A computer-implemented method for determining failures in laboratory equipment comprising: a) receiving a desired probability of false rejection ({hacek over (P)}.sub.fr) and a desired error detection rate ({hacek over (E)}.sub.D), such as a desired probability of error detection ({hacek over (P)}.sub.ed), relating to one or more QC levels (J) of quality control (QC) samples to be processed by the equipment; b) setting a number of runs (R) to one; c) calculating an error detection rate (Ê.sub.D) based at least partially on R; d) determining if Ê.sub.D is below {hacek over (E)}.sub.D, and if so: increase R by one, and repeat steps c) to d), and if not: define a rule for determining failures in the laboratory equipment based, at least partially, on R; e) receiving or collecting standardized QC results; f) applying the rule defined in step d) to the standardized QC results; g) determining failures in the equipment, if the standardized QC results comply with the rule.

The specimen analyzer includes: an input unit which receives an input of subject attribute information; an analysis unit which performs measurement of a specimen collected from a subject, and which performs analysis of the specimen based on a measurement result and the subject attribute information received by the input unit; and a controller which causes the analysis unit to be incapable of analyzing the specimen unless the input of the subject attribute information is performed with the input unit.

A method of controlling a blood analyzer for measuring platelets is provided. The method comprises: determining a relationship between at least one first measurement value obtained by detecting platelets in at least one previous test by an electrical type detector of the blood analyzer and at least one second measurement value obtained by detecting the platelets in the at least one previous test by an optical type detector of the blood analyzer, and controlling the blood analyzer to prepare the first and/or second measurement sample for a current test according to the determined relationship.

Various embodiments include methods and apparatuses to reduce false-particle counts in a water-based condensation particle counter (CPC). In one embodiment, a cleanroom CPC has three parallel growth tube assemblies. A detector is coupled to an outlet of each of the three parallel growth tube assemblies, and is used to compare the particle concentrations measured from each of the three growth tube assemblies. An algorithm compares the counts from the three detectors and determines when the particles counted are real and when they are false counts. Any real particle event shows up in all three detectors, while false counts will only be detected by one detector. Statistics are used to determine at which particle count levels the measured counts are considered to be real versus false. Other methods and apparatuses are disclosed.

Discussed herein are systems, methods, and apparatuses for quality control monitoring of laboratory analyzers. A method can include receiving test results from laboratory analyzers, the test results corresponding to a same analyte, determining a standard deviation of differences (SDD) among pairs of the multiple test results, calibrating the laboratory analyzer based on the determined SDD.

A computer-implemented method of calibrating an in-vitro diagnostic analyzer is disclosed. The method includes executing a multi-point calibration procedure including measuring a plurality of calibrator levels and thereby obtaining a plurality of respective calibration points. The method further includes calculating a result of the multi-point calibration procedure and determining failure or passing of the multi-point calibration procedure based on the calculated result. In case of failure of the multi-point calibration procedure, the method includes determining if failure is related to one or more individual failed calibration point(s), and in the affirmative, triggering a repetition of measuring the calibrator level(s) only with respect to the failed calibration point(s) and re-calculating the result of the multi-point calibration procedure after replacing only the failed calibration point(s) with the newly obtained calibration point(s).

Predictive quality control apparatus and methods for diagnostic testing systems may include a decision module that continually receives and correlates related data along with quality control results. The related data may include, but not be limited to, one or more of the number and type of tests previously performed by a diagnostic analyzer, analyzer temperature, vibration level, humidity level, atmospheric pressure, degree of water ionization, refrigerated storage temperature of components used by the diagnostic analyzer, reagent lot number, reagent lot expiration, and/or other sensor and/or externally-sourced data. The decision module may be trained with quality control results indicating acceptable and unacceptable analyzer operation along with the related data in order to recognize patterns that may indicate subsequent unacceptable analyzer operation. The predictive apparatus and methods may accordingly notify a user of potentially unacceptable analysis operation well before discovery of such by conventional quality control testing.

An examination system, a method of obtaining a training set for a classifier, and a non-transitory computer readable medium, the method comprising: upon receiving in a memory device object inspection results comprising data indicative of potential defects, each potential defect of the potential defects associated with a multiplicity of attribute values defining a location of the potential defect in an attribute space: sampling by the processor a first set of defects from the potential defects, wherein the defects within the first set are dispersed independently of a density of the potential defects in the attribute space; and obtaining by the processor a training defect sample set comprising the first set of defects and data or parameters representative of the density of the potential defects in the attribute space.

A method of controlling a blood analyzer for measuring platelets is provided. The method comprises: determining a relationship between at least one first measurement value obtained by detecting platelets in at least one previous test by an electrical type detector of the blood analyzer and at least one second measurement value obtained by detecting the platelets in the at least one previous test by an optical type detector of the blood analyzer, and controlling the blood analyzer to prepare the first and/or second measurement sample for a current test according to the determined relationship.

An automatic analyzer is provided which is easier to investigate when some troubles such as data abnormality occur in a sample analysis result as compared with an automatic analyzer according to the related art. The automatic analyzer includes: analysis units that perform analysis and quality control analysis for ensuring quality of the analysis; a storage medium that stores quality control results of the quality control analysis performed by the analysis units; a monitor that displays the quality control results; and a control PC that controls an operation of the analysis units (8, 9, and 16), executes, when an arbitrary result is selected from the quality control results stored in the storage medium, based on the selected quality control result, statistical calculation of the selected result and a quality control result performed in the past, and causes the monitor to display a statistical calculation screen as a statistical calculation result.