RU2790531C2 - Automated device for discharge of containers, equipped with means for collection and discharge of containers by gravity and containing zone for collection of preparation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to medicine, namely to a device for discharge of a container with a blood preparation. The automated device for discharge of containers, intended for extraction of a blood preparation, equipped with means for collection and discharge of containers by gravity, contains a zone for collection of a preparation, as well as a drip unit equipped with at least one support element for support of containers in an upside-down state, wherein the drip unit has two working positions, in the first of which there is a possibility of retention of containers with provision of a possibility of flowing of a preparation to the zone for collection of a preparation, and in the second position, there is a possibility of discharge of the specified containers, wherein in the specified retention position, the specified at least one support element is directed upward from a horizontal shaft of the drip unit.

EFFECT: obtainment of a device for discharge of containers.

13 cl, 11 dwg

Description

The proposed invention relates to an automatically operating device for emptying containers containing a blood product.

Containers with a blood product received from donors are accepted in pharmaceutical laboratories specializing in the production of blood-derived products. Said blood product is delivered frozen to ensure it is kept in optimal condition. Said frozen blood product must be removed from the containers in order to be able to carry out the necessary operations so that the said product can be used in pharmaceuticals.

Currently, in most advanced laboratories, the process of extracting a frozen blood product from appropriate containers is performed automatically. One problem with a frozen blood product is that, due to its physical properties, the withdrawal of a frozen blood product must take place over a long period of time, with time periods during which the emptying device simply waits for the container or containers to empty. . If this process is accelerated, then there is a risk of losing the blood product, which is expensive and scarce.

U.S. Patent Document 2007/0069087 A1 entitled "Device for Lifting and Rotating Containers" describes a device for transporting and emptying containers containing small objects (e.g. syringe plungers, pharmaceutical ampoules, etc.), liquids or powders. in a clean or aseptic room, said device consisting of an articulated arm attached to a support post. The specified articulated arm picks up the container in the receiving area and places the specified container in the fast transfer window located in the emptying station. The disadvantage of this device is that it is not designed to retrieve a frozen drug, and if the said device is used to retrieve this type of drug, then the articulated arm will have to spend a significant amount of time with the container turned upside down, waiting for it to be completely emptied. which makes the process extremely inefficient. In addition, said device can only empty one container per operating cycle, since it is not designed to empty multiple containers at the same time.

The analogue closest to the proposed invention is disclosed in Spanish patent document 2245836 A1, entitled "Procedimento y aparato para el vaciado de recipients de plasmas sanguineo" (Method and device for emptying blood plasma containers). Said document describes a method and apparatus for emptying containers containing blood plasma in a fully automated manner. This process begins with washing, rinsing and drying the filled containers from the outside using a water spray and clean air. Then a batch of filled receivers is formed so that their upper ends can subsequently be cut off at the same time.

After that, a robotic arm, equipped with a special holding tool, grabs a batch of opened containers and places them over a funnel designed to collect a blood product. After placing the containers over the specified funnel, the robotic arm overturns the containers, while the blood product falls into the specified collecting funnel under the action of gravity. One problem with this method is that the robot must remain for some time with the containers upside down waiting for the containers to be completely emptied if the containers are to be completely emptied before they are disposed of. The process of emptying containers containing a frozen blood product is a continuous process, and this short period during which the robot is waiting for the completion of the emptying adds up over time to a significant waste of time and, therefore, to significant losses from an economic point of view. If it is required to reduce the waiting time for the robot to complete the emptying of the containers, then there is a danger of disposing of the containers that still contain the blood product inside. Failure to wait until the container is completely empty will result in a significant economic loss due to the loss of the blood product, as well as an increased risk of contamination.

The purpose of the proposed invention is to eliminate the inefficiency of the known processes for the extraction of a frozen blood product.

The proposed invention solves this problem by adding a drip block containing a plurality of support elements for blood product containers. The specified drip block has two working positions. In the first position, the drip block holds the various containers with blood products upside down, allowing the contents of the container to drain into the funnel to collect the blood product. In the second position, the drip block is rotated until it reaches a position in which the containers fall from the support elements under the action of gravity into the funnel for feeding the used containers to the grinder.

Through the use of a drip block, the robotic arm, instead of waiting for the final emptying of the blood product containers, leaves the drip containers in the drip block after the initial emptying of the containers is completed. In this way, the arm can deliver the next batch of containers while emptying the blood product containers is complete. Before the robot performs the first operation to empty the containers, the drip unit drops said containers, already completely empty, into the funnel for supplying used containers to the grinder, and returns to the hold position to wait for the robot to place the containers on the respective support rods, ensuring that the said containers are completely emptied.

