Automatic sample analyzer and its components

• US 6,938,502 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Sakurai, Kazuyuki, Tanoshima, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Charles
• Application Number:
  US10/899,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20050074361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: 738/630.1, 738/630.2, 738/630.3, 738/638.1, 738/638.2, 738/638.3, 738/642.1
• US Class Current: 73/863.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/12 by observing changes in resistance or impedance across apertures when traversed by individual particles, e.g. by using the Coulter principle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/012 Red blood cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/016 White blood cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1006 for cytology
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1024 Counting particles by non-optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00524 Mixing by agitating sample carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1002 Reagent dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1004 Cleaning sample transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1079 with means for piercing stoppers or septums
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1083 with one horizontal degree of freedom

Abstract

An automatic sample analyzer includes: a pipette, a pipette driving device which moves the pipette to a sample vessel present in a predetermined position to cause the pipette to suck up a sample from the sample vessel, and then moves the pipette to an open vessel provided in another predetermined position to cause the pipette to discharge the sample into the open vessel, and an analyzing section for analyzing the discharged sample, the pipette driving device comprising a vertically movable main arm and an elongated guide arm cantilevered by the main arm and extending horizontally, the guide arm having a smaller flexural rigidity than the main arm, wherein the main arm vertically moves the pipette when the sample is to be sucked up from the sample vessel, and the guide arm guides the pipette to the open vessel and then vertically moves the pipette when the sample is to be discharged into the open vessel.

Claims

1. A sample analyzer comprising:

an input section;

a display section; and

a control section, wherein the control section controls the display section so that the display section displays a measurement screen for representing measurement results and changes the measurement screen to a main screen if no input operation is performed on the input section before a predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer after the measurement screen is displayed.

2. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a sensor for detecting an operation state of the sample analyzer, wherein the control section determines, on the basis of a signal provided from the sensor, that the predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer and changes the measurement screen to the main screen.

3. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display control section determines, after the lapse of a predetermined period from a predetermined point of time, that the predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer, and changes the measurement screen to the main screen.

4. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display control section controls the display section so that the display section changes the measurement screen to another measurement screen if the predetermined input operation is performed on the input section before the predetermined situation occurs in the sample analyzer.

5. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1, wherein the predetermined situation occurring in the sample analyzer is a situation in which a cleaning operation of the sample analyzer is completed.

6. A sample analyzer as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a touch panel input/display section, the touch panel input/display section including the input section and the display section.