The present invention relates to an apparatus for moving a microscope slide, the apparatus having a first clamping unit and a second clamping unit arranged opposite thereto, the apparatus being mountable on a robot arm.

An important tool in pathological research is the examination of tissue samples placed on microscope slides with an optical microscope. Digital pathology, which has become widespread in recent decades, is a method in which glass slides are digitized using a scanner and then the resulting digital images are analyzed using computer programs.

As is known, to make visible of certain tissue structures requires the staining of the sample, and the covering of the samples is also required to improve mechanical protection and optical properties before microscopic examination of the stained samples. Furthermore, before and during staining, the sample placed on the slide is treated according to a given protocol, in which the so-called reagents are used in several successive steps, so that specific detection of certain molecules is possible. Treatment with reagents must take into account the incubation time and other parameters required to use the particular reagent, resulting in a very complex workflow and many potential for error. In addition, some reagents are harmful to health, so several solutions have been developed to automate these workflows.

Patent document WO99/49295, discloses an automated device, so-called autostainer which, in addition to staining samples on slides, is also suitable for dispensing various reagents. Document WO03/052386 also shows an autostainer in which slides are placed horizontally next to each other and on the surface of which a manipulator head placed on a robot arm drips the required reagent.

In addition to autostainers, separate machines for covering the sample are also known, which place a glass cover plate on the sample after applying the coating material. Such, the so-called coverslipper machines are disclosed, for example, in patent documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,796,353 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,386. There are also many examples in the literature of digital scanning microscopes - separate from staining and covering machines - for receiving and digitizing samples that have already been stained and covered.

The above devices are able to perform only some subtasks of the entire workflow of digital pathology, i.e., the steps of staining, covering, and digitization take place in different equipment. Slides containing the sample are usually transferred manually from one device to another with human intervention. In the machines, the slides are housed in slide holders, also known as slide racks, which allow multiple slides to be moved at the same time. In slide racks, however, readymade slides wait until the rack is full. Thus, each piece of machine waits unused for a long time, and then it becomes necessary to process many slides at once. As a result, the various machines performing each function can become bottlenecks, which significantly prolongs the entire workflow. In addition, certain samples may tend to degrade in a shorter time. In these cases, it may be particularly important that the slide containing the sample be scanned in the shortest possible time.

It is therefore necessary to provide a slide moving apparatus by means of which the slide in the rack can be removed from the rack, moved therefrom and, if appropriate, inserted into another rack, or by means of which the slide can be transferred to another device.

In slide racks typically used in digital pathology, slides are stacked on top of each other. In a first type of such racks (hereinafter referred to as a longitudinal rack), the slides are in contact with the rack along their longer edge and can be removed from there in a direction parallel to the longer edge. In this type, the ends of slides that do not contain a sample protrude slightly from the rack, and the slide can be moved by grasping this free end. U.S. Patent No. 8,797,396 B2 discloses a digital microscope scanner system using this type of rack. The protruding end of the slides is gripped along the long edges on both sides using a robotic arm tweezers. The disadvantage of this solution is that it does not ensure a stable fixation of the slide, so that the slide can rotate in directions perpendicular to its surface.

In a known and frequently used second type of rack (hereinafter: transverse rack), slides can be removed from the rack in a direction parallel to their shorter edges. Such racks are used, for example, by Thermo Fisher's ClearVue™ machine. In this apparatus, a slide is pushed out of the rack in a direction parallel to its shorter side edges, in contact with its longer side edge, so that it is held against the other longer side edge of the slide by another arm. The sample is prepared in this position, at the end of which the slide is pushed back into the rack by the arms. It is easy to see that this mechanism is not suitable for removing the slide at any distance from the rack, as the pushing lever is trapped between the slides. Known slide handling devices are also not suitable for removing slides from such racks or moving slides therefrom. For example, the clip mechanism described in patent document U.S. Pat. No. 8,797,396 B2 cannot grip the slides in the absence of protruding parts. Mechanisms that grip the slide at the bottom and top surfaces are also not applicable to this type of rack, as when removed from the rack, the slide can easily rotate about an axis perpendicular to its surface, which can lead to positioning inaccuracies and errors in the workflow.

We have recongized that there is currently no slide moving apparatus that can remove slides stored in transverse racks from there and move them in any direction.

We have also recognized that state of the art slide moving devices are not suitable for stable gripping of slides, so that the slide can rotate in a direction perpendicular to its surface in the case of a clip mechanism and around an axis perpendicular to the slide surface in the case of a mechanism that grips the slide at the bottom and top surfaces, which can result in positioning inaccuracies during the workflow. A further disadvantage of the known slide moving devices is that they are not able to transfer the slide to another slide moving device, since each currently known moving device grips the same free end of the slide protruding from the longitudinal rack.