Accordingly, the present invention discloses an automated container emptying device provided with a means for collecting and emptying containers by gravity and containing a drug collection area, as well as a drip unit equipped with at least one element that supports the containers in an upside down state, when In this case, the drip unit additionally has two operating positions, with the first position ensuring that the containers are held so that the drug can flow into the drug collection area, and the second position ensures that these containers are dropped.

One advantage of the present invention is that the incorporation of a drip unit into an automated blood product container emptying device, the drip unit working in conjunction with the rest of the components that make up said automated container emptying device, greatly increases the performance of said device. In addition, the specified drip unit is made and actuated so that it can be easily cleaned and disinfected. Due to the fact that the preparation to be recovered requires a high degree of decontamination, this decision is particularly important.

Preferably, the proposed automated device for emptying containers is an automated device for draining a blood product. More preferably, said blood product is frozen. Preferably said containers are vials.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, the drip block is formed from a longitudinal shaft containing at least one support element. Preferably, at least one support element is a rod. Preferably, the plurality of support rods are located in the same plane perpendicular to the longitudinal shaft. In the drip block holding position, at least one support element is directed upward from the horizontal shaft of the drip block, so that at least one support element can hold at least one blood product container in an upside-down state.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, the rotary module drives the drip unit. In a preferred embodiment of the proposed invention, the specified rotary module contains a pneumatic drive means.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, the shaft at one of its ends contains a cotter pin that fits into a cotter pin hole in a circular drive plate. Said circular drive plate ultimately provides for the transfer of motion from the rotary module to the longitudinal shaft and to a corresponding plurality of its support rods.

In a preferred embodiment of the proposed invention, the shaft contains four support rods. Preferably, the plurality of containers consists of four blood product containers.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the shaft, with its end opposite the cotter pin and drive plate, is inserted into a pivot sleeve, which acts as a reference point for the shaft and a plurality of support bars and, at the same time, assists in its rotation. Said pivot sleeve is in turn mounted in a support plate which, together with its pair mounted with a circular disc, support the drip unit as a whole.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, a circular drive plate is placed inside the disk. Said circular drive plate with its end opposite the end with the cotter pin hole is connected to the output shaft of the rotary module.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, a scraper is located between the circular drive plate and the hole in the disk in which the specified plate is placed, while the scraper prevents the blood product from coming into contact with the rotational module.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, the rotary module is located inside the cylindrical body. Said cylindrical body is attached to the disk by temporary connecting means. Preferably said temporary connecting means are screws.

In one embodiment of the invention, a bushing is disposed between the cylindrical body and the disk, said bushing preferably being made of Teflon and providing a liquid-tight seal.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, means are provided for coordinating the drip unit with means for collecting and emptying containers by gravity. Preferably, said means for collecting and emptying containers by gravity comprise a robotic arm. More preferably, said robotic arm includes a special tool for simultaneously gripping a plurality of blood product containers.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, the drip block is located close to one end of the blood product collection funnel at a higher level than the funnel. In one embodiment of the proposed invention, the funnel for supplying used containers to the grinder is located at the end opposite the funnel for collecting the blood product.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, the drip unit has two operating positions. The first position of the drip block is the position of holding the plurality of containers, and the second position is the position of dropping said plurality of containers. In the first position, the plurality of support rods are slightly inclined relative to the vertical towards the side on which the blood product collection funnel is located, so that when the means for collecting and emptying the containers by gravity leave the containers upside down on the respective support rods, any the plasma that remains inside the containers flows towards the funnel to collect the blood product. In the position of the drip unit for dropping, the used containers fall by gravity into a funnel designed to receive the used containers. In said second operating position, the shaft, together with a plurality of support rods, rotates outward from the funnel for collecting the blood product until it reaches a position in which the containers, already completely freed from plasma, fall by gravity into the funnel to feed the used containers to the grinder. After the containers fall into the funnel supplying the used containers to the shredder, the shaft, along with a plurality of support rods, rotates until it returns to its first position.

Preferably, the drip unit is moved from the holding position to the dropping position by rotation. The rotation for moving from the first position to the second position occurs through the upper plane of the shaft to prevent the containers from accidentally falling into the blood product collection funnel.

