Systems and methods for use in an in vitro diagnostics setting incorporating magnetic shielding to reduce exposure of any of samples, reactants, devices or people from exposure or prolonged exposure to magnetic or electromagnetic fields generated with the system.

The present disclosure relates to a modular transport plane with a plurality of transport module units, each transport module unit comprising an actuator assembly with a back iron, and with an infrastructure system arranged below the transport module units and supporting the transport module units on a floor, characterized in that the transport module units are floatingly connected to the infrastructure system to allow a relative horizontal movement between the transport module units and the infrastructure system, wherein neighboring transport module units are connected via the back irons for a horizontal force transmission between neighboring transport module units in response to a relative horizontal movement between neighboring transport module units.

A support element for a modular transport plane with a plurality of transport module units each comprising a driving surface assembly is presented. The support element has an upper support surface supporting the driving surface assemblies of at least two neighboring transport module units. The upper support surface has driving surface assembly interfaces engaged with complementary interfaces of the supported driving surface assemblies. The support element comprises a lower part having a mounting structure and an upper part having the upper support surface. The upper part connects lengthwise to the lower part via a connection structure. The connection structure restrains a relative movement between the lower part and the upper part in the longitudinal direction of the support element and allows a limited relative movement between the lower part and the upper part in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element.

A laboratory sample distribution system is provided comprising: a number of container carriers, wherein the container carriers each comprise a magnetically active device and are adapted to carry a sample container; at least one fan being adapted to cause an airflow; and a number of transport modules, the transport modules being arrangeable adjacent to one another and respectively comprising: a transport surface being adapted to carry the container carriers; a number of heat dissipating electromagnetic actuators being stationary arranged below the transport surface, the electromagnetic actuators being adapted to move container carriers placed on top of the transport surface by applying magnetic forces to the container carriers; and an air guiding element being adapted to guide the airflow first towards an underside of the transport surface and afterwards towards the electromagnetic actuators.

Provided is a sample transport device, a sample analysis system, and a sample pretreatment device which have high positional accuracy when stopping a sample and can adjust a minute position when stopping the sample. A sample transport device (1a) according to the present invention includes: a sample provided with a permanent magnet (10); a transport path through which the sample is to be transported via the permanent magnet (10); a plurality of coils provided on a surface of the transport path opposite to a surface on which the sample is to be transported; and a drive circuit that causes a current to flow through the coils. The drive circuit adjusts a force applied to the permanent magnet in a vertical direction by a current flowing through a first coil (30B) immediately below a position at which the permanent magnet (10) is to be stopped, and adjusts a force applied to the permanent magnet (10) in a horizontal direction by a current flowing through a second coil (30C) adjacent to the first coil, and adjusts a stop position of the permanent magnet (10).

Apparatuses and methods for washing a plurality of fluid samples are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, a system for washing a plurality of fluid samples respectively located within a plurality of cuvettes includes a rotor configured to rotate the plurality of cuvettes about an axis, a traveler mechanism located beneath the rotor, the traveler mechanism configured to move a plurality of magnets parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor to position the plurality of magnets so that each cuvette of the plurality of cuvettes is located adjacent to at least one magnet of the plurality of magnets, and a wash system located above the rotor, the wash system configured to at least one of inject fluid into or aspirate fluid from the plurality of the cuvettes, while the plurality of magnets suspend magnetic particles located within each of the plurality of cuvettes.

The invention provides a conveying device having a conveying performance higher than that of the related art, a sample analysis system and sample pretreatment device with the conveying device and a method for conveying a conveyance object. A conveying device 1 includes a permanent magnet 10 which is provided on a sample rack 111 side, magnetic poles 25 each of which includes a core 22 made of a second magnetic body and a winding 21 wound around an outer periphery of the core 22, drive circuits 50 each of which supplies a current to the winding 21 of the magnetic pole 25, and current command calculation units 55 each of which controls a value of the current to be supplied to the winding 21 from the drive circuit 50. The current command calculation unit 55 makes the currents to be supplied to the windings 21 vary.

Systems and methods for use in an in vitro diagnostics setting incorporating existing or additional sensors in an automation system to assess the health and maintenance status of the automation system are disclosed. Such systems include any of a variety of sensors, such as Hall Effect sensors, temperature probes/thermocouples, ohm meters, volt meters, etc., which are in communication with a local or preferably remote monitoring station that can alert a user or maintenance personnel of needed service.

The objective of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for reducing a quantity of magnetic particles remaining on a reaction vessel wall surface in a cleaning step for reducing, in a stepwise manner, an amount of a magnetic particle solution in the reaction vessel. The automated analysis device according to the present disclosure causes an agitating mechanism to operate in such a way that a magnetic substance remaining on the wall surface of the vessel in the previous cleaning step is captured by a cleaning solution in the next cleaning step.

A movable piece includes a front arm and a rear arm. In a first process, the front arm retreats from a conveying path to permit forward movement of an n-th holder, and in a second process advances into the conveying path to restrict forward movement of an n+1-th holder. In the first process, the rear arm advances into the conveying path to restrict forward movement of the n-th holder, and in the second process retreats from the conveying path 18 to permit forward movement of the n-th holder. Midway through the second process, the n-th holder 84 is positioned in a reference stopping position.