We have also recognized that in the transverse racks there are gaps of a few mm between the adjacent slides, through which a properly designed first clamping unit can be inserted, by means of which the opposite long side edge of the slide can be grasped and the slide pulled out of the rack. It is further recognized that by providing a second clamping unit opposite the first clamping unit, the drawn slide can be stably secured between the clamping units and removed from the rack in any direction and distance. It is also part of our recognition that by forming the clamping units as prismatic jaws, an exceptionally stable and self-positioning fixation of the slide can be achieved. By the proper arrangement of the clamping units, a substantially 3-point mount can be created.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is free from the disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a slide moving apparatus by means of which the slide can be removed from and moved from the transverse rack while ensuring a stable grip of the slide.

The present invention relates to an apparatus which can be mounted on a robot arm and whose clamping units are formed as prismatic jaws, the first clamping unit is fixed to the end of a support rod rotatable about a longitudinal axis, and which support rod is displaceable along its longitudinal axis.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by an apparatus according to claim 1 .

Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Further details of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawing

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a view of the apparatus of Figure 1 without a guided frame,

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 2 from another view,

Figure 4 is a schematic side view of the apparatus of Figure 1 ,

Figure 5 is a schematic side view of the apparatus of Figure 2,

Figure 6a is a schematic closer view an exemplary embodiment of the clamping units according to the invention, illustrating the first position of the first clamping unit,

Figure 6b is a schematic closer view of the clamping units of Figure 6a, illustrating an exemplary second position of the first claimping unit,

Figure 7 is a schematic view illustrating a hole formed in the frame,

Figure 8 is a schematic view illustrating the longitudinal displacement of the support rod of an exemplary device according to the invention by means of a displacer,

Figure 9a is a view illustrating the first phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack,

Figure 9b is a view illustrating the second phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack,

Figure 9c is a view illustrating the third phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack,

Figure 9d is a view illustrating the fourth phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack,

Figure 9e is a view illustrating the fifth phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack,

Figure 9f is a view illustrating the sixth phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack,

Figure 9g is a view illustrating the seventh phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack,

Figure 9h is a view illustrating the eighth phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack,

Figure 9i is a view illustrating the ninth phase of removing a slide from a transverse rack.

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to the invention. The apparatus 10 is for moving a microscope slide 20. In the context of the present invention, the term "moving" includes removing the slide 20 from a rack 100, moving it away from the rack 100, or inserting the slide 20 into another or the same rack 100. It is further noted that the rack 100 is the transverse slide rack already described above, an exemplary embodiment of which is shown in Figures 9a-9i. The slide 20 is an elongate flat columnar plate, preferably made of glass, commonly used in digital pathology, bounded on the side by opposite and parallel short edges 100a and long edges 100b, as well as lower and upper surfaces.

The apparatus 10 according to the invention can be mounted on a robot arm 50. Figures 1 to 5 show an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 10 in a state mounted on a robot arm 50. Note that for the sake of clarity, only a part of the robot arm 50, in this case its manipulator head, is shown in the figures. In the context of the present invention, the term robot arm 50 is to be construed broadly to include any mechanical system that is capable of moving in a predetermined path in a predetermined manner and performing tasks along the path, as is known to those skilled in the art. The robot arm 50 is selected to be suitable for carrying the apparatus 10. The apparatus 10 can be attached to the robot arm 50 in a known manner, for example by means of screwing.

The apparatus 10 has a first clamping unit 12 and a second clamping unit 14 arranged opposite thereto, which are formed as prismatic jaws with V-shaped, i.e. angled legs. The angle enclosed by the legs of the prismatic jaws is preferably 90 degrees, but it is also possible to use different angles, which are customary for prismatic jaws, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The prismatic jaws are sized so that their legs can engage long edges 100b of the slide 20. The prismatic jaws of the clamping units 12, 14 are preferably made of a wear resistant hard metal, such as tungsten carbide, but, of course, the use of other metals or metal alloys (e.g. steel) is also conceivable, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5, the legs of a given prismatic jaw meet a straight edge, i.e. the legs of the clamping unit 12 define a first prism edge 13 and the legs of the clamping unit 14 define a second prism edge 15. The prism edges 13, 15 are straight lines. It is noted that the prismatic jaws of the clamping units 12, 14 may optionally be formed so that the legs of the prismatic jaws do not actually meet (no such embodiment is shown in the figures), as is known to those skilled in the art. In this case, the prism edges 13, 15 are interpreted as an imaginary intersection line of the angled legs of the respective prism jaws.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the second clamping unit 14 is wider than the first clamping unit 12, i.e. the prism edge 15 of the second clamping unit 14 is longer than the prism edge 13 of the first clamping unit 12. The clamping unit 12 is formed in such a way that the length of the prism edge 13 is smaller than the distance H between the adjacent slides 20 in the rack 100, i.e. so that the clamping unit 12 passes between the slides 20. The prism edge 13 of the first clamping 12 unit is preferably 1 -2 mm, the prism edge 15 of the second clamping unit 14 is preferably 10-50 mm.

