METHOD OF OPERATING A LABORATORY SAMPLE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, LABORATORY SAMPLE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND LABORATORY AUTOMATION SYSTEM

• US 20170184622A1
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Sinz, Achim, Oranth, Norbert, Riether, Christian, Burri, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 10,509,049 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 54/02 electrostatic, electric, or magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0477 Magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0491 Position sensing, encoding; closed-loop control
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00693 Calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence

Abstract

A method of operating a laboratory sample distribution system is presented. The method comprises a number of sample container carriers on a transport plane by a number of electro-magnetic actuators. The method is adapted to compensate deviations regarding physical properties of the sample container carriers, the transport plane and the electro-magnetic actuators compared to reference components. A laboratory automation system comprising such a laboratory sample distribution system is also presented.

Claims

1. A method of operating a laboratory sample distribution system, the laboratory sample distribution system comprising a number of sample container carriers, the sample container carriers each comprising at least one magnetically active device and adapted to carry at least one sample container, a transport plane adapted to support the sample container carriers, and a number of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane, the electro-magnetic actuators adapted to move a corresponding sample container carrier on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the sample container carrier, the method comprising:

a) activating one of the number electro-magnetic actuators to apply a magnetic force to one of the number of sample container carriers in order to cause a movement of the one sample container carrier;

b) detecting an electro-magnetic actuator calibration movement profile of the one sample container carrier;

c) determining at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter for the one electro-magnetic actuator in response to the electro-magnetic actuator calibration movement profile; and

d) operating the one electro-magnetic actuator according to the at least one determined electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter, when the one electro-magnetic actuator is activated a next time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps a) to d) are executed for each of the number of electro-magnetic actuators.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter comprises a first electric power supply parameter of the one electro-magnetic actuator.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein in step d), the one electro-magnetic actuator is supplied with electric power according to the first electric power supply parameter.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter comprises a first activating time duration parameter of the one electro-magnetic actuator.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein in step d), the one electro-magnetic actuator is activated according to the first activating time duration parameter.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising,

disqualifying the one electro-magnetic actuator,

if the at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter exceeds a specified electro-magnetic actuator parameter threshold value and/or

if a change of the at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter between at least two consecutive executions of the steps a) to c) exceeds a specified electro-magnetic actuator parameter change limit.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps performed during operating the one electro-magnetic actuator according to step d) are:

e) detecting a sample container carrier calibration movement profile of one of the number of sample container carriers;

f) determining at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter for the one sample container carrier in response to the sample container carrier calibration movement profile; and

g) operating the one electro-magnetic actuator according to the at least one determined sample container carrier calibration parameter.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein each of the number of sample container carriers comprises a sample container carrier calibration parameter memory unit.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising,

storing the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter on the sample container carrier calibration parameter memory unit;

and

reading the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter from the sample container carrier calibration parameter memory unit before step g).

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter comprises a second electric power supply parameter of the one electro-magnetic actuator.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein in step g), the electro-magnetic actuator is supplied with electric power according to the second electric power supply parameter.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter comprises a second activating time duration parameter of the one electro-magnetic actuator.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein in step g), the electro-magnetic actuator is supplied with electric power according to the second activating time duration parameter.

15. The method according to claim 8, further comprising,

disqualifying the one sample container carrier,

if the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter exceeds a specified sample container carrier parameter threshold value and/or

if a change of the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter between at least two consecutive executions of the steps e) to f) exceeds a specified sample container carrier parameter change limit.

16. A laboratory sample distribution system adapted to perform the method according to claim 1, the laboratory sample distribution system comprising:

a number of sample container carriers, the sample container carriers each comprising at least one magnetically active device and adapted to carry at least one sample container;

a transport plane adapted to support said sample container carriers;

a number of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane, the electro-magnetic actuators adapted to move a corresponding sample container carrier on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the sample container carrier; and

a control unit adapted to activate one of the number of electro-magnetic actuators to apply a magnetic force to one of the number of sample container carriers to cause a movement of the one sample container carrier and to detect an electro-magnetic actuator calibration movement profile of the one sample container carrier and adapted to determine at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter for the one electro-magnetic actuator in response to the electro-magnetic actuator calibration movement profile and to operate the one electro-magnetic actuator according to the at least one determined electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter, when the one electro-magnetic actuator is activated a next time.

17. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 17, wherein each of the number of sample container carriers comprises a sample container carrier calibration parameter memory unit for the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter.

18. A laboratory automation system, the laboratory automation system comprising:

a number of a pre-analytical, analytical and/or post-analytical laboratory stations; and

a laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 17 adapted to distribute the sample container carriers and/or sample containers between the laboratory stations.