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CN-121986260-A - Calibrating object handling device using calibration features

CN121986260ACN 121986260 ACN121986260 ACN 121986260ACN-121986260-A

Abstract

An apparatus (100), preferably a sampling apparatus (100) for an analysis device (10), is described, the apparatus (100) comprising i) an object handling device (190), in particular a robotic arm, configured to handle an object to be handled, in particular a sample such as an analysis sample, ii) a calibration feature (120) configured to at least partly accommodate a protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190), and iii) a control device (70) configured to move the protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190) into the calibration feature (120) in a closing direction (Z) such that the calibration feature (120) during movement in the closing direction (Z) directs the protruding portion (110, 115) in a plane (XY) perpendicular to the closing direction (Z) to a calibration position such that at least one property of the object handling device (190) in the plane (XY) perpendicular to the closing direction (Z) is defined by or relative to the calibration position.

Inventors

  • Blatthews Nokonn
  • Thomas Ottoman
  • Christopher Mates

Assignees

  • 安捷伦科技有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20231026

Claims (20)

  1. 1. An apparatus (100), preferably a sampling apparatus (100) for an analysis device (10), the apparatus (100) comprising: an object handling device (190), in particular a robotic arm, configured to handle an object to be handled, in particular a sample such as an analysis sample; a calibration feature (120) configured to at least partially receive a protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190), and A control device (70) configured to: Moving a protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190) into the calibration feature (120) in a proximity direction (Z) such that during movement in the proximity direction (Z), the calibration feature (120) directs the protruding portion (110, 115) to a calibration position in a plane (XY) perpendicular to the proximity direction (Z), Such that at least one property of the object handling device (190) in a plane (XY) perpendicular to the approach direction (Z) is defined by or relative to the calibration position.
  2. 2. The apparatus (100) of claim 1, wherein the control device (70) is further configured to: the object handling device (190) is kept substantially free of external forces in a plane (XY) perpendicular to the approach direction (Z) when a protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190) is at least partly guided into the calibration feature (130) to the calibration position.
  3. 3. The device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, Wherein the geometry of the calibration feature (130) is configured such that the protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190) is at least partly mechanically guided into the calibration feature (120), in particular into the receiving volume of the calibration feature (120).
  4. 4. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, Wherein the calibration feature (120) comprises a tapered shape, Wherein the tapering direction is away from the object handling device (190), and Wherein the tapered shape is configured to guide a protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190) to the calibration position.
  5. 5. The device (100) according to claim 4, Wherein the tapered shape comprises at least one of a cone, pyramid, rectangle, quadrilateral, hemispherical, polygon.
  6. 6. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, Wherein the object handling device (190) is movable in the approach direction (Z) by a first drive unit and in a plane (XY) perpendicular to the approach direction (Z) by a second drive unit, and Wherein during movement the first drive unit is in an active state, in particular supported by a current, and the second drive unit is substantially in an inactive state, in particular not supported by a current.
  7. 7. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, Wherein the protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190) comprises a sample needle (110) or a simulated sample needle or needle replacement device.
  8. 8. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, Wherein the protruding portion (110, 115) of the object handling device (190) comprises a push rod device (115), In particular wherein the pusher device (115) is configured to at least partly surround the sample needle (110), more particularly wherein the pusher device (115) comprises a pusher element (116), the pusher element (116) having an opening through which the sample needle (110) can be guided.
  9. 9. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, Wherein the object handling device (190) comprises a conveyor arm (178), in particular having a length L to be calibrated, and comprises a coupling member (191), the coupling member (191) being connected to the conveyor arm (178) and configured to be coupled with the protruding portion (110, 115).
  10. 10. The apparatus (100) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: a tray device (130), in particular a sample tray device, configured to accommodate at least one object, in particular a sample carrier device (132) and/or at least one sample container (131).
  11. 11. The device (100) according to claim 10, Wherein the disk device (130) is configured to be rotatable in a plane (XY) perpendicular to the approach direction (Z), in particular in the plane (XY).
  12. 12. The device (100) according to claim 10 or 11, Wherein one or more of the calibration features (120) are arranged on the disk device (130).
  13. 13. The apparatus (100) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the control device (70) is further configured to perform at least one of the following steps to define the at least one attribute of the object handling device (190): -moving, in particular rotating, the object handling device (190) relative to the disk device (130); -moving, in particular rotating, the disc device (130) relative to the object handling device (190); -moving, in particular rotating, the object handling device (190) and the disk device (130) relative to each other; -moving the object handling device (190) towards the disk device (130); -moving the disc device (130) towards the object handling device (190); the object handling device (190) and the disk device (130) are moved towards each other.
  14. 14. The device (100) according to any one of claims 10 to 13, Wherein the control means (70) is configured to keep the disk device (130) substantially free of external forces in a plane (XY) perpendicular to the approach direction (Z) during movement, and/or Wherein the disk device (130) comprises a disk drive unit, and wherein the control device (70) is configured to substantially deactivate the disk drive unit during movement.
  15. 15. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, Wherein the calibration feature (120) is configured to be at least one of movable, rotatable, and floating.
  16. 16. An analysis device (10), in particular a sample separation device, comprising an apparatus (100) according to any of the preceding claims.
  17. 17. The analysis device (10) according to claim 16, Which is configured as a fluid chromatography device, more particularly a high performance liquid chromatography HPLC device.
  18. 18. A method of defining at least one attribute of an object processing device (190), the method comprising: moving the protruding part (110, 115) of the object handling device (190) into the calibration feature (120) in a closing direction (Z), thereby Guiding the protruding portions (110, 115) in a plane (XY) perpendicular to the approach direction (Z) to a calibration position by the calibration feature (120), and -Defining said at least one property of said object handling device (190) in a plane (XY) perpendicular to said approach direction (Z) by or relative to said calibration position.
  19. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: Rotating the disk means (130) relative to the object handling means (190); determining an intersection point (121), in particular two or more intersection points, between the radius of the disk means (130) and the radius of the object handling means (190) as an intersection calibration position, and Calibrating the object handling device (190) and/or the disk device (130) based on the cross-calibration position.
  20. 20. A calibration feature (120) having a tapered shape is used to mechanically guide the proximal portion (110, 115) of the sample processing device (190) to a calibration position.

