Liquid transfer system, liquid transfer control method, liquid transfer controller, and medicine manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9868553-B2
Application number	US-201514636180-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, a syringe actuator configured to pull and push a plunger of a syringe, and a controller. The controller performs control of the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse a vertical relation between the vial and the syringe in a state where a vial containing a liquid is disposed on a lower side of the syringe and a needle of the syringe punctures the vial, and control of the syringe actuator so as to absorb a liquid in the vial into the syringe by pulling the plunger in a state where the vial is disposed on an upper side of the syringe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid transfer system comprising:
a multi-jointed robot;
a syringe actuator configured to pull and push a plunger of a syringe; and
a controller configured to perform control of the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse a vertical relation between a vessel and a syringe from a state where the vessel is positioned on a lower side of the syringe to a state where the vessel is positioned on an upper side of the syringe when in a state where the vessel contains a liquid and a needle of the syringe punctures the vessel, and control of the syringe actuator so as to absorb the liquid 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.

2. The liquid transfer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller performs
control of the syringe actuator so as to absorb a gas in the syringe by pulling the plunger before controlling the multi-jointed robot so as to make the needle puncture the vessel, and
control of the syringe actuator so as to inject the gas in the syringe into the vessel by pushing the plunger after controlling the syringe actuator so as to make the liquid in the vessel absorbed into the syringe by pulling the plunger.

3. The liquid transfer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller performs control of the multi-jointed robot such that a tip portion of the needle does not reach the liquid in the vessel when the needle punctures the vessel.

4. The liquid transfer system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the controller performs control of the syringe actuator so as to reduce the inner pressure of the vessel by pulling the plunger after controlling the multi-jointed robot so as to make the needle puncture the vessel and before controlling the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse the vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe.

5. The liquid transfer system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the multi-jointed robot is a double-arm robot which includes two multi-jointed arms.

6. The liquid transfer system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the controller performs control of the multi-jointed robot so as to handle the syringe by one of the multi-jointed arms and the vessel is handled by the other of the multi-jointed arms.

7. The liquid transfer system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the controller controls any one of the multi-jointed arms as the syringe actuator.

8. A liquid transfer control method which controls a multi-jointed robot and a syringe actuator configured to pull and push a plunger of a syringe, comprising:
performing control of the multi-jointed robot so as to dispose a vessel containing a liquid on a lower side of the syringe;
performing 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;
performing control of the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse a vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe from a state where the vessel is positioned on the lower side of the syringe to a state where the vessel is positioned on the upper side of the syringe when in a state where the needle punctures the vessel; and
performing control of the syringe actuator so as to absorb the liquid 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.

9. The liquid transfer control method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
performing control of the syringe actuator so as to absorb a gas in the syringe by pulling the plunger before controlling the multi-jointed robot so as to make the needle puncture the vessel, and
performing control of the syringe actuator so as to inject the gas in the syringe into the vessel by pushing the plunger after controlling the syringe actuator so as to absorb a liquid in the vessel into the syringe by pulling the plunger.

10. The liquid transfer control method according to claim 8 ,
performing control of the multi-jointed robot such that a tip portion of the needle does not reach the liquid in the vessel when the needle punctures the vessel.

11. The liquid transfer control method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
performing control of the syringe actuator so as to reduce the inner pressure of the vessel by pulling the plunger after controlling the multi-jointed robot so as to make the needle puncture the vessel and before controlling the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse the vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe.

12. A liquid transfer controller which controls a multi-jointed robot and a syringe actuator configured to pull and push a plunger of a syringe, comprising:
an arrangement control module configured to control the multi-jointed robot so as to dispose the vessel containing a liquid on a lower side of the syringe;
a puncture control module configured to control 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;
a reverse control module configured to control the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse the vertical relation between the vessel and the syringe from a state where the vessel is positioned on the lower side of the syringe to a state where the vessel is positioned on an upper side of the syringe when in a state where the needle punctures the vessel; and
a suction control module configured to control the syringe actuator so as to absorb the liquid in the vessel into the syringe by pulling the plunger in a state where the vessel is disposed on the upper side of the syringe.

13. The liquid transfer controller according to claim 12 , further comprising:
an intake gas control module configured to control the syringe actuator so as to absorb a gas into the syringe by pulling the plunger before the control of the puncture control module is performed; and
an gas supply control module configured to control the syringe actuator so as to inject the gas in the syringe into the vessel by pushing the plunger before the control of the suction control module is performed.

14. The liquid transfer controller according to claim 12 ,
wherein the puncture control module controls the multi-jointed robot such that the tip portion of the needle does not reach the liquid in the vessel when the needle punctures the vessel.

15. The liquid transfer controller according to claim 14 , further comprising:
a pressure reducing control module configured to control the syringe actuator so as to reduce the inner pressure of the vessel by pulling the plunger after the control of the puncture control module is performed and before the control of the reverse control module is performed.

16. A medicine manufacturing method of manufacturing a medicine by controlling a multi-jointed robot and a syringe actuator configured to pull and push a plunger of a syringe, comprising:
performing control of the multi-jointed robot so as to dispose a first vessel containing a raw liquid of the medicine on a lower side of the syringe;
performing control of the multi-jointed robot so as to make a needle of the syringe puncture the first vessel in a state where the first vessel is disposed on the lower side of the syringe;
performing control of the multi-jointed robot so as to reverse a vertical relation between the first vessel and the syringe from a state where the vessel is positioned on the lower side of the syringe to a state where the vessel is positioned on an upper side of the syringe when in a state where the needle punctures the first

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

• A61J1/20

  Arrangements for transferring {or mixing} fluids, e.g. from vial to syringe · CPC title

• B25J9/0087

  Dual arms (double SCARA arms B25J9/043) · 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