each process.

In addition, the dispensing/capping module 300 further includes a dispenser 330 for dispensing the reagent.

The dispenser 330 functions to dispense a reagent to the empty tube 10 mounted on the plate jig 210 when the empty tube 10 is supplied through the transport unit 200.

In addition, the dispensing/capping module 300 further includes a temporary assembling device 340 that temporarily assembles the cap 20 to the tube 10 into which the reagent is dispensed through the dispenser 330.

Here, the temporary assembly machine 340 includes a cap supply magazine 341 in which a plurality of caps 20 are stored; A cap holder 342 through which the caps 20 are sequentially supplied and transferred from the cap supply magazine 341; The cap 20 transported through the cap holder 342 is fixed at an arbitrary angle using a stopper 343a so that the cap 20 is hung at the inlet of the tube 10, and the cap 20 hung at the inlet is A cap positioner (343) for temporarily assembling the cap (20) by pressing it with a stabilizer (343b); an aligner 344 that allows the cap positioner 343 to sequentially supply the tubes 10 in a row to the assembly position; It consists of a cap counter 345 that is optionally provided around the cap positioner 343 and performs a cap supply status and counting function.

Referring to FIG. 3, the cap supply magazine 341 can be mounted on the cap holder 342 in a detachable structure, and when a plurality of caps 20 are inserted in a row and connected to the cap holder 342 while being stored, , the stored plurality of caps 20 are sequentially supplied one by one.

At this time, when the caps 20 stored in the cap supply magazine 341 are exhausted, a new cap supply magazine 341 filled with caps 20 is replaced and the caps 20 are supplied again.

The cap holder 342 sequentially supplies caps 20 through the cap supply magazine 341, and guides the supplied caps 20 to the entrance of the moving tube 10 through the cap aligner 344. Provides a supply channel.

At this time, when the cap 20 is lowered vertically, the cap holder 342 gradually inclines toward the bottom, and when it moves to the tube 10, the cap holder 342 has a final inclination angle of about 15°.

The cap positioner 343 is provided with a plate body having elastic force at the lower end of the cap holder 342 and having an inclination angle of less than 45°. The cap positioner 343 is provided at the lower center side through the cap holder 342. A stopper (343a) for temporarily fixing the transported cap (20) at a certain angle is formed in the form of a protrusion, and the end of the stopper (343a) has a horizontal angle and presses the cap (20) hanging on the tube (10). A stabilizer 343b for temporary assembly is formed.

At this time, the cap positioner 343 inserts the cap 20 temporarily fixed by the stopper 343a on the inlet side of the tube 10 that continuously moves in the aligner 344, thereby positioning the tube 10 into which the cap 20 is inserted. ) is pushed upward while pushing the stopper (343a) upward by the moving force of the aligner 344, and then the cap (20) is moved by the force of the stabilizer (343b), which is lowered again by the elastic force of the cap positioner (343). ) can be pressed to temporarily assemble the cap 20 to the inlet of the tube 10.

The aligner 344 is a rail for continuously transporting a plurality of tubes 10 in a row to the position of the cap positioner 343, and the cap ( When 20) is pre-assembled, the pre-assembled cap 20 is transferred to the position of the capping machine 400 to continue the capping process of the tube 10.

The cap counter 345 is optionally provided around the cap positioner 343 and provides a detection signal obtained by sensing the supplied cap 20 to the control unit of the main body 100 for use, and through this, the cap supply status is displayed. and counting functions can be performed.

And the dispensing/capping module 300 further includes a capping machine 400 that completely assembles the cap 20 temporarily assembled on the tube 10.

Here, the capping machine 400 includes an inner tightening part 410 that presses and secures the outer periphery of the tube 10 on which the cap 20 is provisionally assembled; A capping rotating unit 420 that rotates the cap 20 temporarily assembled on the tube 10 fixed through the inner tightening part 410 in the tightening direction to completely assemble it; It controls the rotation of the capping rotary part 420, and is composed of a driving part 430 that uses an encoder to detect the load of torque during rotation of the capping rotary part 420.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, the inner tightening part 410 has an opening and closing slide 411 having an inclined surface protruding toward the lower inner side, a driving part 430 and a capping rotating part 420 are coupled to the inner side, and the upper end A first opening/closing port (413a) is connected to a vertical drive shaft (412) to move up and down, and is pushed by an opening/closing slide (411) according to the descent of the first opening/closing port (413a) to press and secure the tube (10). A first fastening structure (410a) consisting of one or more fasteners (414);

