JPH09304397A - Sample conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sample conveyor which ensures efficiency by reducing the time (re-examination time) for conveying samples. SOLUTION: A rack feeding part 1 and a rack collecting part 2 are arranged in series, and a rack 3 mounted sample containers 4 each filled with a sample and pushed out of the rack feeding part 1 by means of the lever 11 is fed to a sampling position 35 on the conveyor belt 26 of a feed belt unit. At the same time, the caterpillars 6 of the rack feeding part 1 and the rack collecting part 2 move by one rack, so that the rack 3 fed on a return belt unit 22 is brought to a position where it can be collected. After all the sample containers 4 put in the rack 3 are sampled, the rack 3 is conveyed by an arm 28 from the feed belt unit 21 to the return belt unit 22 and fed to the rack collecting part 2 by the conveyor belt 26 of the return belt unit 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sample transport device for an automatic analyzer, and more particularly to a rack type sample transport device using a rack holding a plurality of sample containers in a line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional rack type sample transport device,
It is described in JP-A-3-33658. As shown in FIG. 9, the configuration of the apparatus is such that a rack feeding section 62 in which a plurality of racks 61 holding a plurality of sample containers 60 in a row are accommodated in parallel, and a rack 61 of the rack feeding section 62.
A transport mechanism section 6 for sequentially transporting samples to the sample sampling position
3, a rack positioning section 64 for positioning the rack 61 at the sampling position, a rack collection section 66 for receiving the rack 61 that has been sampled and is sequentially sent by the reflux transport section 65, and a sample container 60 on the rack 61. It is composed of a sample detection mechanism 67 and the like for confirming the presence or absence. In addition, 68 is an analysis part.

The operation is such that the sample for which sampling has been completed is not stored in the rack collection unit 66 as it is, but is transported to the sampling position again when the analysis result is obtained and reanalysis is required. In addition, the transportation and positioning of each sample to the sampling device is limited to the cycle in which sampling is performed according to the request contents of the analysis item of each sample, and the rack 6
When there is no sample on 1, the sample position is skipped and sent.

[0004]

However, the sample transport apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-33658 has the following problems. It is necessary to wait until the rack 61 for which sampling has been completed displays an analysis result on the reflux transport unit 65. In addition, as a result of analysis, when it is desired to re-inspect immediately, several racks 61 are already waiting in front of the sampling position. Therefore, waiting time is spent until the sampling of the racks 61 waiting is lost, which causes a loss in transport time. It is impossible to perform efficient analysis. Further, the sample transport device is large in order to secure a sufficient length in the reflux transport section 65 so that the rack 61 is not filled up and the next new rack 61 cannot be fed while waiting for the analysis result to appear. Become.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and an object of claims 1 and 2 is to provide an efficient sample transport apparatus. Further, an object of claim 3 is to provide a sample transporting device which enables more automatic sample tests.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides a rack capable of mounting a plurality of sample containers containing a sample, a rack feeding mechanism, and a line-shaped rack conveying mechanism. In a sample transporting device composed of a rack positioning mechanism to a sampling position and a collecting mechanism of a rack after sampling, the rack transporting mechanism is arranged in a loop and the rack feeding mechanism and the rack collecting mechanism are arranged in series. did.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sample transporting device according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the transport means of the rack feeding mechanism and the rack collecting mechanism is composed of a resin-molded belt.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the transport apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the rack feeding mechanism and the rack collecting mechanism are arranged in two rows or a plurality of rows.

The actions of claims 1 and 2 will be described. By arranging the line feeding mechanism using a flat belt in a loop shape and arranging the rack feeding section and the rack collecting section in series, the rack ejected from the rack feeding section is fed to the sampling position by the flat belt. It At the same time, the transport belts (partitioned by the width of the rack) of the rack feeding mechanism and the rack collecting mechanism move by one rack. After sampling all the sample containers in the rack, the rack transports the rack from the transport mechanism section to the reflux transport section, and the flat belt of the reflux transport section uses the flat belt of the rack transport section (the transport belt set at the rack feeding section). Location).

