GB2030535A

GB2030535A - >Device for conveying test sample carriers

Info

Publication number: GB2030535A
Application number: GB7931168A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 1978-09-11
Filing date: 1979-09-07
Publication date: 1980-04-10
Also published as: DE2935740A1; GB2030535B; NL7809225A; FR2435418A1

Abstract

A device for conveying test sample holders one after another to a testing or treatment station comprises a plurality of elongate carriers (15) each capable of carrying a row of test sample holders, a table (1) having two parallel zones (2 and 3) over which the carriers are conveyed in opposite directions by conveyor belts (4 and 5) or other means, and a mechanism located at the end of each zone for transferring the carriers longitudinally from one zone to the other. Each of these mechanisms comprises a plurality of pins (21 and 22) or rollers (30) which are eccentrically connected to a rotary driving member (13) to be driven thereby in an orbital path and which are cooperable in the manner of a Geneva mechanism with open-ended slots or grooves (25) in a longitudinal wall of the carrier at the end of the respective zone to displace that carrier in a stepwise manner from one zone to the other. Each carrier is provided with such slots or grooves, spaced at equal intervals along the carrier. The pins or rollers are so arranged that there is always at least one pin or roller engaging in a slot or groove in the carrier so that the position of the carrier is always fixed between successive displacements. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for carrying test sample carriers The invention relates to a device for conveying test sample holders one after another to a testing or treatment station, comprising a plurality of elongate carriers, each of which is capable of carrying a number of said test sample holders in a row extending longitudinally of the carrier, a table comprising two adjacent parallel zones, means for conveying the carriers in succession in one direction over one zone of the table to a position at one end of that zone and in the opposite direction over the other zone to a position at the opposite end of the latter zone, and a mechanism located adjacent each of said end positions for displacing the carrier in that position in a stepwise manner from one zone to the other in a direction extending longitudinally of the carrier and transversely of the directions of conveyance of the carriers.

Such a device is described in our prior United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 1,519,395. In this earlier device each of the mechanisms for displacing the carriers from one zone of the table to the other comprises a pin or roller which is eccentrically connected to a rotary driving member whereby the pin or roller can be driven in an orbital path wherein lies, when a carrier is in the end position adjacent the respective displacing mechanism, a longitudinal side wall of this carrier in which are formed slots or grooves which extend transversely of said wall and are equally spaced from one another along the wall and which are open at at least one end and with which the pins or rollers are cooperable in the manner of a Geneva mechanism to effect said displacement of the carrier.

This known device has a drawback in that during one half of its orbital motion the single pin or roller is not in engagement with any of the slots or grooves in the relevant carrier, with the result that the carrier is completely released from the displacing mechanism during this period. The carrier is consequently liable to shift under the influence of shocks or inexpert manipulation by the operator, with the result that the pin or roller does not accurately engage in the next slot or groove in the carrier and the carrier is therefore liable to be damaged. Furthermore, the transference of the relevant test sample holder from the carrier to the testing or treatment station is impeded.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for conveying test sample holders one after another to a testing or treatment station, comprising a plurality of elongate carriers, each of which is capable of carrying a number of said test sample holders in a row extending longitudinally of the carrier, a table comprising two adjacent parallel zones, means for conveying the carriers in succession in one direction over the zone of the table to a position at one end of that zone and in the opposite direction over the other zone to a position at the opposite end of the latter zone, and a mechanism located adjacent each of said end positions for displacing the carrier in that position in a stepwise manner from one zone to the other in a direction extending longitudinally of the carrier and transversely of the directions of conveyance of the carriers, wherein each displacing mechanism comprises two pins or rollers eccentrically connected to a rotary driving member, the two pins or rollers being arranged diametrically opposite one another with respect to the rotational axis of the driving member and at equal distances from this axis, and wherein each carrier has a wall extending longitudinally of the carrier and in which are formed slots or grooves each of which extends transversely of the wali and is open at at least one end and which are equispaced along the wall at a distance from each other equal to the distance between the two pins or rollers of each displacing mechanism, each displacing mechanism being so arranged that when a carrier is in the adjacent end position the rotational axis of the driving member of that displacing mechanism is perpendicular to said wall of the carrier and lies in a plane containing said one end of each of the slots or grooves in said wall, and upon rotation of said driving member the pins or rollers connected thereto move along an orbital path in a plane containing said wall of the carrier and cooperate with the slots or grooves therein in the manner of a Geneva mechanism to effect said displacement of the carrier.