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, the automated device for emptying containers contains sensors that determine the position of the drip unit. Preferably, said sensors are located in the rotary module. Said sensors form part of the means for coordinating the drip unit with the means for collecting and emptying the containers by gravity.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, said means for coordinating are intended to ensure that the drip unit is in the position of holding the containers upside down, allowing the drug to flow into the collection area when the means for collecting and emptying the containers by gravity are in the position for collection. the next set of containers to be emptied. Said coordination means also ensure that the drip unit is positioned in the position of dropping the containers when the means for collecting and emptying the containers by gravity are in the position of tipping the containers into the preparation collection area. The aforementioned coordinating means also ensure that the drip unit returns to the container holding position when the container collecting and emptying means by gravity have completed tipping the containers, so that the container collecting and emptying means by gravity can leave the containers on their respective support members for dripping. .

In one embodiment of the proposed invention, all components that may come into contact with the blood product are made of a material suitable for medical use. Preferably, all metal components that may come into contact with the blood product are made of stainless steel suitable for medical use.

In this document, the terms "blood product container" and "blood product container" are used interchangeably and interchangeably. The term "blood product" may refer to raw blood, blood plasma, or other products derived from blood. The terms "robot" and "robotic arm" are interchangeable. The term "automated device for emptying containers of blood product" is equivalent to the term "automated device for emptying containers, provided with means for collecting and emptying containers by gravity and containing a zone for collecting the drug."

To facilitate understanding, explanatory non-limiting drawings are attached showing an embodiment of an automated device for emptying blood product containers in accordance with the proposed invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an automated blood product container emptying device as a whole.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the front of a robot emptying blood product containers.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the back of a robot emptying blood product containers.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a robot placing containers on respective drip block support bars.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the drip unit immediately after dropping the empty containers.

Fig. 6 illustrates the operating cycle of an automated device for emptying blood product containers.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the drip block.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation view of the drip unit in the container holding position.

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of the drip unit in the container dropping position.

Fig. 10 is a front elevational sectional view taken along the line X-X shown in FIG. 9.

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of the drip unit in the container holding position.

In FIG. 1 shows that when a plurality of containers 2 in an upside-down state are in the drip unit 1 in the process of being poured into a collection funnel, the robot 3 holds a second plurality of containers 2 still filled with blood product. This figure shows the drip unit 1 in the container holding position.

In FIG. 2 and 3 show the robot 3 tipping a plurality of containers 2 over a funnel 5 to collect the drug, and gravity-falling the frozen plasma 6 from the containers 2 into the funnel 5. Both figures show that while the robotic arm 3 is tipping the containers 2 , the drip unit 1 is in the container drop position. In FIG. 2 also shows a funnel 4 for supplying used containers to the grinder, into which completely empty containers fall when they are dropped from the drip unit 1.

In FIG. 4 shows that after the containers 2 are overturned by the robot 3, the drip unit moves to the container holding position. This solution enables the robot 3 to place the containers 2 on the corresponding support rods 11 of the drip block after the robot 3 overturns the containers over the drug-collecting funnel 5 to allow the contents of the containers 2 to drain into the funnel 5.

In the container holding position (FIGS. 1 and 4), the plurality of support rods 11 are slightly tilted relative to the vertical towards the funnel 5. In the container dropping position (FIGS. 2 and 3), the plurality of support rods 11 are tilted so that gravity falls already empty containers 2 into the funnel 4 for feeding the used containers into the grinder.

To move from the position of dropping the containers (FIGS. 2 and 3) to the position of holding the containers (FIGS. 1 and 4) and vice versa, the longitudinal shaft 10 and, accordingly, the plurality of support rods 11 rigidly attached to the shaft, rotate. The specified rotation occurs through the upper plane of the shaft 10 to prevent accidental fall of the containers 2 into the funnel 5, which collects the blood product.

In FIG. 5 shows in detail the block, which in this embodiment of the invention is formed from a drip block 1, a funnel 5 for collecting the preparation, and a funnel 4 for feeding the used containers into the grinder. This figure shows the drip unit in the container dropping position. In this position, the longitudinal shaft 10 is rotated by actuation by a rotary module (not shown) until a position is reached where the support rods 11 form an angle allowing the empty containers to fall by gravity into the funnel 4 for feeding the used containers into the grinder. A rotatable module (not shown) that allows rotation of the longitudinal shaft 10 and a plurality of its support rods 11 is located inside the cylindrical body 70.

In FIG. 6 shows in general terms the main steps in the operating cycle of an automated device for emptying containers with a blood product. As can be seen, the first step I begins with the robotic arm 3 tipping over the plurality of containers, allowing the frozen blood product 6 to fall under gravity.

In the second step II, the robotic arm leaves a plurality of containers 2 on a respective plurality of support rods 11, allowing the residual blood product still inside the containers to drain into a drug collection funnel (not shown in this figure).

