Automated capper for automated blood sample processing systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12235281-B2
Application number	US-201916685451-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2019
Priority date	Nov 15, 2018
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices, and an apparatus for capping blood sample tubes after they are processed in an automated blood sample analysis processing system are provided. One aspect describes an automated blood sample tube capping assembly configured to automatically cap a plurality of sample tubes after they are processed in an automated blood sample analysis processing system.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A sample tube capping device comprising:
a cap comprising a cap cavity having a cylindrical inner surface along an inner diameter in a top of the cap, and a cap surface between the inner diameter and an outer diameter on the top of the cap;
a cap retaining mechanism that includes two discrete, gripper fingers that are mounted on separate axes and held closed by a spring;
a sensor configured to detect the cap retained within the cap retaining mechanism;
a vertically-oriented capper portion;
a capper rod comprising a capper tip having a cylindrical outer surface aligned with the cap retaining mechanism, wherein in an engage mode the capper rod is configured to engage the cylindrical outer surface of the capper tip snugly against the cylindrical inner surface of the cap cavity of the cap retained within the cap retaining mechanism and push the cap with the cap cavity engaged to the capper tip into an open end of a sample tube, and wherein the spring is configured with a tension that holds the cap in place between the gripper fingers until the cap cavity and capper tip are engaged, and that allows the gripper fingers to be pivoted open by passage of the engaged cap;
a moveable capper sleeve enveloping the capper rod;
an air cylinder comprising a pneumatic piston rod; and
a bracket securing the pneumatic piston rod and the moveable capper sleeve in a fixed position relative to one another,
wherein the air cylinder and the capper rod are affixed to and stationary with respect to the vertically-oriented capper portion, and
wherein the pneumatic piston rod is configured to push the moveable capper sleeve downward against the cap surface to disengage the cap cavity of the cap from the capper tip of the capper rod and maintain a seal of the cap on the open end of the sample tube when a disengage mode is actuated.

2. The sample tube capping device of claim 1 , wherein in the engage mode, the capper tip extends beyond the moveable capper sleeve to engage the cap from the cap retaining mechanism at an end of a cap track and push the cap onto the sample tube.

3. The sample tube capping device of claim 2 , wherein the moveable capper sleeve is configured to receive a downward force from the pneumatic piston rod when the disengage mode is actuated.

4. The sample tube capping device of claim 1 , wherein in the disengage mode, the moveable capper sleeve is pushed down such that the moveable capper sleeve extends beyond and conceals the capper tip of the capper rod.

5. The sample tube capping device of claim 1 , wherein the cap comprises multiple capping levels.

6. The sample tube capping device of claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic piston rod is actuated by pressurizing the air cylinder with compressed air.

7. The sample tube capping device of claim 1 , wherein in the disengage mode, the moveable capper sleeve is pushed down such that the moveable capper sleeve extends beyond and conceals the capper tip of the capper rod to engage the cap with the sample tube and break a connection of the cap with the capper tip.

8. The sample tube capping device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a thru beam sensor positioned around an outside of the cap retaining mechanism.

9. A capper assembly comprising:
a cap receptacle portion;
a cap bowl portion;
a cap comprising a cap cavity having a cylindrical inner surface along an inner diameter in a top of the cap, and a cap surface between the inner diameter and an outer diameter on the top of the cap;
a track portion;
a cap retaining mechanism that includes two discrete, flat gripper fingers that are mounted on separate axes and held closed by a spring;
a thru-beam sensor configured to detect the cap retained within the cap retaining mechanism;
a vertically-oriented capper portion;
a capper rod comprising a capper tip having a cylindrical outer surface aligned with the cap retaining mechanism, wherein in an engage mode the capper rod is configured to engage the cylindrical outer surface of the capper tip snugly against the cylindrical inner surface of the cap cavity of the cap retained within the cap retaining mechanism and push the cap with the cylindrical inner surface of the cap cavity engaged to the capper tip into an open end of a sample tube, and wherein the spring is configured with a tension that holds the cap in place between the gripper fingers until the cap cavity and capper tip are engaged, and that allows the gripper fingers to be pivoted open by passage of the engaged cap;
a moveable capper sleeve enclosing the capper rod;
an air cylinder comprising a pneumatic piston rod; and
a bracket securing the pneumatic piston rod and the moveable capper sleeve in a fixed position relative to one another,
wherein the air cylinder and the capper rod are affixed to and are stationary with respect to the vertically-oriented capper portion, and
wherein the pneumatic piston rod is configured to push the moveable capper sleeve downward against the cap surface to disengage the cap cavity of the cap from the capper tip of the capper rod and maintain a seal of the cap on the open end of the sample tube when a disengage mode is actuated.

10. The capper assembly of claim 9 , wherein the cap bowl portion is configured to receive a plurality of caps from the cap receptacle portion and organize the plurality of caps received.

11. The capper assembly of claim 10 , wherein the cap and each cap in the plurality of caps comprises multiple capping levels.

12. The capper assembly of claim 9 , wherein the track portion is configured to receive and transport a plurality of caps from the cap bowl portion to the vertically-oriented capper portion.

13. The capper assembly of claim 9 , wherein in the engage mode, the capper tip of the capper rod extends beyond the moveable capper sleeve to engage the cap from the cap retaining mechanism at an end of the track portion and push the cap onto the sample tube.

14. The capper assembly of claim 13 , wherein the moveable capper sleeve is configured to receive a downward force from the pneumatic piston rod when the disengage mode is actuated.

15. The capper assembly of claim 9 , wherein in the disengage mode, the moveable capper sleeve is pushed down such that the moveable capper sleeve extends beyond the capper tip and conceals the capper tip of the capper rod.

16. The capper assembly of claim 9 , wherein in the disengage mode, the moveable capper sleeve is pushed down such that the moveable capper sleeve extends beyond the capper tip and conceals the capper tip of the capper rod to engage the cap with the sample tube and break a connection of the cap with the capper tip.

17. The capper assembly of claim 9 , wherein the gripper fingers:
cooperate to form a cavity having a profile that fits the cap; and
pivot on the separate axes in a plane shared by the axes and the cavity.

18. The capper assembly of claim 9 , wherein the thru-beam sensor senses when the cap cavity of the cap is directly aligned with the capper tip.

19. The capper assembly of claim 9 , wherein the spring is a predetermined distance away from a cavity of the cap retaining mechanism.

20. A method for automated capping of a sample tube, the method comprising:
receiving a new cap from a cap track into a cap retaining mechanism, wherein the cap comprises a cap cavity that has a cylindrical inner surface along an inner diameter in a top of the cap, and an upper surface around an outside of the inner diameter on the top of the cap;
detecting that the cap is retained within a cap r

Assignees

• Cerner Innovation Inc

Inventors

• Rose Joseph Eugene
• Rudy Joseph Matthew
• Kowalchuk Daniel Mark

Classifications

• B01L2300/04

  Closures and closing means · CPC title

• B67B3/064

  from a hopper {(B67B3/061 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B01L3/50825

  Closing or opening means, corks, bungs · CPC title

• B65G47/00

  Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices · CPC title

• B67B7/00

  Hand- or power-operated devices for opening closed containers (nail pullers or extractors B25C11/00; attached to, or incorporated in, containers or container closures {B65D75/58, B65D77/30}) · CPC title