EP0251441B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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An automated processing system
Assignee: Zymark Corp
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Filing: 1987-04-27
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Granted: 1993-12-29
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Expires: 2007-04-27
Abstract
No abstract record available.
Inventors
- 👤 Burleigh M. Hutchins
- 👤 William J. Buote
- 👤 Anne M. Sullivan
- 👤 John S. Roe
- 👤 Warren R. Vollinger
- 👤 Susan N. Wagner
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 17:28
CPC Classifications
B; B25; B25J; B25J9/00; B25J9/16; B25J9/1674; B25J9/1676; G; G01; G01N; G01N35/00; G01N35/0099; G05; G05B; G05B19/00; G05B19/02; G05B19/04; G05B19/12; G05B19/128; G05B19/418; G05B19/41815; G05B19/41865; G01N2035/00178; G01N2035/00326; G01N35/00584; G01N2035/0097; G05B2219/00; G05B2219/30; G05B2219/32; G05B2219/32059; G05B2219/33; G05B2219/33207; G05B2219/49; G05B2219/49157; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P90/00; Y02P90/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
179 words
An automated processing system comprising a robotic manipulating means (20;100) and a plurality of work stations (40, 42, and 44 to 49; 104; 302, 304, 308, 310, 312, 314; 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412;) positioned in any of a plurality of positions within reach of said manipulating means, wherein said system comprises: (a) means to store information about the geometry of each work station; (b) position-signalling means associated with each said work station to communicate to, and store in, said store means, the identity of each said work station and information on the geometrical position occupied by said work station relative to said manipulating means; (c) position-attitude guide means to assure that a suitable geometric relationship of said work station to said manipulator means is achieved and maintained even after said work station is moved to occupy any of said plurality of positions; and (d) means to control the movement of said manipulator means, in response to all said positional and geometric information, along paths which ensure collision-free movement of said manipulator means among all said work stations.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
52 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said position-attitude guide means is a template (50 to 59; 204) which is fixed with respect to said manipulator means and forms means for receiving and holding the structure of said work stations only in alignment with an operating axis of said manipulator means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said position-attitude guide means comprises radiation-transmitting means (102) and a radiation-receiving means (106) mounted at opposite ends of a path between said manipulator means and a work station such that an optimum path signal can be determined by the radiation received by said radiation-receiving means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said geometrical information consists of, at least, information relation to the height of at least one work station and information relating to the radial distance between structure of said work station and the manipulator means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said information relates to the height of a plurality of work stations.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
89 words
A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a sample-specific code is entered into the system for a plurality of work stations to be used during robotic manipulation of said sample and wherein said code is used to update sample-specific data as said sample is passed from one work station to another work station, each said work station being provided with a block of sample-specific data, useful in enhancing the efficiency of said work station's processing of said sample, as said sample is passed to said work station.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said sample-specific code is used to update volumetric information relative to the processing of said sample.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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