Laboratory sample distribution system, laboratory system and method of operating

• US 10,031,150 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Heise, Michael, Schneider, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Deuble, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US15/380,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20170097372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 1983391, 198349, 1984651, 198619, 422 63- 67
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0261 Puck as article support
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 37/00 Combinations of mechanical conveyors of the same kind, or of different kinds, of interest apart from their application in particular machines or use in particular manufacturing processes series of co-operating belt conveyor units B65G15/22; series of co-operating chain conveyor units B65G17/26; sequence control of combined conveyors B65G43/10
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 54/02 electrostatic, electric, or magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0406 Individual bottles or tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0465 Loading or unloading the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0477 Magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/114165 with step of insertion or removal from test line

Abstract

A laboratory sample distribution system is presented. The laboratory sample distribution system comprises a plurality of container carriers. The container carriers each comprise at least one magnetically active device such as, for example, at least one permanent magnet, and carry a sample container containing a sample. The system further comprises a transport plane to carry the multiple container carriers and a plurality of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane. The electro-magnetic actuators move a container carrier on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the container carrier. The system also comprises at least one transfer device to transfer a sample item, wherein the sample item is a container carrier, a sample container, part of the sample and/or the complete sample, between the transport plane and a laboratory station such as, for example, a pre-analytical, an analytical and/or a post-analytical station.

Claims

1. A laboratory sample distribution system, the laboratory sample distribution system comprising:

a plurality of container carriers, each container carrier having a sample container containing a sample, wherein each container carrier comprises at least one magnetically active device;

a transport plane to carry the plurality of container carriers;

a plurality of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane, wherein the plurality of electro-magnetic actuators moves a container carrier on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the container carrier and wherein the plurality of electro-magnetic actuators moves the container carrier from a start location to a destination location; and

at least one transfer device arranged to transfer a sample item between a transfer location on the transport plane and a laboratory station,

wherein the transport plane comprises at least one transfer area located adjacent to the at least one transfer device, wherein the transfer location is located inside the transfer area, wherein a size of the transfer area is dynamically changed in response to a number of container carriers waiting for processing by the laboratory station.

2. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising,

a container carrier conveyor functionally coupled to the transport plane, the container carrier conveyor being arranged to convey container carriers not placed on top of the transport plane.

3. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 2, wherein the container carrier conveyor is belt-driven.

4. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising,

a container carrier sensing device to sense the presence and/or position of container carriers on the transport plane.

5. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transfer device comprises a sample container rack storage device to store sample container racks.

6. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 1, wherein non-processed sample carriers are queued within the transfer area.

7. A laboratory sample distribution system, the laboratory sample distribution system comprising:

a plurality of container carriers, each container carrier having a sample container containing a sample, wherein each container carrier comprises at least one magnetically active device;

a transport plane to carry the plurality of container carriers;

a plurality of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane, wherein the plurality of electro-magnetic actuators moves a container carrier on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the container carrier and wherein the plurality of electro-magnetic actuators moves the container carrier from a start location to a destination location; and

at least one transfer device arranged to transfer a sample container carried by a container carrier on the transport plane to a sample container rack used by a laboratory station in a formatting operation and/or to transfer a sample container from a sample container rack used by the laboratory station to a container carrier on the transport plane in a reformatting operation, wherein the at least one transport device comprises a sensor for determining a rack format of the sample container rack, wherein the transfer device is adapted to perform the formatting operation and/or the reformatting operation rack format specific.

8. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one transfer device is a pick-and-place device.

9. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one transfer device is a multi-axis robot.

10. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one transfer device is a pick-and-place device.

11. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one transfer device is a picker.

12. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one transfer device is a pipettor.

13. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the rack format of the sample container rack corresponds to a specific laboratory station.