Liquid processing system and liquid processing method

{
  "publication_number": "US9279143B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Liquid processing system and liquid processing method",
  "abstract": "A liquid processing system to process liquid biological material includes: a trunk provided turnable on an axis, set within a predetermined work space; a first arm provided to the trunk and having at least three degrees of freedom or higher degrees of freedom; a second arm provided to the trunk and having at least three degrees of freedom or higher degrees of freedom; a driving mechanism configured to drive each of the trunk, the first arm, and the second arm; and physiochemical equipment situated within the work space and within the range of movement of at least one of the first and the second arm. The driving mechanism is operated by teaching playback based on the positions and shapes of the physiochemical equipment, and the biological material is processed using the physiochemical equipment.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A liquid processing system to process liquid biological material, the system comprising: a trunk provided turnable on an axis, set within a predetermined work space; a first arm provided to the trunk and having at least three degrees of freedom or higher degrees of freedom; a second arm provided to the trunk and having at least three degrees of freedom or higher degrees of freedom; a driving mechanism configured to drive each of the trunk, the first arm, and the second arm; and physiochemical equipment situated within the work space and within the range of movement of at least one of the first and the second arm, wherein the driving mechanism is operated by teaching playback based on the positions and shapes of the physiochemical equipment, and the biological material is processed using the physiochemical equipment, wherein the first arm includes a first robot hand to handle the physiochemical equipment, wherein the second arm includes a second robot hand to handle the physiochemical equipment, wherein the physiochemical equipment includes a microtube having a container proper, and a press-fit cap which is linked to the container proper by a flexible hinge, and a tube rack having a hole in which the bottom of the microtube is inserted to hold the microtube, wherein at least one of the first robot hand and the second robot hand includes a bit having a first recess into which the cap is inserted, and wherein the at least one of the first arm and second arm having the bit is configured to perform either of causing a portion of the cap of the microtube held in the tube rack in a state with the cap closed, that is on the opposite side from the hinge, to be retained at the first recess, and a portion of the bit other than the first recess to come into contact with the hinge, and pulling the cap out of the container proper with the hinge serving as a fulcrum, or pressing the cap of the microtube held in the tube rack with the cap removed as to the container proper, using the bit so that the hinge is curved, and further pressing a portion of the cap using the bit and presses the cap into the container proper.",
    "2. The liquid processing system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the physiochemical equipment to perform processing different from one another is situated within a range of movement of at least one of the first robot hand and the second robot hand.",
    "3. The liquid processing system according to claim 2, wherein all of the plurality of the physiochemical equipment to perform processing of the biological material executed following predetermined procedures is situated within a range of movement of at least one of the first robot hand and the second robot hand.",
    "4. The liquid processing system according to claim 2, wherein the relative position between the first robot hand and the second robot hand is detected, and the first arm and the second arm are operated cooperatively.",
    "5. The liquid processing system according to claim 2, wherein the first robot hand and the second robot hand are of the same form.",
    "6. The liquid processing system according to claim 2, wherein the liquid processing system is a system which prepares a cell suspension in which periphytic cultured cells are suspended as a liquid biological material; wherein the physiochemical equipment includes a culture vessel having a culture face where the cultured cells are cultured on the base thereof and with the top opened, and a cell scraper provided with a blade to scrape the cultured cells from the culture face; wherein the first robot hand holds the culture vessel in a state with the opening facing upwards; wherein the second robot hand holds the cell scraper; wherein the first arm and second arm are configured to bring the blade into contact with the culture face at one place away from the middle of the culture face, such that the longitudinal direction of the blade faces in a direction intersecting a straight line connecting the middle of the culture face and the above one place, move the blade brought into contact with the culture face at the one place over the culture face from the one place passing through the middle and to the other side, rotate the blade which has moved to the other side, with one point on an exponential line in the longitudinal direction of the blade and on the outer side of one or both ends of the blade in the longitudinal direction thereof as the axis of rotation, until an end of the blade which is at the farthest side from the one point of the both ends of the blade which is the axis of rotation comes to be positioned at the outer edge of the culture face, and in a state with the end of the blade at the farthest side from the one point following the outer edge of the culture face moving the blade relatively to the culture face in a state of the blade in contact with the culture face; and wherein the first arm is operated cooperatively with the second arm such that while the blade is being moved over the culture face, the culture vessel is inclined so that the cell suspension in the culture vessel is collected at one part of the culture vessel, and so that the cell suspension including the cultured cells peeled off from the culture face is situated ahead of the direction of motion of the blade as to the culture vessel.",
