Method for monitoring the functionality of a wash station for pipetting needles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10514387-B2
Application number	US-201615135343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2016
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

The present invention lies in the field of automated analysis devices and relates to a method for monitoring the functionality of a wash station ( 1 ) for pipetting needles ( 2 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring the functionality of a wash station for a pipetting needle in an automated analysis device, wherein the wash station has an inner wash fountain cylinder filled with a wash liquid, with an opening for receiving a pipetting needle tip, and an outer overflow cylinder, which surrounds the wash fountain cylinder and exceeds the height of the latter, and wherein the pipetting needle has a fill-level sensor, the method comprising the following steps:
lowering the pipetting needle such that the pipetting needle tip is introduced into the wash fountain cylinder;
measuring the fill level of the wash liquid in the wash station with the fill-level sensor; and
comparing the measured fill level with a first threshold, which corresponds to the height of the wash fountain cylinder.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an error report is generated if the measured fill level lies above the first threshold.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the following step:
stopping the supply of wash liquid into the wash fountain cylinder.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the following step:
comparing the measured fill level with a second threshold, which corresponds to a minimum required fill level of the wash liquid in the wash fountain cylinder.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein an error report is generated if the measured fill level lies below the second threshold.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the error report is indicated on a screen of the automated analysis device in the form of a text message or in the form of a pictogram, or is output in the form of an acoustic signal by a loudspeaker of the automated analysis device or output in the form of a visual signal by a warning lamp of the automated analysis device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pipetting needle has a capacitive fill-level sensor and the fill level is measured by capacitive means.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the measuring comprises:
measuring a measurement parameter with the fill level sensor as the pipetting needle moves toward the wash liquid until a measured value of the measurement parameter changes; and
calculating the fill level based on the lowering path of the pipetting needle which ends at a point at which the measured value of the measurement parameter changes.

9. An automated analysis device with at least one automatically displaceable pipetting apparatus, which comprises a pipetting needle with a fill-level sensor, and with at least one wash station for the pipetting needle, wherein the wash station has an inner wash fountain cylinder filled with a wash liquid, with an opening for receiving a pipetting needle tip, and an outer overflow cylinder, which surrounds the wash fountain cylinder and exceeds the height of the latter, wherein the automated analysis device further has a controller, which is configured in such a way that it controls a method with the following steps:
lowering the pipetting needle such that the pipetting needle tip is introduced into the wash fountain cylinder;
measuring the fill level of the wash liquid in the wash station with the fill-level sensor; and
comparing the measured fill level with a first threshold, which corresponds to the height of the wash fountain cylinder.

10. The automated analysis device as claimed in claim 9 , further having a screen and/or a loudspeaker and/or a warning lamp.

11. The automated analysis device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured in such a way that an error report is generated if the measured fill level lies above the first threshold.

12. The automated analysis device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured in such a way that the method controlled thereby further comprises the following step:
stopping the supply of wash liquid into the wash fountain cylinder.

13. The automated analysis device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured in such a way that the error report is indicated on a screen of the automated analysis device in the form of a text message or in the form of a pictogram, or is output in the form of an acoustic signal by a loudspeaker of the automated analysis device or output in the form of a visual signal by a warning lamp of the automated analysis device.

14. The automated analysis device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured in such a way that the method controlled thereby further comprises the following step:
comparing the measured fill level with a second threshold, which corresponds to a minimum required fill level of the wash liquid in the wash fountain cylinder.

15. The automated analysis device as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured in such a way that an error report is generated if the measured fill level lies below the second threshold.

16. The automated analysis device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the automatically displaceable pipetting apparatus comprises a pipetting needle with a capacitive fill-level sensor.

17. The automated analysis device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the measuring comprises:
measuring a measurement parameter with the fill level sensor as the pipetting needle moves toward the wash liquid until a measured value of the measurement parameter changes; and
calculating the fill level based on the lowering path of the pipetting needle which ends at a point at which the measured value of the measurement parameter changes.

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Products Gmbh

Inventors

• Bouteffah-Touiki Ayoub
• Michels Thorsten

Classifications

• G01N35/1004 Primary

  Cleaning sample transfer devices · CPC title

• B01L13/02

  for receptacle or instruments · CPC title

• G01F23/263 Primary

  by measuring variations in capacitance of capacitors · CPC title

• B01L2200/143

  Quality control, feedback systems · CPC title

• B01L3/021

  Pipettes, i.e. with only one conduit for withdrawing and redistributing liquids · CPC title