APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATED DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS OF LIQUID SAMPLES

Abstract

In order to increase efficiency, to minimize the size of the apparatus and in order to reduce the workload of the operator who runs the analyzer, the apparatus for the automated analysis of liquid samples, including a sample tray, at least two reagent trays, at least two reaction trays, and at least two measuring devices. The sample tray is arranged in the center of the analysis area, the at least two reaction trays are arranged adjacent to the sample tray, the at least two reagent trays are arranged adjacent to the reaction trays and the at least two measuring devices are arranged adjacent to the reaction trays. Between the sample disc and each of the at least two reaction trays there is a pipetting device. Between each of the at least two reagent trays and their corresponding reaction trays there is a pipetting device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the automated analysis of liquid samples, wherein said apparatus comprises an analysis area, wherein the analysis area comprises a sample tray for receiving sample containers, at least two reagent trays for receiving reagent containers, at least two reaction trays for receiving reaction vessels, and at least two measuring devices for measuring a physical or chemical property, wherein the sample tray is arranged in the center of the analysis area, the at least two reaction trays are arranged adjacent to the sample tray, the at least two reagent trays are arranged adjacent to the reaction trays and the at least two measuring devices are arranged adjacent to the reaction trays, wherein between the sample disc and each of the at least two reaction trays there is a pipetting device for transferring liquid sample from sample containers in the sample tray to the reaction vessels in the reaction trays, and wherein between each of the at least two reagent trays and their corresponding reaction trays there is a pipetting device for transferring reagent from reagent containers in the reagent trays to the reaction vessels in the reaction trays.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sample tray is in the form of a rotatable sample disc, the at least two reagent trays are in the form of rotatable reagent discs, the at least two reaction trays are either in the form of a rotatable reaction disc being arranged adjacent to the sample tray or in the form of a static reaction ring, wherein the pipetting devices are in the form of swiveling pipetting arms having an axis of rotation on one end of the pipetting arm, about which the pipetting needle on the other end of the pipetting arm is movable along a circular path, wherein the axis of rotation of the pipetting devices is located between the sample disc and each reaction disc/ring or between each reagent disc and its corresponding reaction disc/ring.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis area is arranged in a housing, said housing having a loading opening for receiving sample containers and reagent containers either individually or prepacked in racks, wherein the loading opening comprises a robotic arm for transporting the sample containers and reagent containers either individually or in the form of prepacked racks from the loading opening to the sample tray or the reagent trays.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the loading opening is arranged in the front wall of the housing.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the loading opening comprises a 1D code, 2D code and/or RFID reader.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a conveyor for transporting sample containers and/or reagent containers either individually or in the form of prepacked racks to or from the loading opening.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the physical or chemical property measured by at least one of the at least two measuring devices is a result of an immuno assay or a result of a clinical chemistry assay or a result of a coagulation assay or a result of an ion selective electrode assay.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sample disc has receiving pockets for receiving longish sample container racks having 2 to 20 slots for receiving sample containers along the central longitudinal axis of the racks, wherein the receiving pockets are oriented radially on the sample disc.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the reaction trays is in the form of a static reaction ring having slots for receiving the reaction vessels, said slots being circumferentially arranged side by side on the static reaction ring, wherein outside the static reaction ring there is concentrically arranged a transport ring having at least one slot for receiving a reaction vessel, said slot being arranged on the same level as the slots in the static reaction ring, and wherein the transport ring has at least one pusher for transferring a reaction vessel from the at least one slot in the transport ring to one of the slots in the static reaction ring and back by horizontal movement on a radial axis of the static reaction ring.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the transport ring has one, two, three or four slots for receiving reaction vessels and one pusher arranged at each slot for transferring a reaction vessel from the corresponding slot in the transport ring to one of the slots in the static reaction ring and back by horizontal movement on a radial axis of the reaction ring.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein outside the transport ring there is at least one external slot for receiving a reaction vessel, said at least one external slot being on the same level as the at least one slot for receiving reaction vessels in the transport ring such that reaction vessels can be transferred from slots in the transport ring to said at least one external slot for receiving a reaction vessel and back by horizontal movement on a radial axis of the transport ring.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the measuring devices is for measuring an optical property of a liquid sample treated with a reagent in a reaction vessel, wherein said measuring device comprises a rotatable transport cylinder having a cylinder wall and a cylinder top, wherein there is at least one slot in the cylinder wall for receiving a reaction vessel, a cylindrical housing having a cylindrical housing wall and a cylindrical housing top, said cylindrical housing being concentrically arranged around the transport cylinder, wherein there is at least one opening for inserting and/or ejecting a reaction vessel to or from the at least one slot in the transport cylinder, and a light detector for detecting light being emitted from a liquid in a reaction vessel being inserted in the at least one slot of the transport cylinder.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein vertical fins protrude upwards or downwards from horizontal surfaces of the transport cylinder and/or the cylindrical housing.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the rotatable transport cylinder has 3 slots for receiving a reaction vessel, said slots being arranged in the cylinder wall at an angle of 120°.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the cylindrical housing has one loading opening for inserting a reaction vessel to the at least one slot in the transport cylinder, and on unloading opening for ejecting a reaction vessel from the at least one slot in the transport cylinder, wherein the loading opening is in the cylindrical housing top, and wherein the unloading opening is in the cylindrical housing wall.

