DEVICE AND METHOD OF IDENTIFICATION AND MONITORING OF A REAGENT KIT OF AN ANALYTICAL SYSTEM

• US 20160124007A1
• Filed: 06/11/2014
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Technologies, S.r.l
• Original Assignee: Altergon Italia s.r.l.
• Inventors: Cavallari, Adolfo, Melillo, Luca, Duglio, Francesco
• Granted Patent: US 10,408,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/42 using electric radiation detectors optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/00 Investigating or analyzing materials by the use of thermal means G01N3/00 - G01N23/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/04 by investigating resistance
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0891 with indication of predetermined acceleration values G01P15/135 takes precedence

Abstract

A device is adapted to identify and monitor a reagent kit adapted for insertion into an analytical system, the device is positioned in the reagent kit and includes: apparatus for measuring the temperature of the reagent kit; apparatus for measuring the light level to which the reagent kit is subjected; apparatus for measuring the electric conductivity level of the reagent kit; means for measuring the triaxial acceleration to which the reagent kit is subjected; a multiparameter data-logger for logging the data obtained from the temperature, light, conductivity and acceleration measuring apparatus; apparatus for storage and short-range transmission of data identifying the reagent kit and the data obtained from the temperature, light, conductivity and acceleration measuring apparatus, in order to detect operational or non-operational conditions of the kit.

Claims

1. A device adapted to identify and monitor a reagent kit adapted for insertion into an analytical system, wherein the device is positioned in said reagent kit and comprises:

means for measuring the temperature of the reagent kit;

means for measuring the light level to which the reagent kit is subjected;

means for measuring the electric conductivity level of the reagent kit;

means for measuring the triaxial acceleration to which the reagent kit is subjected;

a multiparameter data-logger for logging the data obtained from said temperature, light, conductivity and acceleration measuring means;

means for storing and transmitting data identifying the reagent kit and said data obtained from said temperature, light, conductivity and acceleration measuring means, in order to detect operational or non-operational conditions of said kit.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for storing and transmitting data identifying the reagent kit comprise a TAG-RFID with a short-range transponder.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for measuring the temperature of the reagent kit are adapted to measure temperature values at regular time intervals starting from a certain activation instant, until the reagent kit is inserted into the analytical system.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for measuring the light level are adapted to measure a luminous radiation amount to which said reagent kit is subjected, and to generate events to be stored into said storage means every time said light level exceeds a preset threshold for a given time interval.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for measuring the electric conductivity comprise one or more pair of electrodes in contact with respective reagents included in the kit, and are adapted to measure the electric conductivity of said reagents at regular time intervals.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said means for measuring the triaxial acceleration are adapted to detect the conditions of:

position/orientation of the kit, storing overturning events;

acceleration of the kit, storing accelerometric events exceeding a threshold;

vibration of the kit, storing accelerometric events exceeding thresholds on multiple axes.

7. A method for identifying and monitoring a reagent kit of an analytical system, which is adapted to use data received from a device adapted to identify and monitor a reagent kit adapted for insertion into an analytical system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, for the purpose of detecting operational or non-operational conditions of said kit, the method comprising:

a first step of programming the identification and monitoring device, wherein adjustment and configuration parameters are stored into the device;

a second step of monitoring and logging data while transporting the device, wherein data obtained from said temperature, light, conductivity and acceleration measuring means are monitored and logged on the basis of a periodic type of detection and a type of detection which is carried out when anomalous or out-of-range values of said data have been read;

a third step of verifying and processing the monitoring data after having inserted the reagent kit into the analytical system, wherein operations are carried out for;

identifying the causes of and solving problems related to the use of the kit on the basis of data obtained by means of said periodic type of detection;

managing kit use risk indices, namely pre-alarm and alarm conditions, on the basis of data obtained by means of said type of detection which is carried out when anomalous or out-of-range values have been read;

detecting defects in the mixing of the solid phase, by using said acceleration measurements.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said operations comprised in the third step are carried out on the basis of a Bayesian processing of the data.

9. The device according to claim 4, wherein the means for measuring the light level generates events to be stored into the storage means every time the product between light level and exposition time exceeds a threshold value.