Slide rack gripper apparatus

Abstract

A slide rack gripper apparatus is provided that simultaneously conveys a plurality of glass slides in the protection of a slide rack within a digital slide scanning apparatus. The slide rack gripper apparatus conveys the plurality of glass slides from a slide rack carousel to a scanning stage for processing. The slide rack gripper includes a first motor attached to a base configured to drive a finger mount attached to the base along a first linear axis. The slide rack gripper apparatus also includes a second motor attached to the finger mount and configured to drive opposing gripper fingers attached to the finger mount along a second linear axis. The second motor is also configured to drive individual gripper fingers along a third linear axis to move the gripper fingers toward each other and away from each other to grasp or release a slide rack.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method, comprising:
 (a) storing a plurality of slide racks in a slide rack carousel operatively coupled with a digital slide scanner apparatus, each slide rack supporting a plurality of glass slides; and   (b) conveying a first glass slide to a scanning stage of the digital slide scanner apparatus by:
 (i) driving a finger mount including a first gripper finger and a second gripper finger along a gross motor axis to position the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger proximate opposing sides of a selected slide rack supporting the first slide, 
 (ii) subsequent to the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger being positioned proximate opposing sides of the selected slide rack, driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger toward each other along a first fine motor axis to grip the selected slide rack with the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger, 
 (iii) subsequent to gripping the selected slide rack with the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger, driving the finger mount along the gross motor axis to remove the selected slide rack from the slide rack carousel, and 
 (iv) subsequent to removing the first slide rack from the slide rack carousel, conveying the first slide rack toward the scanning stage. 
   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , the step of conveying the first glass slide further includes driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger along the first fine motor axis to a predetermined distance between a slide rack engagement surface of the first gripper finger and a slide rack engagement surface of the second gripper finger. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , the act of driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger along the first fine motor axis to the predetermined distance includes driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger toward each other. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , the act of driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger along the first fine motor axis to the predetermined distance includes driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger away from each other. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , the act of driving the finger mount along the gross motor axis to position the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger proximate opposing sides of the selected slide rack including driving the finger mount along the gross motor axis to position the first gripper finger in a first rack spacer recess on a first side of the selected slide rack supporting the first slide and to position the second gripper finger in a second rack spacer recess on a second side of the selected slide rack. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , the act of gripping the selected slide rack including driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger toward each other along the first fine motor axis to bring a slide rack engagement surface of the first gripper finger in contact with a first surface of the selected slide rack and to bring a slide rack engagement surface of the second gripper finger in contact with a second surface of the selected slide rack. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , the step of conveying the first glass slide further includes driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger along a second fine motor axis. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , act of gripping the selected slide rack including driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger along both the first fine motor axis and the second fine motor axis. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , the second fine motor axis being perpendicular relative to the first fine motor axis. 
     
     
         30 . A method, comprising:
 (a) storing a plurality of slide racks in a slide rack carousel operatively coupled with a digital slide scanner apparatus, each slide rack supporting a plurality of glass slides; and   (b) conveying a first glass slide to a scanning stage of the digital slide scanner apparatus by:
 (i) driving a first gripper finger attached to a finger mount of a slide rack gripper and a second gripper finger attached to the finger mount along a linear gripper finger grasp axis to a predetermined distance between a slide rack engagement surface of the first gripper finger and a slide rack engagement surface of the second gripper finger, 
 (ii) driving the finger mount along a first linear finger mount axis to position the first gripper finger in a first rack spacer recess on a first side of a first slide rack supporting the first slide and to position the second gripper finger in a second rack spacer recess on a second side of the first slide rack, 
 (iii) subsequent to the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger being positioned on respective first and second sides of the first slide rack, driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger toward each other along the linear gripper finger grasp axis to bring the slide rack engagement surface of the first gripper finger in contact with a first surface of the first slide rack and to bring the slide rack engagement surface of the second gripper finger in contact with a second surface of the first slide rack, 
 (iv) subsequent to contact between the respective slide rack engagement surfaces of the first and second gripper fingers and the first and second surfaces of the first slide rack, driving the finger mount along the first linear finger mount axis to remove the first slide rack from the slide rack carousel, and 
 (v) subsequent to removing the first slide rack from the slide rack carousel, conveying the first slide rack toward the scanning stage. 
   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein driving the first gripper finger and the second griper finger along the gripper finger grasp axis includes driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger toward each other. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger along the gripper finger grasp axis comprises driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger away from each other. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , the act of driving the finger mount along the first linear finger mount axis to position the first gripper finger and the second finger gripper includes driving the finger mount in a first direction along the first linear finger mount axis, the act of driving the finger mount along the first linear finger mount axis to remove the first slide rack from the slide rack carousel includes driving the finger mount in a second direction along the first linear finger mount axis, the first direction being opposite the second direction. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30 , the act of driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger toward each other including aligning the first slide rack with the first finger gripper and the second finger gripper using one or more protrusions extending from the slide engagement surface of the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising the step rotating the slide rack carousel to convey a second glass slide to the scanning stage. 
     
     
         36 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon one or more sequences of instructions for causing one or more processors to perform comprising:
 (a) storing a plurality of slide racks in a slide rack carousel operatively coupled with a digital slide scanner apparatus, wherein each slide rack supports a plurality of glass slides; and   (b) conveying a first glass slide to a scanning stage of the digital slide scanner apparatus by:
 (i) driving a first gripper finger attached to a finger mount of a slide rack gripper and a second gripper finger attached to the finger mount along a linear gripper finger grasp axis to a predetermined distance between a slide rack engagement surface of the first gripper finger and a slide rack engagement surface of the second gripper finger, 
 (ii) driving the finger mount along a first linear finger mount axis to position the first gripper finger in a first rack spacer recess on a first side of a first slide rack supporting the first slide and to position the second gripper finger in a second rack spacer recess on a second side of the first slide rack, 
 (iii) subsequent to the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger being positioned on respective first and second sides of the first slide rack, driving the first gripper finger and the second gripper finger toward each other along the linear gripper finger grasp axis to bring the slide rack engagement surface of the first gripper finger in contact with a first surface of the first slide rack and to bring the slide rack engagement surface of the second gripper finger in contact with a second surface of the first slide rack, 
 (iv) subsequent to contact between the respective slide rack engagement surfaces of the first and second gripper fingers and the first and second surfaces of the first slide rack, driving the finger mount along the first linear finger mount axis to remove the first slide rack from the slide rack carousel, and 
 (v) subsequent to removing the first slide rack from the slide rack carousel, conveying the first slide rack toward the scanning stage.