Description

[0101] In accompanying FIGS. 1 through 4:

[0102] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from above on the top of a specific embodiment of the inventive analyzer,

[0103] FIG. 2 shows a detail of a static reaction ring of a specific embodiment of an inventive analyzer,

[0104] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a round measurement chamber of a specific embodiment of an inventive analyzer, and

[0105] FIG. 4 shows the round measurement chamber of FIG. 3 without a specific embodiment of an inventive analyzer.

[0106] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from above on the top of a specific embodiment of the inventive analyzer 1. In the analysis area 2 of said analyzer 1 there are two reagent trays 5, 6, wherein both of said reagent trays 5, 6 are in the form of rotatable discs. Further, in the analysis area 2 there are located two reaction trays 9, 10, wherein one of said reaction trays 9 is in the form of a rotatable reaction disc and the other reaction tray 10 is in the form of a static reaction ring 10.

[0107] The rectangular formed by the dashed lines that are connecting the axes of rotation of the reagent trays 5, 6 and the axes of rotation of the reaction trays 9, 10 defines the center of the analysis area 2. The axis of rotation of the sample tray 3 crosses said center of the analysis area 2. Accordingly, the sample tray 3 is arranged in the center of the analysis area 2.

[0108] Adjacent to the sample tray 3, there are the two reagent trays 5, 6 on the right from the sample tray 3 and on the left from the sample tray 3, respectively. Further, adjacent to the sample tray 3, there are the two reaction trays 9, 10, one on the right and one on the left.

[0109] Between the sample tray 3 and each of the two reaction trays 9, 10 there are pipetting devices 15, 16. Further, between the reaction tray 9 and the reagent tray 5 there are two pipetting devices 17, and between the reaction tray 10 and the reagent tray 6 there is one pipetting device 18. The pipetting devices 15, 16 between the sample tray 3 and the reaction trays 9, 10 are for transferring liquid sample from sample containers 4 in the sample tray 3 to the reaction vessels 11, 12 in the reaction trays 9, 10. The pipetting devices 17, 18 between the reagent trays 5, 6 and the reaction trays 9, 10 are for transferring reagent from reagent containers 7, 8 in the reagent trays 5, 6 to the reaction vessels 11, 12 and the reaction trays 9, 10.

[0110] The pipetting devices 15, 16, 17, 18 are in the form of swiveling pipetting arms having an axis of rotation 19 on one end of the pipetting arm, about which the pipetting needle 20 on the other end of the pipetting arm is movable along a circular path. The axis of rotation 19 of the pipetting devices 15, 16, 17, 18 is either located between the sample disc 3 and each reaction tray 9, 10 or between each reagent tray 5, 6 and its corresponding reaction tray 9, 10.

[0111] Adjacent to each of the reaction trays 9, 10 there is a measuring device 13, 14. The measuring device 14 adjacent to the reaction tray 10 is a PMT detector having a photo multiplier tube for measuring chemiluminescence in an immuno assay. The measuring device 13 adjacent to the reaction tray 9 is a photometer for measuring the optical characteristics of a clinical chemistry reaction mixture. The sample tray 3 has receiving pockets 28 for receiving longish sample container racks 24, each container rack having five slots for receiving sample containers 4, said five slots being arranged side by side along the longitudinal axis of the racks. The receiving pockets 28 are oriented radially on the sample tray 3. In the present embodiments there are ten receiving pockets 28. Accordingly, when fully packed the sample tray 3 of this embodiment may carry ten sample container racks, each having five slots. Consequently said sample tray 3 may carry a total of 50 sample containers at maximum.

