An automatic analyzer with high processing capacity is capable of immediately measuring an emergency specimen rack. The automatic analyzer includes a conveying line for conveying a specimen rack, and an analysis unit which has a dispensing line in which a plurality of specimen racks are arranged for waiting until sample dispensing, and a sampling area for dispensing the sample to the analysis unit. A rack save area is provided in the dispensing line and at a position adjacent to the upstream side of the sampling area. When a specimen rack exists in the sampling area at the time of measuring an emergency specimen rack, a controller moves the specimen rack to the save area and positions the emergency specimen rack to be moved from a downstream side of the sampling area to the sampling area.

An automated system and method for processing vessels containing biological samples are presented. The system comprises vessel holders, a transport medium for transporting the vessel holders between the components of the system, a work cell for processing, a storage module for empty vessel holders, wherein the storage module is connected to the transport medium, a robotic manipulator for engaging and/or disengaging the vessels with empty vessel holders, an empty vessel holder transfer unit for introducing empty vessel holders into or retrieving them from the storage module, and an empty vessel holder detection unit, including an empty vessel holder detector for discriminating between filled and empty vessel holders as well as a transfer initiator configured to initiate the introduction or re-introduction of an empty vessel holder detected in or on the transport medium into the storage module by the empty vessel holder transfer unit.

There is provided a sample inspection automation system which uses a single holder as its carrier, which can supply empty holders to a distant processing unit on an extended circling path without delay, and which permits continuous operation in case of a failure through detachment of a failed part for example. The system combining a plurality of processing units has an empty holder circling path with a mechanism to circle empty holders across all processing units within the system in unicursal fashion; stoppers for retaining empty holders on the circling path; and a mechanism for controlling the stoppers on the circling path given an empty holder request from a processing unit. The empty holder circling path is made of a plurality of loops each equipped with the stopper. The sample inspection automation system thus configured supplies empty holders efficiently and simplifies system operation through fallback operation.

There are provided an automatic analyzing device and a reagent management method in the automatic analyzing device capable of managing a remaining amount of a consumable reagent with higher accuracy than in the related art. An automatic analyzing device includes a sipper syringe 10 and a liquid feed valve 40 that dispense a consumable reagent filled in a reference electrode solution bottle 5 and an alkaline detergent bottle 39 respectively, a liquid level detection unit 38 that detects a liquid level of the consumable reagent in the reference electrode solution bottle 5 and the alkaline detergent bottle 39, and a control device 29 that calculates a remaining amount of the consumable reagent based on an estimated dispensing amount of the sipper syringe 10 and the liquid feed valve 40, in which the control device 29 corrects the estimated dispensing amount based on consumption of the consumable reagent up to a predetermined height detected by the liquid level detection unit 38 and a dispensing operation history until the liquid level reaches the predetermined height.

Systems and techniques for an optical scanning microscope and/or other appropriate imaging system includes components for scanning and collecting focused images of a tissue sample and/or other object disposed on a slide. The focusing system described herein provides for determining best focus for each snapshot as a snapshot is captured, which may be referred to as on-the-fly focusing. The devices and techniques provided herein lead to significant reductions in the time required for forming a digital image of an area in a pathology slide and provide for the creation of high quality digital images of a specimen at high throughput.

An analyzer for use with in vitro diagnostics includes an automation system to move a plurality of sample carriers within the system. At least some carriers include a plurality of slots. Each slot is configured to hold one of a plurality of fluid containers. The system also includes a place and pick device configured to place the plurality of fluid containers into the plurality of slots and remove the plurality of fluid containers from the plurality of slots. The system further includes a controller configured to place mother sample tubes along with empty sample tubes into the same carrier and move the carrier to an existing pipettor within the analyzer to aliquot a sample portion of the mother sample into the empty daughter tubes to create aliquots for certain samples without requiring a standalone aliquoting station or substantially disrupting the normal flow of sample tubes within the automation system.

An apparatus for handling sample tubes is presented. The apparatus comprises a sample tube tray, a sample tube individualizer, a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a sample tube buffer, and a sample tube rack inserter. The sample tube tray stores sample tubes in bulk commodity. The sample tube individualizer sequentially unloads single sample tubes from the sample tube tray and sequentially provides the unloaded sample tubes to the first conveyor. The first conveyor conveys the sample tubes to the sample tube buffer. The sample tube buffer buffers the sample tubes provided by the first conveyor and provides buffered sample tubes to the second conveyor with a predeterminable, constant, sample tube rate. The second conveyor conveys the sample tubes to the sample tube rack inserter. The sample tube rack inserter inserts the sample tubes into a sample tube rack.

Provided is a specimen processing system which can contribute to space saving. The specimen processing system includes a put-in module which puts a specimen on a put-in tray in a holder, a housing module which houses the specimen from the holder in a housing tray, and a stock module which stocks the holder, in which an empty holder which is generated because the specimen is housed is directly conveyed to the put-in module without being conveyed to the stock module and is used for putting a new specimen therein.

A module for an automated biology laboratory system includes a housing and a storage device located within the housing. The storage device has a plurality of plate slots for receiving microplates or lab-ware with a microplate footprint or containers. The laboratory system further includes a transfer slot to transfer the microplates or containers between an inside of the module and an outside of the module; indexing means to facilitate alignment of the transfer slot with a microplate transfer interface comprising an aperture of the housing; and connection means for fixedly connecting the transfer interface of the module to a transfer interface of an adjacent module.

There is provided an electrolyte analyzer that can appropriately replace consumable items while more exerting analysis processing performances than a conventional electrolyte analyzer does. An electrolyte analyzer includes a plurality of analysis chambers 50 having ISE electrodes 1 configured to measure the concentration of the electrolyte of a sample and a controller 29 configured to control operations in the electrolyte analyzer 100 including the analysis chambers 50. The ISE electrodes 1 of the plurality of analysis chambers 50 analyze the same analysis items. The controller 29 selects an analysis chamber 50 used for measurement from the plurality of analysis chambers 50 corresponding to the remaining measurable numbers of a plurality of ISE electrodes 1 and measurement request status.