A processor assembly including: an exposure station operable to expose a sample on a slide; a print station operable to apply a reagent to the exposed sample through a thermal inkjet process; and a robotic transfer mechanism to transfer the slide from the exposure station to the print station. Also, a reagent cartridge including: a body defining a container having a volume therein; a nonmetallic bag in the container operable to contain a reagent; and a printhead at a base of the body, the printhead coupled to an outlet of the bag. Further, a method including exposing a sample on a slide in a processor assembly; robotically transferring the slide to a printing station of the processor assembly; and applying a reagent to the exposed sample at the printing station by a thermal inkjet printing process.

Method and associated system for reading machine-readable labels on a plurality of sample receptacles held by a sample rack. In the method, a machine-readable label associated each of the plurality of sample receptacles is read with a first label reader when the rack is at a first location. The sample rack is then moved from the first location to a second location, where a rack identifier on the sample rack is sensed with a sensor separate from the first label reader. Finally, the rack identifier is associated with the machine-readable labels of the plurality of sample receptacles.

Disclosed is a specimen transfer device connected to a rack transportation path of a specimen testing system, and the specimen transfer device includes: an ascending/descending mechanism configured to move a rack between a first ascending/descending position at which the rack in a first tier is disposed, and a second ascending/descending position at which the rack in a second tier is disposed; a container transfer mechanism configured to transfer a specimen container, to a second rack disposed in the second tier, from a first rack moved by the ascending/descending mechanism from the first ascending/descending position to the second ascending/descending position; a rack waiting region disposed in the first tier and configured to cause the rack to stay in a waiting state between the first ascending/descending position and a carrying-out position to the rack transportation path; and a first transportation mechanism configured to transport the first rack moved by the ascending/descending mechanism from the second ascending/descending position to the first ascending/descending position, through the rack waiting region, to the carrying-out position.

Disclosed is a specimen testing system that includes: a specimen rearrangement unit configured to transfer a specimen container held in a first rack to a second rack; a specimen processing unit configured to process a specimen in the specimen container held in the second rack; a specimen storage unit configured to transfer the specimen container having been processed by the specimen processing unit from the second rack to a specimen container storage instrument for storage; a transportation unit configured to transport the second rack among the specimen rearrangement unit, the specimen processing unit, and the specimen storage unit; and a transportation control unit programmed to control the transportation unit. The transportation control unit is programmed to control bidirectional transportation of the second rack between the specimen rearrangement unit and the specimen storage unit.

A 3D ultrasound imaging device including an ultrasound probe assembly and echo analyzer. The ultrasound probe assembly includes a housing and an acoustic window abutted against the housing to form a sealed chamber, wherein the surface of the acoustic window contacts with the breast of the human body to be examined; an ultrasound transducer moves at a first speed back and forth within the sealed chamber and performs high-speed pre-scanning through the acoustic window to obtain initial ultrasound signals; the echo analyzer analyzes the initial ultrasound signals to determine a quality of a ultrasound image acquired by the high speed pre-scanning; and the ultrasound transducer then moves at a second speed to perform another scan to acquire new ultrasound signals. A 3D ultrasound imaging method is also disclosed.

A method for reading machine-readable labels on a plurality of sample receptacles held by a sample rack. The sample rack is moved between first and second positions within a housing and a label reader is activated at each of a plurality of predetermined position between the first and second positions to read the machine-readable label of each of the plurality of sample receptacles.

A sample testing system comprising: a transporting apparatus; a testing apparatus for obtain a sample and performing testing on the obtained sample; and a controller. The controller executes operation of: controlling the transporting apparatus so as to transport the sample rack in first direction, such that each sample container held in a sample rack is transported to a obtaining position on which the testing apparatus obtains a sample and then the sample rack is transported toward the second position; changing, when retesting of a sample contained in a sample container is necessary, the transporting direction from the first direction to second direction, and then controlling the transporting apparatus so as to transport the sample container accommodating the sample, for which retesting is necessary, to the obtaining position again. Sample testing method and a computer program product are also disclosed.

Disclosed is a measurement apparatus including: a first setting base capable of having set thereon a plurality of first storage portions arranged in a first direction; a second setting base capable of having set thereon a second storage portion, the second setting base being disposed in a second direction crossing the first direction with respect to the first setting base; a holding body configured to hold the first setting base and to hold the second setting base; a drive unit configured to move the holding body in the first direction; a dispenser configured to move along a movement axis thereof in the second direction, to suction a liquid in the second storage portion and dispense the liquid into each first storage portion; a measurement unit configured to measure a mixture dispensed in the first storage portion; and a movement stopping unit.

A test tube rack of an analyzer pipeline includes multiple test tube holders for holding test tubes. The test tube rack of an analyzer pipeline comprises a light blocker configured at a side wall of the test tube rack and across multiple test tube holders. A second feature area is on the light blocker between two adjacent test tube holders, a first feature area is between two adjacent second feature areas and a step gap with a predetermined depth is between the first feature area and a second feature area.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a method and/or a device for carrying out chemical, biochemical and/or immunochemical analyses of liquid samples, which are present in a sample store of an automatic analyzer, with the aid of liquid reagents which are present in at least one reagent store of the analyzer, with cuvettes for receiving the liquid samples and reagents, wherein a plurality of cuvettes is arranged as at least one stationary, linear cuvette array in the analyzer. The analyzer has movable and stationary automated components, wherein at least two automated components are designed so as to be movable in the x-direction independently of one another along or parallel to the line of movement defined by the linear cuvette array and each have access to different cuvettes or groups of cuvettes in a freely selectable sequence.