SAMPLE TESTING APPARATUS AND SAMPLE TESTING METHOD

• US 20100248374A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: KITAGAWA, Nobuhiro, Tatsutani, Hiroo, Tanaka, Hiroyuki, Asahara, Tomoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,641,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/47
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0092 Scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/113332 with conveyance of sample along a test line in a container or rack
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/114165 with step of insertion or removal from test line
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/115831 Condition or time responsive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/12 Condition responsive control

Abstract

The present invention is to present a sample testing apparatus comprising: a transport unit for transporting a sample container through a first position and a second position; a testing unit for performing a test on the sample in the sample container transported to the first position; a determination result obtainer for obtaining one of a first determination result indicating that a second test is required and a second determination result indicating that the second test is not required; and a transport controller for controlling the transport unit so as to transport the sample container back to the first position, if the first determination result has been obtained, wherein the sample container is not transported beyond the second position from the first position side before any one of the first and the second determination result has been obtained.

Claims

1. A sample testing apparatus comprising:

a transport unit for transporting a sample container containing a sample through a first position and a second position;

a testing unit for aspirating the sample from the sample container transported to the first position by the transport unit and for performing a test on the aspirated sample;

a determination result obtainer for obtaining one of a first determination result indicating that a second test is required for the sample and a second determination result indicating that the second test is not required for the sample, based on a test result of a first test on the sample; and

a transport controller for controlling the transport unit so as to transport the sample container back to the first position, the sample container containing the sample on which the first test has been performed, if the determination result obtainer has obtained the first determination result on the sample,

wherein the sample container is not transported beyond the second position from the first position side before the determination result obtainer has obtained any one of the first and the second determination result on the sample.

2. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to keep the sample container waiting at the second position until the determination result obtainer has obtained any one of the first and the second determination result on the sample, if the determination result obtainer has not obtained any one of the first and the second determination result on the sample when the sample container has reached the second position.

3. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to transport the sample container beyond the second position from the first position side without keeping the sample container waiting at the second position, if the determination result obtainer has obtained the second determination result on the sample.

4. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to transport the sample container back to the first position without transporting the sample container to the second position, if the determination result obtainer has obtained the first determination result on the sample before the sample container has reached the second position.

5. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transport unit is configured to transport a sample rack which holds a plurality of sample containers, each containing a sample;

and

wherein the sample rack is not transported beyond the second position from the first position side before the determination result obtainer has obtained any one of the first and the second determination result on all of the samples held on the sample rack.

6. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to transport one sample container held on the sample rack back to the first position, the one sample container containing a sample on which the first test has been performed, if the determination result obtainer has obtained the first determination result on the sample in the one sample container when the determination result obtainer has not obtained any one of the first and the second determination result on a sample in another sample container held on the sample rack, the another sample container containing a sample on which the first test has been performed.

7. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to transport one sample container held on the sample rack back to the first position, the one sample container containing a sample on which the first test has been performed, if the determination result obtainer has obtained the first determination result on the sample in the one sample container when the testing unit has not performed the first test on a sample in another container held on the sample rack.

8. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to transport the sample container beyond the second position from the first position side, if the determination result obtainer has not obtained any one of the first and the second determination result on the sample within a predetermined time period.

9. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transport unit is configured to transport the sample container along a transport path including the first position and the second position;

and

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to transport the sample container back to the first position along the transport path, if the determination result obtainer has obtained the first determination result on the sample.

10. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the transport unit comprises:

a transport mechanism for transporting the sample container on the transport path in a first transport direction which heads for the second position from the first position and in a second transport direction opposite to the first transport direction;

a feeding section for feeding the sample container into the transport path; and

a receiving section for receiving the sample container from the transport path.

11. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the feeding section is configured to transport the sample container only in a direction toward the transport path;

and

wherein the receiving section is configured to transport the sample container only in a direction separating from the transport path.

12. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the second position is an end position of the transport path with respect to the first transport direction;

and

wherein the transport mechanism comprises a delivery mechanism for delivering the sample container located at the end position to the receiving section, and is configured to transport the sample container beyond the second position from the first position side by delivering the sample container located at the end position to the receiving section by the delivery mechanism.

13. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second transport unit for receiving and transporting the sample container which is transported from the transport unit; and

a sample processing unit for performing a predetermined process on the sample in the sample container transported by the second transport unit.

14. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the testing unit is configured to detect a blood cell in a blood, and

wherein the sample processing unit is configured to prepare a blood smear by smearing a blood on a slide glass.

15. A sample testing apparatus comprising:

a transport unit for transporting a sample container containing a sample through a first position and a second position;

a testing unit for aspirating the sample from the sample container transported to the first position by the transport unit and performing a test on the aspirated sample;

a determination result obtainer for obtaining one of a first determination result indicating that a second test is required for the sample and a second determination result indicating that the second test is not required for the sample, based on a test result of a first test on the sample; and

a transport controller for controlling the transport unit so as to keep the sample container waiting at the second position, the sample container containing the sample on which the first test has been performed, until the determination result obtainer has obtained any one of the first and the second determination result on the sample, if the determination result obtainer has not obtained any one of the first and the second determination result on the sample when the sample container has reached the second position, and for controlling the transport unit so as to transport the sample container back to the first position if the determination result obtainer has obtained the first determination result on the sample.

16. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to transport the sample container beyond the second position from the first position side without keeping the sample container waiting at the second position, if the determination result obtainer has obtained the second determination result on the sample.

17. The sample testing apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the transport controller controls the transport unit so as to transport the sample container back to the first position without transporting the sample container to the second position, if the determination result obtainer has obtained the first determination result on the sample before the sample container has reached the second position.

18. A sample testing method comprising steps of:

(a) aspirating a sample from a sample container transported to a first position by a transport unit and performing a first test on the aspirated sample;

(b) obtaining one of a first determination result indicating that a second test is required for the sample and a second determination result indicating that the second test is required for the sample, based on a test result of the first test on the sample;

(c) transporting the sample container back to the first position by the transport unit if the first determination result on the sample has been obtained in the step (b); and

(d) aspirating the sample from the sample container transported to the first position by the transport unit and performing the second test on the aspirated sample, if the first determination result on the sample has been obtained in the step (b),

wherein the sample container is not transported beyond the second position from the first position side before any one of the first and the second determination result on the sample has been obtained in the step (b).

19. The sample testing method according to claim 18, further comprising a step of:

(e) keeping, by the transport unit, the sample container waiting at the second position, if any one of the first and the second determination result on the sample has not been obtained when the sample container has reached the second position.

20. The sample testing method according to claim 18, further comprising a step of:

(f) transporting, by the transport unit, the sample container beyond the second position from the first position side without keeping the sample container waiting at the second position, if the second determination result on the sample has been obtained in the step (b).