[0112] The reagent tray 6 has 14 receiving pockets for receiving reagent container racks, each off said racks having 3 slots for receiving reagent containers 8. The reagent container racks are oriented radially on the outer circumferential edge of the disc of the reagent tray 6.

[0113] On the disc of reagent tray 5 there are 24 pockets for receiving reagent container racks 23, each off said reagent container racks having two slots for receiving reagent containers 7. The pockets for receiving the reagent container racks are arranged in two rows, one row on the outer circumferential edge of the disc of the reagent tray 5, and the other row in the center of the disc of the reagent tray 5.

[0114] The reaction tray 9 has on the outer circumferential edge of its disc about 100 slots for receiving reaction vessels 11. In the present embodiments said reaction vessels are cuvettes for photometric analysis of the reaction mixture contained therein. By rotation of the disc of the reaction tray 9 each of the reaction vessels 11 can be transported to the photometer 13 for measuring the optical properties of the reaction mixture contained therein.

[0115] The reaction tray 10 is a static reaction ring, and outside said static ring there is concentrically arranged a transport ring 30 for transporting reaction vessels 12 to and from the static reaction ring 10.

[0116] According to FIG. 1 the embodiment of the analyzer 1 as shown has the analysis area arranged on a plane and inside a housing 21, wherein said housing 21 has a loading opening 22 in the front wall 26 of the housing 21. Said loading opening 22 is for receiving sample containers 4 and reagent containers 7, 8 either individually or prepacked in racks 23, 24. The loading opening 22 comprises a robotic arm 25 for transporting the sample containers 4 and reagent containers 7, 8 either individually or in the form of prepacked racks 23, 24 from the loading opening 22 to the sample tray 3 or the reagent trays 5, 6. Further, the robotic arm 25 may transport sample containers from the sample tray 3 to the reagent trays 5, 6 and back. In those embodiments, where the reagent trays 5, 6 are cooled, sample racks 24 carrying sample containers filled with controls may be transferred to the reagent trays 5, 6 for cooling in order to elongate control lifetime.

[0117] In the embodiment shown the robotic arm 25 is a swiveling arm having an axis of rotation on one end of said arm, about which the other end is movable along a circular path. At the end of the arm that is on the opposite side as compared to the axis of rotation the robotic arm has an end effector for grabbing and transporting sample containers and reagent containers, either individually or in the form of prepacked racks.

[0118] The robotic arm can move along a horizontal axis from the left (where the reagent tray 6 is located) to the right (where the reaction tray 5 is located) in order to place or take reagent containers/racks or the reagent trays 5, 6 or from the reagent trays 5 or 6. Further, the robotic arm 25 can move along a vertical axis in order to pick containers/racks from the level of the loading opening 22, which is below the level of the analysis area 2 and transport the same to the level of the analysis area and to place them e.g. into the reagent trays 5 or 6.

[0119] The circular movement of the swiveling arm plus the moveability along a horizontal and a vertical axis allows the robotic arm 25 to move the end effector within a working zone, and within said working zone the end effector can grab sample containers and/or reagent containers, either individually or in the form of prepacked racks, from the loading opening 22, the reagent trays 5, 6 and/or the sample tray 3, transport them from or to one of said devices and/or place them in or into one of said devices.

[0120] In the front wall 26 of the housing 21 there is provided a horizontal recess providing a conveyor 27 reaching from the left to the right and through the loading opening 22. Containers/racks that shall be loaded to the sample tray 3 and/or the reagent trays 5, 6 may be placed on the conveyor 27, wherein said conveyor 27 transports the containers/racks to the loading opening 22, where the robotic arm 25 may pick the containers/racks and bring them into the analysis area.

[0121] FIG. 2 shows a detail of a static reaction ring 10 of a specific embodiment of an inventive analyzer 1. The static reaction ring 10 has slots 29 for receiving the reaction vessels 12, wherein said slots 29 are circumferentially arranged side-by-side on the static reaction ring 10. Outside the static reaction ring 10 there is concentrically arranged a transport ring 30 having one slot 31 for receiving a reaction vessel 12, wherein said slot 31 is arranged on the same level as the slots 29 in the static reaction ring 10. Due to this the pusher 32, which is arranged on the transport ring 30 may transfer reaction vessels 12 from the transport ring slot 31 to one of the slots 29 in the static reaction ring 10 by horizontal movement on a radial axis of the static reaction ring 10. The same pusher 32 may also remove reaction vessels 12 from slots 29 in the static reaction ring and transfer them to the transport slot 31 and the transport ring 30.