In the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5, the second clamping unit 14 comprises separate first and second clamping parts 14a, 14b, each of which is formed as a prismatic jaw with V-shaped legs. It is noted that the clamping unit 14 may be a single monolithic unit (not shown in the figures), but if the clamping unit 14 is made of hard metal, - due to the later detailed design of the device 10 - it is more expedient to make it from two parts from a manufacturing point of view. Figures 6a, 6b show that the legs of the V-shaped prism jaws of the clamping portions 14a, 14b meet along a straight edge and define prism edge portions 16a, 16b, respectively. The length of the prism edge portions 16a, 16b is preferably at least 1.5 mm. Of course, the prismatic jaws of the clamping portions 14a, 14b can also formed in such a way that the legs of the prismatic jaws do not actually intersect (not shown in the figures). The prism edge portions 16a, 16b are then formed by the imaginary intersection lines of the angles of the respective prismatic jaws. If the clamping unit 14 is formed by separate first and second clamping portions 14a, 14b, the length of the prism edge 15 of the second clamping unit 14 is interpreted as the distance between the farthest points of the prism edge portions 16a, 16b of the two clamping portions 14a, 14b, i.e. as the distance between the distal ends of the prism edge portions 16a, 16b.

The first clamping unit 12 of the device 10 according to the invention is fixed to a first end 31 of a support rod 30 rotatable about a longitudinal axis T between a first position and a different second position, as can be seen, for example, in Figures 6a, 6b. The support rod 30 is rigid in design and is preferably also made of a hard metal such as tungsten carbide. The support rod 30 is preferably of circular crosssection, the diameter of which is preferably not greater than the length of the first prism edge 13. In the first position of the support rod 30, the prismatic jaws of the clamping units 12, 14 face each other, so that no torque is exerted to the clamped slide 20. In the first position, the prism edges 13, 15 of each prismatic jaw are straight lines parallel to each other in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis T of the support rod 30. In other words, the imaginary surface connecting the prism edges 13, 15 is a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis T. The longitudinal axis T is preferably perpendicular to the prism edges 13, 15. When the device 10 is in use, the prism edge 13 of the clamping unit 12 in the first position is horizontal.

In the particularly preferred embodiment shown in Figure 6b, the second position of the support rod 30 is rotated 90 degrees relative to the first position (Fig. 6a), i.e. the orientations of the first clamping unit 12 in the first and second positions are perpendicular to each other. There may be an angular difference of less than 90 degrees between the first and second positions. The width of the clamping unit 12, i.e. the length of the prism edge 13 and the second position, must be chosen so that the clamping unit 12 fits between two adjacent slides 20 one above the other in the rack 100.

The embodiment of the apparatus 10 shown in Figure 1 comprises a rigid frame 40, preferably made of metal, by means of which the apparatus 10 can be attached to the robot arm 50. The frame 40 may be formed from a single piece or, optionally, from several pieces. In the embodiment according to Figures 1 -5 the clamping unit 14 and its clamping portions 14a, 14b are fixed to the frame 40 and the support rod 30 is passed through a hole 45 in the frame 40. The arrangement of the hole 45 can be seen in Figure 7. In this embodiment, the support rod 30 is passed between the clamping parts 14a, 14b and passes through the hole 45, thereby guiding the support rod 30 and designating the direction of the longitudinal axis T. As previously mentioned, it is expedient to form the clamping unit 14 from clamping parts 14a, 14b, so that it is not necessary to drill a hole through the clamping unit 14 itself, which is particularly advantageous from a technical point of view when using hard metal.