In order to enable the device to handle carriers with a different spacing between the slots or grooves, the two pins or rollers of each displacing mechanism may be adjustably connected to the driving member of that mechanism for varying the distance between the two pins or rollers.

The present invention also provides a device for conveying test sample holders one after another to a testing or treatment station, comprising a plurality of elongate carriers, each of which is capable of carrying a number of said test sample holders in a row extending longitudinally of the carrier, a table comprising two adjacent parallel zones, means for conveying the carriers in succession in one direction over one zone of the table to a position at one end of that zone and in the opposite direction over the other zone to a position at the opposite end of the latter zone, and a mechanism located adjacent each of said end positions for displacing the carrier in that position in a stepwise manner from one zone to the other in a direction extending longitudinally of the carrier and transversely of the directions of conveyance of the carriers, wherein each displacing mechanism comprises three or more pins or rollers eccentrically connected to a rotary driving member, the pins or rollers being equispaced about and equidistant from the rotational axis of the driving member, and wherein each carrier has a wall extending longitudinally of the carrier and in which are formed slots or grooves each of which extends transversely of the wall and is open at at least one end and which are equispaced along the wall at a distance from each other equal to the distance, measured in a straight line, between adjacent pins or rollers of each displacing mechanism, each displacing mechanism being so arranged that when a carrier is in the adjacent end position the rotational axis of the driving member of that displacing mechanism is perpendicular to a plane containing said wail of the carrier, and upon rotation of said driving member the pins or rollers connected thereto move along an orbital path in a plane containing said wall of the carrier and cooperate with the slots or grooves therein in the manner of a Geneva mechanism to effect said displacement of the carrier.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device according to an embodiment of the invention with two test sample carriers on it, Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the carriers of the device of Figure 1, drawn in a larger scale and showing the bottom wall of the carrier, and Figure 3 is a perspective view, drawn to an even larger scale, of a displacing mechanism and part of a carrier of another embodiment of the invention.

The reference numeral 1 in Figure 1 denotes a horizontal rectangular table. This table comprises two adjacent parallel zones 2 and 3 in each of which there is arranged a pair of parallel conveyor belts 4 and 5 respectively. The conveyor belts 4 pass round and are driven by toothed rollers 6 which are arranged at both lateral edges of the table, i.e., the edges which extend transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyor belts. The belts 4 are formed with teeth on their inner sides for meshing with the rollers 6. The conveyor belts 5 are driven in a corresponding manner by rollers 7. At one lateral edge of the table, the rollers 6 are connected by a shaft 8 and the rollers 7 by a shaft 9, which shafts carry bevel gearwheels 10, 11 respectively, on their ends which are adjacent each other.These gearwheels mesh with a common bevel gearwheel 12 which is fixed on the shaft of an electric motor 13.

Through this transmission, when the electric motor 13 rotates, the conveyor belts 4 are driven in one direction over zone 2 of the table 1 and the conveyor belts 5 are driven in the opposite direction over zone 3, as indicated by the arrows A and C respectively in Figure 1.

On each pair of conveyor belts 4 and 5 can be placed a number of elongate carriers 15 for carrying test sample holders (not shown). Although only one carrier is shown on each pair of conveyor belts, in the normal use of the device there would be several carriers on each pair of belts. By means of the conveyor belts and further mechanisms to be described later herein which move the carriers from one zone to the other, the carriers are conveyed along a path indicated by the arrows A, B, C, D in Figure 1. In one of the sections Band D of the path is situated a transfer station where the test sample holders are to be transferred one at a time from the carriers to a testing or treatment station.

