A method for detecting a liquid surface of a liquid sample with a pipetting tip, the method includes receiving an indication of a capacitance of the pipetting tip, and determining, based on a rate of change of the indication of the capacitance rising above a first preselected threshold, that the pipetting tip has come into contact with the liquid surface. The method also includes determining, based on the rate of change of the indication of the capacitance falling below a second preselected threshold, that the pipetting tip has lost contact with the liquid surface.

One embodiment provides a method for detecting aspiration in a clinical analyzer, including: acquiring, from a sensor, pressure measurement data; transforming the pressure measurement data into frequency domain data; generating a clean version of the frequency domain data by attenuating, using a filter, unwanted frequencies; comparing the cleaned version of the frequency domain data to one or more predetermined data points; and determining, based on the comparison, if an aspiration was properly performed. Other aspects are described and claimed herein.

A system for detecting bubbles within a liquid flowing in an interior of a pipe. The system includes a transmitter emitting directed light through the liquid flowing through the pipe and a receiver for receiving the emitted directed light from the transmitter. The transmitter and receiver are affixed on opposite sides of the pipe. The system also includes a microcontroller having a modulator. The microcontroller communicates with the transmitter and receiver. The microcontroller sends a modulation protocol for emitting the directed light with a specified modulation protocol to the transmitter and receiver. The transmitter emits the directed light as modulated light based upon the modulation protocol and the receiver filters out all unmodulated light, correlates information on modulated light received from the transmitter and sends correlated light information to the microcontroller. The microcontroller determines a presence of bubbles in the liquid based on the light information received from the receiver.

A sample analyzing apparatus for performing an optical-based measurement on a sample includes a housing, a first light source, excitation optics, a first light detector, emission optics, and a monitoring system, all of which are disposed in the housing. The monitoring system is configured for monitoring a movable component disposed in the housing. The monitoring system includes one or more light sources for illuminating the movable component, and one or more light detectors for detecting light reflected from the movable component in response to being illuminated.

The invention provides a small-sized automatic analyzer being compact, enabling a large number of analysis items to be carried out, and having a high processing speed. The automatic analyzer is particularly suitably applied to a medical analyzer used for qualitative/quantitative analysis of living body samples, such as urine and blood. A plurality of sample dispensing mechanism s capable of being operated independently of each other are provided to suck a sample from any one of a plurality of sample suction positions and to discharge the sucked sample to any one of a plurality of positions on a reaction disk. The automatic analyzer having a high processing capability can be thus realized without increasing the system size.

A method and device for distinguishing between a contacting of foam (2) or of liquid (1) in a liquid container (5) of a device (100) by employing a capacitively operating measuring device (M) having a sensor (3) which can be moved up and down in the liquid container (5), in which at least one output signal (s.sub.out(t)) is processed by the measuring device (M).

Disclosed herein are a particle sorting device capable of simply detecting bubbles, foreign substances, or the like in droplets, a method for analyzing particles, a program, and a particle sorting system. The particle sorting device includes a judgment unit, and the judgment unit judges whether or not captured image information including captured droplet image information about a brightness of an image of particle-containing droplets captured after discharge from an orifice has changed with respect to previously-set reference image information including reference droplet image information about a brightness of an image of droplets captured after discharge from the orifice.

[Problem] To provide an automatic analyzer capable of reducing dispensing accuracy defect caused by reagent adhered or concentrated in measuring a sample as compared with a prior art.

[Solution] A control computer 24 of an automatic analyzer 100 executes analysis while switching a reagent used according to an analysis item, and, when a predetermined condition is fulfilled during an analysis operation, controls reagent dispensing mechanisms 11, 13 to execute a conditioning operation of lowering reagent nozzles 12, 14 to pass through an aspiration port of a reagent container 4 of a target and lifting the reagent nozzles 12, 14.

A pressure signal process unit acquires data under a predetermined condition and a statistic distance between the acquired data and determination-purpose reference data stored in a storage unit is calculated. It is determined whether or not dispensing is abnormal and whether the determination-purpose reference data is suitable for an abnormality detection function to be properly fulfilled. If the determination-purpose reference data is not suitable for an abnormality detection function to be properly fulfilled, temporary determination-purpose reference data is prepared so as to be compared with the previously acquired data under a predetermined condition. If a difference therebetween is greater than a predetermined threshold value, a possibility that an automatic analyzer may have an abnormal component or that a failure may occur in the automatic analyzer is determined, and the result is transmitted to cause a display device to display an alarm.

The disclosure relates to a syringe assembly and a syringing method of using the same. The syringe assembly comprises an ultrasonic element, a guide tube and a syringe. The ultrasonic element is used to generate an ultrasonic signal and receive a reflection of the ultrasonic signal. The guide tube comprises a first connecting terminal and a second connecting terminal. The syringe and the guide tube are connected with each other via the second connecting terminal. The syringe assembly according to the present disclosure is able to perform sampling, liquid level detection, clog detection, and the liquid volume detection.