Method of operating a laboratory sample distribution system, laboratory sample distribution system and laboratory automation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10509049-B2
Application number	US-201715455773-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2017
Priority date	Sep 15, 2014
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

A method of operating a laboratory sample distribution system is presented. The method comprises a number of sample container carriers on a transport plane by a number of electro-magnetic actuators. The method is adapted to compensate deviations regarding physical properties of the sample container carriers, the transport plane and the electro-magnetic actuators compared to reference components. A laboratory automation system comprising such a laboratory sample distribution system is also presented.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of operating a laboratory sample distribution system, the laboratory sample distribution system comprising a number of sample container carriers, the sample container carriers each comprising at least one magnetically active device and adapted to carry at least one sample container, a transport plane adapted to support the sample container carriers, and a number of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane, the electro-magnetic actuators adapted to move a corresponding sample container carrier on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the sample container carrier, the method comprising:
a) activating one of the number electro-magnetic actuators to apply a magnetic force to one of the number of sample container carriers in order to cause a movement of the one sample container carrier;
b) detecting an electro-magnetic actuator calibration movement profile of the one sample container carrier;
c) determining at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter for the one electro-magnetic actuator in response to the electro-magnetic actuator calibration movement profile; and
d) operating the one electro-magnetic actuator according to the at least one determined electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter, when the one electro-magnetic actuator is activated a next time.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps a) to d) are executed for each of the number of electro-magnetic actuators.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter comprises a first electric power supply parameter of the one electro-magnetic actuator.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein in step d), the one electro-magnetic actuator is supplied with electric power according to the first electric power supply parameter.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter comprises a first activating time duration parameter of the one electro-magnetic actuator.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein in step d), the one electro-magnetic actuator is activated according to the first activating time duration parameter.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising,
disqualifying the one electro-magnetic actuator,
if the at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter exceeds a specified electro-magnetic actuator parameter threshold value and/or
if a change of the at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter between at least two consecutive executions of the steps a) to c) exceeds a specified electro-magnetic actuator parameter change limit.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps performed during operating the one electro-magnetic actuator according to step d) are:
e) detecting a sample container carrier calibration movement profile of one of the number of sample container carriers;
f) determining at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter for the one sample container carrier in response to the sample container carrier calibration movement profile; and
g) operating the one electro-magnetic actuator according to the at least one determined sample container carrier calibration parameter.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein each of the number of sample container carriers comprises a sample container carrier calibration parameter memory unit.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising,
storing the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter on the sample container carrier calibration parameter memory unit; and
reading the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter from the sample container carrier calibration parameter memory unit before step g).

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter comprises a second electric power supply parameter of the one electro-magnetic actuator.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein in step g), the electro-magnetic actuator is supplied with electric power according to the second electric power supply parameter.

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter comprises a second activating time duration parameter of the one electro-magnetic actuator.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein in step g), the electro-magnetic actuator is supplied with electric power according to the second activating time duration parameter.

15. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising,
disqualifying the one sample container carrier,
if the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter exceeds a specified sample container carrier parameter threshold value and/or
if a change of the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter between at least two consecutive executions of the steps e) to f) exceeds a specified sample container carrier parameter change limit.

16. A laboratory sample distribution system adapted to perform the method according to claim 1 , the laboratory sample distribution system comprising:
a number of sample container carriers, the sample container carriers each comprising at least one magnetically active device and adapted to carry at least one sample container;
a transport plane adapted to support said sample container carriers;
a number of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane, the electro-magnetic actuators adapted to move a corresponding sample container carrier on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the sample container carrier; and
a control unit adapted to activate one of the number of electro-magnetic actuators to apply a magnetic force to one of the number of sample container carriers to cause a movement of the one sample container carrier and to detect an electro-magnetic actuator calibration movement profile of the one sample container carrier and adapted to determine at least one electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter for the one electro-magnetic actuator in response to the electro-magnetic actuator calibration movement profile and to operate the one electro-magnetic actuator according to the at least one determined electro-magnetic actuator calibration parameter, when the one electro-magnetic actuator is activated a next time.

17. The laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 16 , wherein each of the number of sample container carriers comprises a sample container carrier calibration parameter memory unit for the at least one sample container carrier calibration parameter.

18. A laboratory automation system, the laboratory automation system comprising:
a number of a pre-analytical, analytical and/or post-analytical laboratory stations; and
a laboratory sample distribution system according to claim 16 adapted to distribute the sample container carriers and/or sample containers between the laboratory stations.

Assignees

• Roche Diagnostics Operations Inc

Inventors

• Sinz Achim
• Riether Christian
• Oranth Norbert
• Burri Martin

Classifications

• G01N35/04 Primary

  Details of the conveyor system {(G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G01N35/00693

  Calibration · CPC title

• B65G54/02

  electrostatic, electric, or magnetic · CPC title

• G01N2035/0477

  Magnetic · CPC title

• G01N2035/0491

  Position sensing, encoding; closed-loop control · CPC title