Abstract: A samples storage system for pharmaceutical development in which the usable volumes of ultramicrotubes (384 tubes) are increased and smooth insertion and extraction of ultramicrotubes is possible irrespective of the positions of the ultramicrotubes. The samples storage system includes tubes in which samples are sealed and a storage rack for vertically accommodating a plurality of the tubes in a grid pattern. Each tube is of a rectangular hollow tubular cross-section and the intersect is tapered toward the bottom portion of the tube. Corner portions of the outer four side surfaces of the tubes are chamfered. The storage rack has engagement partition walls forming open-ended sections in a grid pattern inside the rack frame. The height of the walls is smaller than the length of the tube, and tube-supporting pins project vertically from the intersections of the grid.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pharmaceutical container transferring system suitable for taking containers stored in a storage rack in closely-spaced relation into and out of the storage rack. The system has a storage rack mounting plate for holding the storage rack, a thrust-up member provided underneath of the plate to thrust up a target container through an insertion hole of the storage rack while abutting the bottom of the container, a picking member provided above the mounting plate and having compressible jaw members having a spacing smaller than the upper part of the thrust-up container which are compressed to pinch the incoming container by extending their spacing, an upper thrust-down member disposed vertically above the lower thrust-up member for thrusting down the container pinched by the picking member and a picking carriage provided with the lower thrust-up member, the upper picking member and the upper thrust-down member that sandwich the mounting plate as the carriage moves.

Abstract: A cap for a microtube, which can be automatically aligned by an alignment plate for insertion in a correct orientation into the open end of the microtube held in a micro tube rack. The plate has partitions in a grid which produces a matrix of cells having a pitch defined by the spacing between the partitions. The cap 100 has an plug portion 120, which is adapted to be inserted into the open end of the microtube which is held in a rack having a matrix of wells congruent with the matrix of cells in the alignment plate. A grip portion 110 of the cap has an outer circumferential diameter larger than an outer circumferential diameter of the plug portion 120, so that when the cap is inserted in the microtube, the grip portion protrudes from the open end of the microtube. The entire length of the cap 100 is longer than the pitch of the alignment plate and shorter than twice the pitch.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pharmaceutical container transferring system suitable for taking containers stored in a storage rack in closely-spaced relation into and out of the storage rack. The system has a storage rack mounting plate for holding the storage rack, a thrust-up member provided underneath of the plate to thrust up a target container through an insertion hole of the storage rack while abutting the bottom of the container, a picking member provided above the mounting plate and having compressible jaw members having a spacing smaller than the upper part of the thrust-up container which are compressed to pinch the incoming container by extending their spacing, an upper thrust-down member disposed vertically above the lower thrust-up member for thrusting down the container pinched by the picking member and a picking carriage provided with the lower thrust-up member, the upper picking member and the upper thrust-down member that sandwich the mounting plate as the carriage moves.

Abstract: A pharmaceutical sample storage system in which the accommodation volume of a case is increased is disclosed and claimed. The molding of the storage rack is easy. The cases in the storage rack are locked in place and will not fall out even if the storage rack is turned upside down. Placing and removing cases from the storage rack is highly accurate. The sample storage system is sealed and the storage rack vertically accommodates a plurality of cases in a matrix. The cases are rectangular in cross-section and are hollow. The cases are tapered toward the bottom portion of the case and the outer surfaces of the cases are chamfered. The storage rack has a lower grate-shaped bottom portion which is partitioned by cross members. The bottom portion of the case being fitted into one partitioned portion of the grate-shaped bottom portion and has case supporting pins vertically provided upward from each intersection of gratings or cross members of the grated bottom portion.