[0122] In the specific embodiment of FIG. 2 there is an external slot 46 outside the transport ring. Said external slot 46 is for receiving a reaction vessel, and said reaction vessel 12 may be placed in said external slot 46 by the pusher 32 by horizontal movement from either directly the transport ring 13 or by horizontal movement from the static reaction ring 10 through the transport ring 30 and to the external slot 46.

[0123] In the embodiment of FIG. 2 the external slot 46 is a parking position for further processing of the reaction mixture inside a reaction vessel 12 that is placed in said parking position. Said further processing may for instance be a mixing step, a magnetic bead separation step or some other further processing step.

[0124] In the specific embodiment shown the static reaction ring 10 has one single line of slots 29 being circumferentially arranged side-by-side at the outer circumferential edge of the ring.

[0125] FIGS. 3 and 4 show a round measurement chamber according to a specific embodiment of the inventive analyzer. FIG. 3 particularly shows a perspective view of said round measurement chamber including the cylindrical housing 37, and FIG. 4 shows the same measurement chamber without the cylindrical housing 37.

[0126] The measuring device 14 of FIGS. 3 and 4 is for measuring an optical property of a liquid sample treated with a reagent in a reaction vessel 12. The measuring device 14 comprises a rotatable transport cylinder 33 being encompassed by a cylindrical housing 37. On one side of the measuring device 14 there is a light detector 41 for detecting light being emitted from a liquid in the reaction vessel 12 that has been inserted in one of the slots 36 of the transport cylinder 33.

[0127] The rotatable transport cylinder 33 has a cylinder wall 34 and a cylinder top 35, wherein there are three slots 36 in the cylinder wall 34 for receiving a reaction vessel 12. In the embodiment shown the three slots 36 for receiving reaction vessels 12 are arranged in the cylinder wall at an angle of 120°.

[0128] The transport cylinder 33 is rotatable and is encompassed by the cylindrical housing 37. The cylindrical housing 37 has a cylindrical housing wall 38 and a cylindrical housing top 39, and said cylindrical housing 37 is concentrically arranged around the transport cylinder 33, wherein there is one opening 43 for inserting a reaction vessel 12 to the slot 36 in the transport cylinder 33 and one opening 44 for ejecting a reaction vessel 12 from the slot 36 in the transport cylinder 33.

[0129] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 there are vertical fins 42 protruding upwards from the transport cylinder top 35. The vertical fins 42 are concentrically arranged in circles around the axis of rotation of the transport cylinder 33. Further, the fins 42 have a triangular cross-section and they do match with adjacent fins being arranged on the opposite surface of the cylindrical housing top 39. Particularly the adjacent fins are engaging with each other in that the peaks of the fins on the one surface reach into the gaps between the fins on the other surface and vice versa.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0130] 1 apparatus for the automated analysis of liquid samples (analyzer)

[0131] 2 analysis area

[0132] 3 sample tray

[0133] 4 sample container

[0134] 5 first reagent disc

[0135] 6 second reagent disc

[0136] 7 first reagent container

[0137] 8 second reagent container

[0138] 9 reaction disc

[0139] 10 reaction ring

[0140] 11 first reaction vessel

[0141] 12 second reaction vessel

[0142] 13 first measuring device

[0143] 14 second measuring device

[0144] 15 first pipetting device

[0145] 16 second pipetting device

[0146] 17 first pipetting device

[0147] 18 second pipetting device

[0148] 19 axis of rotation

[0149] 20 pipetting needle

[0150] 21 housing

[0151] 22 loading opening

[0152] 23 reagent rack

[0153] 24 sample rack

[0154] 25 robotic arm

[0155] 26 front wall

[0156] 27 conveyor

[0157] 28 pocket for receiving a sample rack

[0158] 29 slot for receiving a reaction vessel

[0159] 30 transport ring

[0160] 31 slot for receiving a reaction vessel

[0161] 32 pusher

[0162] 33 transport cylinder

[0163] 34 cylinder wall

[0164] 35 cylinder top

[0165] 36 slot in the cylinder wall for receiving a reaction vessel

[0166] 37 cylindrical housing

[0167] 38 cylindrical housing wall

[0168] 39 cylindrical housing top

[0169] 41 light detector

[0170] 42 vertical fin

[0171] 43 loading opening for inserting a reaction vessel

[0172] 44 unloading opening for ejecting a reaction vessel

[0173] 45 side wall

[0174] 46 external slot for receiving a reaction vessel