The operation of claim 3 will be described. By arranging the rack feeding section and the rack collecting section in two rows or a plurality of rows, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects, the number of rack sets can be increased, and a large number of continuous sample transportation is possible.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment of the Invention] FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to 6 show a sample transporting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration, FIG. 2 is a front view showing a forced feeding unit, FIG. 3 is a rack feeding section, a rack. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the collecting part, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the caterpillar member, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the forced feeding unit, and FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the lever retracting function.

The sample transport apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rack feeding unit 1, the rack collecting unit 2, the rack compulsory unit 10, and the rack transporting unit 2
0 and the rack positioning mechanism at the sampling position. The rack 3 is a rack for transporting a sample, which is a rectangular parallelepiped capable of holding a plurality of (five in the figure) sample containers 4 in one row. The sample container 4 containing the sample moves on the rack 3. The side surface of the rack 3 is provided with a hole for detecting the type of sample and the presence or absence of the sample container 4, and a barcode label (not shown) for identifying the sample.

The rack feeding section 1 and the rack collecting section 2 are constructed as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, the base 80, which is a component of the rack feeding unit 1 and the rack collecting unit 2, is formed in a box shape and is fixed to a frame (not shown).
A tray 5 for receiving the rack 3 is provided on the upper surface of the base 80 via a spacer (not shown). Drive pulleys 7 provided at both ends of the base 80 are provided on the upper surface of the tray 5. Similar to the drive pulley 7, driven pulleys 8 are provided at both ends of the base 80, as shown in FIG. The upper side of the caterpillar 6 wound as shown in FIG. 3 is arranged between the drive pulley 7 and the driven pulley 8. The caterpillar 6 conveys the rack 3, and the caterpillar member 6a constituting the caterpillar 6 has an L-shape as shown in FIG.
It is molded from resin provided with 8,46. The foot 18,
46 has a lower part formed in a semi-circular shape, and has concave and convex connecting portions 18a, 4 on its outer side surface, respectively.
6a are formed. The connecting portions 18a and 46a are rotatably fitted to the connecting portions 46a and 18a formed on the legs 46 and 18 of the caterpillar member 6a located at the front and rear, respectively. As shown in FIG. The caterpillar 6 is formed by continuously connecting. Base 8
As shown in FIG. 1, the drive pulley 7 provided at one end of the
The shaft of the drive motor 9 fixed to the base 80 is connected via the bracket 81. Notches 19 corresponding to the outer diameters of the legs 18, 46 of the caterpillar member 6a are evenly provided on the outer periphery of the drive pulley 7 so as to mesh with the legs 18, 46. On the other hand, the outer circumference of the driven pulley 8 provided at the other end of the base 80 is circular, and the foot 18,
46 abuts.

By the way, the forced feed unit 1 shown in FIG.
0 indicates the rack 3 in the rack feeding unit 1 as shown in FIG.
1 has a function of sending the rack 3 to the rack transport section 20, and a function of sending the rack 3 from the rack transport section 20 to the rack collecting section 2 as shown in FIG.
Is located in the upper part between the rack feeding section 1 and the rack collecting section 2.

Reference numeral 17 shown in FIG. 2 denotes a column supporting the base 16, the lower end of which is fixed to a frame (not shown). The base 16 is located above the track 6
The base 16 is provided with a guide shaft 13 fixed from both sides by screws (not shown). A housing 12 having a built-in ball bush is slidably attached to the guide shaft 13, and a plate-like lever 11 for pushing the rack 3 in the rack feeding section 1 to a rack transport section 20 is attached to a lower portion of the housing 12. Is attached. The lever 11 penetrates an elongated hole (not shown) provided in the base 16 and projects below the base 16. A toothed belt 14 is arranged above the housing 12, and the toothed belt 14 is fixed to an upper portion of the housing 12 by a fixing member (not shown) and is stretched by pulleys 15 at both ends. The pulley 15 is rotated by the driving force of a motor (not shown).

