US 12,239,976 B2
Vial autoloader
Archibald Williams, Wareham, MA (US); Glen Johnson, Mesa, AZ (US); Isauro Amaro, Tempe, AZ (US); Jiangjiang Dai, Perrysburg, OH (US); Kai Johnstad, Cumberland, RI (US); James A. Salomon, Providence, RI (US); Christian Vézina, Levis (CA); and Rémi Deroche, Quebec (CA)
Assigned to AMETEK, INC., Berwyn, PA (US)
Filed by AMETEK, INC., Berwyn, PA (US)
Filed on Sep. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/470,902.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/086,938, filed on Oct. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0105507 A1, Apr. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01); G01N 35/00 (2006.01); G01N 35/10 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/5025 (2013.01) [B01L 3/50825 (2013.01); G01N 35/00584 (2013.01); G01N 35/10 (2013.01); B01L 2200/025 (2013.01); B01L 2200/18 (2013.01); B01L 2300/042 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0609 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0663 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0803 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0475 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device for sequentially loading vials into an analyzer, the analyzer having a carriage assembly configured to load and unload each of the vials into the analyzer in a horizontal orientation, the device comprising:
a lifter having a vial carrier support, the lifter configured to move the vial carrier support between a raised position and a lowered position, wherein, when the device is connected to the analyzer, the raised position is above the carriage assembly and the lowered position is below the carriage assembly;
a deck having a lower surface and an upper surface, the deck having an opening extending from the lower surface to the upper surface, the opening positioned and sized to accommodate the vial carrier support of the lifter when moving between the lowered position and the raised position;
a vial carousel above the deck having a plurality of vial transport stations, each vial transport station configured to receive a vial in a horizontal orientation and arranged to transport the received vial to a loading location for the vial carrier support as the vial carousel rotates,
wherein the upper surface of the deck is a planar surface adjacent the vial carousel, the vial carrier support is adjacent the upper surface of the deck when in the raised position, and each vial transport station in the vial carousel is a rectangular opening extending through the vial carousel; and
a controller coupled to the lifter and the vial carousel, the controller configured to:
rotate the vial carousel to align a first transport station with the loading location for the vial carrier support;
raise the vial carrier support to the raised position to engage a first vial in the first transport station; and
lower the vial carrier support from the raised position to the lowered position, wherein, when the device is connected to the analyzer, the carriage assembly engages the first vial and disengages the first vial from the vial carrier support for loading into the analyzer.