The carriers are made entirely of a synthetic material and each comprise two side walls 24, a top wall 26 formed with a row of apertures 27 in each of which can be fitted a test sample holder, and a bottom wall 28 (Figure 2) formed with a similar row of apertures 29 through which the test sample holders can be removed from the carrier for transference to the testing or treatment station. The bottom wall 28 is also formed with grooves 25 which alternate with the apertures 29 and each of which extends transversely of the wall 28 and is open at both ends, which ends are located in the planes of the side walls 24 of the carrier. The carriers rest on the conveyor belts through raised portions 16 (shown in Figure 1 but not in Figure 2) provided on the bottom walls of the carriers, each carrier extending transversely of the respective pair of conveyor belts.The conveyor belts 4 convey the carriers 15 in succession over zone 2 of the table 1 to a position at one end of zone 2 which is determined by a stop 18 extending along one lateral edge of the table, and the conveyor belts 5 convey the carriers in succession over zone 3 of the table to a position at the opposite end of zone 3, which position is determined by a stop 17 extending along the other lateral edge of the table. Means other than conveyor belts can be used for conveying the carriers over the zone 2 and 3.

Adjacent each of the stops 17 and 18, between the zones 2 and 3, there is arranged an electric motor 19 whose shaft (not shown) carries a disc 20 on which two pins 21, 22 are eccentrically mounted at diametrically opposed points and at equal distances from the axis of rotation 23 of the disc 20. This axis extends perpendicularly to the bottom wall 28 of the carrier 15 which is in abutment with the respective stop 17 or 18, and extends also in the plane of one of the side walls of that carrier. The grooves 25 in the bottom wall of each carrier are spaced from one another by a distance equal to the distance between the two pins 21 and 22 on each disc 20, and each groove has a width which approximately corresponds to the diameter of the pins 21 and 22.Each disc has a rest position in which the two pins 21 and 22 on the disc engage in adjacent ends of two adjacent grooves 25 in the bottom wall of the carrier 15 which is in abutment with the respective stop 17 or18.

The motors 13 are stepping motors and each rotate the associated disc 20 through 180 at each operation. During this rotation of each disc the pins 21 and 22 on the disc perform an orbital motion through 180 in a plane containing the bottom wall 28 of the carrier 15 which is in abutment with the respective stop 17 or 18. In this orbital motion one of the pins 21 and 22 cooperates in the manner of a Geneva mechanism with the groove 25 in which it engages, and displaces the carrier 15 through one step in a direction extending longitudinally of the carrier and transversely of the directions of conveyance of the carriers over the zones 2 and 3 of the table 1. The other of the two pins 21 and 22 meanwhile leaves the groove 25 in which it engages, and at the end of its orbital motion engages in the respective end of the next but one of the grooves 25 in the carrier 15. This pin then becomes the operative pin in the next rotation of the disc 20 and displaces the carrier through a further step in the longitudinal direction. Thus, there is alwasy at least one pin engaging in a groove in the carrier so that the position of the carrier is alwasyfixed between successive displacements in the longitudinal direction.In a succession of the stepwise displacements, during which the raised portions 16 of the displaced carrier slide along surfaces (not shown) of the table 1 which are flush with the upper surfaces of the conveyor belts 4 and 5, the displaced carrier is transferred from the conveyor belts in one zone of the table to the conveyor belts in the other zone.