Alternatively, an opening/closing slide 411 having an inclined surface is formed protruding toward the inside of the lower part, and a second operating unit moves downward according to the downward movement of the driving unit 430 and the capping rotating unit 420, which move up and down through the vertical displacement unit 415. A second tightening structure (410b) consisting of an opening/closing port (413b) and one or more fasteners (414) that press and secure the tube (10) while being pushed by an opening/closing slide (411) as the second opening/closing port (413b) descends. );

Alternatively, a tightening support device 416 that moves up and down and has a first inclined surface 416a on the inside, and one or more tightening devices 416 are provided radially on the outer periphery of the tube 10 inside the tightening device 416, It has a second inclined surface 417a in close contact with the first inclined surface 416a, and is pushed upward by the first inclined surface 416a as the tightening tool 416 descends in the center direction of the tube 10. A third tightening structure (410c) consisting of a plurality of tightening pins (417) gathered together to press and secure the tube (10); You can choose any one of them.

In this case, the first tightening structure 410a has a space where the driving part 430 and the capping rotating part 420 are combined inside the first opening and closing opening 413a, and the driving unit ( 430) and the capping rotating part 420 move up and down, and the upper and lower drive shaft 412, which operates as a cylinder, is connected to the top to move the first opening and closing opening 413a up and down.

The second tightening structure 410b is provided with a vertical displacement part 415 for moving the driving part 430 and the capping rotating part 420 up and down, and the driving part 430 and the capping rotating part ( This structure is such that the capping rotating part 420 lowers the second opening/closing opening 413b while 420 is descending.

At this time, one or more fasteners 414 applied to the first tightening structure 410a and the second tightening structure 410b are each formed in a bar shape in a direction symmetrical to the outside of the tube 10, and the fasteners 414 The tube 10 has a groove on the inside that is pressed and supported, and a spring 414a is inserted between the two fasteners 414 that are symmetrical to each other. When the pushing action is released as the opening and closing slider 411 rises, the spring 414a It is returned to its original position by its elastic force.

In the third tightening structure 410c, the tightening support member 416 is connected to the bottom of the capping rotating part 420 and can move up and down through the capping rotating part 420, and a plurality of tightening pins are provided on the inside of the tightening support tool 416. It is a structure in which (417) is positioned radially on the outer periphery of the tube (10) and can be compressed by gathering a plurality of tightening pins (417) toward the center of the tube (10) by lowering the tightening support member (416).

Referring to FIG. 8, the capping rotating unit 420 rotates the cap 20 temporarily assembled on the tube 10 with the pressing plate 421a using the rotational force of the driving unit 430 to completely rotate the cap 20. A first rotating press to be assembled (421);

Alternatively, a second rotation presser 422 for completely assembling the cap 20 by rotating the cap 20 with the pressing plate 421a inserted into the cap 20 temporarily assembled on the tube 10 using the rotational force of the driving unit 430; You can choose any one of them.

In this case, the first rotation press 421 is connected to the upper end of the reducer 432 of the driving unit 430 and has a pressing plate 421a at the lower end, and the pressing plate 421a is formed by adhesion and contact. To prevent breakage, viscoelastic materials can be formed by attachment or surface treatment.

At this time, a hole for vacuum suction may be formed on the lower inner surface of the pressing plate 421a.

The second rotation pressing hole 422 is connected to the reducer 432 of the driving unit 430 at the top, and a tapered groove 422a into which the cap 20 can be inserted is formed on the inside of the lower end. ) may be formed with concave-convex portions so that they can be momentarily engaged with and supported by the upper edge portion of the cap 20.

At this time, a hole for vacuum suction may also be formed inside the tapered groove 422a.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the driving unit 430 is equipped with a motor 431 that provides rotational power, and a reducer 432 that transmits the rotational force of the motor 431 to the capping rotation unit 420 is used to perform the capping operation. It is connected to the upper part of the rotating part 420.

At this time, the driving unit 430 is equipped with an encoder, and can perform load detection of torque during rotation of the capping rotating unit 420 through the encoder. When a change in torque occurs, the capping rotating unit 420 detects this and caps. Completion of assembly of the cap 20 by the rotating unit 420 can be recognized.

And the dispensing/capping module 300 further includes an integrated module in which the temporary assembly machine 340 and the capping machine 400 are each provided in an integrated housing 440.

