Disclosed are high-throughput vessel sorting systems and methods of sorting sample vessels, such as samples stored in test tubes. A system for sorting a plurality of individual vessels that each contains a sample is disclosed.

A method for operating a laboratory system comprising instruments for processing samples and a control unit connected by a communication network is presented. The method comprises receiving and identifying a biological sample and retrieving an order list from a database. The list comprises a plurality of targets defining one or more processing steps to be carried out on the biological sample by one or more of the laboratory instruments. The method also comprises selecting a workflow strategy and retrieving workflow acceptance criterion corresponding to the workflow strategy. The control unit determines a sample workflow for processing the sample based on the workflow strategy and determines whether the sample workflow satisfies the workflow acceptance criterion. If the sample workflow does not satisfy the workflow acceptance criterion, workflow strategy and the workflow acceptance criterion is refined and the sample workflow is determined again until it satisfies the workflow acceptance criterion.

A scheduling system includes a receiving system and a transfer system. The receiving system receives a carrier carrying a biological sample. The transfer system transfers the sample carrier between biochemical reaction platform and detection platform, so that a sample in the sample carrier performs a biochemical reaction on the biochemical reaction platform, and a signal from the reacted sample can be detected on the detection platform. The present disclosure further provides a scheduling method, a scheduling control system, a biochemical analysis system and device, and a computer-readable storage medium. The present disclosure improves a degree of automation of sample carrier scheduling, and realizes simultaneous analysis of multiple sample carriers to improve a testing throughput.

The present invention is a data-processing device used for a chromatograph which continuously performs a series of analyses for components in each sample while sequentially introducing a plurality of samples into a column. The device includes: an input section configured to allow for input of information into a schedule table for a plurality of analyses, the schedule table describing an analysis condition including a combination of the values of a plurality of control parameters, the order of execution of the plurality of analyses, and information for identifying a sample to be subjected to each analysis; a chromatogram creating means configured to receive data sequentially collected during two or more analyses and create a joint chromatogram from the data if the two or more analyses have been continuously performed for the same sample according to the schedule table; and a display means configured to display the joint chromatogram.

The automatic analyzer includes a light source 4a to perform measurement, a spectrophotometer 4, a reagent disk 9 to store a reagent bottle 10 in which the reagent is stored, a carriage device to carry the reagent bottle 10 to the reagent disk 9, a reagent preparation unit to perform preparatory operations required before the regent bottle 10 is used, and a control unit 21 to schedule the preparatory operations by the reagent preparation unit and the carriage operation by the carriage device such that the reagent bottle 10 is carried to the reagent disk 9 immediately after an operation accompanied with analysis by the light source 4a and the spectrophotometer 4 is suspended or ends.

A sample examination automation system includes a conveyance line, a large-scale sample carrier buffer, an analyzer coupling unit, and a conveyance managing unit. The conveyance line conveys a sample carrier. One or a plurality of sample containers is mountable on the sample carrier. The large-scale sample carrier buffer stores a plurality of the sample carriers. The analyzer coupling unit, which is couplable to an analyzer, incorporates a sample carrier sub-buffer capable of storing the sample carriers by an amount smaller than an amount of the large-scale sample carrier buffer. The conveyance managing unit has a function of controlling a sample carrier conveyance destination. The conveyance managing unit is configured to determine an amount of the sample carriers supplied to the sample carrier sub-buffer via the large-scale sample carrier buffer according to a storage situation of the sample carriers in the sample carrier sub-buffer.

The specimen conveyance device and method can easily specify, regardless of the size of the system, the position on the device of the specimen tube whose position is desired to be grasped and the position on the device of the device part whose position is desired to be grasped. A specimen conveyance unit 10 includes a plurality of conveyance blocks 1, each of which includes one or more light emitting bodies 3 and conveys a specimen tube holder 6 that holds a specimen tube 5 storing a specimen, and a control unit 4 for controlling the conveyance operation of the specimen tube holder 6 by the conveyance block 1, in which the control unit 4 causes the light emitting body 3 of a specific conveyance block 1 among the conveyance blocks 1 to emit light in accordance with the conveyance state of the specimen tube holder 6.

An operator can perform exchange work of a reagent container without including a mechanism for reagent exchange and interrupting an analysis operation.

An automatic analyzer includes: an analysis unit including a plurality of operation units for performing analysis of a specimen; and a control unit for controlling the analysis unit. The control unit allows the analysis unit to set to at least (a) an analysis operation mode in which a first and a second operation unit are operated for the analysis of the specimen, (b) a partial operation mode in which only the first operation unit is continuously operated after the analysis of the specimen is completed in the analysis operation mode, and (c) a reagent exchange mode in which consumables containing a reagent are exchangeable in the analysis unit. The control unit allows the analysis unit to shift from the partial operation mode to the reagent exchange mode.

Disclosed is a container transfer method for transferring a container from a container holder capable of holding a plurality of containers, by using a holding section capable of performing an opening/closing operation, vertical movement, and horizontal movement. The method includes: moving the holding section downward to a position lower than a head portion of the container, at a position where the container is not held in a plan view; horizontally moving the holding section in an opened state, toward a target container on the container holder; after the horizontal movement of the holding section to the target container, closing the holding section with respect to the target container; and moving upward the holding section in a closed state.

The present invention is directed to a system and method for load balancing specimen containers between a plurality of automated detection apparatuses. The method may include receiving a specimen container at a container pick-up station in a first automated detection apparatus; determining loading ability, transfer status, and cell availability of the first automated detection apparatus and one or more downstream automated detection apparatuses; and transferring the specimen container from the first automated detection apparatus to a downstream automated detection apparatus when a first ratio of effective available cell count to effective capacity in the first automated detection apparatus is less than a second ratio of total effective available cell count to total effective capacity of a sum of the first automated detection apparatus and the one or more downstream automated detection apparatuses.