A distribution system comprising a transport plane for distributing objects and carriers for transporting the objects. A drive system moves the carriers on the transport plane. A control system of the distribution system is configured to control the carriers to move on a planned route from a start position to a final destination position on the transport plane. The control system comprises a routing system configured to calculate the planned route for at least two carriers on the transport plane by modeling the transport plane with nodes and graphs and using a windowed hierarchical cooperative informed search algorithm. The routing system is configured to determine reserved and free time windows for each node. The routing system is configured to assign an individual reservation length to each carrier for the next move on free time windows and assigns an infinite reservation time to the node of a logical position.

A dispensing assembly and related methods to facilitate dispensing of a fluid sample from a sample cylinder may include a sensor connected to one or more of conduits of the dispensing assembly and configured to provide indication of a leak in the conduits. A cap assembly may include a cap body and one or more cap conduits positioned to engage with a flush fluid source and provide fluid flow between the flush fluid source and a flush conduit. The cap assembly further may include a first quick connect coupler for connection and disconnection to a second quick connect coupler connected to a flush conduit. A pressure control device may be provided to prevent damage resulting from pressure to containers containing flush fluid. Inlet and outlet conduits connecting to the sample cylinder may configured to be flexible and align with corresponding connectors on the sample cylinder.

Exemplary embodiments provide a chain of authority linking records of auditable parameters for analytical laboratory instruments. The linked records provide a complete picture of the various items that contributed to a set of experimental results, allowing a user to (for example) trace a problem in an experiment back to its source, even if the source lies with a third party. This increases confidence in the quality of analytical results, simplifies audit and reporting compliance, and improves the traceability of instruments, reagents, and services.

The technology disclosed relates to detecting malfunction in a sequencer. In particular, the technology disclosed relates to receiving sensor data obtained from a sensor of the sequencer, applying a smoothing function to the sensor data to produce a smoothed time series, determining changes between smoothed successive datum in the smoothed time series that exceed a predetermined change, determining a degree of instability based upon the predetermined change, and generating an alert indicating that the sequencer is malfunctioning when the degree of instability exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Techniques and apparatus for evaluating analytical device performance and data quality are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may include at least one memory, and logic coupled to the at least one memory. The logic may be configured to generate an analysis method to be performed by an analytical device, the analysis method comprising a plurality of method segments comprising at least one performance assessment process and at least one sample analysis process, and link the at least one performance assessment process with the at least one sample analysis process. Other embodiments are described.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic analysis system which, even when a large number of quality control samples is necessary, reduces the time necessary for quality control. To this end, this automatic analysis system is provided with multiple analysis devices (190), a conveyance unit (120) to which the analysis devices (190) are connected, and an operation unit (101) which operates the conveyance unit (120) to convey samples to the analysis device (190), wherein the automatic analysis system has a common storage cabinet (210) for storing the quality control samples that can be supplied to the multiple analysis devices (190), and in accordance with a rule registered in advance for each of the multiple analysis devices (190), the operation unit (101) operates the storage cabinet (210) to automatically convey a quality control sample to an analysis device (190).

The invention relates to a method for automatically blocking and/or unblocking a computer-supported medical device in a system, said system comprising the computer-supported medical device and a mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a first wireless communication device for wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and wherein mobile application software can be executed by means of the mobile terminal, wherein the medical device comprises a device computer and wherein the device computer comprises a second wireless communication device for wirelessly transmitting and receiving data, wherein driver software can be executed on the device computer, which can establish a wireless communication connection to the first communication device of the mobile terminal by means of the second communication device of the medical device, wherein the medical device is automatically shifted from a blocked state into an unblocked state, if the first communication device of the mobile terminal has established a wireless connection with the second communication device of the medical device and the signal strength of the signal of the first communication device of the mobile terminal, received by the second communication device of the medical device, exceeds a predetermined first threshold value and/or the medical device is automatically shifted from an unblocked state into a blocked state, if the first communication device of the mobile terminal has established a wireless connection with the second communication device of the medical device and the signal strength of the signal of the first communication device of the mobile terminal, received by the communication device of the medical device, falls below a predetermined second threshold value and/or if the wireless connection is interrupted for longer than a predetermined first time interval.

An automated analysis device has a reaction container constructed on a reaction disc, a reaction tank for immersing the reaction container in water, a water level sensor, a reagent probe that suctions/discharges a reagent to the reaction container, and a controller. In the reagent probe, a water detection unit that detects the presence of water is provided at a prescribed site, the reagent probe being capable of detecting the water level in the reaction tank. The controller detects the water level in the reaction tank in at least three locations (e.g., a first water level confirmation part, a second water level confirmation part, and a third water level confirmation part) by using the water level sensor and the reagent probe, and has a function for confirming the levelness of the reaction tank or an apparatus on which the reaction tank is installed.

A method of automatically distinguishing absorption or non-absorption of whole blood or blood plasma by using a reflective photosensor in an automatic immunoassay device including a round cartridge which may simultaneously perform the centrifugation and automatic analysis of a blood sample and a tip which may be moved up, down, left and right based on the round cartridge, the method includes: installing the reflective photosensor below the round cartridge; mounting the tip above the round cartridge, and continuously measuring blood non-absorption data in a range including a position where the blood is absorbed by using the reflective photosensor, collecting the measured data and storing the collected data while the tip is raised; continuously measuring blood absorption data by using the reflective photosensor while the tip is lowered and absorbs the blood present in the range including the position where the blood is absorbed from the round cartridge; and determining whether a type of the blood is whole blood or blood plasma, or whether the whole blood or the blood plasma is not absorbed by comparing the blood non-absorption data with the blood absorption data.

A dispensing assembly and related methods to facilitate dispensing of a fluid sample from a sample cylinder may include a sensor connected to one or more of conduits of the dispensing assembly and configured to provide indication of a leak in the conduits. A cap assembly may include a cap body and one or more cap conduits positioned to engage with a flush fluid source and provide fluid flow between the flush fluid source and a flush conduit. The cap assembly further may include a first quick connect coupler for connection and disconnection to a second quick connect coupler connected to a flush conduit. A pressure control device may be provided to prevent damage resulting from pressure to containers containing flush fluid. Inlet and outlet conduits connecting to the sample cylinder may configured to be flexible and align with corresponding connectors on the sample cylinder.