A sample plate comprising a sample well is disclosed. The sample well can comprise one or more bead retaining chambers. Also provided herein is a method of using the sample plate and kits comprising the sample plate.

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 sample plate comprising a sample well is disclosed. The sample well can comprise one or more bead retaining chambers. Also provided herein is a method of using the sample plate and kits comprising the sample plate.

A pipetting device (100) for an apparatus for processing a sample or reagent is disclosed. The pipetting device (100) comprises a coupling mechanism, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises at least a first coupling unit (104) adapted to be coupled to a first pipetting tip (108) and a second coupling unit (106) adapted to be coupled to a second pipetting tip (110), and a selection element (138) for selectively allowing a coupling of the first coupling unit (104) to or releasing the first coupling unit (104) from the first pipetting tip (108) and for selectively allowing a coupling of the second coupling unit to or releasing the second coupling unit (106) from the second pipetting tip (110). The selection element (138) is mechanically coupled to the first coupling unit (104) and the second coupling unit (106). Further, an apparatus (198) for processing a sample or reagent and a method for pipetting a sample or reagent are disclosed.

A sample plate comprising a sample well is disclosed. The sample well can comprise one or more bead retaining chambers. A method of using the sample plate and a kit comprising the sample plate is also disclosed.

A pipetting device (100) for an apparatus (164) for processing a sample or reagent is disclosed. The pipetting device (100) comprises a coupling mechanism (102), wherein the coupling mechanism (102) comprises at least a first coupling unit (104) adapted to be coupled to a first pipetting tip and a second coupling unit (106) adapted to be coupled to a second pipetting tip, and a tilt mechanism (112) for moving the first coupling unit (104) between an untilted position, in which the first coupling unit (104) and the second coupling unit (106) are arranged parallel to one another, and a tilted position, in which the first coupling unit (104) is tilted relative to the second coupling unit (106).

A sample analyzer is configured to execute a liquid surface detection of detecting a liquid surface in a container by a liquid surface detector prior to a lowering operation of an aspirating tube for aspirating the liquid if a liquid level information is not stored in a memory, and store a liquid level information of a container in the memory based on a detection result by the liquid surface detection. Also, a liquid aspirating method by a sample analyzer.

A sample analyzer is configured to execute a liquid surface detection of detecting a liquid surface in a container by a liquid surface detector prior to a lowering operation of an aspirating tube for aspirating the liquid if a liquid level information is not stored in a memory, and store a liquid level information of a container in the memory based on a detection result by the liquid surface detection. Also, a liquid aspirating method by a sample analyzer.

Systems and methods are described for integrated sample container cover removal and sample probe positioning. In an example implementation, an autosampler system includes, but is not limited to, a z-axis support rotatable about a z-axis of an autosampler deck; a sample probe support structure coupled to the z-axis support, the sample probe support structure configured to hold a sample probe to withdraw a fluid-containing sample held within a sample container supported by the autosampler deck; and a sample cap remover coupled to the z-axis support in an orientation that is rotationally offset from the z-axis support with respect to the sample probe support structure, the sample cap remover configured to lift a cap from the sample container to provide access to an interior of the sample container by the sample probe supported by the sample probe support structure.

A cell picking device for sucking cells from a liquid sample in a sample container includes a sucking member to which a pipette tip is attachable, a driver that moves the sucking member and performs suction through the sucking member and the pipette tip, a work mode switcher that switches a work mode of the driver between a first mode and a second mode, and a controller that controls the driver.