The mechanism for sending the rack 3 from the rack transfer section 20 to the rack recovery section 2 shown in FIG. 1 has a plate-like shape for pushing the rack 3 from the rack transfer section 20 to the rack recovery section 2, as shown in FIG. The lever 51 is provided, and the lever 51 is inserted through the elongated hole 16 a provided in the base 16 and protrudes below the base 16. The lever 51 is rotatable about a shaft 52 attached to the iterator 50 in the CW direction (direction of arrow A in FIG. 5).
0 and the lever 51 are held. The ita 50 is fixed to the side surface of the housing 55. The housing 55 has a built-in ball bush and is slidable by two parallel guide shafts 56. The guide shaft 56 is fixed to the base 16 with screws (not shown) from both sides, and is provided parallel to the guide shaft 13 shown in FIG.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a toothed belt 57 is arranged above the housing 55.
Is fixed to the upper part of the housing 55 by a fixing member (not shown), and is stretched by pulleys (not shown) at both ends. The pulley is rotated by the driving force of a motor (not shown). A pin 54 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 16, and the pin 54 is provided at a position where it abuts against the lever 51. The housings 12 and 55 are in a parallel positional relationship.

The rack transfer section 20 is, as shown in FIG.
It is composed of a feed belt unit 21 and a return belt unit 22. Reference numerals 23, 24 and 25 are guide rails of the rack 3. The widths of the guide rails 23 and 24 and the widths of the guide rails 24 and 25 are 0.
It is about 5 mm wider. A conveyor belt 26 conveys the rack 3 to a predetermined position. 27 is a drive motor for rotating the conveyor belt 26.

Next, the structure of the advance section for pitch-feeding the rack 3 transported to the rack transport section 20 will be described.
The progress base 70 is fixed to the guide rail 23, and the progress base 70 has two shafts 71.
It is mounted in parallel in the longitudinal direction of 0 and parallel to the guide rail 23. The shaft 71 is provided with a housing 72 having a built-in ball bush corresponding to the outer diameter of the shaft 71, and is smoothly movable in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 71. A belt (not shown) is fixed to the lower part of the housing 72, and the belt is stretched by being stretched around a drive pulley (not shown) fixed to the shaft of the motor 77 and a driven pulley (not shown) located in a straight line with the drive pulley. Has been. In addition, the upper part of the housing 72 has
3 is fixed. An arm 74 having a tip portion located between the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24 is provided on the iter 73.
The arm 74 can receive the tip of the rack 3 sent from the rack feeding section 1 to the feed belt unit 21 of the rack transport section 20 by the lever 11. Arm 74 is centered around axis 75
It can be rotated in the CW direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1), and the E-rings at both ends of the shaft 75 allow the iterator 73 and arm 7 to rotate.
4 is retained. Stopper 76 is a progress base 70
Is fixed to the arm 74 and is provided at a position where it hits the arm 74, and the arm 74 hitting the stopper 76 rotates about the shaft 75 in the CCW direction.

Next, the structure of the rack positioning mechanism at the sampling position will be described. A base 36 is fixed to the side surface of the guide rail 23, and a motor 30 is attached to the lower surface of the base 36. The rotation shaft of the motor 30 is projected on the upper surface of the base 36, and the center of the disk 37 is attached to the rotation shaft. An eccentric pin 29 is planted on the upper surface of the disc 37 at a position displaced from the center thereof. The eccentric pin 29 is fitted with a long hole 38 formed in a flat plate 28a attached at a right angle to the U-shaped arm 28, and the long hole 38 is provided with the guide rail 38 in parallel. . The U-shaped arm 28 slides the rack 3 sent by the conveyor belt 26 in the U-shape with its upper side opened in the conveying direction, and is just the rack 3.
Is formed into a shape that can accommodate The U-shaped arm 28 has a function of positioning the rack 3 at the sampling position 35, and the operation of the motor 30 causes the disk 37,
It has a function of transferring the rack 3 from the feed belt unit 21 to the return belt unit 22 via the eccentric pin 29 and the elongated hole 38.

