Provided is a transport device in which reliability is increased by suppressing deterioration of the transport surface and transport efficiency is increased by suppressing electrical current loss. A transport device 1 comprising a transported body having either a permanent magnet 10 or a magnetic body, and an electromagnet unit in which coils 21 are wound around teeth 25 comprising magnetic bodies, and having recesses on surfaces of the teeth 25 facing the transported body. Specifically, the surfaces of the teeth 25 facing the transported body have at least two surfaces (first facing surface 22, second facing surface 23, etc.) which have different distances to the transported body.

A dispatching device for dispatching sample containers received in respective sample container carriers from a transport surface to an external position and/or from the external position to the transport surface is presented. The dispatching device has a tube and a capsule, a conveying surface with an electromagnetic actuator being formed in the capsule. A sample distribution system with such a dispatching device and a laboratory automation system with such a sample distribution system are also presented.

An improved dose assay station for preparing unit-dose samples of radionuclide from a multi-dose vial is disclosed. The improved assay station is provided an assay chamber and a radionuclide sample lifter provided within the assay chamber. The radionuclide sample lifter is configured for lowering a radionuclide sample container into the assay chamber and raising the radionuclide sample container out of the assay chamber. The radionuclide sample lifter includes a magnetically coupled pneumatic actuator; and a carriage attached to the magnetically coupled pneumatic actuator, the carriage being configured for holding the radionuclide sample container, wherein the magnetically coupled pneumatic actuator moves the carriage between a first position and a second position within the assay chamber, wherein the first position places the carriage near the top end of the assay chamber and the second position places the carriage near the bottom end of the assay chamber.

A vertical conveying device for the transport of sample container carriers having sample tubes received therein between a bottom level and a top level of a sample distribution system is presented. The vertical conveying device comprises a plurality of conveying surfaces which are movable along a circulating path. A sample distribution system having such a vertical conveying device and to a laboratory automation system having such a sample distribution system are also presented.

A carrying apparatus includes a holder which houses an object to be carried and which comprises a holder side member; a carrying path which guides the movement of the holder; a helical member which generates, between the holder side member and the helical member, a first force in a direction to depart from the holder side member or a second force to attract the holder side member and which is disposed along the carrying path; and a rotation unit which rotates the helical member.

A transport device and a transport method efficiently increase a thrust to suppress power consumption. The transport device has a first magnetic body on a side of a to-be-transported object, a magnetic circuit with a core consisting of a second magnetic body, and a winding wound around an outside of the core, and a drive circuit supplying a current to the winding of the magnetic circuit. The magnetic circuit has first and second magnetic circuits, and in a case where the first magnetic body is located on a side of the second magnetic circuit relative to a first predetermined position between the first magnetic circuit and the second magnetic circuit, the drive circuit supplies a current to a winding of the first magnetic circuit in such a manner to cause an electromagnetic repulsive force to be generated between the first magnetic body and the first magnetic circuit.

A laboratory sample distribution system with a number of sample container carriers, each comprising at least one magnetically active device and adapted to carry a sample container; a transport plane adapted to support the carriers; a number of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane and adapted to move a corresponding carrier located on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the carrier; a touch panel arranged below the transport plane adapted to generate position signals (PS) depending on positions of the carriers located on top of the transport plane; a position determination unit adapted to determine the positions of the carriers located on top of the transport plane in response to the position signals (PS); and a control unit adapted to control the operation of the laboratory sample distribution system in response to the determined positions of the carriers.

The present invention comprises: an object to be conveyed that has at least one permanent magnet 10; a magnetic pole 25 that has a core 22 comprising a second magnetic body and a winding 21 wound around the outer periphery of the core 22; a drive circuit 50 for supplying a current to the winding 21 of the magnetic pole 25; a current detection unit 30 for detecting the value of the current flowing through the winding 21; and a computation unit 40 for estimating the position of the permanent magnet 10 on the basis of the current value detected by the current detection unit 30 and controlling the value of the current supplied from the drive circuit 50 to the winding 21 on the basis of information about the estimated position of the permanent magnet 10.

A laboratory automation system for processing sample containers containing laboratory samples and/or for processing the samples is presented. The laboratory automation system comprises a digital camera configured to take an image of the sample container together with a calibration element. The image comprises image data related to the sample container and image data related to the calibration element. The laboratory automation system also comprises an image processing device configured to determine geometrical properties of the sample container depending on the image data related to the sample container and the image data related to the calibration element.

An instrument for detecting signal from a biological sample includes a pipettor module configured to hold a plurality of pipettes in respective pipette positions, to hold liquid in one or more pipette tips, and to pipette liquid in and out of the one or more pipette tips. Each of the one or more pipette tips has a pipette tip point. The instrument further includes one or more magnets positioned such that each of the one or more pipette tips is adjacent one of the one or more magnets.