Abstract: A samples storage system for pharmaceutical development in which the usable volumes of ultramicrotubes (384 tubes) are increased and smooth insertion and extraction of ultramicrotubes is possible irrespective of the positions of the ultramicrotubes. The samples storage system includes tubes in which samples are sealed and a storage rack for vertically accommodating a plurality of the tubes in a grid pattern. Each tube is of a rectangular hollow tubular cross-section and the intersect is tapered toward the bottom portion of the tube. Corner portions of the outer four side surfaces of the tubes are chamfered. The storage rack has engagement partition walls forming open-ended sections in a grid pattern inside the rack frame. The height of the walls is smaller than the length of the tube, and tube-supporting pins project vertically from the intersections of the grid.

Abstract: A cap for a microtube, which can be automatically aligned by an alignment plate for insertion in a correct orientation into the open end of the microtube held in a micro tube rack. The plate has partitions in a grid which produces a matrix of cells having a pitch defined by the spacing between the partitions. The cap 100 has an plug portion 120, which is adapted to be inserted into the open end of the microtube which is held in a rack having a matrix of wells congruent with the matrix of cells in the alignment plate. A grip portion 110 of the cap has an outer circumferential diameter larger than an outer circumferential diameter of the plug portion 120, so that when the cap is inserted in the microtube, the grip portion protrudes from the open end of the microtube. The entire length of the cap 100 is longer than the pitch of the alignment plate and shorter than twice the pitch.

Abstract: A samples storage system for pharmaceutical development in which the usable volumes of ultramicrotubes (384 tubes) are increased and smooth insertion and extraction of ultramicrotubes is possible irrespective of the positions of the ultramicrotubes. The samples storage system includes tubes in which samples are sealed and a storage rack for vertically accommodating a plurality of the tubes in a grid pattern. Each tube is of a rectangular hollow tubular cross-section and the intersect is tapered toward the bottom portion of the tube. Corner portions of the outer four side surfaces of the tubes are chamfered. The storage rack has engagement partition walls forming open-ended sections in a grid pattern inside the rack frame. The height of the walls is smaller than the length of the tube, and tube-supporting pins project vertically from the intersections of the grid.

Abstract: A pharmaceutical sample storage system in which the accommodation volume of a case is increased is disclosed and claimed. The molding of the storage rack is easy. The cases in the storage rack are locked in place and will not fall out even if the storage rack is turned upside down. Placing and removing cases from the storage rack is highly accurate. The sample storage system is sealed and the storage rack vertically accommodates a plurality of cases in a matrix. The cases are rectangular in cross-section and are hollow. The cases are tapered toward the bottom portion of the case and the outer surfaces of the cases are chamfered. The storage rack has a lower grate-shaped bottom portion which is partitioned by cross members. The bottom portion of the case being fitted into one partitioned portion of the grate-shaped bottom portion and has case supporting pins vertically provided upward from each intersection of gratings or cross members of the grated bottom portion.

Abstract: A routeless guiding method for guiding a moving body, in which the driving speeds of the body's right and left driving wheels are independently controlled according to an operational expression including parameters based on a positional relation between the body's present position and a target position to guide the body to a target position without designating a route. To guide the body, the gain of an azimuth deviation parameter related to a traveling direction of the moving body to the target position is changed in response to the distance between the moving body and the target position, and further the gain is made to be of two kinds so that the traveling route of the moving body is not unstable in shifting from one gain to another.

Abstract: An automatic brake shoe measuring apparatus for rolling stock automatically measures the thickness of brake shoes of a vehicle and automatically detecting the presence or absence of damage during travel. The automatic measuring apparatus includes: a camera unit including a monitor camera for photographing brake shoes of a vehicle during travel and outputting an image signal, an image memory for storing the image signal, and a trigger detector for outputting a trigger signal to thereby store an image signal representing an image of a specific brake shoe of the vehicle; and an image processing unit including an extraction means for extracting the specific brake shoe in accordance with the image signal stored in the image memory and transferred from the camera unit, an arithmetic means for calculating the thickness of the specific brake shoe extracted by the extraction means, and a display means for displaying the thickness of the specific brake shoe calculated out by the arithmetic means.