Reagent transfer device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513302-B2
Application number	US-201213423651-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2012
Priority date	May 14, 2003
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

The automatic analyzer includes: a first reagent container storage section storing a plurality of reagent containers; a regent dispensing mechanism for dispensing a reagent from a reagent container stored in the first reagent container storage section; a second reagent container storage section storing a plurality of reagent containers; a reagent container transfer mechanism for transferring a reagent container selected from among reagent containers stored in the second reagent container storage section to the first reagent container storage section; and a controller configured to control the reagent container transfer mechanism to transfer a reagent container from the second reagent container storage section to the first reagent container storage section on the basis of a predetermined priority condition. The predetermined priority condition is one of a reagent provided with an effective calibration curve result, a number of remaining tests, and an expiration date of a reagent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reagent transfer device comprising:
a first reagent container storage section storing a plurality of reagent containers;
a reagent dispensing mechanism for dispensing a reagent from a reagent container stored in said first reagent container storage section;
a second reagent container storage section storing a plurality of reagent containers;
a reagent container transfer mechanism for transferring a reagent container selected from among reagent containers stored in said second reagent container storage section to said first reagent container storage section;
a barcode reader disposed adjacent to said second reagent container storage section configured to read information from a barcode attached to each of said plurality of reagent containers;
a controller configured to control said reagent container transfer mechanism to transfer a first reagent container of the reagent containers from said second reagent container storage section to said first reagent container storage section on the basis of a first selected condition selected from predetermined priority conditions prior to other reagent containers of the second reagent container storage section,
wherein the reagent in the first reagent container to be transferred is determined by the first selected condition based on information read by the barcode reader,
wherein said predetermined priority conditions are the first reagent container containing a reagent provided with an effective calibration curve result, a number of remaining tests of the reagent in the first reagent container, and an expiration date of the reagent in the first reagent container, the first selected condition is one of the predetermined priority conditions, and a priority order of said predetermined priority conditions having been specified before operating said reagent container transfer mechanism,
wherein said controller is further configured to control said reagent container transfer mechanism to transfer the first reagent container on the basis of a second selected condition which is one of the first reagent container containing the reagent provided with the effective calibration curve result, the number of remaining tests of the reagent in the first reagent container, and the expiration date of the reagent in the first reagent container, said second selected condition being different from the first selected condition, when the reagent in the first reagent container to be transferred is not determined by said first selected condition, and
wherein the reagent in the first reagent container to be transferred is determined by the second selected condition based on information read by the barcode reader,
wherein said controller is further configured to detect whether or not there is at least one vacant position based on information read by the barcode reader of one of one or more of the plurality of reagent containers that is stored in a memory of said controller, where no reagent container resides, in said first reagent container storage section, to control said reagent container transfer mechanism to transfer the first reagent container containing the reagent to the detected vacant position in said first reagent container storage section, and to control said reagent container transfer mechanism to transfer a second reagent container of the reagent containers from the second reagent container storage section to a detected next vacant position in said first reagent container storage section after the first reagent container and prior to the remaining reagent containers stored in the second reagent container storage section according to the predetermined priority condition in the same manner as the first reagent container.

2. The reagent transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to control said reagent container transfer mechanism to transfer the first reagent container on the basis of a third selected condition which is one of the first reagent container containing the reagent provided with the effective calibration curve result, the number of remaining tests of the reagent in the first reagent container, and the expiration date of the first reagent container containing the reagent, said third selected one of said conditions being different from said second selected conditions, when a reagent to be transferred prior to another reagent is not determined by said second selected condition.

3. The reagent transfer device according to claim 1 ,
wherein when said controller detects that there is no vacant position in said first reagent container storage section based on information read by the barcode reader of one or more of the plurality of reagent containers that is stored in a memory of said controller,
said controller is configured to control said reagent container transfer mechanism to wait to transfer the first reagent container determined on the basis of the predetermined priority condition until said controller has detected the occurrence of a vacant position in said first reagent container storage section.

Assignees

• Shiba Masaki
• Hanawa Masaaki
• Nishida Masaharu
• Otake Hitoshi
• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Shiba Masaki
• Hanawa Masaaki
• Nishida Masaharu
• Otake Hitoshi

Classifications

• G01N35/0092 Primary

  Scheduling · CPC title

• Y10T436/11

  Automated chemical analysis · CPC title

• G01N35/00584

  Control arrangements for automatic analysers · CPC title

• G01N35/1002

  Reagent dispensers · CPC title

• G01N2035/00673

  of reagents · CPC title