Sample analyzer and a computer program product

• US 20090226344A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Kudo, Takatomo, Nishida, Tomoyuki, Toyoshima, Hiroto
• Granted Patent: US 9,255,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/67
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0491 Position sensing, encoding; closed-loop control
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0494 Detecting or compensating piositioning errors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1013 Confirming presence of tip
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1011 Control of the position or alignment of the transfer device

Abstract

A sample analyzer is disclosed which enables to confirm the position of a pipette of dispensing section not depend on instruction directed a start of a position confirmation operation from the operator, and to prevent a pipette from being damaged or credibility of analysis results from declining.

Concretely, the sample analyzer comprises a pipette, a pipette moving mechanism and a position confirming member disposed at a position where the pipette can be moved by the pipette moving mechanism. The position confirming member comprises a space into which a tip end of the pipette can be inserted. When the sample analyzer carries out the position confirmation process, the tip end of the pipette is moved by the pipette moving mechanism so as to be inserted into the space of the position confirming member. When a sensor sensed that the tip end of the pipette collides with the position confirming member, the sample analyzer stops the movement of the pipette and notify that the pipette of the pipette moving mechanism has a problem.

Claims

1. A sample analyzer comprising:

a pipette for dispensing a reagent or a sample;

a pipette moving mechanism for moving the pipette;

a position confirming section disposed at a position where the pipette can be reached; and

a controller for performing a position confirming process comprising;

moving the pipette by the pipette moving mechanism so as to be disposed at a predetermined position included in the position confirming section; and

judging whether the moved pipette is disposed at the predetermined position.

2. The sample analyzer of claim 1,

wherein the moving step is carried out by driving the pipette moving mechanism so as to dispose a tip end of the pipette at the predetermined position and the judging step is carried out by judging whether the tip end of the pipette is disposed at the predetermined position.

3. The sample analyzer of claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured so as to automatically perform the position confirming process.

4. The sample analyzer of claim 1,

wherein, the sample analyzer is configured so as to receive an analysis start instruction, and

wherein the controller is configured so as to perform the position confirming process when the analysis start instruction is received.

5. The sample analyzer of claim 4,

wherein the sample analyzer is configured so as to receive one analysis start instruction directing the start of analyses of a plurality of the samples, and

wherein the controller performs the position confirming process after the one analysis start instruction directing the start of analyses of the plurality of the samples is received and before an initial sample analysis directed to be started by the instruction starts.

6. The sample analyzer of claim 1,

wherein the controller performs the position confirming process at predetermined intervals when the sample analyzer is kept on standby state in which the sample analyzer is ready to start the analysis.

7. The sample analyzer of claim 1, further comprising a cleaning section for cleaning the pipette,

wherein the controller performs the position confirming process after the pipette is cleaned by the cleaning section and before the sample or the reagent is dispensed by the pipette.

8. The sample analyzer of claim 1,

wherein the position confirming section further comprises a position confirming member comprising a space into which a tip end of the pipette can be inserted,

wherein the sample analyzer further comprises a sensing section for sensing whether the pipette collides with the position confirming member, and

wherein the controller judges whether the pipette is disposed at the predetermined position on the basis of an output of the sensing section.

9. The sample analyzer of claim 1, further comprising a notifier for notifying that a shape of the pipette or the pipette moving mechanism has a problem when the controller judges that the pipette is not disposed at the predetermined position by the position confirming process.

10. The sample analyzer of claim 1,

wherein the controller is configured so as to stop the movement of the pipette when the controller judges that the pipette is not disposed at the predetermined position by the position confirming process.

11. A sample analyzer comprising:

a pipette for dispensing a reagent or a sample;

a pipette moving mechanism for moving the pipette;

a position confirming section disposed at a position where the pipette can be reached; and

a controller, including a memory under control of a processor, the memory storing instructions enabling the processor to carry out operations, comprising;

moving the pipette by the pipette moving mechanism so as to be disposed at a predetermined position included in the position confirming section; and

judging whether the pipette moved by the moving step is disposed at the predetermined position.

12. The sample analyzer of claim 11,

wherein the moving step is carried out by driving the pipette moving mechanism so as to dispose a tip end of the pipette at the predetermined position, and

wherein the judging step is carried out by judging whether the tip end of the pipette moved by the moving step is disposed at the predetermined position.

13. The sample analyzer of claim 11,

wherein the operations further comprise a step of receiving an analysis start instruction for the sample, and

wherein the moving step and the judging step are performed after the analysis start instruction is received in the receiving step.

14. The sample analyzer of claim 11,

wherein the operations further comprise a step of receiving one analysis start instruction directing the start of analysis of a plurality of the samples, and

wherein the moving step and the judging step are performed after the one analysis start instruction directing the start of analyses of the plurality of the samples is received in the receiving step and before an initial sample analysis directed to be started by the instruction starts.

15. The sample analyzer of claim 11,

wherein the position confirming section further comprises a position confirming member comprising a space into which a tip end of the pipette can be inserted,

wherein the sample analyzer further comprises a sensing section for sensing whether the pipette collides with the position confirming member, and

wherein the judging step is carried out by judging whether the pipette is disposed at the predetermined position on the basis of an output of the sensing section.

16. The sample analyzer of claim 11, further comprising a notifier,

wherein the operations further comprise a step of notifying, by the notifier, that a shape of the pipette or the pipette moving mechanism has a problem, and

wherein the notifying step is carried out when it is judged that the pipette is not disposed at the predetermined position in the determining step.

17. The sample analyzer of claim 11,

wherein the operations further comprise a step of stopping the movement of the pipette, and

wherein the pipette movement stopping step is carried out when it is judged that the pipette is not disposed at the predetermined position in the determining step.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

instructions, on the computer readable medium, adapted to enable a sample analyzer, comprising a pipette for dispensing a reagent or a sample, a pipette moving mechanism for moving the pipette, and a position confirming section disposed at a position where the pipette can be reached, to perform operations, comprising;

moving the pipette by the pipette moving mechanism so as to be disposed at a predetermined position included in the position confirming section; and

judging whether the pipette moved by the moving step is disposed at the predetermined position.

19. The computer program product of claim 18,

wherein the moving step is carried out by driving the pipette moving mechanism so as to dispose a tip end of the pipette at the predetermined position, and

wherein the judging step is carried out by judging whether the tip end of the pipette moved by the moving step is disposed at the predetermined position.

20. The computer program product of claim 18,

wherein the sample analyzer further comprises a notifier, and

wherein the operations further comprises a step of notifying, by the notifier, that the shape of the pipette or the pipette moving mechanism has a problem when it is judged that the pipette is not disposed at the predetermined position in the determining step.