Reference numeral 32 is a transmission type rack type sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a hole formed in the rack 3, and is a guide rail 23,
It is attached to 25. Reference numeral 33 is a reflection type presence / absence detection sensor for detecting the presence / absence of the sample container 4 of the rack 3, and is attached to the guide rail 23. Reference numeral 34 is a bar code reader for identifying a bar code label attached to the outer periphery of the sample container 4 and the rear end of the rack 3, and is fixed to a frame (not shown) via an L eater 39.

Next, the operation of the sample transporting apparatus of the first embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described. The rack 3 set in the rack feeding unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 is pushed by the caterpillar member 6a of the caterpillar 6 which is interlocked with the rotation of the drive pulley 7 by the motor 9, and slides on the tray 5 in order in the direction of the motor 9. Sent. The rack 3 sent to the forced feeding unit 10 shown in FIG. 2 is fed from the rack feeding unit 1 to the feeding belt unit 2 by the lever 11 shown in FIG.
Sent to 1. The rack 3 is fed to the belt unit 2
When sent to 1, the lever 11 returns to the original position. The rack sent to the feed belt unit 21 is placed on the transport belt 26 and sent to the arm 74. The arm 74 is a motor 77
Pitch feed operation is performed at several stop positions determined by for a certain fixed time. Then, the following detection is performed.

The rack type sensor 32 detects the position of the hole formed on the side surface of the rack 3 to classify it as a general sample, an emergency sample, a calibration curve, a quality control, and a retest. Further, the sample container presence / absence detection sensor 33 reads the presence / absence of the sample container 4, and the barcode reader 34 reads the barcode label to identify the sample. When there is no sample container 4 in the sample container presence / absence detection sensor 33, the reading by the bar code reader 34 is ignored and fast-forwarding is performed. When the measurement of the bar code reader 34 is completed, the arm 74 hits the stopper 76, and the CCW is centered around the shaft 75.
Direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 1), the arm 7 is rotated.
4 is withdrawn, the rack 3 is placed on the conveyor belt 26, and is carried to the sampling position 35 which is the next step.

Rack 3 carried to sampling position 35
When is held by the U-shaped arm 28, dispensing is performed by a sampling arm (not shown). When the dispensing is completed, the disk 37 with the eccentric pin 29 is rotated 180 ° by the motor 30, and the rack 3 held by the arm 28 is rotated.
From the feed belt unit 21 to the return belt unit 22
Transported to Conveyor belt 2 of return belt unit 22
The rack 3 is placed on 6 and conveyed to the rack collecting unit 2 side.
When the rack 3 arrives at the end of the return belt unit 22, the lever 51 of the forced feeding unit 10 that has been retracted pushes out the rack 3 to the rack collecting section 2.

The retracting action of the lever 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. At the origin position of the lever 51, FIG.
The lever 51 hits the pin 54, and the lever 5
1 rotates in the CW direction around the pin 52, and the rack 3
Evacuate from the passage area. When the lever 51 is separated from the pin 54 by moving the lever 51 via the toothed belt 57 and the iter 50 by a motor (not shown), the lever 51 moves to the rack passage area as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 (a). It is returned and pushes the rack 3.

In this way, the rack 3 set in the rack feeding section 1 is returned to the position of the rack collecting section 2 by a series of operations. This series of operations is performed by the number of racks 3 set in the rack feeding unit 1.

As described above, since the rack 3 set on the caterpillar 6 of the rack feeding unit 1 is returned to the position of the same caterpillar 6 again, only two racks are placed in the rack transporting unit 20 at most. There will be no.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the number of racks 3 in the rack transport section 1 can be minimized, so that the time from the setting position to the dispensing can be shortened. Therefore, an urgent sample or a retest sample can be analyzed quickly. In addition, since it is not necessary to increase the transport length of the rack transport unit 1, it is possible to downsize the sample transport device.

[Second Embodiment of the Invention] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8
Shows a sample transporting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the entire configuration, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a stopper mechanism. In addition, in FIG. 7 and FIG.
The same parts as those of the above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

A major difference from the first embodiment is that the rack feeding section 1 and the rack collecting section 2 are arranged in two rows.
Along with that, the strokes of the lever 11 and the lever 51 (see FIGS. 2 and 5) of the forced feed unit 10 are lengthened.

