Transfer or interrogation of materials by carrier and receiving devices moving independently and simultaneously on multiple axes
US9823264B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 18, 2016 |
| Grant date | Nov 21, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 18, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2035/0424
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Material transfer/interrogation devices (e.g. liquid handling workstations) have been designed in the past for transferring material from a source to a destination location or for interrogating a material at a location, where the locations remain fixed. The invention provides methods and apparatuses for transferring or interrogating materials by one or more carrier devices to one or more receiving devices, where the carrier and receiving devices move independently and simultaneously on multiple axes. In some embodiments, one or more of the carrier and receiving devices can move along an X, Z, Y, and Theta axis, which allows the source and destination locations to rotate and translate relative to each other. Due to this rotation and translation, containers can be positioned to minimize the distance traveled between a pick location from the source and a place location on the destination, greatly increasing the speed at which material transfer can occur.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.