In the third step III, the drip unit moves to the container dropping position, whereby a plurality of containers 2, already emptied, fall into a funnel (not shown in this figure) to feed the used containers into the shredder. While the drip unit 1 is dropping many containers 2, the robotic arm 3 is tipping the next batch of containers 2.

At the fourth stage IV, after the drip unit 1 drops the containers 2 from the previous batch, the specified drip unit 1 returns to the position of holding the containers, allowing the robotic arm to leave the set of containers 2 of the current batch on the corresponding set of support rods 11, while the blood product flows into the collecting drug funnel (not shown in this figure).

The operating cycle of the automated blood product container emptying device shown in FIG. 6 is repeated cyclically and continuously.

In FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of all the components that make up the drip unit 1. For illustration purposes only, the vial 2 is shown held by one of the support rods 11 rigidly attached to the longitudinal shaft 10. As can be seen in this figure, the shaft 10 has one of its ends placed in rotary sleeve 60, and the other end of the shaft 10 is placed in a circular drive plate 30. The specified circular plate 30 provides the transmission of movement from the rotational module 80 to the longitudinal shaft 10. The circular drive plate 30 is placed inside the circular disk 20. Between the circular plate 30 and the hole of the disk 20 , in which the specified plate is placed, a scraper 90 is located, which prevents the blood product from coming into contact with the rotational module 80. Both the specified circular disk 20 and the rotary sleeve 60 are installed in their respective support plate 50, 50'. Said support plates 50, 50' support the drip unit 1 and all its constituent components.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, a rotatable module 80, which rotates the longitudinal shaft 10 and a plurality of its support rods 11, is housed within a cylindrical body 70. Said cylindrical body 70 is attached to the disk 20 by temporary coupling means (not shown). A sleeve 40 made of Teflon is located between the cylindrical body 70 and disc 20 and provides a liquid-tight seal.

In FIG. 8 shows the drip unit 1 fully assembled. As can be seen from the position of the support rods 11 in this drawing, the drip unit 1 is in the container holding position.

In FIG. 9 shows the drip unit 1 in the position of dropping containers. In this position, the support rods 11 form an angle with respect to the vertical, allowing the container 2 to fall by gravity into a funnel (not shown) for feeding the used containers into the grinder.

In FIG. 10 is a front view in vertical section taken along the line X-X shown in FIG. 9. This figure shows in detail how the various components that make up the drip unit 1 are assembled. In this figure, the drip unit 1 is in the drop position.

In FIG. 11 shows the drip block 1 in a holding position with the containers 2 held upside down by the support rods 11 allowing any residual drug in the vial 2 to drain into a drug collecting funnel (not shown).

While the present invention has been described and shown by way of example, it should be understood that this exemplary embodiment does not in any way limit the present invention, provided that substantially any of the embodiments included directly or in the form of the appended claims equivalent, should be considered as falling under the scope of legal protection of the proposed invention.

Claims (16)

1. An automated device for emptying containers designed to remove a blood product, equipped with means for collecting and emptying containers under the action of gravity and containing a zone for collecting the drug, and also containing a drip unit, equipped with at least one support element for maintaining containers in an inverted upside down state, characterized in that the drip unit has two operating positions, in the first of which it is possible to hold the containers with the possibility of the drug flowing into the drug collection area, and in the second position it is possible to drop said containers, and in the specified holding position the specified at least one support element is directed upward from the horizontal shaft of the drip unit. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one support element is a rod. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drip unit is moved from the holding position to the drop position by turning. 4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the drip unit is driven by a rotary module. 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that said rotary module comprises a pneumatic drive means. 6. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the drip unit in the drop position causes the used containers to fall by gravity into the used container collection funnel. 7. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said means for collecting and emptying containers comprise a robotic arm. 8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is an automated device for extracting a frozen preparation. 9. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said containers are vials. 10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it contains sensors for determining the position of the drip block. 11. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises means for coordinating the drip unit with said means for collecting and emptying containers. 12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that the means of coordination are made so that, when said means for collecting and emptying the containers are in the position of collecting the next plurality of containers to be emptied, the drip unit is in the position of holding the containers upside down, allowing the drug to drain into the collection area, when said means for collecting and emptying containers are in the container tipping position in the drug collection area, the drip unit is in the container dropping position, when said container collecting and emptying means have finished tipping the containers, the drip unit returns to the container holding position, allowing said container collecting and emptying means to leave the containers to drain on the respective drip block support members. 13. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that all metal components that may come into contact with the blood product are made of stainless steel suitable for medical use.

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