Specimen storage apparatus, specimen processing system, and controlling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016202279-A1
Application number	US-201314423473-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 28, 2013
Priority date	Sep 12, 2012
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The specimen storage apparatus includes: a specimen conveyor line which conveys a specimen for which the pre-processing is completed and which is installed on a specimen conveyance holder; a lift mechanism capable of driving a specimen tray having the specimen installed therein in front-and-back and vertical directions; a specimen chuck mechanism which transfers the specimen from a specimen acquisition position of the specimen conveyor line to the specimen tray on the lift mechanism; a specimen storage unit which receives the specimen tray from the lift mechanism, includes hierarchical specimen storage spaces in a vertical direction, and accommodates a plurality of specimen trays in a lateral direction while keeping them cold; a shutter mechanism which is opened and closed at the time of delivery of the specimen tray between the lift mechanism and the specimen storage unit; and a control unit which controls each of the mechanisms.

First claim

1 . A specimen storage apparatus comprising:
a specimen storage unit in which accommodation positions where trays holding a plurality of specimens can be accommodated are configured in multiple stages; a standby position where a plurality of trays holding the specimens are on standby; at least two transfer means capable of individually transferring a plurality of trays at the standby position; and control means which controls an operation of each of the mechanisms, wherein the transfer means can individually transfer the plurality of trays between the accommodation positions and the standby position.

2 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transfer means includes a plurality of horizontal driving means which independently drive the plurality of trays at the standby position in a horizontal direction.

3 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the specimen storage unit has cooling means for keeping a specimen held in a tray accommodated therein cold.

4 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transfer means each include vertical driving means which independently drives the plurality of trays at the standby position in a vertical direction and a plurality of horizontal driving means which independently drive the plurality of trays at the standby position in a horizontal direction.

5 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the specimen storage unit has an opening through which the tray transferred by the transfer means passes, and opening and closing means which closes the opening and opens the opening when the tray passes through the opening by the transfer means.

6 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the specimen storage unit can be expanded or reduced.

7 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a tray memory medium which stores identification information of the trays; a specimen memory medium which stores identification information of the specimens; reading means which reads the identification information of the trays stored in the tray memory medium; and reading means which reads the identification information of the specimens stored in the specimen memory medium.

8 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
transfer means which transfers a specimen onto a tray; and driving means which drives the transfer means at an arbitrary position on the tray, wherein memory means which stores the identification information of the trays, the identification information of the specimens, and information about a position on the tray where the specimen is transferred by the transfer means, in association with each other.

9 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
means capable of conveying only the specimen storage unit.

10 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the specimen storage unit includes an opening through which a tray can be taken out by an operator and opening and closing means for the opening.

11 . A specimen processing system comprising:
the specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 ; an analyzing apparatus which performs an analysis of a specimen; a conveyor apparatus which conveys the specimen between the specimen storage apparatus and the analyzing apparatus; a memory device which stores position information of each specimen in the specimen storage apparatus; a request input device which makes a request for analysis of the specimen; and a control device which controls operation of each of the apparatuses and devices, wherein position information of the specimen for which a request for analysis is made by the request input device is searched for from the memory device, and when the specimen is stored in the specimen storage apparatus, the relevant specimen is taken out from the specimen storage apparatus, and the specimen is conveyed to the analyzing apparatus capable of performing the requested analysis.

12 . The specimen processing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the conveyor apparatus includes an accumulating unit which accumulates empty specimen conveyance members and a conveyor line for conveying the specimen conveyance members holding the specimen, and when a request for analysis of a specimen stored in the specimen storage apparatus is made from the request input device, the accumulating unit supplies the empty specimen conveyance member to the specimen storage apparatus.

13 . A controlling method of a specimen storage apparatus capable of accommodating a plurality of trays for holding a plurality of specimens,
wherein, in a state of continuing to transfer a specimen onto any of the trays, preparations for a specimen transfer operation to another tray are made.

14 . The controlling method according to claim 13 ,
wherein, before said any of the trays becomes full, an a new tray having an empty position is prepared for said another tray.

15 . The controlling method according to claim 13 ,
wherein, when a request for analysis of a specimen stored in the specimen storage apparatus is made, a tray where the specimen associated with the analysis request is transferred is prepared for said another tray.

16 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a specimen tray having a plurality of test tube insertion holes for installing the specimens; a specimen holding mechanism which holds the specimen installed on the specimen tray; a tray transfer unit which holds the specimen tray at a position where the specimen holding mechanism installs the specimen; a tray storing unit which stores the specimen installed on the specimen tray while keeping it cold; and a delivering mechanism which delivers the specimen tray between the tray transfer unit and the tray storing unit, wherein the delivering mechanism takes in and out the tray integrally with a tray installation cassette having the specimen tray mounted thereon.

17 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein the tray installation cassette has at least two or more projecting parts on an upper surface of the cassette, the specimen tray has at least two or more dent parts on a lower surface thereof so as to be opposed to the projecting parts of the tray installation cassette, and the tray can be installed to the cassette only in a single direction because of a positional relation between the projecting parts and the dent parts.

18 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 17 ,
wherein a plurality of trays can be installed to one said tray installation cassette.

19 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein the tray storing unit includes a first extraction port through which an operator takes in and out the specimen tray and a second extraction port through which the delivering mechanism takes in and out the specimen tray.

20 . The specimen storage apparatus according to claim 19 ,
wherein, when the operator takes in and out the specimen tray, the specimen tray is taken into and out of the tray installation cassette through the first extraction port, and when the delivering mechanism takes in and out the specimen tray, the tray installation cassette having the specimen tray mounted thereon is integrally taken into and out through the second extraction port.

21 . The specimen storage apparatus accord

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Endo Masashi
• Fukugaki Tatsuya
• Hirama Yoshiteru
• Tamura Kazuma

Classifications

• G01N2035/0462

  Buffers [FIFO] or stacks [LIFO] for holding carriers between operations · CPC title

• G01N2035/00445

  Other cooling arrangements · CPC title

• G01N35/00603

  Reinspection of samples · CPC title

• G01N2035/0465

  Loading or unloading the conveyor · CPC title

• G01N2035/0425

  Stacks, magazines or elevators for plates · CPC title