Chemical analyzer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797916-B2
Application number	US-201514592282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2015
Priority date	Jan 10, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A medical apparatus for analyzing fluid samples includes an outer casing, a slide loading mechanism disposed within the outer casing for loading fluid analysis slides, a slide ejecting mechanism disposed within the outer casing for ejecting fluid analysis slides, an evaporation cap opening mechanism disposed within the outer casing for opening an evaporation cap, an evaporation cap closing mechanism disposed within the outer casing for closing an evaporation cap, a drawer locking mechanism disposed within the outer casing for locking a drawer associated with the outer casing, a camera disposed within the outer casing, and a robot disposed within the outer casing. The robot is movable in three dimensions and has means for conducting three or more of the following operations: slide loading; slide ejecting; evaporation cap opening; evaporation cap closing; drawer locking; and camera manipulation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medical apparatus for analyzing fluid samples comprising:
a. an outer casing, the outer casing defining an interior cavity;
b. a slide loading mechanism disposed within the interior cavity of the outer casing for loading fluid analysis slides;
c. a slide ejecting mechanism disposed within the interior cavity of the outer casing for ejecting fluid analysis slides;
d. an evaporation cap opening mechanism disposed within the interior cavity of the outer casing for opening an evaporation cap;
e. an evaporation cap closing mechanism disposed within the interior cavity of the outer casing for closing an evaporation cap;
f. a consumables manager drawer, the consumables manager drawer being received by an opening formed in the outer casing;
g. at least one camera disposed within the interior cavity of the outer casing;
h. a fluid handler unit disposed within the interior cavity of the outer casing, the fluid handler unit including a robot assembly having portions thereof which are movable within the interior cavity relative to the outer casing, the fluid handler unit further including a fluid pump assembly mounted on the robot assembly and at least one elongated robot arm coupled to the fluid pump assembly, the fluid pump assembly movable within the interior cavity of the outer casing, the movable portions of the robot assembly being movable in an X-Z plane and a Y-Z plane, and being arcuately movable in an angular direction theta within an X-Y plane, the at least one elongated robot arm moving at least arcuately with the fluid pump assembly and engaging at least two of:
i. the slide loading mechanism to load fluid analysis slides;
ii. the slide ejecting mechanism to eject fluid analysis slides;
iii. the evaporation cap opening mechanism to open the evaporation caps; and
iv. the evaporation cap closing mechanism to close the evaporation caps;

i. an optics module, the optics module being in optical communication with at least one fluid analysis slide and conducting at least one of reflectance and fluorescence measurements on the at least one fluid analysis slide; and
j. a controller, the controller including electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry being in electrical communication with at least one of the optics module, the consumables manager drawer, the robot assembly and the fluid pump assembly.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one camera is mounted on the robot assembly and movable therewith within the interior cavity of the outer casing to be positionable to view at least the consumables manager drawer and generating image signals thereof and providing the signals to the controller.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elongated robot arm engages at least one of the slide loading mechanism, the slide ejecting mechanism, the evaporation cap opening mechanism and the evaporation cap closing mechanism by moving in a linear, Z-axis motion.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the optics module is disposed within the interior cavity of the outer casing; and
wherein the optics module is a combined reflectometer and fluorometer and includes:
a housing, the housing defining an interior chamber;
a first photodiode sensor situated within the interior chamber of the housing, the first photodiode sensor measuring light reflected from or fluoresced by a fluid analysis slide in optical communication with the optics module;
a printed circuit board situated within the interior chamber of the housing, the printed circuit board having a frusto-conical shape and defining a central opening, the central opening being in axial alignment with the first photodiode sensor;
a plurality of light emitting diodes mounted on the printed circuit board, the light emitting diodes being selectively energizable to emit light and illuminate the fluid analysis slide in optical communication with the optics module; and
a notch filter, the notch filter being situated in optical alignment with the first photodiode sensor, the notch filter filtering out light emitted by at least one light emitting diode at a fluorescence excitation wavelength.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the notch filter filters out light at a fluorescence excitation wavelength of about 470 nanometers.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the optics module further includes:
a heating element, the heating element being situated within the interior chamber of the housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the optics module further includes:
at least one second photodiode sensor situated within the interior chamber of the housing, the at least one second photodiode sensor measuring the intensity of light emitted by the selectively energized light emitting diodes.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the optics module further includes:
a lens holder situated within the interior chamber of the housing and in optical alignment with the first photodiode sensor; and
a lens/filter assembly mounted on the lens holder, the lens/filter assembly including an upper lens, a lower lens and the notch filter interposed between the upper lens and the lower lens.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein at least one light emitting diode emits light at a fluorescence excitation wavelength of about 470 nanometers; and
wherein the optics module further includes a filter mounted directly on the at least one light emitting diode that emits light at the fluorescence excitation wavelength.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the filter which is mounted on the at least one light emitting diode is a colored glass filter; and
wherein the colored glass filter is mounted on the at least one light emitting diode with an adhesive.

11. The apparatus of claim 4 , which further comprises:
a normalizer casting plate disposed within the interior cavity of the outer casing, the optics module being adjustably mounted on the normalizer casting plate; and
wherein the optics module further includes:
an optics module plate, the optics module plate extending radially outwardly from the housing of the optics module, the optics module plate having a surface and including at least one set of parallel, spaced apart, elongated ribs protruding outwardly from the surface thereof, the normalizer casting plate having a surface and including at least one elongated projection situated on the surface thereof, the ribs of the at least one set of ribs of the optics module plate of the optics module receiving therebetween the at least one elongated projection of the normalizer casting plate, the at least one elongated projection being received by the ribs of the at least one set of ribs permitting adjustment of the position of the optics module with respect to the normalizer casting plate.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the robot assembly of the fluid handler unit includes:
a base, the base being disposed in an upper portion of the interior cavity of the outer casing, the base having a main portion which is generally planar in shape;
a pair of spaced apart, parallelly disposed linear rails mounted on the base near opposite sides thereof;
a bearing holder assembly, the bearing holder assembly being movably mounted on the pair of linear rails of the base in the X-direction; and
an X-direction motor assembly mounted on the base and coupled to the bearing holder assembly, the X-direction motor assembly causing the bearing holder to move in the X-direction on the pair of linear rails of the base, the pump assembly of the fluid handler unit being operatively coupled to the bearing holder assembly and movable therewith on the base in the X-direction.

13. The appara

Assignees

• Idexx Lab Inc

Inventors

• Connolly David Lance
• Dumont Mark Raymond
• Griffin Justin Jay
• Mcgibbon John Harvey
• Misener Garland Christian
• Phelps Jeffrey Eric
• Rich Carl Russell
• Smith Kenneth Eugene
• Vidacic Dragan

Classifications

• G01N2035/103

  using disposable tips · CPC title

• G01N2035/0449

  using centrifugal transport of liquid · CPC title

• G01N2035/0405

  manipulating closing or opening means, e.g. stoppers, screw caps, lids or covers · CPC title

• G01N2035/00356

  Holding samples at elevated temperature (incubation) · CPC title

• G01N2035/00039

  Transport arrangements specific to flat sample substrates, e.g. pusher blade · CPC title