The support rod 30 according to the invention is adapted to move along its longitudinal axis T in a first direction P in which the first clamping unit 12 approaches towards the second clamping unit 14 and in a second direction D in which the first clamping unit 12 moves away from the second clamping unit. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the apparatus 10 comprises one or more resilient elements 60, preferably one or more spring members, for moving the support rod 30 in the first direction P. The one or more resilient elements 60 exert a force in the P direction on the support rod 30, the magnitude of which can be adjusted to the desired value by appropriate design of the resilient element 60. In this way, the clamping units 12, 14 grip the slide 20 with a constant and optimal force. The embodiment shown in Figure 1 comprises three resilient elements 60 in the form of coil springs, one end of which is attached to the frame 40 and the other end to a rigid guided frame 70. As will be seen later, the frame 70 is indirectly connected to a second end 32 opposite the first end 31 of the support rod 30, so that the resilient elements 60 can indirectly exert a force on the support rod 30. The frame 70 has been removed from Figures 3 and 5 so that the arrangement of the coil springs can be well observed. Note that instead of coil springs, other elements, e.g. rubber disk, rubber band, elastic sponge, etc. can also be used as a resilient element 60, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The apparatus 10 according to the invention comprises a displacer 80 for displacing the support rod 30 along the longitudinal axis T and a rotator 82 for rotating the support rod 30 about the longitudinal axis T. In a preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1 the rotator 82 is a motor fixed to the second end 32 of the support rod 30, adapted to rotate the support rod 30 at a predetermined angle and to hold it at that angle. Such a motor can be, for example, an electric stepper motor known per se, a DC servomotor, etc., as is known to the person skilled in the art. In this embodiment, the rotator 82 is attached to the frame 70, so that the frame 70, the rotator 82 and the support rod 30 connected thereto form a co-moving system which is resiliently connected to the frame 40 via resilient elements 60 formed as spring members.

The displacer 80 can be any means suitable for linear movement, for example a rail moving device guided by a rail track. The transmission can be, for example, a rack, spindle, or belt drive, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5, the device 10 is attached to the robot arm 50 and the displacer 80 is provided as part of the robot arm 50. As shown in Figure 4, one of a tweezers 52 of the robot arm 50 is arranged immediately adjacent the frame 70 so that the frame 70 is pressed against the tweezers 52 by the resilient elements 60. The tweezers 52 are able to move along a rail system parallel to the longitudinal axis T, so when the tweezers 52 are opened, they push the frame 70 in the D direction, with which the support rod 30 moves along the longitudinal axis T in the D direction as well, thus increasing the distance between the clamping units 12,14 (see Figure 8).

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus 10 includes a central control unit (not shown in the Figures) for controlling the displacer 80 and the rotator 82, by means of which the position of the support rod 30 along the longitudinal axis T and the position of the support rod 30 about the longitudinal axis T can be adjusted to the desired value.

In the following, with reference to Figures 9a-9i, an exemplary operation of the apparatus 10 of the present invention is briefly illustrated, in which the slide 20 is removed from the rack 100. In a first step, the apparatus 10 is moved next to the rack 100 - for example, using the 50 robot arms shown above - so that the longitudinal axis T of the support rod 30 being parallel to the short edges 100a of the slide 20 and so that the slide 20 being located in the imaginary plane connecting the prism edges 13, 15 or slightly above it (see Figure 9a). Thereafter, the support rod 30 is rotated about the longitudinal axis T by the rotator 82 to the second position shown in Fig. 9b, and the clamping unit 12 is passed between the slides 20 in the rack 100 below the slide 20 to be moved (Figs. 9c and 9d). Note that the clamping unit 12 may be rotated to the second position in advanced. The support rod 30 is pushed in the D direction until the clamping unit 12 extends beyond the opposite long edge 100b of the slide 20 (see Figure 9e). The support rod 30 is secured in this position by the displacer 80 and then rotated into the first position by the rotator 82 (see Fig. 9f). Than, the locking of the longitudinal axis T is released and the resilient elements 60 are allowed to move the support rod 30 and the clamping unit 12 in the P direction. The long edge 100b of the slide 20 abuts between the prismatic jaws of the clamping unit 12 so that the slide 20 is pulled by the clamping unit 12 in the P direction (see Figures 9g and 9h). Note that the displacer 80 may optionally brake the movement in the P direction to avoid damaging the fragile slide 20. In the case of embodiments without a resilient element 60, the movement in the P direction is performed by the displacer 80. The movement of the clamping unit 12 in the P direction lasts until the other long edge 100b of the slide 20 abuts between the prismatic jaws of the clamping unit 14, after which the slide 20 can be moved together with the apparatus 10 to the desired position (see Fig. 9i). In this position, a stable fixation of the slide 20 is ensured and the prismatic jaws automatically rotate the plane of the slide 20 into the plane connecting the prism edges 13, 15. This enables the precise transfer of the slides 20 and thus the efficient automation of the digitization workflow.

The resilient elements 60 approach the clamping units 12, 14 toward each other with a force of a certain magnitude, so as to ensure that the slide 20 is always fixed with the same force. It would have been obvious to the person skilled in the art to determine the magnitude of the force acting on the slide 20. In addition to the simple design, a further advantage of the resilient elements 60 is that the slide 20 can be removed in the event of a power failure by tensioning the clamping units 12, 14. Various modifications will be apparent to a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection determined by the attached claims.