The parts related to the rack feeding section 1 and the rack collecting section 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, two rows of rack feeding units 1 and rack collecting units 2 are provided on the base 82 (one rack feeding unit 1 and rack collecting unit 2 are rack feeding and collecting units I, and the other rack feeding unit 1 and rack collecting unit 2 are rack feeding units). The width is wider than that of the base 80 of the first embodiment so that it can be arranged (referred to as the feeding and collecting section II). The rack feeding / collecting units I and II can operate independently. That is, the L-itas 84 and 85 are arranged and fixed in the center of the base 82, the two drive pulleys 7 (see FIG. 3) are arranged with the L-ita 85 therebetween, and the two L-itas 84 are sandwiched therebetween. The driven pulley 8 and the driven pulley 8 are used to drive one of the rack feeding / collecting units, whereby the rack feeding / collecting unit I
The rack feeding and collecting section II is not synchronized. Further, three trays 83 are provided in parallel on the upper surface of the base 82 to form a three-body structure. Reference numeral 40 is a rectangular guide for dividing the lane into two, which is a tray 83 in the center.
It is fixed to.

The guide 40 is divided into two bodies, and a stopper 41 is arranged at the divided portion. The stopper 41 is movable up and down, and when the stopper 41 is in the upper position, the rack 3 moves the rack 3 from the rack feeding / collecting section I to the rack feeding / collecting section II, or from the rack feeding / collecting section II. It hinders the transfer to the recovery unit I. Further, when the stopper 41 is at the lower position, the rack 3 of the rack feeding / collecting section I is fed to the feed belt unit 21 by the lever 11, or the rack 3 of the return belt unit 22 is set to the rack feeding / collecting section I by the lever 51. It is possible to send to.

As shown in FIG. 8, the stopper 41 is fixed to the plate 42 with screws (not shown). Board 42
Is fixed to the slide unit 43 that guides up and down,
The lower end of the plate 42 is received by an eccentric cam 44 fixed to the shaft of the motor 45. The eccentric cam 44 has a circular shape, and the shaft of the motor 45 is coupled to the position displaced from the center thereof. The motor 45 is fixed to an iter 86 attached to the base 82 via a rod 87.

On the other hand, the forced feed unit 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 5) has the same structure as that of the first embodiment except that the base 16 and the guide shafts 13 and 56 are long.

Next, the operation of the sample transporting apparatus of the second embodiment having the above structure will be described. Rack feeding and collecting section I,
Set the rack 3 in the feeding section 1 of II. First, the rack feeding / collecting section I is started.

The rack 3 set in the rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding and collecting section I shown in FIG. 1 has a caterpillar 6 which is interlocked with the rotation of a drive pulley 7 (see FIG. 3) by a motor 9.
It is pushed by and is sequentially fed in the direction of the motor 9 while sliding on the tray 83. The rack 3 sent to the forced feed unit 10 shown in FIG. 2 is rotated by the motor 45 shown in FIG.
When the lever is lowered, it is fed from the rack feeding unit 1 to the feeding belt unit 21 by the lever 11. When the rack 3 feeds the feed belt unit 21, the lever 11 returns to the original position.

The operation of the stopper 41 will be described below. The motor 45 rotates to rotate the cam 44, and the plate 42 and the stopper 41 interlock with the rotation, and the slide unit 43 moves down. That is, the stopper 41 becomes lower than the surface of the tray 5 that receives the rack 3,
The stopper is released. The stopper release continues until the rack 3 set in the rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding / collecting section I is fed to the feeding belt unit 21.

Since the operation after the rack 3 is sent to the rack transport section 20 is the same as that in the first embodiment, its explanation is omitted.

The rack 3 conveyed by the return belt unit 22 is transferred to the arm 5 of the forced feed unit 10 (see FIG. 5).
It is pushed by 1 and stored in the rack storage section 2 of the rack feeding / collecting section I. At this time, the rack 3 is also the rack feeding / collecting unit II.
From the rack to the rack feeding and collecting section I
1 goes down. When a series of operations on the side of the rack feeding / collecting unit I (that is, one batch of the first embodiment) is completed, the motor 9 rotates in the reverse direction to collect the dispensed rack 3 in the rack feeding / collecting unit I. It is returned from the section 2 to the rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding and collecting section I.

