IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0978851
(2010-12-27)
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등록번호 |
US-8731709
(2014-05-20)
|
우선권정보 |
JP-2009-296836 (2009-12-28) |
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Tatsutani, Hiroo
- Asahara, Tomoyuki
- Yamakawa, Nobuyoshi
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
2 |
초록
▼
A sample processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of sample processing units, each processing a sample contained in a sample container; a transport apparatus that transports a sample rack holding a sample container to at least any one of the plurality of sample processing units; a rack feeding s
A sample processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of sample processing units, each processing a sample contained in a sample container; a transport apparatus that transports a sample rack holding a sample container to at least any one of the plurality of sample processing units; a rack feeding section that receives a sample rack and feeds the received sample rack to a transport line of the transport apparatus; and a controller configured to instruct the transport apparatus, according to a quantity of sample racks received by the rack feeding section, to transport a sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to either (a) a sample processing unit which can accept a subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit or (b) a sample processing unit having a lower processing load than any other sample processing unit. Also, a sample rack transporting method.
대표청구항
▼
1. A sample processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of sample processing units, each processing a sample contained in a sample container;a transport apparatus that transports a sample rack holding a sample container to at least any one of the plurality of sample processing units;a rack feeding
1. A sample processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of sample processing units, each processing a sample contained in a sample container;a transport apparatus that transports a sample rack holding a sample container to at least any one of the plurality of sample processing units;a rack feeding section that receives a sample rack and feeds the received sample rack to a transport line of the transport apparatus; anda controller configured to instruct the transport apparatus to transport a sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (a) a sample processing unit which can accept a subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit when a quantity of sample racks received by the rack feeding section is not smaller than a predetermined quantity, and instruct the transport apparatus to transport a sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (b) a sample processing unit having a lower processing load than any other sample processing unit when a quantity of sample racks received by the rack feeding section is smaller than a predetermined quantity. 2. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller obtains a number of times that each of the sample processing units had implemented a processing of a sample, andthe sample processing unit having the lower processing load than any other sample processing unit is a sample processing unit which had implemented a processing of a sample at the smallest number of times among the plurality of sample processing units. 3. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller obtains a number of sample racks transported to each of the sample processing units, andthe sample processing unit having the lower processing load than any other sample processing unit is a sample processing unit to which the smallest number of sample racks had been transported among the plurality of sample processing units. 4. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a receiving part which receives a selection of whether to set (i) a first transport method for transporting the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to the sample processing unit which can accept the subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit or (ii) a second transport method for transporting the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to the sample processing unit having the lower processing load than any other sample processing unit,wherein the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section by a transport method received by the receiving part. 5. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a display section for displaying a reception screen for selecting whether to set (i) the first transport method or (ii) the second transport method. 6. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a rack set section on which a sample rack is set by a user and which transfers the set sample rack to the rack feeding section, wherein when a reception interval at which the rack feeding section receives sample racks is not greater than a predetermined interval, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (a) the sample processing unit which can accept the subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit, andwhen the reception interval is greater than the predetermined interval, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (b) the sample processing unit having the lower processing load than any other sample processing unit. 7. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rack feeding section includes a storage section that stores the received sample rack before feeding the sample rack to the transport line,when the reception interval is greater than the predetermined interval and a number of sample racks stored in the storage section is not smaller than a predetermined number, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (a) the sample processing unit which can accept the subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit, andwhen the reception interval is greater than the predetermined interval and the number of the sample racks stored in the storage section is smaller than the predetermined number, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (b) the sample processing unit having the lower processing load than any other sample processing unit. 8. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rack feeding section includes a detector that detects an identification information of the received sample rack, andthe reception interval is an interval of detecting by the detector. 9. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when a current time is included in a time slot in which a crowded state of the sample racks set in the rack set section is severe, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (a) the sample processing unit which can accept the subsequent sample rack more rapidly any other sample processing unit, even when the reception interval is greater than the predetermined interval. 10. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the transport line of the transport apparatus comprises at a respective sample processing unit:a sample supply line configured to transport a sample rack to supply a sample in the sample rack to a corresponding sample processing unit; anda bypass line that separates from the sample supply line and configured to transport a sample rack to pass through the corresponding sample processing unit or to transfer the sample rack to the corresponding sample supply line, andwhen the reception interval is not greater than a predetermined interval, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport a subsequent sample rack to a sample processing unit corresponding to a sample supply line on which there is no sample rack fed by the rack feeding section. 11. A sample processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of sample processing units, each processing a sample contained in a sample container;a transport apparatus that transports a sample rack holding a sample container to at least any one of the plurality of sample processing units;a rack feeding section that receives the sample rack and feeds the received sample rack to a transport line of the transport apparatus; anda controller configured to instruct the transport apparatus to transport a sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to(a) a sample processing unit which can accept a subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit when a current time is included in a time slot in which a crowded state of sample racks set in the sample processing apparatus is severe, and to instruct the transport apparatus to transport a sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (b) a sample processing unit having a lower processing load than any other sample processing unit when the current time is not included in the time slot. 12. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the transport line of the transport apparatus comprises at a respective sample processing unit:a sample supply line configured to transport a sample rack to supply a sample in the sample rack to a corresponding sample processing unit; anda bypass line that separates from the sample supply line and configured to transport a sample rack to pass through the corresponding sample processing unit or to transfer the sample rack to the corresponding sample supply line, andwhen the current time is included in the time slot, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport a subsequent sample rack to a sample processing unit corresponding to a sample supply line on which there is no sample rack fed by the rack feeding section. 13. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller obtains a number of times that each of the sample processing units had implemented a processing of a sample, andwhen the current time is not included in the time slot, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to a sample processing unit which had implemented a processing of a sample at the smallest number of times. 14. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller obtains a number of sample racks transported to each of the sample processing units, andwhen the current time is not included in the time slot, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to a sample processing unit to which the smallest number of sample racks had been transported among the plurality of sample processing units. 15. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a receiving part which receives a selection of whether to set (i) a first transport method for transporting the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to the sample processing unit which can accept the subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit or (ii) a second transport method for transporting the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to the sample processing unit having the lower processing load than any other sample processing unit,wherein the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section by a transport method received by the receiving part. 16. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 11, comprising a rack set section on which a sample rack is set by a user and which transfers the set sample rack to the rack feeding section, wherein when an reception interval at which the rack feeding section receives sample racks is not greater than a predetermined interval, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to (a) the sample processing unit which can accept the subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit even when the current time is not included in the time slot. 17. The sample processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the rack feeding section includes a storage section that stores the received sample rack before feeding the sample rack to the transport line, andwhen the reception interval is greater than a predetermined interval and a number of sample racks stored in the storage section is not smaller than a predetermined number, the controller instructs the transport apparatus to transport the sample rack fed by the rack feeding section to(a) the sample processing unit which can accept the subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit even when the current time is not included in the time slot. 18. A sample rack transporting method by a sample processing apparatus comprising: receiving a sample rack holding a sample container;feeding the received sample rack to a transport line of the sample processing apparatus;transporting the fed sample rack to (a) a sample processing unit which can accept a subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit when a quantity of the fed sample racks is not smaller than a predetermined quantity and transporting the fed sample rack to (b) a sample processing unit having a lower processing load than any other sample processing unit when a quantity of the fed sample racks is smaller than a predetermined quantity. 19. A sample rack transporting method by a sample processing apparatus comprising: receiving a sample rack holding a sample container;feeding the received sample rack to a transport line of the sample processing apparatus;transporting the fed sample rack to either (a) a sample processing unit which can accept a subsequent sample rack more rapidly than any other sample processing unit or (b) a sample processing unit having a lower processing load than any other sample processing unit, when the current time is included in a time slot in which a crowded state of the sample racks set in the sample processing apparatus is severe.
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