SAMPLE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SAMPLE INFORMATION DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20100101339A1
• Filed: 10/27/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Tatsutani, Hiroo, Tanaka, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,333,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/863.910
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00801 Holders for sample carriers, e.g. trays, caroussel, racks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0091 GUI [graphical user interfaces]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00584 Control arrangements for automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00663 of consumables
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/021 having a flexible chain, e.g. "cartridge belt", conveyor for reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/026 having blocks or racks of reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis

Abstract

A sample processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of measuring units, each of which measures a sample; a sample conveyance unit for conveying a sample to at least one of the plurality of measurement units; a display unit; and a display controller for controlling the display unit to display an analysis result of a sample which the analysis result has been obtained based on the measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units, and controlling the display unit to display conveyance status information indicating a conveyance status of the sample which analysis result has not been obtained yet based on the measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units, is disclosed. A sample information display apparatus is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A sample processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of measuring units, each of which measures a sample;

a sample conveyance unit for conveying a sample to at least one of the plurality of measurement units;

a display unit; and

a display controller for controlling the display unit to display an analysis result of a sample which the analysis result has been obtained based on the measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units, and controlling the display unit to display conveyance status information indicating a conveyance status of a sample which analysis result has not been obtained yet based on the measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units.

2. The sample processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveyance status information includes conveyance history information indicating a conveyance path through which the sample passed in the past, and conveyance scheduling information indicating a conveyance path through which the sample is to pass in the future.

3. The sample processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a determiner for determining a conveying destination of the sample by the sample conveyance unit from the plurality of measurement units;

wherein

the sample conveyance unit conveys the sample to a measurement unit determined by the determiner as the conveying destination.

4. The sample processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display controller controls the display unit to numerically display the analysis result, and to graphically display the conveyance status information.

5. The sample processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the display controller controls the display unit to display a layout chart of the sample processing apparatus and a position of the sample on the layout chart as the conveyance status information.

6. The sample processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display controller controls the display unit to display measurement unit specifying information for specifying a measurement unit where the sample, which the analysis result has been obtained, was measured.

7. The sample processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an acquirer for acquiring a time related to elapse of processing of the sample conveyed by the sample conveyance unit, wherein

the display controller controls the display unit to display the time related to the elapse of the processing of the sample acquired by the acquirer.

8. The sample processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the time related to the elapse of the processing of the sample is a remaining time until completion of the processing of the sample.

9. The sample processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the sample conveyance unit further includes an accommodating portion for accommodating a sample which measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units has been terminated;

and

the remaining time until the completion of the processing of the sample is a time until the sample is accommodated in the accommodating portion.

10. The sample processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing a position of the sample in the sample processing apparatus, wherein

the conveyance status information of the sample includes the position of the sample stored in the memory.

11. The sample processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an input unit, wherein

the display controller controls the display unit to display sample specifying information for specifying the sample, which the analysis result has not been obtained yet, and controls the display to display the conveyance status information of the sample when the sample specified by the sample specifying information is selected through the input unit.

12. The sample processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the display controller controls the display unit to display the sample specifying information for specifying the sample, which the analysis result has been obtained, and the analysis result, and controls the display unit to display conveyance history information indicating a conveyance path through which the sample passed in the past when the sample is selected through the input unit.

13. The sample processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the display controller controls the display unit to display a search condition input region capable of accepting an input of a search condition for searching a sample;

the sample processing apparatus further includes a retriever for searching for a sample that matches the search condition which has been input to the search condition input region through the input unit; and

the display controller controls the display unit to display the search result by the retriever.

14. A sample processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of measuring units, each of which measures a sample;

a sample conveyance unit for conveying a sample to at least one of the plurality of measurement units; and

an information processing unit for displaying information related to a sample including,

a display unit, and

a controller for executing a process of controlling the display unit to display an analysis result of a sample which the analysis result has been obtained based on the measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units, and controlling the display unit to display conveyance status information indicating a conveyance status of a sample which analysis result has not been obtained yet based on the measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units.

15. The sample processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the conveyance status information includes conveyance history information indicating a conveyance path through which the sample passed in the past, and conveyance scheduling information indicating a conveyance path through which the sample is to pass in the future.

16. The sample processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the information processing unit further includes an input unit;

and

the controller further executes a process of controlling the display unit to display sample specifying information for specifying the sample, which the analysis result has not been obtained yet, and controlling the display unit to display the conveyance status information of the sample when the sample specified by the sample specifying information is selected through the input unit.

17. The sample processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein

the information processing unit further includes a memory for storing a position of the sample in the sample processing apparatus, and

the conveyance status information of the sample includes the position stored in the memory.

18. The sample processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller further executes a process of controlling the display unit to display the sample specifying information for specifying the sample, which the analysis result has been obtained, and the analysis result, and controlling the display unit to display conveyance history information indicating a conveyance path through which the sample passed in the past when the sample, which the analysis result has been obtained, is selected through the input unit.

19. The sample processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller further executes processes of:

(a) controlling the display unit to display a search condition input region capable of accepting an input of a search condition for searching a sample;

(b) searching for a sample that matches the search condition which has been input to the search condition input region through the input unit; and

(c) controlling the display unit to selectably display the search result.

20. A sample information display apparatus for displaying information related to a sample processed in a sample processing apparatus including a plurality of measuring units, each of which measures a sample, and a sample conveyance unit for conveying a sample to at least one of the plurality of measurement units, the sample information display apparatus comprising:

a display unit; and

a display controller for controlling the display unit to display an analysis result of the sample which the analysis result has been obtained based on the measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units, and controlling the display unit to display conveyance status information indicating a conveyance status of a sample which analysis result has not been obtained yet based on the measurement by at least one of the plurality of measurement units.