Sample handling system

• US 6,290,907 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Komata, Mikio, Ikeda, Toshiyuki, Takahashi, Katsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bex, Kathryn
• Application Number:
  US09/150,931
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 422/65, 422/63, 422/67, 422/100, 422/103, 436/43, 436/47, 436/48, 700/266, 700/226
• US Class Current: 422/65
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00326 Analysers with modular structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00712 Automatic status testing, e.g. at start-up or periodic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0092 Scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/026 having blocks or racks of reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/108331 Preservative, buffer, anticoagulant or diluent
• 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

Abstract

A sample handling system comprising: a transportation line including a combination of plural partitive line units; and a plurality of handling units, wherein each of the plural partitive line units and each of the plurality of handling units form a pair, and each handling unit is installed removably from its corresponding partitive line unit. Each handling unit transmits inoperative information to the transportation line when it becomes inoperative. The transportation line transmits this inoperative information to the central controller. The central controller monitors handling units at which the sample rack can stop over. The sample rack avoids stopover at the inoperative handling unit, but is allowed to advance to the subsequent handling unit passing through the partitive line unit which makes a pair with the inoperative handling unit.

Claims

1. A sample handling system including:

a transportation line for transporting a sample rack which holds samples;

a rack loading device for supplying said sample rack to said transportation line;

a rack storage device for storing said sample rack transported by said transportation line; and

a plurality of handling units disposed along said transportation line for applying a treatment on the samples held on said sample rack, or on containers containing said samples, said sample handling system further comprising;

an identification (ID) information reader for reading an ID information of a sample rack to be transported;

a central controller which monitors operational status of each handling unit and determines for each sample rack at which handling unit to stopover on the basis of the read-out ID information thereof,

a centrifuge unit and an aliquoter unit provided as part of said plurality of handling units;

a partitive line unit for said centrifuge unit and a partitive line unit for said aliquoter unit each being a part of said transportation line; and

unit controllers contained in said partitive line units, respectively, each of said unit controllers controlling operation of a respective partitive line unit and mediating information between a related handling unit and said central controller.

2. A sample handling system according to claim 1, wherein:

said transportation line comprises a plurality of partitive line units connected in series, each of said plurality of partitive line units being provided in a pair with each of said plurality of handling units, respectively; and

even after any of said plurality of handling units is removed from the corresponding partitive line unit provided in the pair therewith, said sample rack is ensured to be transported on the partitive line unit without the corresponding handling unit.

3. A sample handling system according to claim 2, wherein the sample rack designated to stop over at one handling unit among the plural handling units of the system is allowed to be delivered into said one handling unit through a partitive line unit corresponding thereto only when there exists no preceding sample rack on a partitive line unit which is provided as a pair with said particular handling unit.

4. A sample handling system according to claim 1, further comprising a rack withdrawing area for withdrawing a sample rack, which is disposed in the vicinity of a read-out position of said ID information reader, whereby any sample rack which failed to be read out by said ID information reader is withdrawn into said rack withdrawing area so as not to be allowed to stop over at any handling unit.

8. A sample handling system according to claim 1, which further comprises a buffer unit disposed between said ID information reader and said centrifuge unit.

9. A sample handling system according to claim 8, wherein sample racks of the same number as that capable of being contained in a centrifuge rotor in said centrifuge unit or less are delivered from said partitive unit for said centrifuge unit to said buffer unit.

5. A sample handling system combining a plurality of sample handling units capable of handling samples carried on a sample rack, the plurality of sample handling units being arranged along a transportation line for transporting the sample rack, comprising:

a means for reading identification (ID) information of said sample rack; and

a central controller for controlling said transportation line,

a centrifuge unit and an aliquoter unit provided as part of said plurality of handling units;

a partitive line unit for said centrifuge unit and a partitive line unit for said aliquoter unit each being a part of said transportation line; and

unit controllers contained in said partitive line units, respectively, each of said unit controllers controlling operation of a respective partitive line unit and mediating information between a related handling unit and said central controller, wherein;

said central controller monitors statuses of said plurality of handling units, determines whether or not to allow said sample rack to stop over at each handling unit on the basis of status information obtained by monitoring and read-out said ID information, and transmits thus determined stop-over information to said transportation line; and

said transportation line, in response to the transmitted stop-over information, controls the transport of said sample rack.

6. A sample handling system according to claim 5, wherein said transportation line comprises a combination of a plurality of said partitive line units, each forming a pair with each handling unit of the system, and wherein said each handling unit is installed removably from its corresponding partitive line unit provided in a pair therewith.

7. A sample handling system according to claim 6, wherein a length of each of said plurality of partitive line units in the transport direction of said sample rack is substantially the same as a width of each of said plural handling units forming each pair therewith.