Next, the rack feeding section 1 side of the rack feeding / collecting section II starts to operate. The rack 3 set in advance in the rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding / collecting section II is pushed by the caterpillar 6 which is interlocked with the rotation of the drive pulley 7 by the motor 9, and sequentially slides on the tray 83 in the direction of the motor 9. Sent. The rack 3 sent to the forced feed unit 10 is sent to the feed belt unit 21 from the rack feed unit 1 of the rack feed / collection unit II by the lever 11. After the feeding of the rack 3 to the feed belt unit 21 is completed, the lever 11 returns to the position between the rack feeding / collecting section I and the rack feeding / collecting section II. At this time, the stopper 41 is still raised so that the rack 3 does not go to the rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding and collecting section I.

As in the first embodiment, the rack 3 operates and the dispensed rack 3 conveyed by the return belt unit 22 is pushed by the arm 51 of the compulsory feeding unit 10 and the rack feeding / collecting section II. It is stored in the rack storage section 2.
At this time as well, the stopper 41 remains elevated so that the rack 3 does not go to the rack collecting section 2 of the rack feeding and collecting section I.

The rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding and collecting section II
While the is operating, the dispensed rack 3 returned to the rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding and collecting section I is manually replaced with the rack 3 for new dispensing.

When the series of operations of the rack feeding / collecting unit II (one time in the first embodiment) is completed, the motor 9 rotates in the reverse direction and the dispensed rack 3 is collected by the rack feeding / collecting unit II. It is returned from the section 2 to the rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding and collecting section II.

Next, the rack feeding section 1 of the rack feeding / collecting section I starts to operate again. The operation is the same as in the first embodiment.
Since it is the same as, the description thereof will be omitted. As a result, it is possible to continuously perform the analysis of the total amount of three times in the first embodiment.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and two rack feeding / collecting sections I and II each consisting of the rack feeding section 1 and the rack collecting section 2 are provided. In this case, the continuous sample transport can be tripled as compared with the first embodiment, and the effect can be exerted on the user who performs many sample processes.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, in the rack-type sample transporting apparatus, the rack feeding unit and the rack collecting unit are arranged in series, and the rack transporting mechanism is arranged in a loop to send the rack to the rack collecting unit. Sometimes it is not necessary to wait until a reaction result is obtained, and since the racks in the rack transport section can be reduced as much as possible, the sample transport time (retest time) can be shortened. Therefore, an efficient sample transport apparatus can be provided. Further, since it is not necessary to increase the transport length of the rack transport unit, the sample transport device can be downsized.

According to the invention of claim 3, the rack feeding section,
By providing the rack collecting units in two rows, it is possible to provide a sample transporting device that enables more automatic sample testing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a sample transporting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the forced feeding unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a rack feeding unit and a rack collecting unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a caterpillar member according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the forced feeding unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a lever standby function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a sample transporting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a stopper mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an overall configuration diagram showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 rack feeding section 2 rack collecting section 3 rack 4 sample container 6 caterpillar 10 forced feeding unit 11 lever 20 rack transport section 21 feed belt unit 22 return belt unit 23 guide rail 24 guide rail 25 guide rail 26 transport belt 35 sampling position I Rack feeding and collecting section II Rack feeding and collecting section

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A rack that can mount a plurality of sample containers containing a sample, a rack feeding mechanism, a line-shaped rack transporting mechanism, a rack positioning mechanism to a sampling position, and a rack collecting mechanism that has finished sampling. In the sample transport apparatus, the rack transport mechanism is arranged in a loop, and the rack feeding mechanism and the rack collecting mechanism are arranged in series. 2. The sample transporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transporting means of the rack feeding mechanism and the rack collecting mechanism comprises a resin-molded belt. 3. The sample transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rack feeding mechanism and the rack collecting mechanism are arranged in two rows or a plurality of rows.