Method and apparatus for liquid addition and aspiration in automated immunoassay techniques
First Claim
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1. A method for adding liquid to, and aspirating liquids from, reaction tubes disposed in rack comprising the steps of:
- providing reaction tubes disposed in a rack, said rack having n rows in a first horizontal x-direction and m columns in a second horizontal y-direction, perpendicular to the x-direction;
a liquid probe depended from a carriage above said rack of tubes, said probe selectively moveable along its longitudinal axis relative to said carriage and perpendicular to the rack horizontal plane;
means for moving said carriage in the x-direction or y-direction;
means for selectively registering the liquid probe with a row of tubes in said rack; and
, control means for selecting and effecting absolute and relative movement of the carriage, probe and rack;
introducing a controlled, timed, tube-dependent pause in a sequence for adding liquid to, and aspirating liquid from, a rack of reaction tubes by controlling the carriage and liquid probe movement so thatfor each of y=1 to m columns,a. liquid is added to tube in x row, y column;
b. previously-added liquid from tube in (x-1) row, y column is aspirated;
c. carriage, rack and probe are returned to register said probe with the tube in x row, (y+1) column;
wherein x is between 1 and n.
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for adding liquid to, aspirating liquid from, a rack of reaction tubes wherein a rack and carriage-dependent probes are made to move relative each other in the horizontal and vertical planes. The method calls for performing the first half of a wash sequence on tube located at x row, y column, then completing the sequence on tube at (x-1) row, y column, and returning to the tube at x row, (y+1) column to initiate the first half of the sequence. This "backtracking" of probes permits an incubation-soak period without cumulatively extending the total rack processing time.
113 Citations
6 Claims
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1. A method for adding liquid to, and aspirating liquids from, reaction tubes disposed in rack comprising the steps of:
- providing reaction tubes disposed in a rack, said rack having n rows in a first horizontal x-direction and m columns in a second horizontal y-direction, perpendicular to the x-direction;
a liquid probe depended from a carriage above said rack of tubes, said probe selectively moveable along its longitudinal axis relative to said carriage and perpendicular to the rack horizontal plane;
means for moving said carriage in the x-direction or y-direction;
means for selectively registering the liquid probe with a row of tubes in said rack; and
, control means for selecting and effecting absolute and relative movement of the carriage, probe and rack;introducing a controlled, timed, tube-dependent pause in a sequence for adding liquid to, and aspirating liquid from, a rack of reaction tubes by controlling the carriage and liquid probe movement so that for each of y=1 to m columns, a. liquid is added to tube in x row, y column; b. previously-added liquid from tube in (x-1) row, y column is aspirated; c. carriage, rack and probe are returned to register said probe with the tube in x row, (y+1) column;
wherein x is between 1 and n. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
- providing reaction tubes disposed in a rack, said rack having n rows in a first horizontal x-direction and m columns in a second horizontal y-direction, perpendicular to the x-direction;
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4. An apparatus for adding liquid to, and aspirating liquids from, tubes which comprises:
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a rack of reaction tubes, said rack having n rows in a first horizontal x-direction and m columns in a second horizontal y-direction, perpendicular to the x-direction, in a rectangular matrix, wherein x=1 to n rows, and y=1 to m columns; means for receiving and positioning said rack; a carriage above said rack; at least one liquid probe depended from said carriage above said rack and selectively moveable along said probe longitudinal axis relative to said carriage; means for selectively moving said carriage in the x-direction or y-direction; means for selectively registering the liquid probe with a row of tubes in said rack; control means for actuating said rack positioning means to move said rack discrete distances in the y-direction substantially equivalent to one column of tubes, relative to said probe, and for selecting movement of said carriage in the x-direction or y-direction; and
,second control means, for each of x=1 to n rows and y=1 to m columns, for first delivering liquid from said liquid probe to a tube located in x row, y column, for aspirating through the probe previously added liquid in a tube located at (x-1) row, y column, and for returning said carriage, rack and probe to register said probe with the tube in x row, (y+1) column. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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Specification