    "7. The liquid processing system according to claim 6, wherein at least the second robot hand of the first robot hand and second robot hand includes a pair of bits capable of opening and closing operations; wherein the pair of bits include four gripping members, having a length equal to or greater than the outer dimension of the culture vessel in the depth direction of the culture vessel, two each of the gripping members being disposed on each bit of the pair, in parallel with each other, and the leading end of the gripping members existing on the same imaginary plane; wherein the gripping members are situated on the second robot hand such that the gripping members are moved from the opening side of the culture vessel toward the base side so as to surround the perimeter of the culture vessel; and wherein closing the pair of bits holds the perimeter of the base of the culture vessel by the leading ends of the gripping members, and also holds the outer perimeter face of the culture vessel by the outer perimeter faces of the gripping members further toward the base end side from the leading end.",
    "8. The liquid processing system according to claim 1, wherein the bit includes a first bit having the first recess, and a second bit having a second recess of the same form as the first recess and moved relative to the first bit; wherein the first bit and the second bit are situated in an opposing manner such that the openings of the first recess and the second recess face each other directly; wherein the first bit and the second bit each have a protrusion to support the outer perimeter face of the container proper of the microtube at two points separated from each other; wherein the first recess and the second recess receive insertion of the cap of the microtube and a flange formed at the edge of the opening of the container proper, in a state where a predetermined clearance remains in the thickness direction of the cap; and wherein the bit holds the microtube in a state of having a gap between the protrusion and the outer perimeter face, in processing to agitate liquid within the microtube by applying vibration to the microtube.",
    "9. The liquid processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first arm and second arm have at least six degrees of freedom or higher degrees of freedom.",
    "10. The liquid processing system according to claim 1, wherein the trunk is provided with two or more arms, including the first arm and second arm.",
    "11. The liquid processing system according to claim 1, wherein the physiochemical equipment includes at least one of general-purpose physiochemical equipment which operates off of an electric power supply, single-use general-purpose containers, and a rack for holding the general-purpose containers."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid processing system to process liquid biological material, and a liquid processing method using the system. 2. Description of the Related Art Analysis of materials of biological origin has been performed heretofore in the fields of biology and medicine. Materials of biological origin often are liquid materials, such as biological material like blood or urine, suspensions for cultured cells, and so forth. Such liquid materials are processed using equipment capable of accurately measuring liquids, such as micropipettors for example. There have been developed as of recent systems including robots which operate analytical equipment and so forth, to handle for analysis and the like test specimens hazardous to humans. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-54690 describes an automatic cell cultivating apparatus including equipment necessary for culturing, such as incubators and centrifuges, and a robot to operate the equipment. The automatic cell cultivating apparatus according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-54690 allows a robot to perform cultivation in the place of humans.\n\nHowever, the automatic cell cultivating apparatus according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-54690 is arranged such that the robot cooperatively works with special equipment designed specifically for the robot to be able to handle well.",
  "cpc": [
    "C12M 23/50",
    "B25J 15/0033",
    "B25J 9/0087",
    "C12Q 1/24",
    "C12Q 1/37",
    "G01N 33/53",
    "G01N 35/0099"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B25J 15/00",
    "B25J 9/00",
    "C12M 1/00",
    "C12M 1/34",
    "C12Q 1/37",
    "G01N 33/53",
    "G01N 35/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "YASKAWA DENKI SEISAKUSHO KK"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "UMENO MAKOTO",
    "ARAI TERUYASU"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2013-12-26",
  "publication_date": "2016-03-08",
  "grant_date": "2016-03-08",
  "priority_date": "2011-06-28",
  "application_number": "US-201314140566-A",
  "family_id": "47424159",
  "citations": [
    "CN101376247A",
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    "JP2007020411A",
    "JP2008054690A",
    "JP2009050987A",
    "JP2009095297A",
    "JP2010000563A",
    "US2003114961A1",
    "US2006115889A1",
    "US2007105214A1",
    "US2007106422A1",
    "US2009060684A1",
    "US5100284A",
    "WO2006093652A2"
  ]
}