Automatic sample analyzer and its components

• US 20050074361A1
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Sakurai, Kazuyuki, Tanoshima, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 6,938,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/68.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/12 by observing changes in resistance or impedance across apertures when traversed by individual particles, e.g. by using the Coulter principle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/012 Red blood cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/016 White blood cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1006 for cytology
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1024 Counting particles by non-optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00524 Mixing by agitating sample carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1002 Reagent dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1004 Cleaning sample transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1079 with means for piercing stoppers or septums
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1083 with one horizontal degree of freedom

Abstract

An automatic sample analyzer includes: a pipette, a pipette driving device which moves the pipette to a sample vessel present in a predetermined position to cause the pipette to suck up a sample from the sample vessel, and then moves the pipette to an open vessel provided in another predetermined position to cause the pipette to discharge the sample into the open vessel, and an analyzing section for analyzing the discharged sample, the pipette driving device comprising a vertically movable main arm and an elongated guide arm cantilevered by the main arm and extending horizontally, the guide arm having a smaller flexural rigidity than the main arm, wherein the main arm vertically moves the pipette when the sample is to be sucked up from the sample vessel, and the guide arm guides the pipette to the open vessel and then vertically moves the pipette when the sample is to be discharged into the open vessel.

Claims

1. A sample analyzer operable in a plurality of analysis modes, the sample analyzer comprising:

an analysis mode selecting section for selecting the analysis modes;

a start button for starting an analytic operation in the selected analysis mode; and

a color change controlling section for controlling a color of the start button.

2. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a display section, wherein the analysis mode selecting section includes an analysis mode selection button for selecting the analysis modes, and the display section displays the analysis mode selection button and the start button.

3. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a display section, wherein the analysis mode selecting section includes a first analysis mode selection button for selecting a first analysis mode and a second analysis mode selection button for selecting a second analysis mode, the display section displays the first analysis mode selection button in a first color and the second analysis mode selection button in a second color different from the first color.

4. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 3, wherein the color change controlling section controls the color of the start button so that the start button is displayed in the first color when the first analysis mode is selected and the start button is displayed in the second color when the second analysis mode is selected.

5. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a display section, wherein the analysis mode selecting section includes an analysis mode selection button for selecting the analysis modes, and the display section displays the analysis mode selection button in a display form, the display form being changed when the analysis mode selection button is operated.

6. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a display section, wherein the display section displays a message indicating the selected analysis mode.

7. A sample analyzer comprising:

an input section;

a display section; and

a control section, wherein the control section controls the display section so that the display section displays a measurement screen for representing measurement results and changes the measurement screen to a main screen if no input operation is performed on the input section before a predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer after the measurement screen is displayed.

8. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 7 further comprising a sensor for detecting an operation state of the sample analyzer, wherein the control section determines, on the basis of a signal provided from the sensor, that the predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer and changes the measurement screen to the main screen.

9. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 7, wherein the display control section determines, after the lapse of a predetermined period from a predetermined point of time, that the predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer, and changes the measurement screen to the main screen.

10. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 7, wherein the display control section controls the display section so that the display section changes the measurement screen to another measurement screen if the predetermined input operation is performed on the input section before the predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer.

11. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 7, wherein the predetermined situation occurring in the sample analyzer is a situation in which a cleaning operation of the sample analyzer is completed.

12. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 7 further comprising a touch panel input/display section, the touch panel input/display section including the input section and the display section.

13. A sample analyzer comprising:

a display section;

a start button displaying section for allowing the display section to display a start button in a display form for starting an analytic operation;

a monitoring section for monitoring an operation state of the sample analyzer; and

a control section for changing the display form of the start button if the monitoring section senses that the analytic operation cannot be started.

14. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 13, wherein the control section erases the start button on the display section if the analytic operation cannot be started.

15. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 14, wherein the control section displays a message in a space on the display section where the start button has been erased, the message indicating that the analytic operation cannot be started.

16. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 13, wherein the monitoring section monitors the sample analyzer to check whether the sample analyzer is short of a reagent used for an analysis, and the control section changes the display form of the start button if the monitoring section detects the shortage of the reagent.

17. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 13, wherein if the monitoring section detects an abnormality in the sample analyzer, the control section changes the display form of the start button.

18. A sample analyzer comprising:

a display section; and

a control section for controlling the display section, wherein the control section allows the control section to selectively display a first measurement screen in which measurement results of one or more analysis items are displayed in letters having a first font size and a second measurement screen in which measurement results of a greater number of analysis items than those in the first measurement screen are displayed in letters having a second font size smaller than the first font size.

19. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 18 further comprising an input section, wherein the control section controls the display section so that the display section displays a main screen which indicates a state where the sample analyzer is ready to start an analysis and, after starting the analysis, the display section displays the first measurement screen, and changes the first measurement screen to the main screen if no input operation is performed on the input section before a predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer after the first measurement screen is displayed.

20. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 19, wherein the control section controls the display section so that the display section changes the first measurement screen to the second measurement screen if the predetermined input operation is performed on the input section before the predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer after the first measurement screen is displayed.

21. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 18, wherein the control section is adapted to store the analysis items displayed in the first measurement screen.

22. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 18, wherein the control section changes the first font size of the letters according to the number of the analysis items displayed in the first measurement screen.

23. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 18, wherein the analysis items displayed in the first measurement screen are included in the analysis items displayed in the second measurement screen.