These stepwise displacements of the carrier 15 which is in abutment with the stop 17 or 18 adjacent that section B or D of the path of the carriers in which the transfer station is situated bring the test sample holders in that carrier successively to the transfer station, where each sample holder is removed from the carrier th rough the respective aperture 29 in the bottom wall 28 of the carrier and transferred to the testing or treatment station by a mechanism not shown in the drawings.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, each of the mechanisms (only one is shown) for displacing the carriers 15 from one zone of the table 1 to the other comprises two rollers 30 which are mounted on the ends of an arm 31 fixed on the shaft of a motor 13, and which cooperate in the manner of a Geneva mechanism with slots 32 which are formed in one or both of the side walls 24 of each carrier and which are open at their upper ends.

The invention is not limited to the use of two pins or rollers in each displacing mechanism. Each mechanism may have more than two pins or rollers provided that they are equispaced about and equidistant from the rotational axis of the mechanism and the distance between adjacent pins or rollers is equal to the spacing between adjacent grooves or slots in each carrier.

Claims

1. A device for conveying test sample holders one after another to a testing or treatment station, comprising a plurality of elongate carriers, each of which is capable of carrying a number of said test sample holders in a row extending longitudinally of the carrier, a table comprising two adjacent parallel zones, means for conveying the carriers in succession in one direction over one zone of the table to a position at one end of that zone and in the opposite direction over the other zone to a position at the opposite end of the latter zone, and a mechanism located adjacent each of said end positions for displacing the carrier in that position in a stepwise manner from one zone to the other in a direction extending longitudinally of the carrier and transversely of the directions of conveyance of the carriers, wherein each displacing mechanism comprises two pins or rollers eccentrically connected to a rotary driving member, the two pins or rollers being arranged diametrically opposite one another with respect to the rotational axis of the driving member and at equal distances from this axis, and wherein each carrier has a wall extending longitudinally of the carrier and in which are formed slots or grooves each of which extends transversely of the wall and is open at at least one end and which are equispaced along the wall at a distance from each other equal to the distance between the two pins or rollers of each displacing mechanism, each displacing mechanism being so arranged that when a carrier is in the adjacent end position the rotational axis of the driving member of that displacing mechanism is perpendicular to said wall of the carrier and lies in a plane containing said one end of each of the slots or grooves in said wall, and upon rotation of said driving member the pins or rollers connected thereto move along an orbital path in a plane containing said wall of the carrier and cooperate with the slots or grooves therein in the manner of a Geneva mechanism to effect said displacement of the carrier.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the two pins or rollers of each displacing mechanism are adjustably connected to the driving member of that mechanism for varying the distance between the two pins or rollers.

3. A device for conveying test sample holders one after another to a testing or treatment station, comprising a plurality of elongate carriers, each of which is capable of carrying a number of said test sample holders in a row extending longitudinally of the carrier, a table comprising two adjacent parallel zones, means for conveying the carriers in succession in one direction over one zone of the table to a position at one end of that zone and in the opposite direction over the other zone to a position at the opposite end of the latter zone, and a mechanism located adjacent each of said end positions for displacing the carrier in that position in a stepwise manner from one zone to the other in a direction extending longitudinally of the carrier and transversely of the directions of conveyance of the carriers, wherein each displacing mechanism comprises three or more pins or rollers eccentrically connected to a rotary driving member, the pins or rollers being equispaced about and equidistant from the rotation axis of the driving member, and wherein each carrier has a wall extending longitudinally of the carrier and in which are formed slots or grooves each of which extends transversely of the wall and is open at at least one end and which are equispaced along the wall at a distance from each other equal to the distance, measured in a straight line, between adjacent pins or rollers of each displacing mechanism, each displacing mechanism being so arranged that when a carrier in in the adjacent end position the rotation axis of the driving member of that displacing mechanism is perpendicular to a plane containing said wall of the carrier, and upon rotation of said driving member the pins or rollers connected thereto move along an orbital path in a plane containing said wall of the carrier and cooperate with the slots or grooves therein in the manner of a Geneva mechanism to effect said displacement of the carrier.

4. A device for conveying test sample holders one after another to a testing or treatment station, the device being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figure 3, of the accompanying drawings.