Automated analyzing system and method therefor

• US 6,391,263 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Narisada, Noriyuki, Mishima, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): FORTUNA, ANA M
• Application Number:
  US09/512,709
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 422/67, 422/73, 422/81, 436/43, 436/47, 700/266, 700/226
• US Class Current: 422/67
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• 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

Abstract

To facilitate operations wherein samples from different animal types are assayed in succession, disclosed is the provision of an animal type table wherein correspondences between animal type and identifying information designating the animal type are assigned and stored; an animal type input means for inputting, utilizing the identifying information, animal type of a vital sample to be analyzed; and analysis configuration means for altering analysis condition settings in accordance with inputted animal type. The animal type table settings are best user-configurable to suit the user'"'"'s running of the automated analyzing system.

Claims

1. An automated analyzing system for analyzing vital samples from different animal types, said automated analyzing system comprising:

an animal type table wherein correspondences between animal types and animal type identifying information are assigned and stored;

identifying information input means for receiving an input of animal type identifying information for each of the vital samples and determining an animal type that corresponds to the animal type identifying information based on said animal type table;

analyzing means for analyzing the vital sample and producing measurement data for the vital sample; and

analysis configuration means for altering analysis condition settings of said analyzing means in accordance with said animal type that corresponds to the animal type identifying information received by said identifying information input means.

2. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 1, wherein

said analyzing means includes measuring means that measures the vital sample with electrical signal changes, and

said analysis configuration means alters signal resolution of said electrical signal in conformance with the animal type that corresponds to the animal type identifying information.

3. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 1, wherein

said analysis configuration means includes reference measurement data for each of said animal types;

and

said analysis configuration means assays the measurement data of the vital sample by comparing the measurement data with said reference measurement data of the same animal type.

4. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 3, wherein

said measurement data and reference measurement data are two-or-more-dimensional scattergrams.

5. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 1, wherein

said identifying information input means automatically reads the animal type identifying information from the vital sample.

6. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 5, wherein

the animal type identifying information is a part of a barcode, and

said identifying information input means is a barcode reader that reads the barcode attached to the vital sample.

7. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 1, wherein

said animal type identifying information is one of numerals and characters, and

said identifying information input means receives the input of animal type identifying information by reading specimen identifying information of the vital sample, the animal type identifying information being a part of the specimen identifying information.

8. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 7, wherein

the specimen identifying information includes a hyphen and a portion preceding the hyphen, the portion preceding the hyphen including one of numerals and characters, and

said identifying information input means receives the input of animal type identifying information by reading the portion preceding the hyphen of the specimen identifying information of the vital sample.

9. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 1, further comprising

adjusting means for adjusting the correspondences between said animal types and said animal type identifying information in said animal type table.

10. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 1, wherein

said analysis configuration means alters the analysis condition settings by altering a measurement sensitivity of said analyzing means.

11. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 1, wherein

said analyzing means has an assay program, and

said analysis configuration means alters the analysis condition settings of said analyzing means by altering said assay program.

12. A computer-readable recording medium for use in an automated analyzing system that analyzes vital samples from different animal types, said recording medium having a program that executes steps of:

preparing an animal table in which correspondences between animal types and animal type identifying information are assigned and stored, the correspondences between the animal types and the animal type identifying information in the animal table being adjustable;

receiving an input of animal type identifying information for each of the vital samples and determining an animal type that corresponds to the animal type identifying information based on the animal type table;

altering analysis condition settings of the analyzing system in accordance with the animal type that corresponds to the animal type identifying information; and

analyzing the vital sample and producing measurement data for the vital sample.

13. A transmission medium for use in an automated analyzing system that analyzes vital samples of different animal types, said transmission medium transmitting a program that executes steps of:

preparing an animal table in which correspondences between animal types and animal type identifying information are assigned and stored, the correspondences between the animal types and the animal type identifying information in the animal table being adjustable;

receiving an input of animal type identifying information for each of the vital samples and determining an animal type that corresponds to the animal type identifying information based on the animal type table;

altering analysis condition settings of the analyzing system in accordance with the animal type that corresponds to the animal type identifying information; and

analyzing the vital sample and producing measurement data for the vital sample.

14. An automated analyzing system for analyzing vital samples from different animal types, said automated analyzing system comprising:

sample containers having animal type identifying information thereon;

an animal type table wherein correspondences between animal type and said animal type identifying information designating said animal type are assigned and stored;

animal type input means for receiving said animal type identifying information from said sample containers and determining an animal type that corresponds to said animal type identifying information based on said animal type table;

analyzing means for analyzing the vital samples in said sample containers and producing measurement data for each vital sample; and

analysis configuration means for altering analysis condition settings of said analyzing means in accordance with said animal type that corresponds to said animal type identifying information received by said animal type input means.

15. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 14, wherein

said analyzing means includes measuring means that measures the vital samples with electrical signal changes; and

said analysis configuration means alters signal resolution of said electrical signal in conformance with said animal type that corresponds to said animal type identifying information.

16. The automated analyzing system set for the in claim 14, wherein

said analysis configuration means includes reference measurement data that corresponds to each of said animal types;

said analysis configuration means assays said measurement data by comparing said measurement data with said reference measurement data of the same animal type.

17. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 16, wherein

said measurement data and reference measurement data are two-or-more-dimensional scattergrams.

18. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 14, further comprising:

adjusting means for adjusting correspondences between said animal types and said animal type identifying information designating said animal type in said animal type table.

19. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 14, wherein

said animal type identifying information is one of numerals and characters, and

said identifying information input means receives the input of animal type identifying information by reading specimen identifying information of the vital sample, the animal type identifying information being a part of the specimen identifying information.

20. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 19, wherein

the specimen identifying information includes a hyphen and a portion preceding the hyphen, the portion preceding the hyphen including one of numerals and characters, and

said identifying information input means receives the input of animal type identifying information by reading the portion preceding the hyphen of the specimen identifying information of the vital sample.

21. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 14, wherein

said analysis configuration means alters the analysis condition settings by altering a measurement sensitivity of said analyzing means.

22. The automated analyzing system set forth in claim 14, wherein

said analyzing means has an assay program, and

said analysis configuration means alters the analysis condition settings of said analyzing means by altering said assay program.