Loading and transfer assembly for chemical analyzer

• US 4,595,562 A
• Filed: 11/14/1983
• Issued: 06/17/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dade Behring, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: American Hospital Supply Corp. (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Hsei, Paul K., Liston, Max D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US06/551,437
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 422/63-67, 422/100, 422/102, 414/417, 198/472, 364/447, 364/448, 356/246, 356/435, 356/436
• US Class Current: 422/65
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00861 printing and sticking of identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0465 Loading or unloading the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/025 having a carousel or turntable for reaction cells or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assembly and method for introducing and transporting sample containers in a chemical analyzer, and in particular, to an assembly for organizing randomly loaded sample containers in a positively-identifiable fashion. The assembly additionally includes a means for sequencing the organization of sample containers and a novel means for dispensing measured amounts of sample therefrom.

Claims

1. A transfer assembly in combination with a chemical analyzer for presenting a plurality of individual sample containers, having fluid samples therein, to the chemical analyzer which performs selected tests on the fluid samples, said assembly comprising:

first support means for supporting a plurality of individual sample containers for movement in a desired direction past a plurality of positions at which one or more operations are conducted on containers or the samples therein and signaling means associated with said support means for indicating whether said support means is in a moving or stationary mode of operation;

first means arranged adjacent said supporting means at a first position for automatically inserting individual sample containers into said supporting means and means associated with said support means for preventing the nongentle insertion of the individual sample containers into said support means, the first means comprising a second support means for receiving a plurality of individual sample containers in a random order and a container displacing means associated with said second support means to laterally displace containers from said second support means into said first support means responsive to the operation of the chemical analyzer;

second means arranged adjacent said first support means at a second position forward of said first position for identifying individual sample containers supported therein having means for sensing an information code on individual sample containers, said container displacing means randomly introducing individual sample containers into said support means at a position rearwards of said identifying means and forward or rearward of said automatic insertion means;

third means arranged at a third position forward of said second position for dispensing at least a portion of the fluid sample from each individual sample container, and further including means for positioning said dispensing means at a predetermined height, means for detecting the fluid sample level in the containers, and means for adjusting the height of individual sample container in response to said detection means so as to bring said fluid sample levels to a desired height in relation to said predetermined height;

fourth means associated with said support means for sequentially removing individual sample containers therefrom at a fourth position forward of said third position;

storage means for receiving individual sample containers removed from said support means at said fourth position, said storage means including means for identifying location of the individual fluid sample containers received therein; and

means for controlling said transfer assembly to intermittently move individual sample containers past each of said first, second and third means and for controlling the operation of each of said first, second and third means whereby sample containers can be randomly inserted into said support means and wherein said control means further comprises a means for operating and selecting the test to be performed by said chemical analzyer in response to individual sample container identification obtained by said identifying means.