WARNING SYSTEM FOR POTENTIALLY ERRONEOUS MEASUREMENT RESULTS IN AN AUTOMATED ANALYZER

Abstract

The present invention lies in the field of automated analyzers and relates to an automated warning system for potentially erroneous measurement results, which may be caused by the loss of a liquid container during a transport process.

Claims

1. A method for operating an automated analyzer comprising: monitoring a transport process of a liquid container from a first receiving position into a second receiving position with the aid of one or more sensors; if a loss of the liquid container during the transport process is determined in response to the monitoring, checking whether the lost liquid container was filled with liquid; if the lost liquid container is determined to have been filled with liquid in response to the checking, labeling all other liquid containers situated in a respective first or second receiving position of the automated analyzer as potentially contaminated by updating the data record of each of the other liquid containers; and labeling as potentially erroneous each measurement result of a measurement of a property of a liquid sample which contains at least one liquid from a liquid container labeled as potentially contaminated or which is contained in a liquid container labeled as potentially contaminated.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if determined that the lost liquid container was empty, not labeling all the other liquid containers as potentially contaminated.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if determined that the lost liquid container was filled with liquid, continuing without interruption until a measurement result is available all measurements of properties of liquid samples in progress during the checking of whether the lost liquid container was filled with liquid.

4. An automated analyzer comprising: an apparatus for measuring a property of a liquid sample, a multiplicity of first and second receiving positions for liquid containers, at least one apparatus for transporting a liquid container from a first receiving position into a second receiving position of the multiplicity of first and second receiving positions, a data memory, in which a data record with information is stored for each liquid container situated in the analyzer, the data record facilitating a unique identification of a liquid container, and a control device configured such that it controls a method comprising the following steps: monitoring a transport process of a liquid container from a first receiving position into a second receiving position with the aid of one or more sensors; if a loss of the liquid container during the transport process is determined in response to the monitoring, checking whether the lost liquid container was filled with liquid; if the lost liquid container is determined to have been filled with liquid in response to the checking, labeling all other liquid containers situated in a respective first or second receiving position of the automated analyzer as potentially contaminated by updating the data record of each of the other liquid containers; and labeling as potentially erroneous each measurement result of a measurement of a property of a liquid sample which contains at least one liquid from a liquid container labeled as potentially contaminated or which is contained in a liquid container labeled as potentially contaminated.

5. The automated analyzer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the apparatus for measuring a property of a liquid sample is a photometer.

6. The automated analyzer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the multiplicity of first and second receiving positions for receiving liquid containers comprise receiving positions for receiving respectively one tube-shaped reaction vessel or receiving positions for receiving respectively one reagent liquid container.

7. The automated analyzer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the apparatus for transporting a liquid container from a first receiving position into a second receiving position is a gripper fastened to a transfer arm which is horizontally and vertically displaceable.

8. The automated analyzer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the one or more sensors for monitoring a transport process of a liquid container from a first receiving position into a second receiving position are selected from the group of mechanical, resistive, piezoelectric, optical, capacitive, inductive or magnetic sensors.

9. The automated analyzer as claimed in claim 4, which further comprises a screen for displaying measurement results and wherein the control device is further configured to depict a measurement result labeled as potentially erroneous in a different color than a measurement result which is not labeled as potentially erroneous.

10. The automated analyzer as claimed in claim 4, which further comprises a screen for displaying measurement results and wherein the control device is further configured to depict a measurement result labeled as potentially erroneous with a warning symbol.

11. The automated analyzer as claimed in claim 4, which further comprises an additional output medium and wherein the control device is further configured to control the output medium to generate a visually or acoustically perceivable signal if the loss of a filled liquid container during the transport process is determined.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Below, the invention is explained on the basis of a drawing.

[0056] In detail:

[0057] FIG. 1 shows an automated analyzer according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an automated analyzer 1 with some components contained therein. Here, only the most important components are illustrated in a much simplified manner in order to explain the basic functionality of the automated analyzer 1 without depicting the individual parts of each component in detail.

[0059] The automated analyzer 1 is embodied to carry out very different types of analyses of blood or other bodily fluids in a fully automated manner, without this requiring activities by a user. Necessary interventions of a user instead are restricted to servicing or repairing and refill work, for example, if cuvettes need to be refilled or liquid containers need to be replaced.

[0060] The patient samples are fed to the automated analyzer 1 in primary sample vessels via a feed track 2 on carriages not depicted in any more detail. Information concerning the analyses to be carried out for each sample may, for example, be transferred by means of barcodes which are attached to the sample vessels and which are read in the automated analyzer 1. With the aid of a first pipetting apparatus 3, sample aliquots are removed from the sample vessels by means of a pipetting needle.

[0061] The sample aliquots are likewise fed to cuvettes (not depicted in any more detail), which are arranged in receiving positions 4 of a rotatable incubation device 5 which is temperature controlled to 37° C. The cuvettes are removed from a cuvette storage container 6, in which the cuvettes are present in an unordered state as bulk goods. A data record for an individual cuvette is only generated when said cuvette is removed and said cuvette is placed into a receiving position 4, said data record initially containing information that this relates to a cuvette and the receiving position in which it has been placed. Reagent vessels 8 with various reagent liquids are stored in the reagent vessel storage container 7, which is cooled to approximately 8-10° C. Reagent liquid is taken from a reagent vessel 8 by means of the pipetting needle of a second pipetting apparatus 9 and administered into a cuvette, which already contains a sample aliquot, for providing a reaction mix. By means of the transfer arm 10, the cuvette with the reaction mix is taken from a receiving position 4 of the incubation device 5 with a gripper 11 and transferred to a shaking device 13 for mixing the reaction mix. After completing the mixing process, the cuvette is transported onward into a receiving position 14 of the rotatable receiving apparatus 15 for the photometric measurement station 12, where the absorption of the reaction mix is measured. By way of example, a filled cuvette may be lost during this transport process or else during the shaking. The loss is detected by a Hall sensor (not depicted in any more detail), which is attached between the transfer arm 10 and a gripper 11, and/or by a photoelectric barrier (likewise not depicted in any more detail) at the receiving position 14 of the receiving apparatus 15.

[0062] The entire process is controlled by a control unit 20, such as, e.g., a computer connected by way of a data line, supported by a multiplicity of further electronic circuits and microprocessors, not depicted in any more detail, within the automated analyzer 1 and the components thereof.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0063] 1 Analyzer

[0064] 2 Feed track

[0065] 3 Pipetting apparatus

[0066] 4 Receiving position

[0067] 5 Incubation device

[0068] 6 Cuvette storage container

[0069] 7 Reagent vessel storage container

[0070] 8 Reagent vessel

[0071] 9 Pipetting apparatus

[0072] 10 Transfer arm

[0073] 11 Gripper

[0074] 12 Measurement station

[0075] 13 Shaking device

[0076] 14 Receiving position

[0077] 15 Receiving apparatus

[0078] 20 Control unit