Devices and methods for programmable manipulation of pipettes

• US 9,821,306 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrew Alliance S.A. (Waters Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Andrew Alliance S.A. (Waters Corporation)
• Inventors: Zucchelli, Piero, Horak, Giorgio, Jordan, Antoine
• Primary Examiner(s): LUDLOW, JAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/881,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20130280143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,191 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00364 Pipettes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00693 Means for quality control
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00698 Measurement and control of process parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0621 Control of the sequence of chambers filled or emptied
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/087 Ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/14 Process control and prevention of errors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/143 Quality control, feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/021 Pipettes, i.e. with only one conduit for withdrawing and redistributing liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0237 Details of electronic control, e.g. relating to user interface
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/54 Supports specially adapted for pipettes and burettes automated pipetting stations G01N35/10
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00782 reprogrammmable code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00792 Type of components bearing the codes, other than sample carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/103 using disposable tips
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1048 using the transfer device for another function
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0099 comprising robots or similar manipulators robots per se B25J
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/026 having blocks or racks of reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/028 having reaction cells in the form of microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1011 : Control of the position or alignment of the transfer device
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1016 : Control of the volume dispensed or introduced

Abstract

The present invention is directed generally to devices and methods for manipulating laboratory pipettes in a programmable manner. The present invention is directed to an apparatus and methods for allowing a user to instruct the device to perform a specific process; identifying the type, location and identity of the consumables to be used; manipulating a plurality of pipettes for performing the liquid handling; monitoring the process during and after its execution; generating a detailed report for the plurality of actions. Other aspects of this invention include optimization of the liquid dispensing performances of a pipette; monitoring and controlling individual actions by means of vision; virtualization of the protocol definition by means of a reality augmented software interface; integration of the system in a conventional laboratory environment workflow.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing biological or chemical fluids, comprising

a camera mounted on a moving arm said moving arm capable of manipulating at least one pipette, wherein said camera is capable of imaging from a plurality of locations or angles to acquire three dimensional images;

a software interface interfacing with said moving arm allowing the manipulation and localization of the moving arm; and

a deck area comprising a plurality of consumables, wherein camera images taken from a plurality of locations or angles to acquire three dimensional images of the deck area allow said software to perform differential analysis of the images said software interface producing data to recognize the consumables and localize the arm with respect to the consumable.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera is a stereoscopic camera.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a focus information from the images is used to extract information on the consumable height.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a colour map of the consumables is used for the purpose of consumable identification.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a consumable is identified by means of a tag positioned onto a consumable holder.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presence of a consumable is assessed by the absence of a tag within the image.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relative position of the arm with respect to a consumable is extracted by means of at least one property among the reconstructed position, orientation and size of a tag within the image.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, where the distance of the camera from the consumable is reconstructed from the apparent size in the image of a tag of known real dimensions.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, where the lateral position of the camera with respect to the consumable is measured from the apparent position of one or a plurality of tags within the image.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, where the relative position is reconstructed from a single tag by means of its position, size and orientation within the image.