Fluid transfer apparatus, fluid transfer control method, fluid transfer controller, fluid transfer system, and medicine manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9868552-B2
Application number	US-201514636179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2015
Priority date	Mar 5, 2014
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

A fluid transfer system includes a multi-jointed robot which is capable of transferring a vial and a syringe, and a syringe driving apparatus. The syringe driving apparatus includes a cylinder body holder which holds a cylinder body of the syringe, an actuator which pulls and pushes a plunger of the syringe, and a rotation mechanism configured to make the cylinder body holder and the actuator freely rotatable about an axial line intersecting with a center axial line of the syringe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid transfer system comprising:
a multi jointed robot configured to transfer a vessel and a syringe;
a syringe driving apparatus; and
a controller configured to perform control of the multi jointed robot and the syringe driving apparatus,
wherein the syringe driving apparatus includes
a cylinder body holder configured to hold a cylinder body of the syringe,
an actuator configured to pull and push a plunger of the syringe, and
a rotation mechanism configured to make the cylinder body holder and the actuator freely rotatable about an axial line intersecting with a center axial line of the syringe, and

wherein the controller is configured to control the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse a vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe in a state where the vessel is punctured by a needle of the syringe after disposing the vessel on a lower side of the syringe and making the needle of the syringe puncture the vessel.

2. The fluid transfer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the rotation mechanism includes a lock mechanism configured to switch an allowing state for allowing the rotation of the cylinder body holder and the actuator and a regulating state for regulating the rotation of the cylinder body holder and the actuator.

3. The fluid transfer system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the lock mechanism is configured to switch the allowing state and the regulating state as the cylinder body holder and the actuator move along a rotation center of the rotation mechanism.

4. The fluid transfer system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the multi jointed robot includes a gripper configured to grip the vessel or the syringe, a wrist portion configured to hold and rotate the gripper, and a multi jointed limb portion configured to transfer the wrist portion, and
wherein the syringe driving apparatus further includes an engaging portion configured to engage with the gripper in a state where a rotation center of the gripper and a rotation center of the rotation mechanism are matched with each other.

5. The fluid transfer system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the controller is configured to perform
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to dispose the vessel containing the fluid on a lower side of the syringe after making the cylinder body holder hold the cylinder body of the syringe,
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to make a needle of the syringe puncture the vessel in a state where the vessel is disposed on the lower side of the syringe,
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse a vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe by rotating the cylinder body holder and the actuator after making the rotation mechanism the allowing state by moving the cylinder body holder and the actuator along the rotation center of the rotation mechanism in a state where the needle punctures the vessel, and
control of the syringe driving apparatus so as to absorb the fluid in the vessel into the syringe by pulling the plunger in a state where the vessel is disposed on an upper side of the syringe.

6. The fluid transfer system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the lock mechanism is configured to switch the allowing state and the regulating state by an electromagnetic brake.

7. The fluid transfer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the multi jointed robot includes a gripper configured to grip the vessel or the syringe, a wrist portion configured to hold and rotate the gripper, and a multi jointed limb portion configured to transfer the wrist portion, and
wherein the syringe driving apparatus further includes an engaging portion configured to engage with the gripper in a state where a rotation center of the gripper and a rotation center of the rotation mechanism are matched with each other.

8. The fluid transfer system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the multi jointed robot includes a gripper configured to grip the vessel or the syringe, a wrist portion configured to hold and rotate the gripper, and a multi jointed limb portion configured to transfer the wrist portion, and
wherein the syringe driving apparatus further includes an engaging portion configured to engage with the gripper in a state where a rotation center of the gripper and a rotation center of the rotation mechanism are matched with each other.

9. The fluid transfer system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the multi jointed robot includes a gripper configured to grip the vessel or the syringe, a wrist portion configured to hold and rotate the gripper, and a multi jointed limb portion configured to transfer the wrist portion, and
wherein the syringe driving apparatus further includes an engaging portion configured to engage with the gripper in a state where a rotation center of the gripper and a rotation center of the rotation mechanism are matched with each other.

10. The fluid transfer system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the controller is configured to perform
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to dispose the vessel containing a fluid on a lower side of the syringe after making the cylinder body holder hold the cylinder body of the syringe,
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to make a needle of the syringe puncture the vessel in a state where the vessel is disposed on the lower side of the syringe,
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse a vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe by engaging the gripper with the engaging portion and by rotating the gripper along with the cylinder body holder and the actuator in a state where the needle punctures the vessel, and
control of the syringe driving apparatus so as to absorb the fluid in the vessel into the syringe by pulling the plunger in a state where the vessel is disposed on an upper side of the syringe.

11. The fluid transfer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured to perform
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to dispose the vessel containing a fluid on a lower side of the syringe after making the cylinder body holder hold the cylinder body of the syringe,
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to make a needle of the syringe puncture the vessel in a state where the vessel is disposed on the lower side of the syringe,
control of the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse a vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe by rotating the cylinder body holder and the actuator in a state where the needle punctures the vessel, and
control of the syringe driving apparatus so as to absorb the fluid in the vessel into the syringe by pulling the plunger in a state where the vessel is disposed on an upper side of the syringe.

12. A fluid transfer apparatus comprising:
a multi jointed robot configured to transfer a vessel and a syringe; and
a syringe driving apparatus,
wherein the syringe driving apparatus includes
a cylinder body holder configured to hold a cylinder body of the syringe,
an actuator configured to pull and push a plunger of the syringe, and
a rotation mechanism configured to make the cylinder body holder and the actuator freely rotatable about an axial line intersecting with a center axial line of the syringe so as to allow the multi jointed robot to reverse a vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe.

13. A method for controlling the fluid transfer apparatus according to claim 12 , comprising:
performing control of the multi-jointed robot so as to dispose the vessel containing a fluid on a lower side of the syringe after making the cylinder body holder hold the cylinder body of the syringe;
performing control of the multi jointed robot so as to make a needle of the sy

Assignees

• Yaskawa Electric Corp

Inventors

• Matsukuma Kenji
• Tachibana Kenichi
• Furusawa Fumiaki
• Umeno Makoto

Classifications

• B65B3/003 Primary

  Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like · CPC title

• A61J1/2096 Primary

  Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents · CPC title

• A61J1/201

  having one piercing end · CPC title

• A61J1/2055

  having gripping means · CPC title

• A61J1/2044

  having slits · CPC title