Referring to FIG. 8, the housing 440 provides a space in which the temporary assembly machine 340 and the capping machine 400 are each provided, and the cap holder 342 of the temporary assembly machine 340 is located on one side of the housing 440. Formed in the form of a passage, a cap positioner 343 and a cap counter 345 are installed in the cap holder 342 of the housing 440, an aligner 344 is provided at the bottom of the housing 440, and a cap is installed at the top. A supply magazine 341 is installed.

At this time, the driving part 430 and the capping rotating part 420 of the capping machine 400 are installed on the opposite side of the housing 440 where the temporary assembling machine 340 is provided, and the temporary assembling machine 340 and the capping machine ( 400) is provided in the form of an integrated module.

As described above, the present invention has been expressed through the above description and drawings of preferred embodiments, but there is no particular limitation on the terms used to describe the present invention, and the present invention is limited to the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the invention. The embodiments can be changed or modified in various ways at the level of those skilled in the art in the technical field to which the invention pertains, and the invention is not limited to the embodiments in the detailed description and claims.

Claims (10)

a main body that controls the operation of the transfer unit and dispensing/capping module; a transport unit that supplies and delivers tubes to the main body using a plate jig; A simple reagent tube production facility comprising a dispensing/capping module for dispensing reagents into tubes supplied through the plate jig and capping the tubes into which the reagents are dispensed. According to paragraph 1, The dispensing/capping module includes a dispenser for dispensing a reagent; A provisional assembly device for provisionally assembling a cap to a tube into which a reagent is dispensed through the dispenser; A simple reagent tube production facility further comprising a capping machine that completely assembles the cap temporarily assembled on the tube. According to paragraph 2, The dispenser, provisional assembly machine, and capping machine have their own independent sensing and communication systems to monitor the operating status of each function, and the dispenser, provisional assembly machine, and capping machine are arranged in a row to perform the dispensing process and provisional assembly for a plurality of tubes. A simple reagent tube production facility that further includes simultaneously performing a process and a capping process. According to paragraph 2, The temporary assembly machine includes a cap supply magazine in which a plurality of caps are stored; A cap holder through which caps are sequentially supplied and transferred from the cap supply magazine; A cap positioner that fixes the cap transported through the cap holder at an arbitrary angle using a stopper so that the cap is hung at the inlet of the tube, and temporarily assembles the cap by pressing the cap hung on the inlet with a stabilizer; an aligner that sequentially supplies tubes in a row to the assembly position of the cap positioner; A simple production facility for reagent tubes further comprising a cap counter that determines the quantity of caps to be provisionally assembled in the cap positioner. According to paragraph 2, The capping machine includes an inner tightening part that presses and secures the outer periphery of the tube on which the cap is provisionally assembled; a capping rotating part that rotates the cap temporarily assembled on the tube fixed through the inner tightening part in the tightening direction to completely assemble it; A simple reagent tube production facility further comprising a driving unit that controls the rotation of the capping rotating unit. According to clause 5, The inner tightening part has an opening and closing slide having an inclined surface protruding toward the inside of the lower part, a driving part and a capping rotating part are coupled to the inner side, and a vertical driving shaft is connected to the upper end to move up and down, and a first opening and closing port, A simple production facility for reagent tubes, further comprising a first fastening structure consisting of one or more fasteners that press and secure the tube while being pushed by an opening and closing slide as the first opening and closing port descends. According to clause 5, The inner tightening part has an opening and closing slide having an inclined surface protruding toward the inside of the lower part, and a second opening and closing opening that moves downward according to the downward movement of the driving part and the capping rotating part that move up and down through the vertical displacement part, A simple production facility for reagent tubes, further comprising a second fastening structure consisting of one or more fasteners that press and secure the tube while being pushed by an opening and closing slide as the second opening/closing port descends. According to clause 5, The inner tightening part moves up and down, and includes a tightening member having a first inclined surface on the inner side, One or more second inclined surfaces are provided radially on the outer circumference of the tube inside the tightening member, and are in close contact with the first inclined surface. As the tightening member descends, the tube is pushed upward by the first inclined surface. A simple production facility for reagent tubes further comprising a third tightening structure consisting of a plurality of tightening pins gathered toward the center to press and secure the tube. According to clause 5, A simple reagent tube production facility wherein the driving unit further includes detecting a load of torque during rotation of the capping rotating unit using an encoder. According to paragraph 2, The dispensing/capping module is a reagent tube simple production facility that further includes a provisional assembly device and a capping device provided in an integrated housing, respectively, in the form of an integrated module.

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