Description

Calibrating object handling device using calibration features Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, and in particular, to a sampling apparatus for an analysis device (e.g., a chromatography device, etc.), the apparatus comprising an object handling apparatus and a calibration feature. The present disclosure also relates to a method of defining at least one attribute of an object processing device in a plane perpendicular to a direction of approach of a protruding portion of the object processing device toward a calibration feature. Background A plurality of automation applications use object handling devices (e.g., robotic arms, etc.) to handle objects. For example, the sample processing device may be used to automatically process a sample for an analytical apparatus. An analysis device is provided to analyze such samples, for example using a sample separation device. For example, for liquid separation in a chromatography system, a mobile phase containing a sample fluid (e.g., a chemical or biological mixture, with compounds to be separated) is driven through a stationary phase (e.g., a chromatography column packing, etc.), thereby separating the different compounds of the sample fluid, which can then be identified. As used herein, the term "compound" shall encompass compounds that may comprise one or more different components. The mobile phase, typically composed of one or more solvents, is pumped under high pressure, typically through a chromatographic column containing a packing medium (also known as a packing or stationary phase). As the sample is carried through the column by the liquid stream, different compounds pass through the column at different rates, each compound having a different affinity for the packing medium. Those compounds having greater affinity for the stationary phase pass through the chromatographic column more slowly than those compounds having less affinity, and this difference in velocity causes the compounds to separate from each other as they pass through the chromatographic column. The stationary phase is subjected to mechanical forces, in particular generated by a hydraulic pump, which typically pumps the mobile phase from an upstream connection of the chromatography column to a downstream connection of the chromatography column. As a result of the flow, a relatively high pressure drop is created across the chromatographic column, depending on the physical properties of the stationary and mobile phases. The mobile phase containing the separated compounds leaves the chromatographic column and passes through a detector that records and/or recognizes the molecule, for example, by spectrophotometric absorbance measurements. A two-dimensional plot of detector measurements versus elution time or volume may be generated, referred to as a chromatogram, and from the chromatogram, the compound may be identified. For each compound, the chromatogram shows individual curve characteristics, also referred to as "peaks". Today, most analytical devices operate automatically or have automatic functionality. For example, high performance liquid chromatographs typically include a sampling device with a robotic arm that performs sample processing in an automated fashion. For example, a sample container (such as a sample bottle or the like) containing a fluid sample may be arranged on the sample tray device (in particular in a sample carrier tray). The robotic arm is movable in a horizontal plane (XY) to position the sample needle above the sample container. The robotic arm may then be lowered in a vertical direction (Z) to move the sample needle into the sample container. The sample needle may draw a specific amount of fluid sample into the sample-holding volume, and the robotic arm may then move the sample needle out of the sample container in a vertical direction. The robotic arm may then be moved in a horizontal plane toward the sample injection hole (e.g., hub, etc.). Here again, the robotic arm may be lowered in a vertical direction to move the sample needle into the sample injection hole and inject the fluid sample into the analysis region. In the case of a large number of samples to be analyzed, the sampling device can be operated day and night and automatically process thousands of samples in the manner described. In many applications, the sampling must be very accurate, especially because the sample needle and sample vial have very small dimensions. For this reason, the robotic arm must be calibrated so that the system knows precisely where the robotic arm, and in particular the sample needle, is located. Here, the main property may be the exact length of the mechanical arm (an extension arm, one end of which may be coupled to the sample needle and the other end of which may be coupled to the drive unit). Thus, the calibration compensates for variations in the length of the robotic arm. For example, small variations in ambient temperature (of the sampling space)