Disclosed is a container transfer method for transferring a container from a container holder capable of holding a plurality of containers, by using a holding section capable of performing an opening/closing operation, vertical movement, and horizontal movement. The method includes: moving the holding section downward to a position lower than a head portion of the container, at a position where the container is not held in a plan view; horizontally moving the holding section in an opened state, toward a target container on the container holder; after the horizontal movement of the holding section to the target container, closing the holding section with respect to the target container; and moving upward the holding section in a closed state.

Methods of calibrating a position of a component include providing a robot with a gripper and crush and crash sensors, a calibration tool coupled to the gripper, and the component, which has a recess and a crush zone. The methods also include moving the gripper in a first direction to sense contact between the calibration tool and the crush zone, recording the contact position, and moving the gripper to insert the tool into the recess. The gripper is then moved in second directions to sense contact between the tool and the recess and moved in third directions to also sense contact between the tool and the recess. The methods further include recording and processing the contact positions to determine a surface location in the first direction and a physical center of the recess. Robot calibration apparatus for performing the method is also disclosed, as are other aspects.

The present invention relates to a sample container handling system (1), having a sample container receptacle (2) and a support element (20). The sample container receptacle (2) in turn has: holding structures (4, 5) which are each configured to hold a respective sample container (3) and which are disposed about a rotation axis (6), and a base (7) having a support region (8) for supporting the sample containers (3) held by way of the holding structures (4, 5), wherein the base (7) furthermore has a side (10) that faces away from the support region (8) and at least one through opening (11) which from this side (10) extends to the support region (8). The support element (20) is connectable to the base (7) of the sample container receptacle (2) in such a manner so as to receive the latter, wherein the support element (20) has at least one protrusion (25, 26, 27) which, when the support element (20) receives the sample container receptacle (2), extends through the at least one through opening (11) and for lifting one or more sample containers (3) projects from the support region (8). The invention furthermore relates to a system having the sample container handling system (1) and a pressure container having a reaction chamber in which the sample container receptacle (2) is able to be received or is received.

An analyzer includes an analytical unit, the analytical unit including at least a mixing wheel, a piercing system, a reading cell and a hydraulic system, a rack holding system holding homogeneous racks, each of the homogeneous racks including sample tubes, a robotic arm to pick up any one of homogeneous racks and load sample tubes from it into the mixing wheel, and a system handler processor, the analytical unit, the rack holding system and the robotic arm communicatively linked by the system handler processor.

An automatic analyzing apparatus comprises a reaction disk on which a reaction tube is placed, a reaction tube transportation mechanism that transports the reaction tube, a controller that controls the reaction tube transportation mechanism to transport the reaction tube to at least one of a sample dispensing position and a reagent dispensing position, the sample dispensing position being a position where a sample is dispensed and the reagent dispensing position being a position where a reagent is dispensed, and transport to the reaction disk the reaction tube for which at least one of the sample and the reagent is dispensed.

A method and device to perform liquid handling by means of manipulation and transportation of consumables, instead of manipulation and transportation of a liquid handling head, among static or quasi-static liquid handling heads. A quasi-static liquid handling head (or pipette) that doesn't move between the aspiration and dispensing steps.

In this sample measuring device a lifting mechanism conveys a sample container from a rack to a sample measuring chamber. An inside light-shielding structure is extended over the upper surface of a base frame and the lower surface of a head, and surrounds a shaft. The inside light-shielding structure is configured from a first ring groove and a first ring protrusion. When the head is in a ground state, the upper surface of the base frame and the lower surface of the head are contacted by the action of a spring. At this time, the first ring groove and the first ring protrusion are integrated. An outside light-shielding structure is provided to the periphery of the inside light-shielding structure. A top plate contains a laminate structure which includes a lightshielding sheet and a lightreflecting plate.

A laboratory tube presentation unit for removal of a selected laboratory tube in a tube rack having multiple rows of laboratory tubes by raising the row of tubes in which the selected tube is located, the rack having tube wells and a rectangular bottom with a hole in each well, the unit including a selector assembly having a displaceable actuator assembly with a row of lift pins that are alignable under a select row of holes in the tube wells that correspond to a row of tubes having the selected tube in the tube rack seated on the top deck, the actuator assembly carriage having further an actuator with a manual transport shift and a lift mechanism that raises the row of lift pins under the select row of holes in the tube wells having the particular tube to be removed.

A sample measurement apparatus according to one or more embodiments includes a processing unit that aspirates a sample inside a sample container and measures the sample; a transfer unit that includes a holder to hold the sample container, and that picks up the sample container from a rack capable of storing the sample containers at storage positions on a row and transfers the sample container to the processing unit; and a detection unit that is attached to the holder and is movable integrally with the holder, and that detects whether or not there is the sample container at each of the storage positions.

Apparatus to neutralize static electricity present on the surface of containers (100; 10′) and/or of nests (200; 300) comprising a plurality of seatings (212; 312) according to a positioning matrix (M1) and able to receive, resting on them, an ordered group of said containers (100; 100), wherein the apparatus comprises an extraction member (15) configured to engage at least one part of said ordered group of containers (100; 100′), in order to perform at least one relative lifting movement with respect to the nest (200; 300) so as to at least partly extract the containers (100; 100′) engaged from the respective seatings (212; 312), and at least one ionizing device (19) configured to be relatively mobile with respect to the extracted containers and/or with respect to the nest (200; 300), while said group of containers (100; 100′) extracted is in said raised condition, along a path that develops in the proximity of the containers (100; 100′) extracted and/or in the proximity of said nest (200; 300), so as to ionize the surrounding space and neutralize static electricity present on the surface of the containers (100; 100′) in the raised condition and/or of the nest (200; 300).